WO2025236849A1 - Communication method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and provides a communication method and a device. In the method, a serving node can indicate to a sensing device antenna elements for receiving a sensing signal in an antenna array of the sensing device, so that the sensing device receives a sensing signal on the basis of the indication of the serving node. In the process, the sensing device can determine, on the basis of the indication of the serving node, which antenna elements in the antenna array of the sensing device can receive the sensing signal, and then the sensing device can extract information from channels corresponding to the antenna elements, thereby avoiding extraction of information from channels corresponding to antenna elements (i.e., antenna elements not receiving the sensing signal) other than those antenna elements in the antenna array of the sensing device, and thus improving the accuracy of a sensing result.

Description

Communication methods and devices

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410623665.1, filed on May 17, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and 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 communication methods and apparatus.

Background Technology

With the development of communication technology, more and more communication scenarios have emerged, such as human-to-human, Internet of Things, and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) scenarios. To enhance the service capabilities in these scenarios, the concept of integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) has been proposed. ISAC, also known as joint communications and sensing (JCAS), refers to the integration of communication and sensing capabilities in one or more dimensions, such as devices and waveforms, between radio access network (RAN) nodes and/or terminals (hereinafter referred to as sensing devices). For example, the signal sent by the RAN node to the terminal can contain information about communication with the terminal, and the RAN node can sense the terminal or other targets in the environment by detecting the echo of this signal.

In related technologies, the processing of data by sensing devices is based on the assumption that the antenna array of the sensing device is perfectly stationary, that is, that all antenna elements on the antenna array of the sensing device have consistent visibility to all signal transmission paths in the channel. This assumption can lead to inaccurate sensing results obtained from target perception in some scenarios.

Summary of the Invention

This application provides a communication method and apparatus that can improve the accuracy of sensing results.

To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

Firstly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a service node. Here, "service node" can refer to the service node itself, or to a processor, circuit, module, logic node, chip, or chip system within the service node that implements the method. For example, the service node can be an application server, cloud server, sensing server, core network element, or RAN node. The service node can also be referred to as a sensing management device or sensing management equipment.

The method includes: determining first information and sending the first information to a first sensing device. The first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in a first antenna array of the first sensing device, the at least one set of antenna elements being used to receive a first sensing signal, the first sensing signal being used to sense a target.

Based on the above method, the service node can indicate to the first sensing device the antenna elements used to receive the first sensing signal. Therefore, the first sensing device can extract information from the channels of these antenna elements, such as angle information, time delay information, or Doppler information of the signal transmission path through the target, without needing to extract information from the channels of antenna elements that do not receive the first sensing signal. Thus, the first sensing device can extract information related to the target, but not information unrelated to the target. On the one hand, the sensing result determined based on information related to the target is more accurate, improving sensing precision. On the other hand, the first sensing device does not need to extract information from the channels of each antenna element in the first antenna array, reducing the complexity of the first sensing device. Moreover, when determining the sensing result of the target, it is not necessary to rely on information extracted from the channels of each antenna element in the first antenna array, reducing the complexity of the algorithm.

Alternatively, the method includes: determining first information and sending the first information to a first sensing device. The first information indicates a second antenna array of the first sensing device, the second antenna array being included in a plurality of antenna arrays corresponding to the first sensing device, wherein M antenna elements in the second antenna array are used to receive a second sensing signal, the second sensing signal being used to sense a target, and M is a positive integer.

Based on the above method, the service node can instruct the first sensing device to use a second antenna array for receiving the second sensing signal, so that the first sensing device can use the second antenna array to receive the second sensing signal, thereby improving the accuracy of the sensing results. For example, if the second antenna array among the multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first sensing device can meet the sensing accuracy requirements of the sensing service, the service node instructs the first sensing device to use the second antenna array. As another example, if the second antenna array among the multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first sensing device includes a larger number of antenna elements for receiving the second sensing signal, the service node instructs the first sensing device to use the second antenna array.

In one possible implementation, each of the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target; the first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first sensing device, including: the first information indicates the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementations, the service node can indicate the antenna array used to receive the first sensing signal at the granularity of the signal transmission path. Therefore, the first sensing device can extract information at the granularity of the signal transmission path. For example, for each signal transmission path, the first sensing device can extract information from the channel of the antenna array corresponding to that signal transmission path to further improve the accuracy of the sensing results.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes the identifier of each signal transmission path and information about the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the service node can indicate the signal transmission path to the first sensing device through the identifier of the signal transmission path, and can indicate the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path to the first sensing device through the information of the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to T signal transmission paths passing through the target, and the T signal transmission paths passing through the target include a first path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the first path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the service node can flexibly and diversely indicate the antenna array corresponding to the first path to the first sensing device.

In one possible implementation, the first information also indicates the M antenna elements in the second antenna array.

Based on the above possible implementations, the service node can indicate to the first sensing device the M antenna elements in the second antenna array used to receive the second sensing signal. Therefore, the first sensing device can extract information from the channels of these antenna elements, without needing to extract information from the channels of antenna elements that do not receive the second sensing signal, thus improving the accuracy of the sensing results and reducing the complexity of the first sensing device. Furthermore, when determining the sensing result of the target, it is not necessary to rely on information extracted from the channels of each antenna element in the second antenna array, further reducing the algorithm's complexity.

In one possible implementation, the second linear array comprises P antenna elements, where the ratio of M to P is greater than or equal to a first threshold.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, in the second antenna array, the proportion of antenna elements used to receive the second sensing signal is relatively large, so as to ensure the accuracy of the sensing results.

In one possible implementation, the M antenna elements are divided into at least one group, and each group of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target; the first information indicates the M antenna elements, including: the first information indicates the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementations, the service node can indicate the antenna array used to receive the second sensing signal at the granularity of the signal transmission path. Therefore, the first sensing device can extract information at the granularity of the signal transmission path. For example, for each signal transmission path, the first sensing device can extract information from the channel of the antenna array corresponding to that signal transmission path to further improve the accuracy of the sensing results.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes the identifier of each signal transmission path in the signal transmission paths corresponding to the M antenna elements, and the information of the antenna elements corresponding to each signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the service node can indicate the signal transmission path to the first sensing device through the identifier of the signal transmission path, and can indicate the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path to the first sensing device through the information of the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, at least one set of antenna elements in the second antenna array corresponds to S signal transmission paths passing through the target, and the S signal transmission paths passing through the target include a second path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the second path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the service node can flexibly and diversely indicate the antenna array corresponding to the second path to the first sensing device.

In one possible implementation, the method further includes: acquiring first perception information, which is obtained by perceiving the target in a first time period, and the first perception information is used to determine first information.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the antenna array used to receive the first sensing signal or the antenna array used to receive the second sensing signal in the first sensing device can be determined based on the information obtained from sensing the target in the first time period.

In one possible implementation, a first sensing signal or a second sensing signal is used to sense the target in a second time period, which is later than the first time period, which is the period before the second time period when the target is sensed.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the antenna array (such as the antenna array for receiving the first sensing signal) or antenna array (such as the antenna array for receiving the second sensing signal) used for sensing the target in the second time period after the first time period can be determined based on the information obtained from sensing the target in the first time period.

In one possible implementation, the first information also indicates the location of the target in the second time period.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first sensing device can determine the position of the target in the second time period in order to adjust the direction of the receiving beam of the first sensing signal or the direction of the receiving beam of the second sensing signal.

In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving second sensing information from a first sensing device, the second sensing information being determined based on either the first sensing signal or the second sensing signal.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the service node can receive the second sensing information to determine the sensing result of the target. Optionally, the service node can also predict the antenna elements or antenna arrays to be used for target sensing in the next time period based on the second sensing information.

In one possible implementation, the first sensing device is a terminal or a RAN node.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the terminal or RAN node can participate in sensing to perceive the target during communication.

Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first sensing device. Here, the first sensing device can refer to the first sensing device itself, or to a processor, circuit, module, logic node, chip, or chip system within the first sensing device that implements the method. For example, the first sensing device may be a terminal or a RAN node.

The method includes: receiving first information, and receiving a first sensing signal or a second sensing signal based on the first information. The first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in a first antenna array of a first sensing device, the at least one set of antenna elements being used to receive the first sensing signal, and the first sensing signal being used to sense a target.

Based on the above method, the first sensing device can determine the antenna elements used to receive the first sensing signal according to the first information. Therefore, the first sensing device can extract information from the channels of these antenna elements, such as angle information, time delay information, or Doppler information of the signal transmission path passing through the target, without needing to extract information from the channels of antenna elements that do not receive the first sensing signal. Thus, the first sensing device can extract information related to the target, but not information unrelated to the target. On the one hand, the sensing result determined based on information related to the target is more accurate, improving sensing precision. On the other hand, the first sensing device does not need to extract information from the channels of each antenna element in the first antenna array, reducing the complexity of the first sensing device. Moreover, when determining the sensing result of the target, it is not necessary to rely on information extracted from the channels of each antenna element in the first antenna array, reducing the complexity of the algorithm.

Alternatively, the method includes: receiving first information, and receiving a first sensing signal or a second sensing signal based on the first information. The first information indicates a second antenna array of the first sensing device, the second antenna array being included in a plurality of antenna arrays corresponding to the first sensing device, wherein M antenna elements in the second antenna array are used to receive the second sensing signal, the second sensing signal being used to sense a target, and M is a positive integer.

Based on the above method, the first sensing device can determine the second antenna array for receiving the second sensing signal according to the first information, so as to improve the accuracy of the sensing result by using the second antenna array to receive the second sensing signal. For example, the second antenna array among the multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first sensing device can meet the sensing accuracy requirements of the sensing service, so the first information indicates the second antenna array. As another example, among the multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first sensing device, the second antenna array includes a larger number of antenna elements for receiving the second sensing signal, so the first information indicates the second antenna array.

In one possible implementation, each of the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target; the first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first sensing device, including: the first information indicates the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first sensing device can extract information at the granularity of the signal transmission path. For example, for each signal transmission path, the first sensing device can extract information from the channel of the antenna array corresponding to that signal transmission path, so as to further improve the accuracy of the sensing results.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes the identifier of each signal transmission path and information about the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first sensing device can determine the signal transmission path based on the identifier of the signal transmission path, and can determine the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path based on the information of the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to T signal transmission paths passing through the target, and the T signal transmission paths passing through the target include a first path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the first path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first sensing device can determine the antenna array corresponding to the first path according to the above information.

In one possible implementation, the first information also indicates the M antenna elements in the second antenna array.

Based on the above possible implementations, the first sensing device can identify the antenna elements in the second antenna array used to receive the second sensing signal. Therefore, the first sensing device can extract information from the channels of these antenna elements without needing to extract information from the channels of antenna elements that do not receive the first sensing signal, thus improving sensing accuracy and reducing the complexity of the first sensing device. Moreover, when determining the sensing result of the target, it is not necessary to rely on information extracted from the channels of each antenna element in the first antenna array, which can reduce the complexity of the algorithm.

In one possible implementation, the second linear array comprises P antenna elements, where the ratio of M to P is greater than or equal to a first threshold.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, in the second antenna array, the proportion of antenna elements used to receive the second sensing signal is relatively large, so as to ensure the accuracy of the sensing results.

In one possible implementation, the M antenna elements are divided into at least one group, and each group of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target; the first information indicates the M antenna elements, including: the first information indicates the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first sensing device can extract information at the granularity of the signal transmission path. For example, for each signal transmission path, the first sensing device can extract information from the channel of the antenna array corresponding to that signal transmission path, so as to further improve the accuracy of the sensing results.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes the identifier of each signal transmission path in the signal transmission paths corresponding to the M antenna elements, and the information of the antenna elements corresponding to each signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first sensing device can determine the signal transmission path based on the identifier of the signal transmission path, and can determine the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path based on the information of the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, at least one set of antenna elements in the second antenna array corresponds to S signal transmission paths passing through the target, and the S signal transmission paths passing through the target include a second path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the second path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first sensing device can determine the antenna array corresponding to the second path according to the above information.

In one possible implementation, the first information is determined based on the first perceived information, which is obtained by perceiving the target in the first time period.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the antenna array used to receive the first sensing signal or the antenna array used to receive the second sensing signal in the first sensing device can be determined based on the information obtained from sensing the target in the first time period.

In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending first sensing information, which is obtained by sensing the target in a first time period.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first sensing device can sense the target in the first time period and send the first sensing information.

In one possible implementation, a first sensing signal or a second sensing signal is used to sense the target in a second time period, which is later than the first time period.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the antenna array (such as the antenna array for receiving the first sensing signal) or antenna array (such as the antenna array for receiving the second sensing signal) used for sensing the target in the second time period after the first time period can be determined based on the information obtained from sensing the target in the first time period.

In one possible implementation, the first information also indicates the location of the target in the second time period.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first sensing device can determine the position of the target in the second time period in order to adjust the direction of the receiving beam of the first sensing signal or the direction of the receiving beam of the second sensing signal.

In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending second sensing information, which is determined based on either the first sensing signal or the second sensing signal.

Based on the above possible implementations, the first sensing device can send second sensing information, so that the device receiving the second sensing information can determine the sensing result of the target based on the second sensing information. Optionally, the device can also predict the antenna elements or antenna array to be used for sensing the target in the next time period based on the second sensing information.

Thirdly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a service node. Here, "service node" can refer to the service node itself, or to a processor, circuit, module, logic node, chip, or chip system within the service node that implements the method. For example, the service node can be an application server, cloud server, sensing server, core network element, or RAN node. The service node can also be called a sensing management device or sensing management equipment.

The method includes: determining first information and sending the first information to a first communication node. The first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in a first antenna array of the first communication node, the at least one set of antenna elements being used to send a first communication signal to a second communication node, or to receive a second communication signal from the second communication node.

Based on the above method, the serving node can indicate to the first communication node the antenna arrays used for communication with the second communication node, so that the first communication node can determine which antenna arrays in the first antenna array to use for communication with the second communication node. Communication between the first and second communication nodes can include the first communication node sending a first communication signal to the second communication node, or the first communication node receiving a second communication signal from the second communication node. When the first communication node sends a first communication signal to the second communication node, the antenna arrays indicated by the serving node can be configured with radio resources to send the first communication signal; antenna arrays not indicated by the serving node can be left unconfigured to conserve radio resources. When the first communication node receives a second communication signal from the second communication node, X antenna arrays in the second communication node's antenna array can be configured with radio resources for communication with the first communication node to send the second communication signal; other antenna arrays in the second communication node's antenna array besides the aforementioned X antenna arrays are not configured with radio resources for communication with the first communication node to conserve radio resources. Among them, the signals transmitted by the aforementioned X antenna arrays can be received by the antenna arrays indicated by the service node in the first antenna array, while the signals transmitted by the other antenna arrays cannot be received by the antenna arrays indicated by the service node in the first antenna array.

Alternatively, the method includes: determining first information and sending the first information to a first communication node. The first information indicates a second antenna array of the first communication node, the second antenna array being included in a plurality of antenna arrays corresponding to the first communication node, wherein N antenna elements in the second antenna array are used to send a first communication signal to the second communication node, or to receive a second communication signal from the second communication node, where N is a positive integer.

Based on the above method, the serving node can instruct the first communication node to use a second antenna array for communication with the second communication node, so that the first communication node can use the second antenna array to communicate with the second communication node, thereby conserving radio resources. For example, among the multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first communication node, the second antenna array includes a larger number of antenna elements for communication with the second communication node, so the serving node instructs the first communication node to use the second antenna array. When the first communication node sends a first communication signal to the second communication node, the second antenna array can be configured with radio resources to avoid too many antenna elements being unable to use radio resources, thus wasting radio resources. When the first communication node receives a second communication signal from the second communication node, Z antenna elements in the second communication node's antenna array can be configured with radio resources for communication with the first communication node to send the second communication signal. Other antenna elements in the second communication node's antenna array, excluding the aforementioned Z antenna elements, are not configured with radio resources for communication with the first communication node, thereby conserving radio resources. The signals sent by the aforementioned Z antenna elements can be received by the second antenna array, while the signals sent by other antenna elements cannot be received by the second antenna array.

In one possible implementation, each of the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the second communication node; the first information indicating at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first communication node includes: the first information indicating the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementations, the serving node can specify the antenna array used for communication with the second communication node at the granularity of the signal transmission path. Therefore, when configuring radio resources for the antenna arrays of the first or second communication node, configuration can also be done at the granularity of the signal transmission path to save radio resources.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes an identifier for each signal transmission path and information about the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the service node can indicate the signal transmission path to the first communication node through the identifier of the signal transmission path, and can indicate the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path to the first communication node through the information of the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to S signal transmission paths passing through the second communication node, and the S signal transmission paths passing through the second communication node include a first path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the first path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the service node can flexibly and diversely indicate the antenna array corresponding to the first path to the first communication node.

In one possible implementation, the first information also indicates the N antenna elements in the second antenna array.

Based on the above possible implementations, the serving node can indicate to the first communication node the N antenna elements in the second antenna array used for communication with the second communication node. Therefore, when configuring radio resources for the antenna elements of the first or second communication node, the information of these N antenna elements can be combined to save radio resources.

In one possible implementation, the second antenna array comprises Q antenna elements, where the ratio of N to Q is greater than or equal to a first threshold value.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, in the second antenna array, the proportion of antenna elements used for communication with the second communication node is relatively large, so as to avoid too many antenna elements being unable to use wireless resources, thus resulting in a waste of wireless resources.

In one possible implementation, N antenna elements are divided into at least one group, and each group of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target; the first information indicates the N antenna elements, including: the first information indicates the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementations, the serving node can specify the antenna array used for communication with the second communication node at the granularity of the signal transmission path. Therefore, when configuring radio resources for the antenna arrays of the first or second communication node, configuration can also be done at the granularity of the signal transmission path to save radio resources.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes the identifier of each signal transmission path in the signal transmission paths corresponding to the N antenna elements, and the information of the antenna elements corresponding to each signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the service node can indicate the signal transmission path to the first communication node through the identifier of the signal transmission path, and can indicate the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path to the first communication node through the information of the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, at least one set of antenna elements in the second antenna array corresponds to H signal transmission paths passing through the target, and the H signal transmission paths passing through the target include a second path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the second path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the service node can flexibly and diversely indicate the antenna array corresponding to the second path to the first communication node.

In one possible implementation, the first information further indicates the location of the second communication node in the first time period; the at least one set of antenna arrays is used to transmit a first communication signal to the second communication node, including: the at least one set of antenna arrays is used to transmit the first communication signal to the second communication node in the first time period; the N antenna arrays in the second antenna array are used to transmit the first communication signal to the second communication node, including: the N antenna arrays are used to transmit the first communication signal to the second communication node in the first time period.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first communication node can communicate with the second communication node in the first time period according to the first information.

In one possible implementation, the first communication node is a RAN node and the second communication node is a terminal.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, RAN nodes can communicate with terminals based on the instructions of the serving node, thereby saving radio resources.

Fourthly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first communication node. Here, the first communication node can refer to the first communication node itself, or to a processor, circuit, module, logic node, chip, or chip system within the first communication node that implements the method. For example, the first communication node is a RAN node.

The method includes: receiving first information, and transmitting a first communication signal to a second communication node based on the first information, or receiving a second communication signal from the second communication node based on the first information. The first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in a first antenna array of the first communication node, the at least one set of antenna elements being used to transmit the first communication signal to the second communication node, or to receive the second communication signal from the second communication node.

Based on the above method, the first communication node can determine which antenna elements in the first antenna array will communicate with the second communication node according to the first information. When the first communication node sends a first communication signal to the second communication node, the antenna elements indicated by the first information can be configured with radio resources to send the first communication signal, while antenna elements not indicated by the first information can be left unconfigured to conserve radio resources. When the first communication node receives a second communication signal from the second communication node, X antenna elements in the second communication node's antenna array can be configured with radio resources to communicate with the first communication node to send the second communication signal, while other antenna elements in the second communication node's antenna array besides the aforementioned X antenna elements are left unconfigured to conserve radio resources. The signals sent by the aforementioned X antenna elements can be received by the antenna elements indicated by the first information, while the signals sent by the other antenna elements cannot be received by the antenna elements indicated by the first information.

Alternatively, the method includes: receiving first information, transmitting a first communication signal to a second communication node based on the first information, or receiving a second communication signal from the second communication node based on the first information. The first information indicates a second antenna array of the first communication node, which is included in a plurality of antenna arrays corresponding to the first communication node. N antenna elements in the second antenna array are used to transmit the first communication signal to the second communication node or to receive the second communication signal from the second communication node, where N is a positive integer.

Based on the above method, the first communication node can use a second antenna array to communicate with the second communication node, thereby conserving wireless resources. For example, among the multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first communication node, the second antenna array includes a larger number of antenna elements used for communication with the second communication node, so the first information indicates the second antenna array. When the first communication node sends a first communication signal to the second communication node, the second antenna array can be configured with wireless resources to avoid excessive antenna elements being unable to use wireless resources, thus wasting wireless resources. When the first communication node receives a second communication signal from the second communication node, Z antenna elements in the second communication node's antenna array can be configured with wireless resources to communicate with the first communication node to send the second communication signal. Other antenna elements in the second communication node's antenna array, besides the aforementioned Z antenna elements, are not configured with wireless resources to communicate with the first communication node, thus conserving wireless resources. The signals sent by the aforementioned Z antenna elements can be received by the second antenna array, while the signals sent by other antenna elements cannot be received by the second antenna array.

In one possible implementation, each of the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the second communication node; the first information indicating at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first communication node includes: the first information indicating the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, when configuring wireless resources for the antenna array of the first communication node or the antenna array of the second communication node, the configuration can be done at the granularity of the signal transmission path to save wireless resources.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes an identifier for each signal transmission path and information about the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first communication node can determine the signal transmission path according to the identifier of the signal transmission path, and determine the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path according to the information of the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to S signal transmission paths passing through the second communication node, and the S signal transmission paths passing through the second communication node include a first path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the first path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first communication node can determine the antenna array corresponding to the first path in the above manner.

In one possible implementation, the first information also indicates the N antenna elements in the second antenna array.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, when configuring wireless resources for the antenna array of the first communication node or the antenna array of the second communication node, the information of these N antenna arrays can be combined to save wireless resources.

In one possible implementation, the second antenna array comprises Q antenna elements, where the ratio of N to Q is greater than or equal to a first threshold value.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, in the second antenna array, the proportion of antenna elements used for communication with the second communication node is relatively large, so as to avoid too many antenna elements being unable to use wireless resources, thus resulting in a waste of wireless resources.

In one possible implementation, N antenna elements are divided into at least one group, and each group of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target; the first information indicates the N antenna elements, including: the first information indicates the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, when configuring wireless resources for the antenna array of the first communication node or the antenna array of the second communication node, the configuration can be done at the granularity of the signal transmission path to save wireless resources.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes the identifier of each signal transmission path in the signal transmission paths corresponding to the N antenna elements, and the information of the antenna elements corresponding to each signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first communication node can determine the signal transmission path according to the identifier of the signal transmission path, and determine the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path according to the information of the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, at least one set of antenna elements in the second antenna array corresponds to H signal transmission paths passing through the target, and the H signal transmission paths passing through the target include a second path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the second path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first communication node can determine the antenna array corresponding to the second path according to the above information.

In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending second information to the second communication node based on the first information, the second information indicating an antenna array of the second communication node for transmitting the second communication signal.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first communication node can indicate to the second communication node the antenna array used to transmit the second communication signal, so that the second communication node can determine which antenna arrays to use to transmit the second communication signal.

In one possible implementation, the first information further indicates the location of the second communication node in a first time period; sending a first communication signal to the second communication node based on the first information includes: sending the first communication signal to the second communication node in the first time period based on the first information.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first communication node can communicate with the second communication node in the first time period according to the first information.

In one possible implementation, the first communication node is a RAN node and the second communication node is a terminal.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the above method can be applied to communication between RAN nodes and terminals.

Fifthly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a second communication node. Here, the second communication node can refer to the second communication node itself, or to a processor, circuit, module, logic node, chip, or chip system within the second communication node that implements the method. For example, the second communication node is a terminal.

The method includes: receiving second information from a first communication node, and transmitting a second communication signal to the first communication node based on the second information. The second information indicates antenna elements used to transmit the communication signal to the first communication node, and is determined based on first information. Alternatively, the first information indicates a second antenna array of the first communication node, wherein the at least one set of antenna elements is used to receive the second communication signal; or, the first information indicates a second antenna array of the first communication node, wherein the second antenna array is included in a plurality of antenna arrays corresponding to the first communication node, and N antenna elements in the second antenna array are used to receive the second communication signal, where N is a positive integer.

Based on the above method, the second communication node can transmit a second communication signal using corresponding antenna arrays based on the instructions of the first communication node. Since the second information is determined based on the first information, X antenna arrays in the second communication node's antenna array can be configured with radio resources for communication with the first communication node to transmit the second communication signal. Other antenna arrays in the second communication node's antenna array, besides the aforementioned X antenna arrays, are not configured with radio resources for communication with the first communication node to conserve radio resources. The signals transmitted by the aforementioned X antenna arrays can be received by the antenna arrays in the first antenna array indicated by the first information, while the signals transmitted by other antenna arrays cannot be received by the antenna arrays in the first antenna array indicated by the first information. Alternatively, Z antenna arrays in the second communication node's antenna array can be configured with radio resources for communication with the first communication node to transmit the second communication signal. Other antenna arrays in the second communication node's antenna array, besides the aforementioned Z antenna arrays, are not configured with radio resources for communication with the first communication node to conserve radio resources. The signals transmitted by the aforementioned Z antenna arrays can be received by the second antenna array, while the signals transmitted by other antenna arrays cannot be received by the second antenna array.

In one possible implementation, each of the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the second communication node; the first information indicating at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first communication node includes: the first information indicating the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementations, the first information can indicate the antenna array used for communication with the second communication node at the granularity of the signal transmission path. Therefore, when configuring radio resources for the antenna array of the second communication node, configuration can also be done at the granularity of the signal transmission path to save radio resources.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes an identifier for each signal transmission path and information about the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first information can be the signal transmission path indicated by the identifier of the signal transmission path, and the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path can be indicated by the information of the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to S signal transmission paths passing through the second communication node, and the S signal transmission paths passing through the second communication node include a first path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the first path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the antenna array corresponding to the first path can be indicated in a flexible and diverse manner.

In one possible implementation, the first information also indicates the N antenna elements in the second antenna array.

Based on the above possible implementations, the first information can indicate the N antenna elements in the second antenna array used for communication with the second communication node. Therefore, when configuring radio resources for the antenna elements of the second communication node, the information of these N antenna elements can be combined to save radio resources.

In one possible implementation, the second antenna array comprises Q antenna elements, where the ratio of N to Q is greater than or equal to a first threshold value.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, in the second antenna array, the proportion of antenna elements used for communication with the second communication node is relatively large, so as to avoid too many antenna elements being unable to use wireless resources, thus resulting in a waste of wireless resources.

In one possible implementation, N antenna elements are divided into at least one group, and each group of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target; the first information indicates the N antenna elements, including: the first information indicates the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, when configuring wireless resources for the antenna array of the second communication node, the configuration can also be done at the granularity of signal transmission path to save wireless resources.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes the identifier of each signal transmission path in the signal transmission paths corresponding to the N antenna elements, and the information of the antenna elements corresponding to each signal transmission path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first information can be the signal transmission path indicated by the identifier of the signal transmission path, and the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path can be indicated by the information of the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, at least one set of antenna elements in the second antenna array corresponds to H signal transmission paths passing through the target, and the H signal transmission paths passing through the target include a second path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the second path.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the antenna array corresponding to the second path can be indicated in a flexible and diverse manner.

In one possible implementation, the first communication node is a RAN node and the second communication node is a terminal.

Based on the above possible implementation methods, the above method can be applied to communication between RAN nodes and terminals.

Sixthly, a communication device is provided for implementing the method provided in the first aspect. The communication device can be a service node as described in the first aspect. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the method described above. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions described above.

In one possible implementation, the communication device may include a processing module and an interface module. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof. The processing module may be, for example, a processor. The interface module, also referred to as an interface unit, is used to implement the sending and/or receiving functions described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof. The interface module may consist of an interface circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver unit, or a communication interface.

In one possible implementation, the processing module is used to determine first information; the interface module is used to send the first information to the first sensing device. The first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first sensing device, the at least one set of antenna elements being used to receive a first sensing signal, the first sensing signal being used to sense a target; or, the first information indicates a second antenna array of the first sensing device, the second antenna array being included in a plurality of antenna arrays corresponding to the first sensing device, M antenna elements in the second antenna array being used to receive a second sensing signal, the second sensing signal being used to sense a target, where M is a positive integer.

In one possible implementation, each of the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target; the first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first sensing device, including: the first information indicates the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes an identifier for each signal transmission path and information about the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to T signal transmission paths passing through the target, and the T signal transmission paths passing through the target include a first path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the first path.

In one possible implementation, the first information also indicates the M antenna elements in the second antenna array.

In one possible implementation, the second antenna array comprises P antenna elements, where the ratio of M to P is greater than or equal to a first threshold.

In one possible implementation, the M antenna elements are divided into at least one group, and each group of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target; the first information indicates the M antenna elements, including: the first information indicates the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes the identifier of each signal transmission path in the signal transmission paths corresponding to the M antenna elements, and the information of the antenna elements corresponding to each signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, at least one set of antenna elements in the second antenna array corresponds to S signal transmission paths passing through the target, and the S signal transmission paths passing through the target include a second path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the second path.

In one possible implementation, the processing module is further configured to acquire first perception information, which is obtained by perceiving the target in a first time period, and the first perception information is used to determine the first information.

In one possible implementation, the first sensing signal or the second sensing signal is used to sense the target in a second time period, which is later than the first time period.

In one possible implementation, the first information also indicates the location of the target during the second time period.

In one possible implementation, the interface module is further configured to receive second sensing information from the first sensing device, the second sensing information being determined based on the first sensing signal or the second sensing signal.

In one possible implementation, the first sensing device is a terminal or a RAN node.

In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the method provided in the second aspect above. The communication device can be the first sensing device in the second aspect. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the method described above, which can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions described above.

In one possible implementation, the communication device may include a processing module and an interface module. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions in the second aspect described above and any possible implementation thereof. The processing module may be, for example, a processor. The interface module, also referred to as an interface unit, is used to implement the sending and/or receiving functions in the second aspect described above and any possible implementation thereof. The interface module may consist of an interface circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver unit, or a communication interface.

In one possible implementation, the interface module is configured to receive first information; the processing module is configured to control the interface module to receive a first sensing signal or a second sensing signal according to the first information; the first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first sensing device, the at least one set of antenna elements being used to receive the first sensing signal, the first sensing signal being used to sense a target; or, the first information indicates a second antenna array of the first sensing device, the second antenna array being included in a plurality of antenna arrays corresponding to the first sensing device, M antenna elements in the second antenna array being used to receive the second sensing signal, the second sensing signal being used to sense a target, where M is a positive integer.

In one possible implementation, each of the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target; the first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first sensing device, including: the first information indicates the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes an identifier for each signal transmission path and information about the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to T signal transmission paths passing through the target, and the T signal transmission paths passing through the target include a first path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the first path.

In one possible implementation, the first information also indicates the M antenna elements in the second antenna array.

In one possible implementation, the second antenna array comprises P antenna elements, where the ratio of M to P is greater than or equal to a first threshold.

In one possible implementation, the M antenna elements are divided into at least one group, and each group of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target; the first information indicates the M antenna elements, including: the first information indicates the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes the identifier of each signal transmission path in the signal transmission paths corresponding to the M antenna elements, and the information of the antenna elements corresponding to each signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, at least one set of antenna elements in the second antenna array corresponds to S signal transmission paths passing through the target, and the S signal transmission paths passing through the target include a second path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the second path.

In one possible implementation, the first information is determined based on first perception information, which is obtained by perceiving the target in a first time period.

In one possible implementation, the interface module is also used to send the first sensing information.

In one possible implementation, the first sensing signal or the second sensing signal is used to sense the target in a second time period, which is later than the first time period.

In one possible implementation, the first information also indicates the location of the target during the second time period.

In one possible implementation, the interface module is further configured to send second sensing information, which is determined based on the first sensing signal or the second sensing signal.

In one possible implementation, the first sensing device is a terminal or a RAN node.

Eighthly, a communication device is provided for implementing the method provided in the third aspect above. The communication device can be a service node as described in the third aspect. The communication device includes modules, units, or means that implement the method described above. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions described above.

In one possible implementation, the communication device may include a processing module and an interface module. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions in the third aspect described above and any possible implementation thereof. The processing module may be, for example, a processor. The interface module, also referred to as an interface unit, is used to implement the sending and/or receiving functions in the third aspect described above and any possible implementation thereof. The interface module may consist of an interface circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver unit, or a communication interface.

In one possible implementation, a processing module is used to determine first information; an interface module is used to send the first information to a first communication node; the first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in a first antenna array of the first communication node, the at least one set of antenna elements being used to send a first communication signal to a second communication node, or to receive a second communication signal from the second communication node; or, the first information indicates a second antenna array of the first communication node, the second antenna array being included in a plurality of antenna arrays corresponding to the first communication node, the N antenna elements in the second antenna array being used to send a first communication signal to the second communication node, or to receive a second communication signal from the second communication node, where N is a positive integer.

In one possible implementation, each of the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the second communication node; the first information indicating at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first communication node includes: the first information indicating the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes an identifier for each signal transmission path and information about the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to S signal transmission paths passing through the second communication node, and the S signal transmission paths passing through the second communication node include a first path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the first path.

In one possible implementation, the first information also indicates the N antenna elements in the second antenna array.

In one possible implementation, the second antenna array comprises Q antenna elements, where the ratio of N to Q is greater than or equal to a first threshold value.

In one possible implementation, N antenna elements are divided into at least one group, and each group of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target; the first information indicates the N antenna elements, including: the first information indicates the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes the identifier of each signal transmission path in the signal transmission paths corresponding to the N antenna elements, and the information of the antenna elements corresponding to each signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, at least one set of antenna elements in the second antenna array corresponds to H signal transmission paths passing through the target, and the H signal transmission paths passing through the target include a second path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the second path.

In one possible implementation, the first information further indicates the location of the second communication node in the first time period; the at least one set of antenna arrays is used to transmit a first communication signal to the second communication node, including: the at least one set of antenna arrays is used to transmit the first communication signal to the second communication node in the first time period; the N antenna arrays in the second antenna array are used to transmit the first communication signal to the second communication node, including: the N antenna arrays are used to transmit the first communication signal to the second communication node in the first time period.

In one possible implementation, the first communication node is a RAN node and the second communication node is a terminal.

Ninthly, a communication device is provided for implementing the method provided in the fourth aspect. The communication device can be the first communication node in the fourth aspect. The communication device includes modules, units, or means that implement the method described above. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions described above.

In one possible implementation, the communication device may include a processing module and an interface module. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions in the fourth aspect described above and any possible implementation thereof. The processing module may be, for example, a processor. The interface module, also referred to as an interface unit, is used to implement the sending and/or receiving functions in the fourth aspect described above and any possible implementation thereof. The interface module may consist of an interface circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver unit, or a communication interface.

In one possible implementation, the interface module is configured to receive first information; the processing module is configured to control the interface module to send a first communication signal to the second communication node according to the first information, or to receive a second communication signal from the second communication node according to the first information; the first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first communication node, the at least one set of antenna elements being used to send the first communication signal to the second communication node, or to receive the second communication signal from the second communication node; or, the first information indicates a second antenna array of the first communication node, the second antenna array being included in a plurality of antenna arrays corresponding to the first communication node, the N antenna elements in the second antenna array being used to send the first communication signal to the second communication node, or to receive the second communication signal from the second communication node, where N is a positive integer.

In one possible implementation, each of the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the second communication node; the first information indicating at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first communication node includes: the first information indicating the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes an identifier for each signal transmission path and information about the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to S signal transmission paths passing through the second communication node, and the S signal transmission paths passing through the second communication node include a first path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the first path.

In one possible implementation, the first information also indicates the N antenna elements in the second antenna array.

In one possible implementation, the second antenna array comprises Q antenna elements, where the ratio of N to Q is greater than or equal to a first threshold value.

In one possible implementation, N antenna elements are divided into at least one group, and each group of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target; the first information indicates the N antenna elements, including: the first information indicates the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes the identifier of each signal transmission path in the signal transmission paths corresponding to the N antenna elements, and the information of the antenna elements corresponding to each signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, at least one set of antenna elements in the second antenna array corresponds to H signal transmission paths passing through the target, and the H signal transmission paths passing through the target include a second path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the second path.

In one possible implementation, the interface module is configured to send second information to the second communication node based on the first information, the second information indicating the antenna array of the second communication node for transmitting the second communication signal.

In one possible implementation, the first information also indicates the location of the second communication node during a first time period; the interface module is specifically configured to send the first communication signal to the second communication node during the first time period based on the first information.

In one possible implementation, the first communication node is a RAN node and the second communication node is a terminal.

In a tenth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the method provided in the fifth aspect. The communication device can be the second communication node in the fifth aspect. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the above-described method, which can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above-described functions.

In one possible implementation, the communication device may include a processing module and an interface module. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions in the fifth aspect described above and any possible implementation thereof. The processing module may be, for example, a processor. The interface module, also referred to as an interface unit, is used to implement the sending and/or receiving functions in the fifth aspect described above and any possible implementation thereof. The interface module may consist of an interface circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver unit, or a communication interface.

In one possible implementation, an interface module is configured to receive second information from a first communication node, the second information indicating antenna elements for transmitting communication signals to the first communication node, the second information being determined based on first information; a processing module is configured to control the interface module to transmit a second communication signal to the first communication node based on the second information; the first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in a first antenna array of the first communication node, the at least one set of antenna elements being used to receive the second communication signal; or, the first information indicates a second antenna array of the first communication node, the second antenna array being included in a plurality of antenna arrays corresponding to the first communication node, the N antenna elements in the second antenna array being used to receive the second communication signal, N being a positive integer.

In one possible implementation, each of the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the second communication node; the first information indicating at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first communication node includes: the first information indicating the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes an identifier for each signal transmission path and information about the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to S signal transmission paths passing through the second communication node, and the S signal transmission paths passing through the second communication node include a first path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the first path.

In one possible implementation, the first information also indicates the N antenna elements in the second antenna array.

In one possible implementation, the second antenna array comprises Q antenna elements, where the ratio of N to Q is greater than or equal to a first threshold value.

In one possible implementation, N antenna elements are divided into at least one group, and each group of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target; the first information indicates the N antenna elements, including: the first information indicates the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, the first information includes the identifier of each signal transmission path in the signal transmission paths corresponding to the N antenna elements, and the information of the antenna elements corresponding to each signal transmission path.

In one possible implementation, at least one set of antenna elements in the second antenna array corresponds to H signal transmission paths passing through the target, and the H signal transmission paths passing through the target include a second path; the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of each antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the starting antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the ending antenna element in the antenna elements corresponding to the second path, and the size information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path; or, the information of the antenna elements corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the second path.

In one possible implementation, the first communication node is a RAN node and the second communication node is a terminal.

Eleventhly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor; configured to cause the communication device to perform the method described in any of the preceding aspects by executing a computer program (or computer-executable instructions) stored in a memory, and/or by means of logic circuitry. The communication device may be a service node as described in the first aspect; or, the communication device may be a first sensing device as described in the second aspect; or, the communication device may be a service node as described in the third aspect; or, the communication device may be a first communication node as described in the fourth aspect; or, the communication device may be a second communication node as described in the fifth aspect. Optionally, the number of processors may be one or more.

In one possible implementation, the communication device also includes a memory.

In one possible implementation, the processor and memory are integrated together; or, the memory is independent of the processor.

In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface for communicating with other devices, such as transmitting or receiving data and/or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

In one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. Optionally, when the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

In a twelfth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and an interface circuit; the interface circuit being configured to receive a computer program or instructions and transmit them to the processor; the processor being configured to execute the computer program or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the method described in any of the preceding aspects. The communication device may be a service node as described in the first aspect; or, the communication device may be a first sensing device as described in the second aspect; or, the communication device may be a service node as described in the third aspect; or, the communication device may be a first communication node as described in the fourth aspect; or, the communication device may be a second communication node as described in the fifth aspect. Optionally, the number of processors may be one or more.

In one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. Optionally, when the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

In a thirteenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores instructions which, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to perform the methods described in any of the preceding aspects.

In a fourteenth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided that, when run on a computer, enables the computer to perform the methods described in any of the preceding aspects.

In a fifteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a service node for performing the method described in the first aspect and a first sensing device for performing the method described in the second aspect.

In a sixteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a service node for performing the method described in the third aspect above, and a first communication node for performing the method described in the fourth aspect above.

In one possible implementation, the communication system further includes a second communication node for performing the method described in the fifth aspect above.

The technical effects of any possible implementation of aspects six through sixteen can be found in the technical effects of any one of aspects one through five or different possible implementations of any one of aspects, and will not be repeated here.

Understandably, provided that the solutions do not contradict each other, the solutions in the above aspects can be combined.

Attached Figure Description

Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of the perception mode provided in this application;

Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of the sensing mode provided in this application;

Figure 1C is a schematic diagram of the sensing mode provided in this application;

Figure 1D is a schematic diagram of the perception mode provided in this application;

Figure 1E is a schematic diagram of the sensing mode provided in this application;

Figure 1F is a schematic diagram of the perception mode provided in this application.

Figure 1G is a schematic diagram of the perception scene provided in this application;

Figure 1H is a schematic diagram of the communication scenario provided in this application;

Figure 1I is a schematic diagram of the communication scenario provided in this application;

Figure 1J is a schematic diagram of the perception scenario provided in this application;

Figure 1K is a schematic diagram of the perception scenario provided in this application;

Figure 1L is a schematic diagram of the communication scenario provided in this application;

Figure 1M is a schematic diagram of the communication scenario provided in this application (fourth).

Figure 1N is a schematic diagram of the communication scenario provided in this application;

Figure 2A is a schematic diagram of the communication system architecture provided in this application;

Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of the communication system architecture provided in this application.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the communication device provided in this application;

Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in this application.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the antenna array pattern provided in this application;

Figure 6 is a flowchart of the communication method provided in this application (II).

Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in this application.

Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in this application.

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the communication device provided in this application.

Detailed Implementation

Before introducing the technical solution of this application, the relevant technical terms involved in this application are explained. It is understood that these explanations are intended to make this application easier to understand and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope of protection claimed in this application.

1. Terminal

In this application, a terminal is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities. The terminal can be deployed on land, including indoors, outdoors, handheld, or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on water (such as on ships); and it can be deployed in the air (such as on airplanes, balloons, and satellites). The terminal can also be called a terminal device, which can be a user equipment (UE), a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal (MT), or a device used to provide voice or data connectivity to users. The UE includes handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, vehicle-mounted devices (e.g., cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart bracelets, pedometers, etc.), or computing devices. For example, the UE can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, PDA, mobile internet device (MID), satellite terminal, or computer with wireless transceiver capabilities. UE can also be a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless modem, a point-of-sale (POS) machine, a customer-premises equipment (CPE), a smart robot, a robotic arm, workshop equipment, smart home devices (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in autonomous driving, a wireless terminal in telemedicine, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in intelligent transportation, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, an in-vehicle terminal, a roadside unit (RSU) with terminal functionality, or a flying device (e.g., a smart robot, a hot air balloon, a drone, an airplane), etc. A terminal can also be other devices with terminal functionality; for example, a terminal can be a device that acts as a terminal in device-to-device (D2D) communication.

By way of example and not limitation, in this application, the terminal can be a wearable device. 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 that are worn directly on the body or integrated into a user's clothing or accessories. For example, wearable devices are not merely hardware devices, but also devices that achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include devices that are feature-rich, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses, as well as devices that focus on only one type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

In this application, the terminal can be a terminal in an Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is an important component of future information technology development, and its main technical feature is connecting objects to networks through communication technologies, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and machine-to-machine interconnection. The terminal in this application can be a terminal in machine-type communication (MTC).

The terminal in this application can be an on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip, on-board unit (OBU), or telematics box (T-BOX) built into a vehicle as one or more components or units. The vehicle can implement the methods of this application through the built-in on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip, on-board unit, or T-BOX. The terminal can also be a complete vehicle device. Therefore, this application can be applied to vehicle networking, such as vehicle-to-everything (V2X), long-term evolution vehicle (LTE-V), or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V).

2. RAN Node

In this application, a RAN node can be a device with wireless transceiver capabilities that helps terminals achieve wireless access. A RAN node can be, for example, a node within a RAN, or a node in an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN, or ORAN). A RAN node can also be referred to as an access network device, RAN entity, access node, or network device, etc.

RAN nodes include, but are not limited to: evolved base stations (NodeB, eNB, or e-NodeB) in Long Term Evolution (LTE), evolved base stations (ng-eNB) in Next Generation LTE, base stations (gNodeB or gNB) in New Radio (NR), transmitting points (TP) or transmission receiving points/transmission reception points (TRP), and subsequent evolutions under the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Base stations, including next-generation NodeBs (gNBs), sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication systems, and other communication systems evolving from fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication systems, are network devices in future mobile communication systems. They can be deployed on low-altitude platforms, high-altitude platforms, or satellites. Base stations can be macro base stations, micro base stations, pico base stations, small cells, relay stations, or balloon stations. Multiple base stations can support networks using the same technology or different technologies mentioned above. A base station can contain one or more co-located or non-co-located TRPs. RAN nodes can also function as base stations in D2D communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, drone communication, and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. RAN nodes can also be radio controllers in cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenarios. RAN nodes can also be centralized units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), radio units (RUs), roadside units (RSUs) with base station functionality, wired access gateways, or core network elements. RAN nodes can also be servers, wearable devices, machine-to-machine communication devices, or vehicle-mounted devices. For example, access network equipment in V2X technology can be an RSU. The following explanation uses RAN nodes as base stations as an example. Multiple RAN nodes can be the same type of base station or different types of base stations. The terminal can communicate with multiple base stations using different technologies. For example, the terminal can communicate with base stations that support LTE networks, base stations that support 5G networks, and can also support dual connections with both LTE and 5G base stations.

In this application, the CU can perform the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) layer and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer of the base station. The CU can also perform the functions of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer. The DU can perform the functions of the radio link control (RLC) layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station. The DU can also perform some or all of the physical layer functions. The RU can be used to implement the radio frequency signal transmission and reception functions. The CU and DU can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as in the baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). It is understandable that the CU can be classified as a network device in the access network or as a network device in the core network; no restriction is imposed here.

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 an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

Understandably, in some scenarios, the roles of RAN nodes and terminals are relative. For example, a helicopter or drone, which is usually configured as a terminal, can also be configured as a mobile base station, and a device that accesses the RAN via a helicopter or drone is configured as a terminal.

3. Perception

In this application, perception refers to the process of acquiring characteristic information of a target. This characteristic information includes information related to one or more characteristics such as the target's position, speed, direction of travel, shape, type, or attitude. Perception can be performed concurrently with communication. For example, RAN nodes and/or terminals can possess perception capabilities and can perceive targets during communication. Taking a RAN node with perception capabilities as an example, the signal sent by the RAN node to the terminal can contain information about communication with the terminal. The RAN node can also detect the echo signal of this signal to acquire characteristic information of the terminal, and/or characteristic information of other targets in the environment besides the terminal.

4. Target

In this application, the target is a perceptible object. The target may be mobile, for example, a car; or it may be immobile, for example, a building. The target may be an active object with communication capabilities, for example, a terminal; or it may not have communication capabilities, for example, a tree or a bicycle, a passive object. Exemplary targets include, but are not limited to: animals, various buildings, various construction vehicles, various vehicles, various roadside facilities, or the various terminals described above. Construction vehicles include, for example, excavators, cranes, or bulldozers. Vehicles can be used to transport goods, for example, vehicles, trains, high-speed trains, airplanes, or drones. Roadside facilities include, for example, trees, streetlights, utility poles, or traffic lights.

5. Sensing device

In this application, the sensing device can be used to sense a target. The sensing device can be any device with sensing capabilities. Optionally, the sensing device can also have communication capabilities; for example, the sensing device is a RAN node or a terminal.

One possible implementation is that the sensing device senses the target through a single-station sensing mode or a dual-station sensing mode.

In this application, single-station sensing mode refers to a mode in which a target is sensed through a single sensing device. That is, in single-station sensing mode, the sensing device that transmits and receives signals is the same; therefore, single-station sensing mode can also be called a self-transmitting and self-receiving mode. For example, in Figure 1A, the sensing device is a RAN node. The RAN node can transmit sensing signals and receive the echo signal formed by the reflection or scattering of the sensing signals by the target (which can be called the echo signal of the sensing signal), and sense the target based on the echo signal. As another example, in Figure 1B, the sensing device is a terminal. The terminal can transmit sensing signals and receive the echo signal of the sensing signals, and sense the target based on the echo signal.

In this application, the dual-station sensing mode refers to a mode in which a target is sensed through two sensing devices. That is, in the dual-station sensing mode, the sensing devices that transmit and receive signals are different; therefore, the dual-station sensing mode can also be called a self-transmitting and other-receiving mode. For example, in Figure 1C, both the sensing device that transmits and the sensing device that receives the signal are RAN nodes, but these two RAN nodes are different. RAN node 1 can transmit the sensing signal, and RAN node 2 can receive the echo signal of the sensing signal and sense the target based on the echo signal. As another example, in Figure 1D, both the sensing device that transmits and the sensing device that receives the signal are terminals, but these two terminals are different. Terminal 1 can transmit the sensing signal, and terminal 2 can receive the echo signal of the sensing signal and sense the target based on the echo signal. As yet another example, in Figure 1E, the sensing device that transmits the signal is a RAN node, and the sensing device that receives the signal is a terminal. The RAN node can transmit the sensing signal, and the terminal can receive the echo signal of the sensing signal and sense the target based on the echo signal. For example, in Figure 1F, the sensing device that transmits the signal is a terminal, and the sensing device that receives the signal is a RAN node. The terminal can transmit a sensing signal, and the RAN node can receive the echo signal of that sensing signal and sense the target based on the echo signal.

6. Signal transmission path

In this application, the signal transmission path refers to the path that a signal sent by the transmitting end traverses from the transmitting end to the receiving end. For a pair of transmitting and receiving ends, there can be multiple signal transmission paths. In specific applications, the number of signal transmission paths between the transmitting and receiving ends depends on the location of the transmitting and receiving ends, and/or the surrounding environment (such as whether there are obstructions in the environment, the location of the obstructions, etc.). The signal transmission paths are described below using the scenarios shown in Figures 1G to 1I as examples. It should be understood that these scenarios are merely exemplary, and in specific applications, the number of signal transmission paths between the transmitting and receiving ends may be more or less than those shown in these scenarios, without limitation.

For example, in the sensing scenario shown in Figure 1G, the terminal can send sensing signals, and the RAN node can receive the echo signals of the sensing signals. There are three signal transmission paths between the RAN node and the terminal, namely signal transmission path 101, signal transmission path 102 and signal transmission path 103.

For example, in the communication scenario shown in Figure 1H, the RAN node can send communication signals to the terminal, and the terminal can receive communication signals from the RAN node. There are two signal transmission paths between the RAN node and the terminal, namely signal transmission path 104 and signal transmission path 105.

For example, in the communication scenario shown in Figure 1I, the terminal can send communication signals to the RAN node, and the RAN node can receive communication signals from the terminal. There are three signal transmission paths between the RAN node and the terminal, namely signal transmission path 106, signal transmission path 107 and signal transmission path 108.

In related technologies, the data processing by the signal transmitter (RAN node as shown in Figure 1H) or receiver (RAN node as shown in Figure 1G or Figure 1I) is based on the assumption that its antenna array is perfectly stationary. This means it assumes that the visibility of all antenna elements on its antenna array to each signal transmission path in the channel is consistent; for example, it assumes that all antenna elements on its antenna array can "see" every signal transmission path in the channel. For example, the receiver assumes that all antenna elements on its antenna array can receive the signal transmitted by the transmitter in every signal transmission path in the transceiver channel. Similarly, the transmitter assumes that the signal transmitted by all antenna elements on its antenna array in every signal transmission path in the transceiver channel reaches the receiver. However, in practical applications, the antenna arrays of the transmitter or receiver are not always stationary. For example, due to obstructions in the environment, the visibility of all antenna elements in an antenna array to different signal transmission paths in the channel may be inconsistent. For instance, some antenna elements in the array may be invisible to all or part of the signal transmission paths in the channel. In sensing scenarios, this phenomenon leads to inaccurate target perception results; in communication scenarios, it leads to wasted wireless resources. The following will illustrate this with reference to the scenarios shown in Figures 1J to 1N.

Please refer to the sensing scenario shown in Figure 1J. This scenario assumes that there is an obstruction in the sensing scenario shown in Figure 1G, which blocks the signal transmission path 103. Therefore, the RAN node cannot receive the echo signal in the signal transmission path 103, meaning that all antenna elements in the RAN node's antenna array are invisible to the signal transmission path 103. Furthermore, in Figure 1J, the antenna elements in region 109 of the RAN node's antenna array are also invisible to signal transmission paths 101-102, while the antenna elements in region 110 of the RAN node's antenna array are visible to both signal transmission paths 101 and 102. However, according to related technologies, the RAN node still assumes that all antenna elements in the antenna array are visible to signal transmission paths 101-103. That is, the RAN node assumes that all antenna elements can receive the echo signals in signal transmission paths 101, 102, and 103. Therefore, the RAN node extracts information from the channel corresponding to each antenna element and determines the target sensing result based on the extracted information. In reality, the channel corresponding to the antenna array in region 109 does not contain any information related to the target. Sensing the target based on the information in the channel corresponding to the antenna array in region 109 will lead to a decrease in sensing accuracy and inaccurate sensing results.

Figure 1J illustrates an example of a RAN node corresponding to (or managing) one antenna array. In practical applications, a RAN node can also correspond to (or manage) multiple antenna arrays. In this sensing scenario, the obtained target sensing results may be inaccurate. For example, in the sensing scenario shown in Figure 1K, there are three signal transmission paths between the RAN node and the terminal. The RAN node corresponds to two antenna arrays. Signal transmission paths 111 and 112 are the signal transmission paths between the terminal and antenna array 114, and signal transmission path 113 is the signal transmission path between the terminal and antenna array 115. In antenna array 114, the antenna elements in region 116 are visible to signal transmission paths 111 and 112, while the antenna elements outside region 116 are not visible to signal transmission paths 111 and 112. In antenna array 115, the antenna elements in region 117 are visible to signal transmission path 113, while the antenna elements outside region 117 are not visible to signal transmission path 113. According to relevant technologies, for antenna array 114, the RAN node assumes that all antenna elements can receive the echo signals in signal transmission path 111 and signal transmission path 112; for antenna array 115, the RAN node assumes that all antenna elements can receive the echo signals in signal transmission path 113. This leads to a decrease in sensing accuracy and inaccurate sensing results.

To address the issue of inaccurate target perception results in a perception scenario, this application provides the following two methods:

Method 1: The serving node can instruct the first sensing device on the antenna elements in its first antenna array used to receive the first sensing signal. Accordingly, the first sensing device can receive the first sensing signal according to the instructions of the serving node. The first sensing signal can be used to sense a target.

Understandably, through method 1, the first sensing device can determine which antenna elements in the first antenna array are used to receive the first sensing signal based on the instructions of the serving node. Therefore, the first sensing device can extract information from the channels corresponding to these antenna elements, avoiding extraction from the channels corresponding to antenna elements in the first antenna array that do not receive the first sensing signal, thus improving the accuracy of the sensing results. Taking the RAN node shown in Figure 1J as an example, the serving node instructs the RAN node on the antenna elements in region 110, so the RAN node can receive the first sensing signal through the antenna elements in region 110. Therefore, the RAN node can extract information from the channels corresponding to the antenna elements in region 110 instead of from the channels corresponding to the antenna elements in region 109, and obtain more accurate sensing results based on this information.

Method 2: The service node can instruct the first sensing device to select the second antenna array from among the multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first sensing device. M antenna elements in the second antenna array can be used to receive the second sensing signal, which can be used to sense a target; M is a positive integer. Accordingly, the first sensing device can receive the second sensing signal according to the instruction from the service node.

Understandably, through method 2, the first sensing device can use the second antenna array from multiple antenna arrays to receive the second sensing signal, thereby improving the accuracy of the sensing results. For example, if the second antenna array from the multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first sensing device can meet the sensing accuracy requirements of the sensing service, the service node instructs the first sensing device to use the second antenna array to receive the second sensing signal, thus ensuring the accuracy of the sensing results. As another example, if the second antenna array from the multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first sensing device includes a larger number of visible antenna elements, the service node instructs the first sensing device to use the second antenna array to receive the second sensing signal, thus ensuring the accuracy of the sensing results. Here, the aforementioned visible antenna elements refer to the antenna elements in the second antenna array that are visible along the signal transmission path passing through the target. Taking the RAN node shown in Figure 1K as an example, since the number of visible antenna elements (i.e., antenna elements in region 116) included in antenna array 114 is greater than the number of visible antenna elements (i.e., antenna elements in region 117) included in antenna array 115, more information related to the target can be extracted by receiving the second sensing signal through antenna array 114. Therefore, the serving node can instruct the RAN node to use antenna array 114 instead of antenna array 115, so that the RAN node can receive the second sensing signal through antenna array 114, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the sensing results.

The specific processes of methods 1 and 2 described above will be elaborated in the methods shown in Figures 4 and 6 below, and will not be repeated here.

The following section discusses the problem of wasted wireless resources in communication scenarios.

Please refer to the communication scenario shown in Figure 1L. This scenario assumes that there is an obstruction in the communication scenario shown in Figure 1H, which blocks the signal transmission path 105. Therefore, the signal transmitted by the RAN node in the signal transmission path 105 cannot be received by the terminal; that is, all antenna elements in the RAN node's antenna array are invisible to the signal transmission path 105. Furthermore, in Figure 1L, the antenna elements in region 118 of the RAN node's antenna array are visible to the signal transmission path 104, while the antenna elements in region 119 are not visible to the signal transmission path 104. However, according to related technologies, the RAN node still assumes that all antenna elements in the antenna array are visible to the signal transmission paths 104 to 105. That is, the RAN node assumes that all antenna elements can transmit communication signals through signal transmission paths 104 and 105, and that these communication signals can reach the terminal. Therefore, the RAN node allocates radio resources for each antenna element (including the antenna element in region 119), resulting in wasted radio resources.

Please refer to the communication scenario shown in Figure 1M. This scenario assumes that there is an obstruction in the communication scenario shown in Figure 1I, which blocks the signal transmission path 106. Therefore, the RAN node cannot receive the communication signal in the signal transmission path 106, meaning that all antenna elements in the RAN node's antenna array are not visible from the signal transmission path 106. Furthermore, in Figure 1M, the antenna elements in region 120 of the RAN node's antenna array are not visible from signal transmission paths 107 and 108, while the antenna elements in region 121 of the RAN node's antenna array are visible from signal transmission paths 107 and 108. However, according to related technologies, the RAN node still assumes that all antenna elements in the antenna array are visible from signal transmission paths 106 to 108. That is, the RAN node assumes that all antenna elements can receive the communication signals in signal transmission paths 106, 107, and 108. Therefore, when the terminal communicates with the RAN node, each antenna element in the terminal's antenna array (including the antenna element corresponding to signal transmission path 106) is configured with radio resources so that these antenna elements can use the radio resources to send communication signals to the RAN node, which leads to a waste of radio resources.

The communication scenarios shown in Figures 1L and 1M are illustrated using the example of a RAN node corresponding to (or managing) one antenna array. In practical applications, a RAN node can also correspond to (or manage) multiple antenna arrays. In such communication scenarios, there is also the problem of wasted radio resources. For example, in the sensing scenario shown in Figure 1N, there are three signal transmission paths between the RAN node and the terminal. The RAN node corresponds to two antenna arrays. Signal transmission path 123 is the signal transmission path between the terminal and antenna array 125, and signal transmission paths 122 and 124 are the signal transmission paths between the terminal and antenna array 126. However, signal transmission path 124 is blocked by an obstruction. Furthermore, in antenna array 125, the antenna elements in region 127 are visible to signal transmission path 123, while the antenna elements outside region 127 are not visible to signal transmission path 123. In antenna array 126, the antenna elements in region 128 are visible to signal transmission path 122, while the antenna elements outside region 128 are not visible to signal transmission path 122. However, according to relevant technologies, for downlink communication, the RAN node configures radio resources for each antenna element in antenna array 125 (including antenna elements outside region 127), and/or, the RAN node configures radio resources for each antenna element in antenna array 126 (including antenna elements outside region 128), thus resulting in wasted radio resources. According to relevant technologies, for uplink communication, each antenna element in the terminal's antenna array (including antenna elements corresponding to signal transmission path 124) is configured with radio resources so that these antenna elements use those radio resources to send communication signals to the RAN node, which also results in wasted radio resources.

To address the problem of wasted wireless resources in communication scenarios, this application provides the following method:

Method 3: The serving node can indicate to the first communication node the antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first communication node used for communication with the second communication node. Accordingly, the first communication node can communicate with the second communication node according to the instructions of the serving node.

Understandably, through method 3, the first communication node can determine which antenna elements in the first antenna array to use for communication with the second communication node based on the instructions of the serving node. This communication between the first and second communication nodes can include the first communication node sending a first communication signal to the second communication node, or the first communication node receiving a second communication signal from the second communication node. When the first communication node sends a first communication signal to the second communication node, the antenna elements indicated by the serving node can be configured with radio resources to send the first communication signal; antenna elements not indicated by the serving node can be left unconfigured to conserve radio resources. Taking the first communication node as the RAN node shown in Figure 1L as an example, the serving node can indicate the antenna elements in area 118 to the RAN node, and the RAN node can configure radio resources for communication with the terminal for the antenna elements in area 118, but not for the antenna elements in area 119. When the first communication node receives a second communication signal from the second communication node, X antenna elements in the antenna array of the second communication node can be configured with radio resources to communicate with the first communication node to transmit the second communication signal. Other antenna elements in the antenna array of the second communication node, besides the aforementioned X antenna elements, are not configured with radio resources to communicate with the first communication node, in order to conserve radio resources. The signals transmitted by the aforementioned X antenna elements can be received by the antenna elements indicated by the serving node in the first antenna array, while the signals transmitted by other antenna elements cannot be received by the antenna elements indicated by the serving node in the first antenna array. Taking the first communication node as the RAN node shown in Figure 1M as an example, the serving node can indicate the antenna elements in area 121 to the RAN node. Therefore, the antenna elements corresponding to signal transmission paths 107 and 108 in the terminal's antenna array can be configured with radio resources to communicate with the RAN node, while the antenna element corresponding to signal transmission path 106 is not configured with radio resources to communicate with the RAN node.

Method 4: The serving node can indicate the second antenna array from among the multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first communication node. N antenna elements in the second antenna array can be used to communicate with the second communication node, where N is a positive integer. Correspondingly, the first communication node can communicate with the second communication node according to the instructions from the serving node.

Understandably, through method 4, the first communication node can determine, based on the service node's instruction, to use the second antenna array from multiple antenna arrays to communicate with the second communication node, thereby conserving radio resources. For example, among the multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first communication node, the second antenna array includes a larger number of visible antenna elements, so the service node instructs the first communication node to use the second antenna array to conserve radio resources. Here, the aforementioned visible antenna elements refer to the antenna elements in the second antenna array that are visible to the signal transmission path passing through the second communication node. Taking the first communication node as the RAN node shown in Figure 1N as an example, since the number of visible antenna elements included in antenna array 125 (i.e., the antenna elements included in region 127) is greater than the number of visible antenna elements included in antenna array 126 (i.e., the antenna elements included in region 128), the radio resources wasted communicating with the terminal through antenna array 125 are relatively less. Therefore, the service node can instruct the RAN node to use antenna array 125.

The specific processes of methods 3 and 4 described above will be elaborated in the methods shown in Figures 7 and 8 below, and will not be repeated here.

The method provided in this application can be used in various communication systems. For example, the communication system can be a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) system, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, an LTE system, a 5G communication system, a WiFi system, a 3GPP-related communication system, a communication system evolved after 5G (such as a 6G communication system), or a system integrating multiple systems, etc., without limitation. 5G can also be referred to as NR. The method provided in this application will be described below using communication system 20 shown in Figure 2A and communication system 21 shown in Figure 2B as examples. Figures 2A and 2B are merely schematic diagrams and do not constitute a limitation on the applicable scenarios of the technical solution provided in this application.

Figure 2A shows a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 20 provided in this application. In Figure 2A, the communication system 20 includes at least one service node 201 (only one is shown in Figure 2A), a sensing device 202 communicatively connected to the service node 201, and a target 203 located within the sensing area of the sensing device 202. Optionally, the communication system 20 also includes a sensing device 204 communicatively connected to the service node 201. Optionally, the target 203 is also located within the sensing area of the sensing device 204. Optionally, the sensing device 202 and the sensing device 204 are communicatively connected.

In Figure 2A, service node 201 is a device with communication and computing capabilities, such as a server, sensing server, application server, cloud server, core network (CN) element, RAN node, cloud, or computing device with communication capabilities, etc., without limitation. The aforementioned core network element can be an existing core network element, such as an access and mobility management function (AMF) element, a session management function (SMF) element, or a user plane function (UPF) element, etc., or a newly added core network element, such as a sensing function (SF) element, a sensing server function (SSF) element, etc. The service node can also be called a sensing management device, a sensing service device, etc., without limitation. The descriptions of sensing device 202, sensing device 204, and target 203 can be found in the previous descriptions of sensing devices and targets, and will not be repeated here.

In Figure 2A, the service node 201 can instruct the sensing device 202 on the antenna array of the sensing device 202 that is used to receive sensing signals, or the service node 201 can instruct the sensing device 202 on the antenna array of the multiple antenna arrays corresponding to (or managed by) the sensing device 202 that is used to receive sensing signals, so that the sensing device 202 can sense the target 203 according to the instructions of the service node 201, thereby improving the accuracy of the sensing results of the target 203.

Optionally, the communication system 20 further includes a function for determining the location of sensing devices 202 and/or 204, and indicating the location to the service node 201, so that the service node 201 can determine the antenna elements in the antenna array of the sensing device 202 used for receiving sensing signals, or determine the antenna arrays in multiple antenna arrays corresponding to (or managed by) the sensing device 202 used for receiving sensing signals. For example, the positioning device 205 can be a device with communication and computing capabilities, such as a server, cloud server, core network element, RAN node, cloud, or computing device with communication capabilities, etc., without limitation.

In Figure 2A, the service node, positioning device, and sensing device are different physical devices. However, in specific applications, at least two of the logical functions of the service node, the positioning device, and the sensing device can be integrated into the same physical device. For example, the logical function of service node 201 is integrated into sensing device 202. In this case, sensing device 202 possesses the logical functions of service node 201 and can perform the operations of service node 201, such as determining the antenna elements in the antenna array of sensing device 202 used for receiving sensing signals, or determining the antenna arrays in multiple antenna arrays corresponding to (or managed by) sensing device 202 used for receiving sensing signals. Similarly, the logical function of positioning device 205 can be integrated into sensing device 202, or both the logical functions of service node 201 and positioning device 205 can be integrated into sensing device 202. Of course, the logical functions of service node 201 and/or positioning device 205 can also be integrated into sensing device 204, without limitation.

It is understood that the communication system 20 shown in Figure 2A is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the technical solutions of this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that in specific implementations, the communication system 20 may also include other devices, and the number of service nodes, sensing devices, targets, or positioning devices may be determined according to specific needs without limitation.

Figure 2B shows a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 21 provided in this application. In Figure 2B, the communication system 21 includes at least one service node 211 (only one is shown in Figure 2B), a communication node 212 communicatively connected to the service node 211, and a communication node 213 communicatively connected to the communication node 212. Optionally, the communication node 213 is communicatively connected to the service node 211.

In Figure 2B, service node 211 is a device with communication and computing capabilities, such as a server, application server, cloud server, sensing server, core network element, RAN node, cloud, or computing device with communication capabilities, etc., without limitation. The aforementioned core network element can be an existing core network element, such as an AMF element, SMF element, or UPF element, or a newly added core network element, such as a communication service function element. Communication node 212 or communication node 213 can be a RAN node or a terminal, etc. The description of RAN nodes and terminals can be referred to the corresponding descriptions above, and will not be repeated here.

In Figure 2B, the serving node 211 may indicate to the communication node 212 the antenna array in the antenna array of the communication node 212 used for communication with the communication node 213, or the serving node 211 may indicate to the communication node 212 the antenna array in the multiple antenna arrays corresponding to (or managed by) the communication node 212 used for communication with the communication node 213, so that the communication node 212 can communicate with the communication node 213 according to the instructions of the serving node 211, thereby saving radio resources.

Optionally, the communication system 21 further includes a positioning device 214, used to determine the location of communication node 212 and/or communication node 213, and indicate the location to the service node 211, so that the service node 211 can determine the antenna element in the antenna array of communication node 212 used for communication with communication node 213, or determine the antenna array in multiple antenna arrays corresponding to (or managed by) communication node 212 used for communication with communication node 213. Exemplarily, the positioning device 214 can be a device with communication and computing capabilities, such as a server, cloud server, core network element, RAN node, cloud, or computing device with communication capabilities, etc., without limitation.

In Figure 2B, the service node, positioning device, and communication node are different physical devices. However, in specific applications, at least two of the logical functions of the service node, the positioning device, and the communication node can be integrated into the same physical device. For example, the logical function of service node 211 is integrated into communication node 212. In this case, communication node 212 possesses the logical functions of service node 211 and can perform the operations of service node 211, such as determining the antenna elements in the antenna array of communication node 212 used for communication with communication node 213, or determining the antenna arrays in multiple antenna arrays corresponding to (or managed by) communication node 212 used for communication with communication node 213. Similarly, the logical function of positioning device 214 can be integrated into communication node 212, or both the logical functions of service node 211 and positioning device 214 can be integrated into communication node 212. Of course, the logical functions of service node 211 and/or positioning device 214 can also be integrated into communication node 213, without limitation.

It is understood that the communication system 21 shown in Figure 2B is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the technical solutions of this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that in specific implementations, the communication system 21 may also include other devices, and the number of service nodes, communication nodes, or positioning devices may be determined according to specific needs without limitation.

Optionally, each network element or device (e.g., service node, sensing device, or communication node) in Figure 2A or Figure 2B of this application may also be referred to as a communication device, which may be a general-purpose device or a special-purpose device. This application does not make any specific limitation in this regard.

Optionally, the functions of each network element or device (e.g., service node, sensing device, or communication node) in Figure 2A or Figure 2B of this application can be implemented by one device, multiple devices working together, or one or more functional modules within a single device. This application does not impose specific limitations on these functions. It is understood that the aforementioned functions can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, a combination of hardware and software, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

In practical implementation, each network element or device (e.g., service node, sensing device, or communication node) in Figure 2A or Figure 2B of this application can adopt the composition structure shown in Figure 3, or include the components shown in Figure 3. Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a communication device applicable to this application. It is understood that the communication device 30 includes means of necessary forms such as modules, units, elements, circuits, or interfaces, which are appropriately configured together to execute the solution provided in this application. For example, the communication device 30 includes one or more processors 301 for implementing the method provided in this application.

Processor 301 can be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, processor 301 can be a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU can be used to control the communication device 30 (such as a service node, sensing device, communication node, or chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs. Optionally, in one design, processor 301 may include program 305 (sometimes referred to as code or instructions), which can be run on processor 301 to cause the communication device 30 to perform the methods described in the following embodiments. In yet another possible design, communication device 30 includes circuitry (not shown in FIG3) for implementing the functions of the service node, sensing device, or communication node in the following embodiments.

Optionally, the communication device 30 may include one or more memories 303. The memory 303 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM), cache, or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions. It may also be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory provided in this application may generally be non-volatile. Optionally, the memory 303 stores a program 306 (sometimes referred to as code or instructions), which can be run on the processor 301 to cause the communication device 30 to perform the methods described in the following method embodiments.

Optionally, data may also be stored in the processor 301 and/or the memory 303. The processor 301 and the memory 303 may be configured separately or integrated together.

Optionally, the communication device 30 may also include a transceiver 302 and/or an antenna 304. The processor 301, sometimes referred to as a processing unit, controls the communication device 30. The transceiver 302, sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, is used to realize the transmission and reception functions of the communication device 30 through the antenna 304.

Understandably, when the communication device 30 is used to implement the functions of a sensing device or a communication node, the antenna 304 can be replaced by at least one antenna array. Each antenna array may include multiple antenna elements. Different antenna arrays may include the same or different numbers of antenna elements. The antenna elements in the antenna array are used to radiate electromagnetic waves into space to transmit or receive signals. For example, in a sensing scenario, antenna elements can transmit/receive sensing signals; in a communication scenario, antenna elements can transmit/receive communication signals. In specific applications, antenna elements can also be replaced by antenna array elements, arrays, or array components, etc., without limitation.

Understandably, this application does not limit the size of the antenna array of the communication device 30. For example, the antenna array may be a 16×32 array, a 16×8 array, a 16×4 array, or other larger or smaller arrays. Specifically, a 16×32 array indicates that the antenna array includes 16 rows and 32 columns of antenna elements; a 16×8 array indicates that the antenna array includes 16 rows and 8 columns of antenna elements; and a 16×4 array indicates that the antenna array includes 16 rows and 4 columns of antenna elements.

It is understood that the composition shown in Figure 3 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. In addition to the components shown in Figure 3, the communication device may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

The method provided in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Each network element in the following embodiments may include the components shown in Figure 3, which will not be elaborated upon further.

It is understood that in this application, the service node, and/or the sensing device (such as the first sensing device, second sensing device, or third sensing device in the following embodiments), and/or the communication node (such as the first communication node or second communication node in the following embodiments) may perform some or all of the steps in this application. These steps are merely examples, and this application may also perform other steps or variations thereof. Furthermore, the steps may be performed in different orders as presented in this application, and it is not necessary to perform all the steps in this application.

It is understood that the methods described below in this application use a service node and a sensing device, or a service node and a communication device, as examples to illustrate the execution of the interaction. However, this application does not limit the execution of the interaction. For example, the service node in the method provided in the following embodiments of this application may also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the service node in implementing the method, or it may be a logic node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the service node; the sensing device in the method provided below in this application may also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the sensing device in implementing the method, or it may be a logic node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the sensing device; the communication node in the method provided below in this application may also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the communication node in implementing the method, or it may be a logic node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the communication node.

Figure 4 illustrates a communication method provided in this application to address the problem of inaccurate target perception results in a perception scene. This method may include the following steps:

S401: The service node determines the first information.

The service node can be service node 201 in the communication system 20 shown in Figure 2A. The first information can instruct the antenna element or antenna array in the first sensing device to receive the sensing signal, which is used to sense the target. The first sensing device can be a terminal or a RAN node; for example, the first sensing device is sensing device 202 in the communication system 20 shown in Figure 2A. The target can be target 203 in the communication system 20.

In practical applications, the first sensing device can correspond to at least one antenna array. The antenna arrays may differ in at least one of the following: size (e.g., the number of rows or columns of antenna elements), position, or orientation. Different numbers of antenna arrays correspond to different sensing scenarios. The first information can be designed differently for different sensing scenarios. For example, the first information can have the following two possible designs:

Design 1: The first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first sensing device. The at least one set of antenna elements is used to receive a first sensing signal, which is used to sense a target.

Understandably, when the first sensing device corresponds to one antenna array, such as the first antenna array, the first information can indicate the aforementioned at least one set of antenna elements; or, when the first sensing device corresponds to multiple antenna arrays, but the first sensing device determines to use the first antenna array for sensing, the first information can indicate the aforementioned at least one set of antenna elements. The number of at least one set of antenna elements is R, where R is a positive integer. Therefore, "the first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first sensing device" can also be replaced with "the first information indicates R antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first sensing device." For ease of description, this application uses the example of the first information indicating at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first sensing device for illustration.

As an example, the first information includes an identifier for each antenna element in at least one group of antenna elements. Taking the first sensing device as the RAN node in FIG1J, the first information indicates the eight groups of antenna elements included in region 110. For example, if a group of antenna elements is a row or a column of antenna elements in region 110, the first information includes an identifier for each antenna element in region 110. In this application, the identifier of any antenna element can be its index in the antenna array in which it is located. For example, in a 16 (row) × 4 (column) antenna array, the identifier of the antenna element in the first row and second column is "2", and the identifier of the antenna element in the second row and first column is "5". Alternatively, the identifier of any antenna element can be determined based on its coordinates (such as row and column number) within the antenna array in which it is located. For example, in a 16×4 antenna array, the identifier of the antenna element in the first row and second column is "12" or "(1,2)", and the identifier of the antenna element in the second row and first column is "21" or "(2,1)". This is a unified explanation here and will not be repeated later.

As another example, the first information includes an identifier of the starting antenna element in at least one group of antenna elements (such as the first antenna element in at least one group of antenna elements, or identifying the smallest antenna element), and size information of at least one group of antenna elements; or, the first information includes an identifier of the ending antenna element in at least one group of antenna elements (such as the last antenna element in at least one group of antenna elements, or identifying the largest antenna element), and size information of at least one group of antenna elements. The size information of the at least one group of antenna elements is used to indicate the number of rows and columns included in the at least one group of antenna elements. Taking the first sensing device as the RAN node in Figure 1J, the first information indicates the 8 groups of antenna arrays included in the region 110. For example, if a group of antenna arrays is a row of antenna arrays or a column of antenna arrays included in the region 110, the first information includes the identifier of the antenna array in the first row and first column of the region 110, and 8×8 (indicating that at least one group of antenna arrays is an 8-row, 8-column antenna array). Alternatively, the first information includes the identifier of the antenna array in the eighth row and eighth column of the region 110, and 8×8 (indicating that at least one group of antenna arrays is an 8-row, 8-column antenna array).

As another example, the first information includes the identifier of the antenna array pattern corresponding to at least one group of antenna elements. This antenna array pattern can be predefined or specified in a protocol, and different sizes of antenna arrays can correspond to multiple antenna array patterns. Taking the antenna array pattern shown in Figure 5 as an example, if the position of at least one group of antenna elements in the first antenna array is the same as or similar to the first pattern (1) in Figure 5, the first information can include the identifier of the first pattern; if the position of at least one group of antenna elements in the first antenna array is the same as or similar to the second pattern in Figure 5, the first information can include the identifier of the second pattern; if the position of at least one group of antenna elements in the first antenna array is the same as or similar to the third pattern in Figure 5, the first information can include the identifier of the third pattern; if the position of at least one group of antenna elements in the first antenna array is the same as or similar to the fourth pattern in Figure 5, the first information can include the identifier of the fourth pattern.

It is understood that the above is only an example of the first information indicating at least one group of antenna elements. In specific applications, the first information can also indicate at least one group of antenna elements in other ways. For example, the first information can indicate antenna elements in the first antenna array other than at least one group of antenna elements, without limitation.

In some sensing scenarios, each antenna array in at least one group corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target. The fact that an antenna array corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target can be understood as the antenna array being visible to that at least one signal transmission path. Taking the RAN node in Figure 1J as an example, the first information can indicate two groups of antenna arrays. The first group of antenna arrays includes the first three rows of antenna arrays in region 110, and corresponds to signal transmission path 102; that is, the first three rows of antenna arrays in region 110 are visible to signal transmission path 102. The second group of antenna arrays includes the last five rows of antenna arrays in region 110, and corresponds to signal transmission path 101; that is, the last five rows of antenna arrays in region 110 are visible to signal transmission path 101.

For the aforementioned sensing scenario, the first information can indicate the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path in at least one signal transmission path, so that the first sensing device can determine the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path. Therefore, the first sensing device can extract information from the channel of the corresponding antenna array for each signal transmission path to further improve the sensing accuracy. Taking the first sensing device as the RAN node in Figure 1J, and the first information indicating two sets of antenna arrays, with the first set of antenna arrays corresponding to signal transmission path 102 and the second set of antenna arrays corresponding to signal transmission path 101, for signal transmission path 102, the RAN node extracts information from the channel of the first set of antenna arrays, but not from the channels of antenna arrays other than the first set of antenna arrays in the first antenna array. For signal transmission path 101, the RAN node extracts information from the channel of the second set of antenna arrays, but not from the channels of antenna arrays other than the second set of antenna arrays in the first antenna array. Since the RAN node does not extract information from channels where the target cannot be sensed, it can avoid the influence of information in these channels on the target sensing results, thereby further improving the accuracy of the sensing results. Furthermore, the first sensing device does not need to extract information from the channels of each antenna element in the first antenna array, which reduces the complexity of the first sensing device. Moreover, when determining the sensing result of the target, it is not necessary to combine the information extracted from the channels of antenna elements not indicated by the serving node, which reduces the complexity of the algorithm.

Optionally, at least one set of antenna elements can correspond to T signal transmission paths passing through the target, where T is a positive integer. These T signal transmission paths are all or part of the signal transmission paths between the first sensing device and the second sensing device passing through the target. The second sensing device is the signal transmitter, and the first sensing device is the signal receiver; the first and second sensing devices can be the same or different. It should be understood that if the first and second sensing devices are the same, it means that the first sensing device uses a monostation sensing mode to sense the target. If the first and second sensing devices are different, it means that the first and second sensing devices use a bistation sensing mode to sense the target; for example, the second sensing device is sensing device 204 in the communication system 20 shown in Figure 2A.

Optionally, the aforementioned T signal transmission paths are the T strongest signal transmission paths among all signal transmission paths between the first sensing device and the second sensing device passing through the target, or the T signal transmission paths with power greater than or equal to a certain threshold. The power of a signal transmission path is related to at least one of the following: whether the signal transmission path is blocked, the number of times the signal transmission path is reflected/scattered, or the power of the signal received by the first sensing device through the signal transmission path. For example, if the signal transmission path is blocked, the power of the signal transmission path will decrease, all other things being equal. Also, the more times the signal transmission path is reflected/scattered, the lower the power of the signal transmission path, all other things being equal. Furthermore, the lower the power of the signal received by the first sensing device through the signal transmission path, the lower the power of the signal transmission path.

Optionally, the value of T can be preset or specified by the protocol. The value of T can also be determined according to business needs. For example, if the business has high requirements for perception accuracy, the value of T can be set to be larger, and if the business has low requirements for perception accuracy, the value of T can be set to be smaller.

For the aforementioned sensing scenario, to indicate the antenna array corresponding to each of the at least one signal transmission path, the first information may include the path index of each signal transmission path and information about the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path. The path index of any one of the at least one signal transmission path is used to indicate that signal transmission path. For example, the path index is the index of all signal transmission paths that the signal transmission path passes through the target between the first sensing device and the second sensing device. Optionally, the indexes of the T signal transmission paths are sorted according to a certain rule, for example, sorted in descending or ascending order of signal transmission delay in the signal transmission paths. Furthermore, the antenna arrays corresponding to different signal transmission paths may be the same or different. It is understood that if any two of the T signal transmission paths correspond to the same antenna array, then the first information may not include the path index.

For example, the first information may include the content shown in Table 1. The first information includes the identifier of signal transmission path 1, the information of the antenna array corresponding to signal transmission path 1, the identifier of signal transmission path 2, the information of the antenna array corresponding to signal transmission path 2, ..., the identifier of signal transmission path T-1, the information of the antenna array corresponding to signal transmission path T-1, the identifier of signal transmission path T, and the information of the antenna array corresponding to signal transmission path T. Wherein, the transmission delay of the signal in signal transmission path 1 is less than or equal to the transmission delay of the signal in signal transmission path 2, ..., the transmission delay of the signal in signal transmission path T-1 is less than or equal to the transmission delay of the signal in signal transmission path T; or, the transmission delay of the signal in signal transmission path 1 is greater than or equal to the transmission delay of the signal in signal transmission path 2, ..., the transmission delay of the signal in signal transmission path T-1 is greater than or equal to the transmission delay of the signal in signal transmission path T.

Table 1

The following section uses the first path in the T signal transmission paths as an example to introduce the information of the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path.

For example, the information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of each antenna array in the antenna array corresponding to the first path. Alternatively, the information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the starting antenna array (e.g., the first antenna array in the antenna array corresponding to the first path, or the antenna array with the smallest identifier) and the scale information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path, which indicates the number of rows and columns included in the antenna array corresponding to the first path. Alternatively, the information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the ending antenna array (e.g., the last antenna array in the antenna array corresponding to the first path, or the antenna array with the largest identifier) and the scale information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path. Alternatively, the information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the antenna array pattern corresponding to the first path. The antenna array pattern can be predefined or specified in a protocol, and different sizes of antenna arrays can correspond to multiple antenna array patterns. Taking the antenna array pattern shown in Figure 5 as an example, if the position of the antenna array corresponding to the first path in the first antenna array is the same as or similar to the first pattern in Figure 5, the information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path can include the identifier of the first pattern; if the position of the antenna array corresponding to the first path in the first antenna array is the same as or similar to the second pattern in Figure 5, the information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path can include the identifier of the second pattern; if the position of the antenna array corresponding to the first path in the first antenna array is the same as or similar to the third pattern in Figure 5, the information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path can include the identifier of the third pattern; if the position of the antenna array corresponding to the first path in the first antenna array is the same as or similar to the fourth pattern in Figure 5, the information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path can include the identifier of the fourth pattern.

Understandably, the above is merely an example of information about the antenna element corresponding to the first path. In specific applications, this information can also take other forms. For example, this information may indicate antenna elements in the first antenna array other than those corresponding to the first path, without limitation.

Design 2: The first information indicates the second antenna array of the first sensing device, which is included in multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first sensing device. M antenna elements in the second antenna array are used to receive the second sensing signal, which is used to sense the target; M is a positive integer.

Understandably, when the first sensing device corresponds to multiple antenna arrays, the first information can indicate the second antenna array. For example, the first information may include the identifier of the second antenna array, so that the first sensing device can use the second antenna array to receive the second sensing signal. To ensure the accuracy of the target sensing result, the second antenna array can be an antenna array that meets the sensing accuracy requirements of the sensing service among the multiple antenna arrays, or the second antenna array may include a larger number of antenna elements for receiving the second sensing signal among the multiple antenna arrays.

Optionally, the first information also indicates the aforementioned M antenna elements so that the first sensing device can determine which antenna elements in the second antenna array are used to receive the second sensing signal. Optionally, the M antenna elements can be divided into at least one group, so "M antenna elements in the second antenna array are used to receive the second sensing signal" can be replaced with "at least one group of antenna elements in the second antenna array is used to receive the second sensing signal," and "the first information indicates M antenna elements" can be replaced with "the first information indicates at least one group of antenna elements in the second antenna array." It is understood that the way the first information indicates M antenna elements or indicates at least one group of antenna elements in the second antenna array is similar to the way the first information indicates at least one group of antenna elements in the first antenna array in Design 1, and will not be described again.

Optionally, to ensure the accuracy of the sensing results, in multiple antenna arrays, the second antenna array includes a larger proportion of antenna elements used to receive the second sensing signal. For example, if the second antenna array includes P antenna elements, then the ratio of M to P is greater than or equal to a first threshold, where P is an integer greater than 1. Understandably, the first threshold can be preset or specified by the protocol. Alternatively, the first threshold can be set as needed; for example, if the service requires high sensing accuracy, the first threshold can be set larger, and if the service requires lower sensing accuracy, the first threshold can be set smaller.

For example, if the first sensing device corresponds to antenna array 1 and antenna array 2, wherein the proportion of antenna elements used to transmit the second sensing signal in antenna array 1 is 80%, and the proportion of antenna elements used to transmit the second sensing signal in antenna array 2 is 75%, then the first information indicates antenna array 1. In this case, 75% can be regarded as the first threshold. Alternatively, if the first threshold is 70%, then the first information indicates antenna array 1, and/or antenna array 2, and the first sensing device can use either antenna array 1 or antenna array 2 to receive the second sensing signal.

In some sensing scenarios, each antenna array in at least one group of antenna elements in the second antenna array corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target. The fact that one group of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target can be understood as meaning that the group of antenna elements is visible to that at least one signal transmission path. For the aforementioned sensing scenario, the first information can indicate the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path, so that the first sensing device can determine the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path. Therefore, the first sensing device can extract information from the channel of the corresponding antenna element for each signal transmission path to further improve sensing accuracy. Furthermore, the first sensing device does not need to extract information from the channel of each antenna element in the first antenna array, which reduces the complexity of the first sensing device. Moreover, when determining the sensing result of the target, it is not necessary to combine the information extracted from the channel of antenna elements not indicated by the serving node, which reduces the complexity of the algorithm.

Optionally, at least one set of antenna elements can correspond to S signal transmission paths passing through the target, where S is a positive integer. These S signal transmission paths are all or part of the signal transmission paths between the second antenna array and the second sensing device passing through the target. The description of the second sensing device can be found in the corresponding description in Design 1 above.

Optionally, the aforementioned S signal transmission paths are the S strongest signal transmission paths among all signal transmission paths between the second antenna array and the second sensing device passing through the target, or the S signal transmission paths with power greater than or equal to a certain threshold. The power of the signal transmission path is related to at least one of the following: whether the signal transmission path is blocked, the number of times the signal transmission path is reflected/scattered, or the power of the signal received by the first sensing device through the signal transmission path.

Optionally, the size of S can be preset or specified by the protocol. The size of S can also be determined according to business needs. For example, if the business has high requirements for perception accuracy, the value of S can be set to be larger, and if the business has low requirements for perception accuracy, the value of S can be set to be smaller.

For the aforementioned sensing scenario, to indicate the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path in at least one signal transmission path, the first information may include the path index of each signal transmission path and the information of the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path. Specifically, refer to the corresponding description in Design 1 above. Optionally, the indexes of the S signal transmission paths are sorted according to a certain rule, for example, sorted in descending or ascending order of signal transmission delay in the signal transmission paths. Furthermore, the antenna arrays corresponding to different signal transmission paths may be the same or different. It is understood that if any two signal transmission paths in the S signal transmission paths correspond to the same antenna array, then the first information may not include the path index.

The following section uses the second path out of S signal transmission paths as an example to introduce the information of the antenna array corresponding to the signal transmission path.

For example, the information of the antenna array corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of each antenna array in the antenna array corresponding to the second path. Alternatively, the information of the antenna array corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the starting antenna array (e.g., the first antenna array in the antenna array corresponding to the second path, or the smallest antenna array), and the size information of the antenna array corresponding to the second path, which indicates the number of rows and columns included in the antenna array corresponding to the second path. Alternatively, the information of the antenna array corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the last antenna array (e.g., the last antenna array in the antenna array corresponding to the second path, or the largest antenna array), and the size information of the antenna array corresponding to the second path. Alternatively, the information of the antenna array corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the antenna array pattern corresponding to the second path. It is understood that the content included in the information of the antenna array corresponding to the second path is similar to the content included in the information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path in Design 1 above, and can be referred to the corresponding description in Design 1 above.

S402: The service node sends first information to the first sensing device. Correspondingly, the first sensing device receives the first information from the service node.

One possible implementation is that the serving node sends the first information through its interface with the first sensing device. For example, if both the serving node and the first sensing device are RAN nodes, the serving node can send the first information through the Xn interface, such as by carrying the first information in an Xn message. Another example is that if the serving node is a RAN node and the first sensing device is a terminal, the serving node sends the first information over the air interface, such as by carrying the first information in downlink control information, an RRC message, or a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE).

Another possible implementation is that the serving node forwards the first information to the first sensing device through a device other than the first sensing device. Taking the first sensing device as a terminal as an example, if the serving node is a core network element, or if the serving node is a RAN node but not the RAN node accessed by the terminal, then the serving node can send the first information to the RAN node accessed by the terminal, so that the RAN node can send the first information to the terminal through the air interface. It is understandable that the serving node can send the first information through the interface between itself and the RAN node accessed by the terminal.

S403: The first sensing device receives a first sensing signal or a second sensing signal based on the first information.

Understandably, for Design 1 above, the first sensing device can receive a first sensing signal through at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array, and determine the second sensing information based on the first sensing signal. For example, the first sensing device extracts information from the channels of at least one set of antenna elements to obtain the second sensing information. For Design 2 above, the first sensing device can receive a second sensing signal through the second antenna array, and determine the second sensing information based on the second sensing signal. For example, the first sensing device extracts information from the channels of the second antenna array to obtain the second sensing information. Optionally, if the first information also indicates M antenna elements in the second antenna array, the first sensing device can extract information from the channels of the M antenna elements in the second antenna array to obtain the second sensing information. The aforementioned second sensing information can be used to determine the sensing result of the target, such as one or more of the target's position, target speed, target's direction of motion, or target's attitude. Therefore, the method shown in Figure 4 can be used for vehicle tracking or navigation, drone tracking or navigation, and detection, location, or attitude recognition of road intruders (such as animals or drones) in intelligent transportation scenarios.

For example, in the above design 1, the second sensing information includes one or more of the following: angle information of the first sensing signal, time delay information between the target and the first sensing device, or Doppler information of the target. The angle information and time delay information can be used to determine the target's position (e.g., two-dimensional or three-dimensional coordinates), and the target's Doppler information can be used to determine the target's velocity and/or direction of motion. Therefore, after receiving the second sensing information, the service node can determine at least one of the target's position, velocity, or direction of motion based on the second sensing information. It is understood that if the first sensing signal has multiple contact points with the target, the second sensing information can include one or more of the following: angle information of the first sensing signal corresponding to each contact point, time delay information between each contact point and the first sensing device, or Doppler information of each contact point. The service node can also determine the position of each contact point based on this information, thereby determining the target's attitude.

For example, in Design 2 above, the second sensing information includes one or more of the following: angle information of the second sensing signal, time delay information between the target and the first sensing device, or Doppler information of the target. Similar to Design 1, if the second sensing signal has multiple contact points with the target, the second sensing information may include one or more of the following: angle information of the second sensing signal corresponding to each contact point, time delay information between each contact point and the first sensing device, or Doppler information of each contact point. The service node can also determine the position of each contact point based on this information, thereby determining the attitude of the target.

Optionally, the first sensing device may send second sensing information to the service node. Correspondingly, the service node may receive the second sensing information from the first sensing device. Subsequently, the service node can determine the sensing result of the target based on the second sensing information.

As an example, the first sensing device sends the second sensing information through its interface with the serving node. For instance, if the serving node and the first sensing device are RAN nodes, the first sensing device can send the second sensing information through the Xn interface, such as carrying the second sensing information in an Xn message. As another example, if the serving node is a RAN node and the first sensing device is a terminal, the first sensing device sends the second sensing information over the air interface, such as carrying the second sensing information in uplink control information, RRC messages, or MAC-CE.

As another example, the first sensing device forwards the second sensing information to the serving node through other devices. For instance, if the first sensing device is a terminal and the serving node is a core network element, the first sensing device can send the second sensing information to the RAN node it accesses, so that the RAN node can then send the second sensing information to the serving node. As another example, if the first sensing device is a terminal and the serving node is a RAN node, but this RAN node is not the RAN node the first sensing device accesses, then the first sensing device can send the second sensing information to the serving node through the RAN node it accesses.

Understandingly, this application does not limit the number of first sensing devices. For example, when there are multiple sensing devices used to sense a target, the service node can send its corresponding first information to each sensing device receiving a sensing signal, so that these sensing devices can determine second sensing information. Subsequently, the service node can combine this second sensing information to determine the final sensing result. It should be understood that the service node can also send the first information corresponding to each sensing device that sends a sensing signal, so that the sensing device can determine which elements or arrays to use to send the sensing signal.

Based on the method shown in Figure 4, the serving node can instruct the first sensing device to use antenna arrays for receiving the first sensing signal, so that the first sensing device can extract information for determining the target from the channels of these antenna arrays, thereby improving sensing accuracy and obtaining a more accurate sensing result. Alternatively, the serving node can instruct the first sensing device to use a second antenna array for receiving the second sensing signal, so that the first sensing device can use the second antenna array to receive the second sensing signal, thereby improving the accuracy of the sensing result. For example, if the second antenna array among the multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first sensing device can meet the sensing accuracy requirements of the sensing service, the serving node instructs the first sensing device to use the second antenna array. As another example, if the second antenna array among the multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first sensing device includes a larger number of antenna arrays for receiving the second sensing signal, the serving node instructs the first sensing device to use the second antenna array.

Optionally, in one possible implementation of the method shown in Figure 4, the service node can obtain first perception information in order to determine first information based on the first perception information. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the method shown in Figure 4 further includes the following steps:

S400: Service nodes acquire first-level perception information.

The first perceived information is obtained by perceiving the target in the first time period. The first time period can be a period of time or a moment, without restriction.

One possible implementation is that the service node determines the first perceived information.

For example, taking a single-site sensing mode, the service node sends a third sensing signal and receives a fourth sensing signal formed by the reflection/scattering of the third sensing signal by the target. The first sensing information is then determined based on the fourth sensing signal. In this example, the first time period includes a specific moment or time interval from when the service node sends the third sensing signal to when the service node receives the fourth sensing signal. For example, the first time period is the moment when the service node sends the third sensing signal.

For example, taking a dual-station sensing mode, the third sensing device sends a third sensing signal, and the service node receives the fourth sensing signal formed by the reflection/scattering of the third sensing signal by the target, and determines the first sensing information based on the fourth sensing signal. In this example, the first time period includes a certain moment or a certain time interval from when the third sensing device sends the third sensing signal to when the service node receives the fourth sensing signal. For example, the first time period is the moment when the third sensing device sends the third sensing signal. The third sensing device and the first sensing device can be the same or different.

For the two examples above, the first sensing information includes the angle information of the fourth sensing signal and the time delay information between the target and the service node, or the first sensing information includes the position information of the target in the first time period, such as the two-dimensional or three-dimensional coordinates of the target in the first time period. Optionally, the first sensing information also includes the Doppler information of the target in the first time period, and/or the information of the first time period. The angle information and time delay information can be used to determine the position of the target in the first time period, and the Doppler information of the target in the first time period can be used to determine the velocity and/or the direction of motion of the target in the first time period.

Another possible implementation is that the service node obtains the first sensing information from the third sensing device.

For example, taking a single-station sensing mode, the third sensing device sends a third sensing signal and receives a fourth sensing signal formed by the third sensing signal being reflected/scattered by the target. Based on the fourth sensing signal, it determines first sensing information and sends the first sensing information to the service node. In this example, the first time period includes a certain moment or time interval from when the third sensing device sends the third sensing signal to when the third sensing device receives the fourth sensing signal. For example, the first time period is the moment when the third sensing device sends the third sensing signal.

For example, taking a dual-station sensing mode, the fourth sensing device sends a third sensing signal. The third sensing device receives the third sensing signal and forms a fourth sensing signal after reflection/scattering from the target. Based on the fourth sensing signal, it determines the first sensing information and sends the first sensing information to the service node. In this example, the first time period includes a certain moment or time interval from when the fourth sensing device sends the third sensing signal to when the third sensing device receives the fourth sensing signal. For example, the first time period is the moment when the fourth sensing device sends the third sensing signal.

In the two examples above, the third sensing device may be the same as or different from the first sensing device. Optionally, the service node may use a method similar to that shown in Figure 4 to instruct the third sensing device on the antenna element or antenna array used to receive the fourth sensing signal, in order to improve sensing accuracy.

For the two examples above, the first sensing information includes the angle information of the fourth sensing signal and the time delay information between the target and the third sensing device, or the first sensing information includes the position information of the target in the first time period. Optionally, the first sensing information also includes the Doppler information of the target in the first time period, and/or the information of the first time period.

Understandably, after obtaining the first sensing information, the service node can determine the first information based on the first sensing information. This first information can be associated with a second time period. For example, in Design 1 above, the first sensing signal is used to sense the target in the second time period; in Design 2 above, the second sensing signal is used to sense the target in the second time period. The second time period is later than the first time period and can be a time interval or a specific moment. Taking the second sensing device sending a fifth sensing signal and the first sensing device receiving the fifth sensing signal reflected/scattered by the target to form a first sensing signal (or second sensing signal) as an example, the second time period includes a specific moment or a specific time interval from when the second sensing device sends the fifth sensing signal to when the first sensing device receives the first sensing signal (or second sensing signal). For example, the second time period is the moment when the second sensing device sends the fifth sensing signal. Optionally, the interval between the second time period and the first time period can be preset or determined according to business requirements, without limitation.

The following sections describe the specific process by which the service node determines the first information based on the first perception information, specifically for Design 1 and Design 2.

For Design 1:

One possible implementation involves the service node determining the location of the target in the second time period (predicted by the service node) based on the first sensing information. Then, based on the location of the first sensing device in the second time period, the location of the second sensing device in the second time period, the information of the first antenna array, and the location of the target in the second time period, the service node determines the antenna elements in the first antenna array used to receive the first sensing signal. The information of the first antenna array indicates the number of rows and columns of the antenna elements included in the first antenna array.

As an example, the service node can determine, based on the location of the first sensing device in the second time period, the location of the second sensing device in the second time period, the information of the first antenna array, and the location of the target in the second time period, using a ray tracing algorithm or an artificial intelligence (AI) model (or algorithm), the A visible signal transmission paths for each antenna element in the first antenna array for the second time period. A is an integer greater than or equal to 0, and the A signal transmission paths are the signal transmission paths between the first and second sensing devices. It should be understood that the value of A can be the same or different for different antenna elements. Optionally, the service node can also combine the target's historical information to determine the A visible signal transmission paths for each antenna element. The target's historical information includes the target's location information and Doppler information before the first time period.

Subsequently, the service node can generate a visibility information matrix for T signal transmission paths out of A visible signal transmission paths for each antenna element. The visibility information matrix corresponding to any one of the T signal transmission paths indicates the antenna elements in the first antenna array that are visible for that signal transmission path. Taking an antenna array comprising (n×m) antenna elements as an example, the visibility information matrix corresponding to any signal transmission path includes W elements, where W is greater than or equal to (n×m). One element of the W elements corresponds to one antenna element among the (n×m) antenna elements, indicating whether that antenna element is visible for that signal transmission path in the second time period. For example, if the element is 1, it indicates that the antenna element corresponding to that element is visible for that signal transmission path in the second time period; if the element is 0, it indicates that the antenna element corresponding to that element is not visible for that signal transmission path in the second time period, and vice versa. For example, if n and m are both equal to 4, the visibility information matrix corresponding to a certain signal transmission path is: Alternatively, [0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0] indicates that the second and third rows of antenna elements in the first antenna array are visible to the signal transmission path during the second time period. Based on the visibility information matrix corresponding to the T signal transmission paths, the service node can determine the first information.

Understandably, the information of the first antenna array can be pre-stored at the serving node, or obtained by the serving node from the core network, the first sensing device, or the RAN node to which the first sensing device is connected. Taking the first sensing device as an RAN node as an example, after the first sensing device is deployed in the network, it can send the information of the first antenna array to the serving node; or, after the first sensing device is deployed in the network, it can send the information of the first antenna array to the core network, and subsequently, the serving node can obtain the information of the first antenna array from the core network. Taking the first sensing device as a terminal as an example, when the first sensing device registers with the network, it can send the information of the first antenna array to the core network, and subsequently, the serving node can obtain the information of the first antenna array from the core network; or, after the first sensing device connects to a certain RAN node, it sends the information of the first antenna array to that RAN node, and subsequently, the serving node can obtain the information of the first antenna array from that RAN node.

Understandably, if the positions of the first and second sensing devices are fixed, their positions can be pre-stored in the service node or obtained by the service node from the positioning device. If either the first or second sensing device is movable, the position of the first or second sensing device in the second time period can be obtained by the service node from the positioning device. This positioning device can be the positioning device 205 in the communication system 20 shown in Figure 2A.

For Design 2:

One possible implementation is that the service node can use a method similar to Design 1 above, sequentially determining the antenna elements in each of the multiple antenna arrays used to receive the second sensing signal. When the proportion of antenna elements in an antenna array used to receive the second sensing signal in that antenna array exceeds a first threshold, the service node determines that antenna array as the second antenna array and stops determining the antenna elements used to receive the second sensing signal in subsequent antenna arrays. Alternatively, the service node can determine the antenna elements used to receive the second sensing signal in each antenna array and determine the antenna array with the largest proportion of antenna elements used to receive the second sensing signal as the second antenna array, without restriction.

Optionally, for Design 1 or Design 2 above, the first information may also indicate at least one of the following: target identification, target location in the second time period, the second time period, and resources or sensing actions of the first sensing signal. The resources of the first sensing signal include at least one of the following: temporal resources, frequency domain resources, or spatial domain resources of the first sensing signal. The sensing actions include at least one of the following: localization, motion direction recognition, or attitude recognition. It should be understood that the target identification, target location in the second time period, the second time period, and resources or sensing actions of the first sensing signal may also be indicated by information other than the first information, without limitation.

Understandably, when the first information includes the identifier of the target, it enables the first sensing device to determine the target to be sensed in the second time period.

Understandably, when the first information indicates the location of the target in the second time period, the first sensing device can determine the direction of the first sensing signal based on that location to obtain a more accurate sensing result. For example, the first information may include the two-dimensional or three-dimensional coordinates of the target in the second time period, or it may include the direction information of the first sensing signal and the distance information between the target and the first sensing device. It should be understood that the location of the target in the second time period here refers to the location of the target predicted by the service node based on the first sensing information. This location differs from the target location in S403. The target location in S403 refers to the actual location of the target in the second time period determined by the service node based on the first or second sensing signal.

Understandably, when the first information indicates the second time period, it enables the first sensing device to determine the time of the sensing target. For example, the first information includes the absolute time corresponding to the second time period (e.g., 9:00), or it includes information about the time unit corresponding to the second time period. This time unit can be a symbol, time slot, subframe, or frame, etc. The information about the time unit corresponding to the second time period can include the identifier of the time unit corresponding to the start or end time of the second time period, as well as the length of the time unit occupied by the second time period.

Understandably, when the first information indicates the resources of the first sensing signal, it enables the first sensing device to determine which resources to use to receive the first sensing signal. For example, the first information includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the time unit occupied by the first sensing signal, an identifier of the frequency domain unit occupied by the first sensing signal, or the antenna weight corresponding to the receiving beam of the first sensing signal. The frequency domain unit is, for example, a subcarrier, a resource element (RE), or a resource block (RB).

Understandably, when the first information indicates a sensing action, it enables the first sensing device to determine the sensing action for sensing the target in the second time period. For example, the first information includes an identifier of the corresponding sensing action.

It is understood that the actions of the service node or the first sensing device in the above steps can be executed by the processor 301 in the communication device 30 shown in FIG3 calling the application code stored in the memory 303, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

As shown in Figure 7, a communication method provided in this application is used to solve the problem of wasted wireless resources. The method may include the following steps:

S701: Service node determines the first information.

The service node can be service node 211 in the communication system 21 shown in Figure 2B. The first information can indicate the antenna element or antenna array in the first communication node used for communication with the second communication node. The first or second communication node can be a terminal or a RAN node; for example, the first communication node is communication device 212 in the communication system 21 shown in Figure 2B, and the second communication node is communication device 213 in the communication system 21 shown in Figure 2B. In some scenarios, the first communication node is a RAN node, and the second communication node is a terminal accessing the first communication node.

In practical applications, the first communication node can correspond to at least one antenna array. The antenna arrays may differ in at least one of the following: size (e.g., the number of rows or columns of antenna elements), position, or orientation. Different numbers of antenna arrays corresponding to the first communication node correspond to different communication scenarios. The first information can be designed differently for different communication scenarios. For example, the first information can have the following two possible designs:

Design A: The first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first communication node. This at least one set of antenna elements is used to transmit a first communication signal to the second communication node, or to receive a second communication signal from the second communication node. The first or second communication signal can be a data signal or a reference signal. The data signal can transmit data, and the reference signal can be used for channel estimation or channel sounding, for example, a sounding reference signal (SRS), a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), etc.

Understandably, when the first communication node corresponds to one antenna array, such as the first antenna array, the first information can indicate at least one set of antenna elements; or, when the first communication node corresponds to multiple antenna arrays, but the first communication node determines to use the first antenna array for communication, the first information can indicate at least one set of antenna elements. Here, the number of at least one set of antenna elements is Y, where Y is a positive integer. Therefore, "the first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first communication node" can also be replaced with "the first information indicates Y antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first communication node." The way the first information indicates antenna elements is similar to the way the first information indicates antenna elements in Design 1 above, and can be referred to the corresponding description in Design 1, which will not be repeated here.

In some communication scenarios, each antenna array in at least one group corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through a second communication node. The fact that an antenna array corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through a second communication node can be understood as the antenna array being visible to that at least one signal transmission path. Taking the first communication node as the RAN node in Figure 1M as an example, the first information can indicate two groups of antenna arrays. The first group of antenna arrays includes the first four rows of antenna arrays in region 121, and corresponds to signal transmission path 107; that is, the first four rows of antenna arrays in region 121 are visible to signal transmission path 107. The second group of antenna arrays includes the last four rows of antenna arrays in region 121, and corresponds to signal transmission path 108; that is, the last four rows of antenna arrays in region 121 are visible to signal transmission path 108.

For the aforementioned communication scenario, the first information can indicate the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path in at least one signal transmission path, so that the first communication node can determine the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path. Therefore, when the first communication node sends a first communication signal to the second communication node, for each signal transmission path, the antenna arrays in the first antenna array that are visible to that signal transmission path can be configured with wireless resources (such as port resources, time-frequency resources, etc.) to send the first communication signal, while the antenna arrays in the first antenna array that are not visible to that signal transmission path are not configured with wireless resources to conserve wireless resources. When the first communication node receives a second communication signal from the second communication node, for each signal transmission path, the antenna arrays in the second communication node's antenna array that are visible to that signal transmission path can be configured with wireless resources to send the second communication signal, while the antenna arrays in the second communication node's antenna array that are not visible to that signal transmission path are not configured with wireless resources to conserve wireless resources.

For example, taking the first communication node sending a first communication signal to the second communication node, where the first communication node is the RAN node in Figure 1L and the second communication node is the terminal in Figure 1L, the first information can indicate the antenna array in area 118. The RAN node can configure radio resources for communication with the terminal for the antenna array in area 118, but does not configure radio resources for communication with the terminal for the antenna array in area 119.

For example, taking the first communication node receiving a second communication signal from a second communication node, where the first communication node is the RAN node shown in Figure 1M and the second communication node is the terminal in Figure 1M, the first information can indicate two sets of antenna arrays. The first set of antenna arrays includes the first four rows of antenna arrays in region 121, and the second set of antenna arrays includes the last four rows of antenna arrays in region 121. Therefore, the antenna arrays corresponding to signal transmission paths 107 and 108 in the terminal's antenna array can be configured with radio resources for communication with the RAN node, while the antenna array corresponding to signal transmission path 106 is not configured with radio resources for communication with the RAN node. The radio resources of the antenna arrays corresponding to signal transmission paths 107 and 108 in the terminal's antenna array can be configured by the terminal or by the RAN node, without limitation.

Optionally, at least one set of antenna elements can correspond to S signal transmission paths passing through the second communication node, where S is a positive integer. These S signal transmission paths are all or part of the signal transmission paths between the first and second communication nodes. For example, the aforementioned S signal transmission paths are either the S most powerful signal transmission paths among all signal transmission paths between the first and second communication nodes, or the S signal transmission paths with power greater than or equal to a certain threshold. The power of a signal transmission path is related to at least one of the following: whether the signal transmission path is blocked, the number of times the signal transmission path is reflected/scattered, or the power of the signal received by the first/second communication node through the signal transmission path.

Optionally, the value of S can be preset or specified by the protocol. The value of S can also be determined according to business needs. For example, if the business has high requirements for communication quality, the value of S can be set to be larger, and if the business has low requirements for communication quality, the value of S can be set to be smaller.

For the aforementioned communication scenario, to indicate the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path in at least one signal transmission path, the first information may include the path index of each signal transmission path and the information of the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path. Specifically, for the first path among S signal transmission paths, the information of its corresponding antenna array can be designed in several ways: The information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of each antenna array in the antenna array corresponding to the first path. Alternatively, the information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the starting antenna array (e.g., the first antenna array in the antenna array corresponding to the first path, or the antenna array with the smallest identifier) and the size information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path, which indicates the number of rows and columns included in the antenna array corresponding to the first path. Alternatively, the information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the last antenna array in the antenna array corresponding to the first path (e.g., the last antenna array in the antenna array corresponding to the first path, or the antenna array with the largest identifier) and the size information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path. Alternatively, the information of the antenna element corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the first path. It is understood that the content of the first information here is similar to that of the first information in Design 1 above, and can be referred to the corresponding description in Design 1 above, which will not be repeated here.

Design B: The first information indicates the second antenna array of the first communication node, and the second antenna array is included in the multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first communication node. N antenna elements in the second antenna array are used to transmit the first communication signal to the second communication node, or to receive the second communication signal from the second communication node, where N is a positive integer.

Understandably, when a first communication node corresponds to multiple antenna arrays, the first information can indicate the second antenna array. For example, the first information may include an identifier for the second antenna array, so that the first communication node can use the second antenna array to transmit the first communication signal or receive the second communication signal. To conserve wireless resources, in multiple antenna arrays, the second antenna array may include a larger number of antenna elements for transmitting the first communication signal, or a larger number of antenna elements for receiving the second communication signal.

Optionally, the first information also indicates the aforementioned N antenna elements so that the first communication node can determine which antenna elements in the second antenna array are used to transmit the first communication signal or receive the second communication signal. Optionally, the N antenna elements can be divided into at least one group, so "N antenna elements in the second antenna array are used to transmit the first communication signal" can be replaced with "at least one group of antenna elements in the second antenna array is used to transmit the first communication signal", "N antenna elements in the second antenna array are used to receive the second communication signal" can be replaced with "at least one group of antenna elements in the second antenna array is used to receive the second communication signal", and "the first information indicates N antenna elements" can be replaced with "the first information indicates at least one group of antenna elements in the second antenna array". It is understood that the way the first information indicates N antenna elements or indicates at least one group of antenna elements in the second antenna array is similar to the way the first information indicates at least one group of antenna elements in the first antenna array in Design 1, and will not be described again.

Optionally, to ensure that more of the configured wireless resources are used for communication with the second communication node, the second antenna array may have a larger proportion of N antenna elements compared to the first antenna array. For example, if the second antenna array has Q antenna elements, the ratio of N to Q must be greater than or equal to a first threshold value, where Q is an integer greater than 1. Understandably, the first threshold value can be preset or specified by the protocol. Alternatively, the first threshold value can be set as needed; for example, if the service has high communication quality requirements, the first threshold value can be set larger, and if the service has lower communication quality requirements, the first threshold value can be set smaller.

In some communication scenarios, each antenna array in at least one group of antenna elements in the second antenna array corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the second communication node. The fact that each antenna array corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the second communication node can be understood as meaning that the antenna array is visible to that at least one signal transmission path. For the above communication scenario, the first information can indicate the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path, so that the first communication node can determine the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path. Therefore, when the first communication node sends a first communication signal to the second communication node, for each signal transmission path, the antenna arrays in the second antenna array that are visible to that signal transmission path can be configured with radio resources to send the first communication signal, while the antenna arrays in the second antenna array that are not visible to that signal transmission path are not configured with radio resources to conserve radio resources. When the first communication node receives the second communication signal from the second communication node, for each signal transmission path, the antenna elements in the antenna array of the second communication node that are visible to that signal transmission path can be configured with wireless resources to transmit the second communication signal, while the antenna elements in the antenna array of the second communication node that are not visible to that signal transmission path are not configured with wireless resources to save wireless resources.

Optionally, at least one set of antenna elements can correspond to H signal transmission paths passing through the second communication node, where H is a positive integer. These H signal transmission paths are all or part of the signal transmission paths between the second antenna array and the second communication node.

Optionally, the aforementioned H signal transmission paths are the H most powerful signal transmission paths among all signal transmission paths between the second antenna array and the second communication node, or the H paths with power greater than or equal to a certain threshold. The power of a signal transmission path is related to at least one of the following: whether the signal transmission path is blocked, the number of times the signal transmission path is reflected/scattered, or the power of the signal received by the first communication node through the signal transmission path. Optionally, the value of H can be preset or specified by the protocol. The value of H can also be determined according to service requirements. For example, if the service has high requirements for communication quality, the value of H can be set larger; if the service has low requirements for communication quality, the value of H can be set smaller.

For the aforementioned communication scenario, to indicate the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path in at least one signal transmission path, the first information may include the path index of each signal transmission path and the information of the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path. Specifically, for the second path among the H signal transmission paths, the information of its corresponding antenna array can be designed in several ways: The information of the antenna array corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of each antenna array within the second path. Alternatively, the information of the antenna array corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the starting antenna array (e.g., the first antenna array in the second path, or the antenna array with the smallest identifier) and the size information of the antenna array corresponding to the second path, which indicates the number of rows and columns included in the antenna array corresponding to the second path. Alternatively, the information of the antenna array corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the ending antenna array (e.g., the last antenna array in the second path, or the antenna array with the largest identifier) and the size information of the antenna array corresponding to the second path. Alternatively, the information of the antenna element corresponding to the second path includes the identifier of the antenna element pattern corresponding to the second path. It is understood that the content of the information of the antenna element corresponding to the second path is similar to the content of the information of the antenna element corresponding to the first path in Design 1 above, and can be referred to the corresponding description in Design 1 above.

S702: The service node sends the first information to the first communication node. Correspondingly, the first communication node receives the first information from the service node.

One possible implementation is that the service node sends the first information through its interface with the first sensing device, or the service node forwards the first information to the first communication node through a node other than the first communication node. This process is similar to the process in S402 where the service node sends the first information to the first sensing device, and can be referred to the corresponding description in S402.

S703: The first communication node communicates with the second communication node based on the first information.

One possible implementation is that the first communication node sends a first communication signal to the second communication node based on the first information, or the first communication node receives a second communication signal from the second communication node.

Understandably, for design A above, the first communication node can transmit a first communication signal to the second communication node through at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array, or receive a second communication signal from the second communication node through at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array. For design B above, the first communication node can transmit a first communication signal to the second communication node through the second antenna array, or receive a second communication signal from the second communication node through the second antenna array. Optionally, if the first information further indicates N antenna elements in the second antenna array, then the first communication node can transmit a first communication signal to the second communication node through the N antenna elements, or receive a second communication signal from the second communication node through the N antenna elements.

Based on the method shown in Figure 7, the serving node can indicate to the first communication node the antenna arrays to be used for communication with the second communication node, so that the first communication node can determine which antenna arrays in the first antenna array to use for communication with the second communication node. Communication between the first and second communication nodes can include the first communication node sending a first communication signal to the second communication node, or the first communication node receiving a second communication signal from the second communication node. When the first communication node sends a first communication signal to the second communication node, the antenna arrays indicated by the serving node can be configured with radio resources to send the first communication signal; antenna arrays not indicated by the serving node can be left unconfigured to conserve radio resources. Alternatively, the serving node can indicate to the first communication node a second antenna array for communication with the second communication node, so that the first communication node uses the second antenna array to communicate with the second communication node, thus conserving radio resources. For example, in the multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first communication node, the second antenna array includes a larger number of visible antenna arrays, so the serving node indicates the second antenna array to the first communication node to conserve radio resources.

Optionally, in one possible implementation of the method shown in Figure 7, the service node can determine the location of the second communication node in the first time period and determine the first information based on that location. The first time period is a single moment or a time interval.

One possible implementation is that the service node predicts the location of the second communication node in a first time period based on the first sensing information and/or the location information reported by the second communication node. The first sensing information is obtained by sensing the second communication node in the second time period, which is later than the second time period. The second time period can be a single moment or a time interval. Optionally, the interval between the second and first time periods can be preset or determined according to business requirements, without limitation. Optionally, the location information reported by the second communication node can be location information determined by a positioning module (such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) module) within the second communication node.

Understandably, the content of the first sensing information here is similar to that in S400, and the way the service node obtains the first sensing information is also similar to that in S400. Both can refer to the corresponding description in S400. The difference is that the object of sensing here is the second communication node, while the object of sensing in S400 is the target. Furthermore, the device that senses the second communication node in the second time period can be the first communication node, or any node other than the first communication node; there are no restrictions.

The following sections describe the specific process by which the service node determines the first information based on the location of the second communication node in the first time period, for both Design A and Design B.

Regarding design A:

One possible implementation involves the service node determining the antenna elements in the first antenna array used for communication with the second communication node based on the location of the second communication node in the first time period, the location of the first communication node in the first time period, and information about the first antenna array. The information about the first antenna array indicates the number of rows and columns of the antenna elements included in the first antenna array.

As an example, the service node can determine, based on the location of the second communication node and the first communication node in the first time period, as well as information about the first antenna array, B visible signal transmission paths for each antenna element in the first antenna array for the first time period, using a ray tracing algorithm or AI model (or algorithm). B is an integer greater than or equal to 0, and the B signal transmission paths are the signal transmission paths between the first and second communication nodes. It should be understood that the value of B can be the same or different for different antenna elements. Optionally, the service node can also combine the historical information of the second communication node to determine the B visible signal transmission paths for each antenna element. The historical information of the second communication node includes its location information and Doppler information before the second time period. Subsequently, the service node can generate a visibility information matrix for S signal transmission paths among the B visible signal transmission paths for each antenna element. The visibility information matrix corresponding to any one of the S signal transmission paths indicates the antenna elements in the first antenna array visible for that signal transmission path. Based on the visibility information matrix corresponding to the S signal transmission paths, the service node can determine the first information. The specific process described above, as well as the information about the first antenna array, can be found in the corresponding description in S400, and will not be repeated here.

Understandably, if the location of the first communication node is fixed, it can be pre-stored in the service node or obtained by the service node from the positioning device. If the first communication node is movable, the location of the first communication node in the first time period can be obtained by the service node from the positioning device or sent by the first communication node to the service node. The positioning device can be the positioning device 214 in the communication system 21 shown in Figure 2B.

For Design B:

One possible implementation is that the serving node can use a method similar to Design A above, sequentially determining the antenna elements in each of the multiple antenna arrays used for communication with the second communication node. When the proportion of antenna elements in an antenna array used for communication with the second communication node exceeds a first threshold, the serving node determines that antenna array as the second antenna array and stops determining the antenna elements used for communication with the second communication node in subsequent antenna arrays. Alternatively, the serving node can determine the antenna elements used for communication with the second communication node in each antenna array and determine the antenna array with the largest proportion of antenna elements used for communication with the second communication node as the second antenna array, without restriction.

Optionally, for either Design A or Design B, the first information may also indicate the location of the second communication node during the first time period, enabling communication between the first and second communication nodes. For example, the first information may include the two-dimensional or three-dimensional coordinates of the target during the first time period, or it may include the direction information of the first communication signal and the distance information between the second and first communication nodes. Of course, the location of the second communication node during the first time period can also be indicated by information other than the first information, without limitation.

Optionally, for either Design A or Design B, the first information may further indicate a first time period, so that the first communication node transmits a first communication signal to the second communication node during the first time period. Specifically, for Design A, at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first communication node is used to transmit the first communication signal to the second communication node during the first time period; for Design B, N antenna elements in the second antenna array of the first communication node are used to transmit the first communication signal to the second communication node during the first time period.

Optionally, in one possible implementation of the method shown in Figure 7, the first communication node may indicate to the second communication node the antenna arrays used to transmit the second communication signal, so that the second communication node can determine which antenna arrays to use to transmit the second communication signal to the first communication node.

For example, as shown in Figure 8, the method shown in Figure 7 also includes the following steps:

S702A: The first communication node sends second information to the second communication node based on the first information. Correspondingly, the second communication node receives the second information from the first communication node.

The second information indicates the antenna array used by the second communication node to transmit the second communication signal. For example, the second information includes the identifier of each antenna array; or, the second information includes the identifier of the starting antenna array (such as the first antenna array or the smallest antenna array) and the size information of the antenna array (which may indicate the number of rows and columns included in the antenna array); or, the second information includes the identifier of the ending antenna array (such as the last antenna array or the largest antenna array) and the size information of the antenna array; or, the second information includes the identifier of the antenna array pattern corresponding to the antenna array.

One possible implementation is that the first communication node determines the antenna element in the antenna array (denoted as the third antenna array) of the second communication node for transmitting the second communication signal based on the first information.

For example, in design A, the first communication node determines the antenna elements in the third antenna array used to transmit the second communication signal based on at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array, the position of the second communication node in the first time period, and information about the third antenna array. The information about the third antenna array can indicate the number of rows and columns of antenna elements included in the third antenna array.

For example, in design B, the first communication node determines the antenna element in the third antenna array used to transmit the second communication signal based on the N antenna elements in the second antenna array, the position of the second communication node in the first time period, and the information of the third antenna array.

Optionally, the first communication node may configure radio resources for the antenna elements in the third antenna array used to transmit the second communication signal, or the second communication node may configure radio resources for these antenna elements after determining the antenna elements used to transmit the second communication signal based on the second information.

It is understood that the actions of the service node, the first communication node, or the second communication node in the above steps can be executed by the processor 301 in the communication device 30 shown in Figure 3, which calls the application code stored in the memory 303. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

The various embodiments mentioned above in this application can be combined without contradiction, and no limitation is imposed.

The above mainly describes the solution provided in this application from the perspective of interaction between various network elements. Correspondingly, this application also provides a communication device, which can be a service node in the above method embodiments, or a device containing the above service node, or a component usable in a service node; or, the communication device can be a first sensing device in the above method embodiments, or a device containing the above first sensing device, or a component usable in a first sensing device; or, the communication device can be a first communication node in the above method embodiments, or a device containing the above first communication node, or a component usable in a first communication node; or, the communication device can be a second communication node in the above method embodiments, or a device containing the above second communication node, or a component usable in a second communication node. It is understood that the above-mentioned service node, first sensing device, first communication node, or second communication node, etc., include hardware structures and/or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function in order to achieve the above functions. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, in conjunction with the unit and algorithm operations of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Skilled professionals may 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.

This application can divide the service node, the first sensing device, the first communication node, or the second communication node into functional modules based on the above method examples. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated modules can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules. It is understood that the module division in this application is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division; other division methods may be used in actual implementation.

For example, when functional modules are integrated, Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of a communication device 90. The communication device 90 includes a processing module 901 and an interface module 902. The processing module 901, also called a processing unit, is used to perform operations other than transmission and reception; for example, it can be a processing circuit or a processor. The interface module 902, also called an interface unit, is used to perform transmission and reception operations; for example, it can be an interface circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver unit, or a communication interface.

In some embodiments, the communication device 90 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG9) for storing program instructions and data.

For example, the communication device 90 is used to implement the functions of a service node. The communication device 90 is, for example, the service node described in the embodiment shown in FIG4 or the embodiment shown in FIG6.

The processing module 901 is used to determine first information. The first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first sensing device, which is used to receive a first sensing signal for sensing a target; or, the first information indicates a second antenna array of the first sensing device, which is included in multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first sensing device, and M antenna elements in the second antenna array are used to receive a second sensing signal for sensing a target, where M is a positive integer. For example, the processing module 901 can be used to execute S401.

Interface module 902 is used to send first information to the first sensing device. For example, interface module 902 can be used to execute S402.

When used to implement the functions of a service node, other functions that the communication device 90 can implement can be referred to the relevant descriptions of the embodiments shown in Figure 4 or Figure 6, which will not be elaborated further.

Alternatively, by way of example, the communication device 90 is used to implement the function of the first sensing device. The communication device 90 is, for example, the first sensing device described in the embodiment shown in FIG4 or the embodiment shown in FIG6.

The interface module 902 is used to receive first information. The first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first sensing device, which is used to receive a first sensing signal for sensing a target; or, the first information indicates a second antenna array of the first sensing device, which is included in multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first sensing device, and M antenna elements in the second antenna array are used to receive a second sensing signal for sensing a target, where M is a positive integer. For example, the interface module 902 can be used to execute S402.

The processing module 901 is used to control the interface module 902 to receive a first sensing signal or a second sensing signal based on the first information. For example, the processing module 901 can be used to execute S403.

When used to implement the functions of the first sensing device, other functions that the communication device 90 can implement can be referred to the relevant descriptions of the embodiments shown in FIG4 or FIG6, which will not be elaborated further.

Alternatively, by way of example, the communication device 90 is used to implement the functions of a service node. The communication device 90 is, for example, the service node described in the embodiment shown in FIG7 or the embodiment shown in FIG8.

The processing module 901 is used to determine first information. The first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first communication node, which is used to transmit a first communication signal to the second communication node or to receive a second communication signal from the second communication node; or, the first information indicates a second antenna array of the first communication node, where the second antenna array is included in multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first communication node, and N antenna elements in the second antenna array are used to transmit the first communication signal to the second communication node or to receive a second communication signal from the second communication node, where N is a positive integer. For example, the processing module 901 can be used to execute S701.

Interface module 902 is used to send first information to the first communication node. For example, interface module 902 can be used to execute S702.

When used to implement the functions of a service node, other functions that the communication device 90 can implement can be referred to the relevant descriptions of the embodiments shown in Figure 7 or Figure 8, which will not be elaborated further.

Alternatively, by way of example, the communication device 90 is used to implement the function of the first communication node. The communication device 90 is, for example, the first communication node described in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 or the embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

Interface module 902 is used to receive first information. The first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first communication node, which is used to transmit a first communication signal to the second communication node or to receive a second communication signal from the second communication node; or, the first information indicates a second antenna array of the first communication node, where the second antenna array is included in multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first communication node, and N antenna elements in the second antenna array are used to transmit the first communication signal to the second communication node or to receive a second communication signal from the second communication node, where N is a positive integer. For example, interface module 902 can be used to execute S702.

The processing module 901 is used to control the interface module 902 to send a first communication signal to the second communication node according to the first information, or to receive a second communication signal from the second communication node according to the first information. For example, the processing module 901 can be used to execute S703.

When used to implement the function of the first communication node, other functions that the communication device 90 can implement can be referred to the relevant descriptions of the embodiments shown in FIG7 or FIG8, which will not be elaborated further.

Alternatively, by way of example, the communication device 90 is used to implement the function of a second communication node. The communication device 90 is, for example, the second communication node described in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 or the embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

Interface module 902 is used to receive second information from the first communication node. The second information indicates antenna elements used to transmit communication signals to the first communication node, and is determined based on first information. The first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first communication node, which is used to receive the second communication signal; or, the first information indicates a second antenna array of the first communication node, where the second antenna array is included in multiple antenna arrays corresponding to the first communication node, and N antenna elements in the second antenna array are used to receive the second communication signal, where N is a positive integer. For example, interface module 902 can be used to execute S702A.

The processing module 901 is used to control the interface module 902 to send a second communication signal to the first communication node according to the second information. For example, the processing module 901 can be used to execute S703.

When used to implement the function of the second communication node, other functions that the communication device 90 can implement can be referred to the relevant descriptions of the embodiments shown in FIG7 or FIG8, which will not be elaborated further.

In a simplified embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize that the communication device 90 can take the form shown in FIG3. For example, the processor 301 in FIG3 can invoke computer execution instructions stored in memory 303 to cause the communication device 90 to execute the method described in the above-described method embodiment.

For example, the functions/implementation processes of the processing module 901 and interface module 902 in Figure 9 can be implemented by the processor 301 in Figure 3 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 303. Alternatively, the functions/implementation processes of the processing module 901 in Figure 9 can be implemented by the processor 301 in Figure 3 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 303, and the functions/implementation processes of the interface module 902 in Figure 9 can be implemented by the transceiver 302 in Figure 3.

It is understood that one or more of the above modules or units can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of both. When any of the above modules or units are implemented by software, the software exists as computer program instructions and is stored in memory. The processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor can be built into a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or ASIC, or it can be a separate semiconductor chip. In addition to the core that executes the software instructions for computation or processing, the processor may further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

When the above modules or units are implemented in hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of a CPU, microprocessor, digital signal processing (DSP) chip, microcontroller unit (MCU), artificial intelligence processor, ASIC, SoC, FPGA, PLD, application-specific digital circuit, hardware accelerator, or non-integrated discrete device, which can run the necessary software or perform the above method flow independently of software.

Optionally, this application also provides a chip system, including: at least one processor and an interface, wherein the at least one processor is coupled to a memory via the interface, and when the at least one processor executes a computer program or instructions in the memory, the method in any of the above method embodiments is executed. In one possible implementation, the chip system further includes a memory. Optionally, the chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices; this application does not specifically limit this.

Optionally, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. This program can be stored in the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium. When executed, the program can include the processes of the above method embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium can be an internal storage unit of the communication device in any of the foregoing embodiments, such as the hard disk or memory of the communication device. The aforementioned computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device of the communication device, such as a plug-in hard disk, smart media card (SMC), secure digital (SD) card, flash card, etc., equipped on the communication device. Further, the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium can include both internal storage units and external storage devices of the communication device. The aforementioned computer-readable storage medium is used to store the aforementioned computer program and other programs and data required by the communication device. The aforementioned computer-readable storage medium can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

Optionally, this application also provides a computer program product. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be executed by a computer program instructing related hardware. This program can be stored in the above computer program product, and when executed, it can include the processes described in the above method embodiments.

Optionally, this application also provides computer instructions. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be executed by computer instructions instructing related hardware (such as a computer, processor, service node, first sensing device, first communication node, or second communication node, etc.). The program can be stored in the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium or the aforementioned computer program product.

Optionally, this application also provides a communication system, including: a service node and a first sensing device in the embodiments shown in FIG4 or FIG6.

Optionally, this application also provides a communication system, including a service node and a first communication node in the embodiment shown in FIG7 or FIG8. Optionally, the communication system further includes a second communication node in the embodiment shown in FIG7 or FIG8.

Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, only the division of the above functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

It is understood that the term "connection" in this application can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection; furthermore, it can refer to an electrical connection or a communication connection. For example, the connection of two electrical components A and B can refer to a direct connection between A and B, or an indirect connection between A and B through other electrical components or connection media, enabling the transmission of electrical signals between A and B; similarly, the connection of two devices A and B can refer to a direct connection between A and B, or an indirect connection between A and B through other communication devices or communication media, enabling communication between A and B.

It is understood that the method provided in this application can be applied to multiple fields, such as: autonomous driving, automatic driving, driver assistance, intelligent driving, connected driving, intelligent connected driving, car sharing, etc.

It is understood that the message names between various network elements or the names of various parameters in the messages in the above embodiments of this application are just examples, and other names may be used in the specific implementation. This application does not make any specific limitations on this.

It is understood that in this application, "/" can indicate that the objects before and after it are in an "or" relationship. For example, A/B can mean A or B. "And/or" can be used to describe three relationships between the related objects. For example, A and/or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Here, A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, expressions like "at least one of A, B, and C" or "at least one of A, B, or C" are generally used to indicate any of the following: A exists alone; B exists alone; C exists alone; A and B exist simultaneously; A and C exist simultaneously; B and C exist simultaneously; A, B, and C exist simultaneously. The above examples using three elements (A, B, and C) illustrate the optional entries for this item. When the expression contains more elements, its meaning can be obtained according to the aforementioned rules.

To facilitate the description of the technical solutions of this application, the terms "first" and "second" may be used to distinguish technical features with the same or similar functions. The terms "first" and "second" do not limit the number or execution order, nor do they imply that they are necessarily different. In this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. The use of "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner for ease of understanding.

It is understood that the term "embodiment" used throughout the specification means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic related to an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, these specific features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. It is understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the sequence number of each process does not imply a sequential order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of this application.

It is understood that in this application, "when," "under the circumstances," "if," and "if" all refer to the corresponding processing that will be carried out under certain objective circumstances, and are not time-limited, nor do they require that there must be a judgment action when implemented, nor do they imply any other limitations.

In this application, "simultaneously" can be understood as at the same point in time, within a period of time, or within the same cycle.

In this application, "multiple" can be understood as two or more. For example, multiple antenna arrays can be understood as two or more antenna arrays.

In this application, "greater than or equal to" can be replaced with "greater than" or "equal to"; "less than or equal to" can be replaced with "less than" or "equal to". For example, "A is greater than or equal to B" can be replaced with "A is greater than B" or "A is equal to B"; "A is less than or equal to B" can be replaced with "A is less than B" or "A is equal to B".

It is understood that some optional features in this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution upon which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the apparatus provided in this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

It is understood that the same step or step with the same function or technical feature in this application can be referenced and learned from each other in different embodiments.

In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules or 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 device, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. A component shown as a unit can be one or more physical units; that is, it can be located in one place or distributed in multiple different locations. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

Furthermore, 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. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope 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 (28)

A communication method, characterized in that the method includes: Determine the first piece of information; Send the first information to the first sensing device; The first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first sensing device, the at least one set of antenna elements being used to receive a first sensing signal, the first sensing signal being used to sense a target; or... The first information indicates the second antenna array of the first sensing device. The second antenna array is included in the plurality of antenna arrays corresponding to the first sensing device. M antenna elements in the second antenna array are used to receive the second sensing signal. The second sensing signal is used to sense the target. M is a positive integer. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least one group of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target; The first information indicates at least one group of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first sensing device, including: the first information indicates the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path. According to the method of claim 2, the first information includes the identifier of each signal transmission path and the information of the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path. According to the method of claim 3, the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to T signal transmission paths passing through the target, and the T signal transmission paths passing through the target include a first path; The information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of each antenna array in the antenna array corresponding to the first path; or, The information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the starting antenna array in the antenna array corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path; or, The information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the last antenna array in the antenna array corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path; or, The information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the antenna array pattern corresponding to the first path. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first information further indicates the M antenna elements in the second antenna array. The method according to claim 1 or 5 is characterized in that the second antenna array comprises P antenna elements, and the ratio of M to P is greater than or equal to a first threshold. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the method further comprises: First perception information is obtained, which is obtained by perceiving the target in the first time period. The first perception information is used to determine the first information. The method according to claim 7, wherein the first sensing signal or the second sensing signal is used to sense the target in a second time period, the second time period being later than the first time period. The method according to claim 8, wherein the first information further indicates the location of the target during the second time period. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that the method further comprises: Receive second sensing information from the first sensing device, the second sensing information being determined based on the first sensing signal or the second sensing signal. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein the first sensing device is a terminal or a wireless access network node. A communication method, characterized in that the method includes: Receive the first message; Receive a first sensing signal or a second sensing signal based on the first information; The first information indicates at least one set of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first sensing device, the at least one set of antenna elements being used to receive the first sensing signal, the first sensing signal being used to sense a target; or... The first information indicates the second antenna array of the first sensing device. The second antenna array is included in the plurality of antenna arrays corresponding to the first sensing device. M antenna elements in the second antenna array are used to receive the second sensing signal. The second sensing signal is used to sense the target. M is a positive integer. The method according to claim 12, wherein each of the at least one group of antenna elements corresponds to at least one signal transmission path passing through the target; The first information indicates at least one group of antenna elements in the first antenna array of the first sensing device, including: the first information indicates the antenna element corresponding to each signal transmission path in the at least one signal transmission path. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first information includes the identifier of each signal transmission path and the information of the antenna array corresponding to each signal transmission path. According to the method of claim 14, the at least one set of antenna elements corresponds to T signal transmission paths passing through the target, and the T signal transmission paths passing through the target include a first path; The information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of each antenna array in the antenna array corresponding to the first path; or, The information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the starting antenna array in the antenna array corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path; or, The information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the last antenna array in the antenna array corresponding to the first path, and the size information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path; or, The information of the antenna array corresponding to the first path includes the identifier of the antenna array pattern corresponding to the first path. The method according to claim 12, wherein the first information further indicates the M antenna elements in the second antenna array. The method according to claim 12 or 16 is characterized in that the second antenna array comprises P antenna elements, and the ratio of M to P is greater than or equal to a first threshold. The method according to any one of claims 12-17 is characterized in that the first information is determined based on first perception information, which is obtained by perceiving the target during a first time period. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that the method further comprises: Send the first sensing information. The method according to claim 18 or 19 is characterized in that the first sensing signal or the second sensing signal is used to sense the target in a second time period, the second time period being later than the first time period. The method according to claim 20, wherein the first information further indicates the location of the target during the second time period. The method according to any one of claims 12-21, characterized in that the method further comprises: Send second sensing information, which is determined based on the first sensing signal or the second sensing signal. The method according to any one of claims 12-22 is characterized in that the first sensing device is a terminal or a wireless access network node. A communication device, characterized in that it includes a unit or module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, or includes a unit or module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 23. A communication device, characterized in that it comprises: a processor coupled to a memory for storing programs or instructions, wherein when the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, the device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, or performs the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 23. A chip, characterized in that it comprises: a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being configured to receive a computer program or instructions and transmit them to the processor, the processor being configured to execute the computer program or instructions, causing the chip to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, or the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 23. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, when the computer program or instructions are executed, they cause a computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, or the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 23. A computer program product comprising computer program code, characterized in that, when the computer program code is run on a computer, it causes the computer to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 11, or the method of any one of claims 12 to 23.