A communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

This application discloses a communication method and related apparatus for improving the network performance of edge terminals. The method includes: a first device acquiring a first uplink signal, the first uplink signal being received from a first terminal by a first small remote radio unit (PRRU), the first uplink signal being undemodulated, the first PRRU and the first device belonging to a first cell, and the first terminal accessing a second cell. The first device then transmits the first uplink signal to a second device, the second device belonging to the second cell.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication, and in particular, to a communication method and related apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0002] Coordinated multi-point (COMP) aims to improve the network performance of edge terminals.

[0003] In the traditional networking of COMP, one radio remote unit can only belong to one cell, and there is interference between cells. The cell accessed by an edge terminal is called a serving cell, and the cells around the serving cell are called cooperating cells. In the uplink direction, the serving cell and the cooperating cells simultaneously receive the uplink signals of the edge terminal, the cooperating cells transmit the uplink signals of the edge terminal to the serving cell, and then the uplink signals are combined and demodulated, so as to achieve power gain and diversity gain.

[0004] However, in the current COMP technology, the gain that can be obtained in actual commercial scenarios is limited due to limited processing overhead. SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and related apparatus, which can realize that one radio remote unit belongs to multiple cells, so as to improve the network performance of edge terminals.

[0006] A first aspect of embodiments of the present application provides a communication method:

[0007] A first device obtains a first uplink signal, the first uplink signal being received by a first picro-remote radio unit (PRRU) from a first terminal, the first uplink signal not being demodulated, the first PRRU and the first device belonging to a first cell, and the first terminal accessing a second cell. The first device sends the first uplink signal to a second device, and the second device belongs to the second cell.

[0008] In embodiments of the present application, the first cell can directly send all the uplink signals of the terminals received by the first PRRU to the second cell, and the first uplink signal of the first terminal is demodulated by the second cell. When the first PRRU is located at the edge of the cells, the first terminal includes an edge terminal. Therefore, it is not necessary to identify the edge terminal in advance and to demodulate the uplink signal of the edge terminal in advance, which reduces the overhead and improves the network performance of the edge terminal.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the first device receives a first downlink signal from the second device, the downlink signal being subjected to modulation processing. The first device sends the first downlink signal to the first PRRU, so that the first PRRU sends the first downlink signal to the first terminal.

[0010] In the embodiments of the present application, when assisting the second cell in sending the first downlink signal to the first terminal, the first cell does not need to perform modulation processing on the first downlink signal, which reduces the complexity of signal modulation and further improves the communication efficiency.

[0011] The second aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a communication method.

[0012] The first device obtains a second uplink signal from the second device, the second uplink signal being received by the second PRRU from the second terminal, and the second uplink signal being not subjected to demodulation processing. The first device belongs to the first cell, the second PRRU belongs to the second cell, and the second terminal accesses the first cell.

[0013] In the embodiments of the present application, the second cell can directly send all the uplink signals of the terminals received by the second PRRU to the first cell, and the first cell demodulates the second uplink signal of the second terminal. When the second PRRU is located at the edge of the cells, the second terminal includes an edge terminal. Therefore, it is not necessary to identify the edge terminal in advance and to demodulate the uplink signal of the edge terminal in advance, which reduces the overhead and further improves the network performance of the edge terminal.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the first device obtains a second downlink signal, the second downlink signal being subjected to modulation processing. The first device sends the second downlink signal to the second device, so that the second device sends the second downlink signal to the second PRRU, and the second PRRU sends the second downlink signal to the second terminal.

[0015] In the embodiments of the present application, when assisting the first cell in sending the second downlink signal to the second terminal, the second cell does not need to perform modulation processing on the second downlink signal, which reduces the complexity of signal modulation and further improves the communication efficiency.

[0016] The third aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a communication device, which is a first device, and includes function modules for executing the method of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0017] The fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a communication device, which is a first device, and includes a processor and a memory. The memory is coupled to the processor and is used to store instructions. When the instructions are executed by the processor, the communication device executes the method of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0018] The fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a baseband processing unit, which comprises the first device in the third aspect.

[0019] The sixth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the computer executes the method in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0020] The seventh aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer program product, which comprises a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the computer executes the method in the first aspect or the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 A flowchart of the COMP technology in the embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0022] Figure 2 Another flowchart of the COMP technology in the embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0023] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an application scenario of the communication method in the embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0024] Figure 4 Another schematic diagram of an application scenario of the communication method in the embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0025] Figure 5 A flowchart of the communication method in the embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0026] Figure 6 Another flowchart of the communication method in the embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0027] Figure 7 A flowchart of the communication method in the embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0028] Figure 8 A flowchart of the communication method in the embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0029] Figure 9 A structural schematic diagram of the communication device in the embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0030] Figure 10a Another structural schematic diagram of the communication device in the embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0031] Figure 10b Another structural schematic diagram of the communication device in the embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0032] Figure 11 Another structural schematic diagram of the communication device in the embodiments of the present application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will recognize that, with technological advancements and the emergence of new scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0034] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such use of data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in a sequence other than that illustrated or described herein.

[0035] Please see Figure 1 In coordinated multi-point (COMP) transmission technology, in the uplink direction, in step S101, the synchronization signal block (SSB) needs to be measured first; in step S102, the cooperating cell and edge terminal are determined; in step S103, the sounding reference signal (SRS) is measured; and in step S104, joint reception (JR) is performed. JR refers to the simultaneous reception of uplink signals by the serving cell and the edge terminal. After demodulating the uplink signal, the cooperating cell sends the uplink signal from the edge terminal to the serving cell. Then, uplink signal combining and demodulation processing are performed to achieve power gain and diversity gain. Please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 2In the downlink direction, SSB measurement is performed in step S201, cooperating cells and edge terminals are determined in step S202, SRS and signal state information reference signals are measured in step S203, and joint processing (JP) is performed in step S204. JP can be divided into joint transmission (JT) and dynamic cell selection (DCS). In JT, multiple cooperating cells modulate the downlink signal to be transmitted to the edge terminal and transmit the downlink signal to the edge terminal simultaneously. In DCS, a cooperating cell is selected from multiple cooperating cells, which modulates the downlink signal and transmits the downlink signal to the edge terminal. Alternatively, coordinated scheduling / beamforming (CS / CB) can be used in the downlink direction. In this scheme, the serving cell transmits downlink data to the edge terminal, but the serving cell and cooperating cells cooperate with each other to reduce signal interference. Existing COMP technology can reduce signal interference and improve the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). However, COMP technology requires the identification of edge terminals, and in the uplink direction, cooperating cells need to demodulate the uplink signal and identify the uplink signal from the edge terminal, thus incurring additional overhead and hindering the improvement of network performance for edge users. Furthermore, COMP technology also suffers from drawbacks such as difficulty in enabling small packet services, limitations on cooperating user specifications, and reliance on neighbor cell measurements.

[0036] This application provides a communication method and related apparatus for improving network performance for edge users.

[0037] The communication method in this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), long term evolution (LEE), fifth generation (5G) communication system, LTE and 5G hybrid architecture, 5G new radio (NR) system, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSOMIA), mobile communication system, code division multiple access system, and new communication systems that will emerge in the future.

[0038] The terminal involved in the embodiments of this application is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, such as a handheld device or vehicle-mounted device with wireless connectivity. The terminal can also be other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. The terminal can communicate with one or more core networks through a radio access network (RAN). The terminal can also be referred to as a wireless terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, access point, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, user device, or user equipment, etc. The terminal can be a mobile terminal, such as a mobile phone (or "cellular" phone) and a computer with a mobile terminal, for example, a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-embedded, or vehicle-mounted mobile device that exchanges voice and / or data with the radio access network. For example, the terminal can also be a personal communication service telephone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and other devices. Common terminals include mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), and wearable devices such as smartwatches, smart bracelets, and pedometers, but the embodiments of this application are not limited to these.

[0039] The embodiments of this application can be applied to, for example... Figure 3The communication architecture shown consists of a baseband unit (BBU), a remote radio unit hub (RHUB), and low-power remote radio units (PRRUs). One BBU can connect to one or more RHUBs, and one RHUB can connect to multiple PRRUs. An RHUB and its connected PRRUs can form a radio frequency combining cell. Its working principle is as follows: in the downlink direction, the BBU sends the downlink signal to the RHUB, which then transmits the downlink signal to each PRRU via network cable; in the uplink direction, the terminal sends the uplink signal to the PRRU, and each PRRU sends its uplink signal to the RHUB. The RHUB performs radio frequency combining on the uplink signals and sends them back to the BBU for demodulation. Figure 1 The example shown is for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as a limitation on the number of RHUBs or the number of PRRUs connected to each RHUB.

[0040] Please see Figure 4 A single BBU can manage multiple radio frequency combining cells. Each cell can be divided into Layer 1, Layer 2, Layer 3, and a platform layer. Layer 1 is mainly responsible for signal modulation and demodulation processing; Layer 2 is mainly responsible for resource allocation; Layer 3 is mainly responsible for managing cell resources and access terminals; and the platform layer is mainly responsible for signal transmission routing management. The functions of Layer 1, Layer 2, Layer 3, and the platform layer of a cell can be implemented based on different boards or chips within the BBU. For example, for cell 1, the functions of Layer 1 can be implemented based on boards or chips capable of modulation and demodulation; the functions of Layer 2 can be implemented based on boards or chips capable of resource allocation; the functions of Layer 3 can be implemented based on boards or chips capable of terminal management; and the functions of the platform layer can be implemented based on boards or chips capable of signal transmission.

[0041] Please see Figure 5 The following describes a flow of the communication method in the uplink direction in the embodiments of this application:

[0042] 501. The first device acquires the first uplink signal;

[0043] Based on the above Figure 3For example, the first cell is radio frequency combining cell 1, and the second cell is radio frequency combining cell 2. This is merely an example; the first cell can be any radio frequency combining cell. In the uplink direction, the first cell receives uplink signal A through the first PRRU. Uplink signal A includes uplink signals received by the first PRRU from various terminals, including the first uplink signal from the first terminal. The first terminal specifically refers to one or more terminals accessing the second cell. The first PRRU is specifically one or more PRRUs among all PRRUs in the first cell. In actual implementation, the first PRRU can be pre-determined from all PRRUs in the first cell. In this embodiment, the first PRRU is PRRU3.

[0044] In this embodiment, the first device is a single board or chip in the first cell capable of implementing Layer 1 functionality. The uplink signal A is transmitted to the first device via RHUB1 and the platform layer of the first cell, that is... Figure 3 The first cell shown is layer 1.

[0045] 502. The first device sends a first uplink signal to the second device;

[0046] After receiving uplink signal A, the first device does not need to demodulate it. Instead, it directly transmits uplink signal A to the second device, which is a board or chip in the second cell capable of implementing Layer 1 functionality. Upon receiving uplink signal A, the second device demodulates it to obtain the first uplink signal from the first terminal. Simultaneously, the second cell receives the uplink signal from the first terminal based on PRRU4, PRRU5, and PRRU6, thus achieving joint reception.

[0047] In this embodiment, the first cell can directly transmit the uplink signals of all terminals received by the first PRRU to the second cell, where the second cell demodulates the first uplink signal of the first terminal. Furthermore, when the first PRRU is located at the edge of the cell, the first terminal includes edge terminals. This eliminates the need to identify edge terminals in advance and to pre-demodulate their uplink signals, reducing overhead and improving the network performance of edge terminals.

[0048] Please see Figure 6 In the above Figure 5 Based on the embodiments shown, the following describes a flow of the communication method in the downlink direction in the embodiments of this application:

[0049] 601. The first device receives a first downlink signal from the second device;

[0050] In the downlink direction, a board or chip in the first cell that can implement Layer 2 functionality communicates with a board or chip in the second cell that can implement Layer 2 functionality; that is, Layer 2 of the first cell communicates with Layer 2 of the second cell. Layer 2 of the first cell and Layer 2 of the second cell can determine whether the first PRRU is used to transmit a first downlink signal from the second cell during the current transmission time interval (TTI). If so, then Layer 1 of the first cell, when modulating the downlink signal for transmission to a second terminal accessing the first cell during that TTI, needs to prevent the downlink signal to be transmitted to the second terminal accessing the first cell from being transmitted from the first PRRU, where the second terminal can be one or more terminals. Layer 1 of the second cell, when modulating the first downlink signal for transmission to a first terminal accessing the second cell during that TTI, modulates the first downlink signal in a manner that transmits the first downlink signal from PRRU3, PRRU4, PRRU5, and PRRU6.

[0051] After the first downlink signal modulation is completed, the second device sends the first downlink signal to the first device based on the Layer 3 instruction in the second cell. In this embodiment, the first device is a single board or chip in the first cell that can implement Layer 1 functions, and the second device is a single board or chip that can implement Layer 1 functions in the second cell.

[0052] 602. The first device sends a first downlink signal to the first PRRU;

[0053] After receiving the first downlink signal, the first device transmits the first downlink signal to the first PRRU, and then the first PRRU transmits the first downlink signal to the first terminal. Simultaneously, the second cell transmits downlink signals to the first terminal based on PRRU4, PRRU5, and PRRU6, achieving joint transmission.

[0054] In this embodiment, when the first cell assists the second cell in sending the first downlink signal to the first terminal, it does not need to perform modulation processing on the first downlink signal itself, which reduces the complexity of signal modulation and further improves communication efficiency.

[0055] Please see Figure 7 The following describes another process of the communication method in the uplink direction in the embodiments of this application:

[0056] 701. The first device acquires a second uplink signal from the second device.

[0057] Based on the above Figure 3For example, the first cell is radio frequency combining cell 1, and the second cell is radio frequency combining cell 2. In the uplink direction, the second cell receives uplink signal B through the second PRRU. Uplink signal B includes uplink signals received by the second PRRU from various terminals, including a second uplink signal from a second terminal. The second terminal is specifically one or more terminals accessing the first cell. The second PRRU is specifically one or more PRRUs among all PRRUs in the second cell. In actual implementation, the second PRRU can be pre-determined from all PRRUs in the second cell. In this embodiment, the second PRRU is PRRU4.

[0058] In this embodiment, the first device is a board or chip in the first cell capable of implementing Layer 1 functionality, and the second device is a board or chip in the second cell capable of implementing Layer 1 functionality. Uplink signal B is transmitted to the second device via RHUB2 and the platform layer of the second cell. After receiving uplink signal B, the second device does not need to demodulate it but directly sends it back to the first device. The first device then demodulates uplink signal B to obtain the second uplink signal. Simultaneously, the first cell receives the uplink signal from the second terminal based on PRRU1, PRRU2, and PRRU3, achieving joint reception.

[0059] In this embodiment, the second cell can directly transmit the uplink signals of all terminals received by the second PRRU to the first cell, whereby the first cell demodulates the second uplink signal of the second terminal. Furthermore, when the second PRRU is located at the edge of the cell, the second terminal includes edge terminals. Therefore, it is unnecessary to identify edge terminals in advance or pre-demodulate their uplink signals, reducing overhead and thus improving the network performance of edge terminals.

[0060] Please see Figure 8 In the above Figure 7 Based on the embodiments shown, another process of the communication method in the downlink direction in the embodiments of this application is described below:

[0061] 801. The first device acquires the second downlink signal;

[0062] In the downlink direction, a board or chip in the first cell that can perform Layer 2 functions communicates with a board or chip in the second cell that can perform Layer 2 functions; that is, Layer 2 of the first cell communicates with Layer 2 of the second cell. Layer 2 of the first cell and Layer 2 of the second cell can determine whether the second PRRU is used to transmit the second downlink signal of the first cell during the current transmission time interval (TTI). If so, Layer 1 of the second cell, when modulating the downlink signal for transmission to the first terminal accessing the second cell during that TTI, needs to prevent the downlink signal to be transmitted to the first terminal accessing the second cell from being transmitted from the second PRRU. Layer 1 of the first cell, when modulating the second downlink signal for transmission to the second terminal accessing the first cell during that TTI, modulates the second downlink signal in a manner that transmits the second downlink signal from PRRU1, PRRU2, PRRU3, and PRRU4.

[0063] 802. The first device sends a second downlink signal to the second device.

[0064] After the second downlink signal modulation is completed, the first device sends the second downlink signal to the second device based on the Layer 3 instruction in the first cell. In this embodiment, the first device is a board or chip in the first cell capable of implementing Layer 1 functions, and the second device is a board or chip in the second cell capable of implementing Layer 1 functions. After receiving the second downlink signal, the second device sends the second downlink signal to the second PRRU, and then the second PRRU sends the second downlink signal to the first terminal. Simultaneously, the first cell sends downlink signals to the second terminal through PRRU1, PRRU2, and PRRU3, achieving joint transmission.

[0065] In this embodiment, when the second cell assists the first cell in sending the second downlink signal to the second terminal, it does not need to perform modulation processing on the second downlink signal itself, which reduces the complexity of signal modulation and further improves communication efficiency.

[0066] Alternatively, the first device can also be a single board or chip in the first cell that can realize platform layer functions, see steps A1 to A2. The following describes another process of the communication method in the uplink direction in the embodiment of this application:

[0067] A1. The first device acquires the first uplink signal;

[0068] Based on the above Figure 3 For example, the first cell is radio frequency combining cell 1, and the second cell is radio frequency combining cell 2. In the uplink direction, the first cell receives uplink signal A through the first PRRU. Uplink signal A includes uplink signals from various terminals received by the first PRRU, including the first uplink signal from the first terminal.

[0069] In this embodiment, the first device is a single board or chip in the first cell that can implement platform layer functions. The uplink signal A is transmitted to the first device, i.e., the platform layer of the first cell, through the RHUB of the first cell.

[0070] A2. The first device sends a first uplink signal to the second device;

[0071] After receiving uplink signal A, the first device directly transmits uplink signal A to the second device. The second device is a single board or chip in the second cell that can implement platform layer functions. After receiving uplink signal A, the second device transmits uplink signal A to layer 1 in the second cell, where layer 1 demodulates uplink signal A to obtain the first uplink signal from the first terminal.

[0072] In this embodiment, the first cell can directly transmit the uplink signals of all terminals received by the first PRRU to the second cell, where the second cell demodulates the first uplink signal of the first terminal. Furthermore, when the first PRRU is located at the edge of the cell, the first terminal includes edge terminals. This eliminates the need to identify edge terminals in advance and to pre-demodulate their uplink signals, reducing overhead and improving the network performance of edge terminals.

[0073] Based on the embodiments shown in steps A1 to A2 above, another process of the communication method in the downlink direction in this application embodiment is described below:

[0074] B1. The first device receives a first downlink signal from the second device;

[0075] In the downlink direction, boards or chips in the first cell that can perform Layer 2 functions communicate with boards or chips in the second cell that can perform Layer 2 functions; that is, Layer 2 of the first cell communicates with Layer 2 of the second cell. Layer 2 of the first cell and Layer 2 of the second cell can determine whether the first PRRU is used to transmit the first downlink signal of the second cell during the current transmission time interval (TTI). If so, Layer 1 of the first cell, when modulating the downlink signal for transmission to the second terminal accessing the first cell during that TTI, needs to prevent the downlink signal to be transmitted to the second terminal accessing the first cell from being transmitted from the first PRRU. Layer 1 of the second cell, when modulating the first downlink signal for transmission to the first terminal accessing the second cell during that TTI, modulates the first downlink signal in a manner that transmits the first downlink signal from PRRU3, PRRU4, PRRU5, and PRRU6.

[0076] After the first downlink signal modulation is completed, Layer 1 in the second cell sends the first downlink signal to the second device. Based on the instruction from Layer 3 in the second cell, the second device sends the first downlink signal to the first device. In this embodiment, the first device is a single board or chip in the first cell that can implement platform layer functions, and the second device is a single board or chip in the second cell that can implement platform layer functions.

[0077] B2. The first device sends a first downlink signal to the first PRRU.

[0078] After receiving the first downlink signal, the first device sends the first downlink signal to the first PRRU, and then the first PRRU sends the first downlink signal to the first terminal.

[0079] When the first device is a single board or chip capable of implementing platform layer functions in the first cell, referring to step C1, another process of the communication method in the uplink direction in this application embodiment is described below:

[0080] C1. The first device acquires a second uplink signal from the second device.

[0081] Based on the above Figure 3 For example, the first cell is radio frequency combining cell 1, and the second cell is radio frequency combining cell 2. In the uplink direction, the second cell receives uplink signal B through the second PRRU. Uplink signal B includes uplink signals from various terminals received by the second PRRU, which includes the second uplink signal from the second terminal.

[0082] In this embodiment, the first device is a single board or chip in the first cell that can implement platform layer functions, and the second device is a single board or chip in the second cell that can implement platform layer functions. The second device belongs to the second cell. Uplink signal B is transmitted to the second device through the RHUB of the second cell. After receiving uplink signal B, the second device directly sends uplink signal B to the first device. The first device sends uplink signal B to layer 1 of the first cell, where layer 1 demodulates uplink signal B to obtain the second uplink signal from the second terminal.

[0083] Based on the embodiment shown in step C1 above, another process of the communication method in the downlink direction in this application embodiment is described below:

[0084] D1. The first device acquires the second downlink signal;

[0085] In the downlink direction, a board or chip in the first cell that can perform Layer 2 functions communicates with a board or chip in the second cell that can perform Layer 2 functions; that is, Layer 2 of the first cell communicates with Layer 2 of the second cell. Layer 2 of the first cell and Layer 2 of the second cell can determine whether the second PRRU is used to transmit the second downlink signal of the first cell during the current transmission time interval (TTI). If so, Layer 1 of the second cell, when modulating the downlink signal for transmission to the first terminal accessing the second cell during that TTI, needs to prevent the downlink signal to be transmitted to the first terminal accessing the second cell from being transmitted from the second PRRU. Layer 1 of the first cell, when modulating the second downlink signal for transmission to the second terminal accessing the first cell during that TTI, modulates the second downlink signal in a manner that transmits the second downlink signal from PRRU1, PRRU2, PRRU3, and PRRU4.

[0086] D2. The first device sends a second downlink signal to the second device.

[0087] After the second downlink signal modulation is completed, Layer 1 of the first cell transmits the second downlink signal to the platform layer of the first cell. Based on the instruction from Layer 3 in the first cell, the platform layer of the first cell transmits the second downlink signal to the platform layer of the second cell. In this embodiment, the first device is a single board or chip in the first cell capable of implementing platform layer functions, and the second device is a single board or chip in the second cell capable of implementing platform layer functions. After receiving the second downlink signal, the second device transmits the second downlink signal to the second PRRU, and then the second PRRU transmits the second downlink signal to the first terminal.

[0088] In this embodiment, when the second cell assists the first cell in sending the second downlink signal to the second terminal, it does not need to perform modulation processing on the second downlink signal itself, which reduces the complexity of signal modulation and further improves communication efficiency.

[0089] Alternatively, the first device can also be a radio frequency remote unit hub 1, referring to steps E1 to E2. The following describes another process of the communication method in the uplink direction in the embodiments of this application:

[0090] E1. The first device acquires the first uplink signal;

[0091] Based on the above Figure 3 For example, the first cell is radio frequency combining cell 1, and the second cell is radio frequency combining cell 2. In the uplink direction, the first cell receives uplink signal A through the first PRRU. Uplink signal A includes uplink signals from various terminals received by the first PRRU, which includes the first uplink signal from the first terminal.

[0092] In this embodiment, the first device is a radio frequency remote unit hub 1, and the uplink signal A is transmitted to the radio frequency remote unit hub 1.

[0093] E2. The first device sends a first uplink signal to the second device;

[0094] After receiving uplink signal A, the first device directly transmits uplink signal A to the second device. The second device is a radio frequency remote unit hub 2. After receiving uplink signal A, the second device transmits uplink signal A to layer 1 of the second cell, where layer 1 of the second cell demodulates uplink signal A to obtain the first uplink signal from the first terminal.

[0095] Based on the embodiments shown in steps E1 to E2 above, another process of the communication method in the downlink direction in this application embodiment is described below:

[0096] F1. The first device receives a first downlink signal from the second device;

[0097] In the downlink direction, boards or chips in the first cell that can perform Layer 2 functions communicate with boards or chips in the second cell that can perform Layer 2 functions; that is, Layer 2 of the first cell communicates with Layer 2 of the second cell. Layer 2 of the first cell and Layer 2 of the second cell can determine whether the first PRRU is used to transmit the first downlink signal of the second cell during the current transmission time interval (TTI). If so, Layer 1 of the first cell, when modulating the downlink signal for transmission to the second terminal accessing the first cell during that TTI, needs to prevent the downlink signal to be transmitted to the second terminal accessing the first cell from being transmitted from the first PRRU. Layer 1 of the second cell, when modulating the first downlink signal for transmission to the first terminal accessing the second cell during that TTI, modulates the first downlink signal in a manner that transmits the first downlink signal from PRRU3, PRRU4, PRRU5, and PRRU6.

[0098] After the first downlink signal modulation is completed, Layer 1 in the second cell sends the first downlink signal to the second device. Based on the instruction from Layer 3 in the second cell, the second device sends the first downlink signal to the first device. In this embodiment, the first device is a radio frequency remote unit hub 1, and the second device is a radio frequency remote unit hub 2.

[0099] F2. The first device sends a first downlink signal to the first PRRU.

[0100] After receiving the first downlink signal, the first device sends the first downlink signal to the first PRRU, and then the first PRRU sends the first downlink signal to the first terminal.

[0101] In the case where the first device is a radio frequency remote unit hub 1, referring to step G1, another process of the communication method in the uplink direction in this embodiment of the application is described below:

[0102] G1, The first device acquires the second uplink signal from the second device.

[0103] Based on the above Figure 3 For example, the first cell is radio frequency combining cell 1, and the second cell is radio frequency combining cell 2. In the uplink direction, the second cell receives uplink signal B through the second PRRU. Uplink signal B includes uplink signals from various terminals received by the second PRRU, including the second uplink signal from the second terminal.

[0104] In this embodiment, the first device is a radio frequency remote unit hub 1, and the second device is a radio frequency remote unit hub 2. The second PRRU sends uplink signal B to the second device, and the second device directly sends uplink signal B to the first device. The first device sends uplink signal B to layer 1 of the first cell, where layer 1 of the first cell demodulates uplink signal B to obtain the second uplink signal from the second terminal.

[0105] Based on the embodiment shown in step G1 above, another process of the communication method in the downlink direction in this application embodiment is described below:

[0106] H1. The first device acquires the second downlink signal;

[0107] In the downlink direction, a board or chip in the first cell that can perform Layer 2 functions communicates with a board or chip in the second cell that can perform Layer 2 functions; that is, Layer 2 of the first cell communicates with Layer 2 of the second cell. Layer 2 of the first cell and Layer 2 of the second cell can determine whether the second PRRU is used to transmit the second downlink signal of the first cell during the current transmission time interval (TTI). If so, Layer 1 of the second cell, when modulating the downlink signal for transmission to the first terminal accessing the second cell during that TTI, needs to prevent the downlink signal to be transmitted to the first terminal accessing the second cell from being transmitted from the second PRRU. Layer 1 of the first cell, when modulating the second downlink signal for transmission to the second terminal accessing the first cell during that TTI, modulates the second downlink signal in a manner that transmits the second downlink signal from PRRU1, PRRU2, PRRU3, and PRRU4.

[0108] H2, The first device sends a second downlink signal to the second device.

[0109] After the second downlink signal modulation is completed, Layer 1 of the first cell sends the second downlink signal to the radio frequency remote unit hub 1 of the first cell. Based on the instruction from Layer 3 in the first cell, the radio frequency remote unit hub 1 sends the second downlink signal to the radio frequency remote unit hub 2 of the second cell. In this embodiment, the first device is the radio frequency remote unit hub 1, and the second device is the radio frequency remote unit hub 2. After receiving the second downlink signal, the second device sends the second downlink signal to the second PRRU, and then the second PRRU sends the second downlink signal to the first terminal.

[0110] Alternatively, the first device is a radio frequency remote unit hub 1, and the second device is a single board or chip in the second cell that can realize platform layer functions. See steps I1 to I2. The following describes another process of the communication method in the uplink direction in the embodiment of this application:

[0111] I1. The first device acquires the first uplink signal;

[0112] Based on the above Figure 3 For example, the first cell is radio frequency combining cell 1, and the second cell is radio frequency combining cell 2. In the uplink direction, the first cell receives uplink signal A through the first PRRU. Uplink signal A includes uplink signals from various terminals received by the first PRRU, including the first uplink signal from the first terminal.

[0113] In this embodiment, the first device is a radio frequency remote unit hub 1, and the uplink signal A is transmitted to the radio frequency remote unit hub 1.

[0114] I2. The first device sends a first uplink signal to the second device;

[0115] After receiving uplink signal A, the first device directly transmits uplink signal A to the second device, which is a single board or chip in the second cell capable of implementing platform layer functions. After receiving uplink signal A, the second device transmits uplink signal A to layer 1 of the second cell, where layer 1 demodulates uplink signal A to obtain the first uplink signal from the first terminal.

[0116] Based on the embodiments shown in steps I1 to I2 above, another process of the communication method in the downlink direction in the embodiments of this application is described below:

[0117] J1. The first device receives a first downlink signal from the second device;

[0118] In the downlink direction, boards or chips in the first cell that can perform Layer 2 functions communicate with boards or chips in the second cell that can perform Layer 2 functions; that is, Layer 2 of the first cell communicates with Layer 2 of the second cell. Layer 2 of the first cell and Layer 2 of the second cell can determine whether the first PRRU is used to transmit the first downlink signal of the second cell during the current transmission time interval (TTI). If so, Layer 1 of the first cell, when modulating the downlink signal for transmission to the second terminal accessing the first cell during that TTI, needs to prevent the downlink signal to be transmitted to the second terminal accessing the first cell from being transmitted from the first PRRU. Layer 1 of the second cell, when modulating the first downlink signal for transmission to the first terminal accessing the second cell during that TTI, modulates the first downlink signal in a manner that transmits the first downlink signal from PRRU3, PRRU4, PRRU5, and PRRU6.

[0119] After the first downlink signal modulation is completed, Layer 1 in the second cell sends the first downlink signal to the second device. Based on the instruction from Layer 3 in the second cell, the second device sends the first downlink signal to the first device. In this embodiment, the first device is a radio frequency remote unit hub 1, and the second device is a chip or board in the second cell that can implement platform layer functions.

[0120] J2. The first device sends a first downlink signal to the first PRRU.

[0121] After receiving the first downlink signal, the first device sends the first downlink signal to the first PRRU, and then the first PRRU sends the first downlink signal to the first terminal.

[0122] Alternatively, the first device may be a chip or board capable of implementing platform layer functions in the first cell, and the second device may be a radio frequency remote unit hub 2. Referring to steps K1 to K2, another process of the communication method in the uplink direction in this application embodiment is described below:

[0123] K1, The first device acquires the second uplink signal from the second device.

[0124] Based on the above Figure 3 For example, the first cell is radio frequency combining cell 1, and the second cell is radio frequency combining cell 2. In the uplink direction, the second cell receives uplink signal B through the second PRRU. Uplink signal B includes uplink signals from various terminals received by the second PRRU, including the second uplink signal from the second terminal.

[0125] In this embodiment, the first device is a chip or board capable of implementing platform layer functions in the first cell, and the second device is a radio frequency remote unit hub 2. Uplink signal B is transmitted to the second device, which then directly sends uplink signal B to the first device. The first device sends uplink signal B to layer 1 of the first cell, where layer 1 demodulates the uplink signal B to obtain the second uplink signal from the second terminal.

[0126] Based on the embodiment shown in step K1 above, another process of the communication method in the downlink direction in this application embodiment is described below:

[0127] L1, The first device acquires the second downlink signal;

[0128] In the downlink direction, a board or chip in the first cell that can perform Layer 2 functions communicates with a board or chip in the second cell that can perform Layer 2 functions; that is, Layer 2 of the first cell communicates with Layer 2 of the second cell. Layer 2 of the first cell and Layer 2 of the second cell can determine whether the second PRRU is used to transmit the second downlink signal of the first cell during the current transmission time interval (TTI). If so, Layer 1 of the second cell, when modulating the downlink signal for transmission to the first terminal accessing the second cell during that TTI, needs to prevent the downlink signal to be transmitted to the first terminal accessing the second cell from being transmitted from the second PRRU. Layer 1 of the first cell, when modulating the second downlink signal for transmission to the second terminal accessing the first cell during that TTI, modulates the second downlink signal in a manner that transmits the second downlink signal from PRRU1, PRRU2, PRRU3, and PRRU4.

[0129] L2, the first device sends a second downlink signal to the second device.

[0130] After the second downlink signal modulation is completed, Layer 1 of the first cell transmits the second downlink signal to the platform layer of the first cell. Based on the instruction from Layer 3 in the first cell, the platform layer of the first cell transmits the second downlink signal to the remote radio unit (PRRU) hub 2 of the second cell. In this embodiment, the first device is a chip or board capable of implementing platform layer functions in the first cell, and the second device is the remote radio unit (PRRU) hub 2. After receiving the second downlink signal, the second device transmits the second downlink signal to the second PRRU, and then the second PRRU transmits the second downlink signal to the first terminal.

[0131] Alternatively, in another implementation, the first cell and the second cell in the aforementioned embodiments can be established on two separate BBUs. In this implementation, the joint reception and joint transmission between the first cell and the second cell are similar to those described in the aforementioned embodiments, and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that in this implementation, the first device and the second device are two separate BBUs.

[0132] It should be noted that the first device may be one or more devices belonging to the first cell. Any device in the first cell used to implement the operation of the first device in the aforementioned embodiments can be understood as the first device.

[0133] The communication methods in the embodiments of this application have been described above. The communication devices in the embodiments of this application will be described below. It should be understood that the communication device is the first device in the foregoing embodiments:

[0134] Please see Figure 9 In this embodiment of the application, the communication device 900 includes an acquisition unit 901 and a transmission unit 902.

[0135] Acquisition unit 901 is used to acquire a first uplink signal. The first uplink signal is received from the first terminal by the first small radio remote unit PRRU. The first uplink signal is not demodulated. The first PRRU and the first device belong to the first cell. The first terminal is connected to the second cell.

[0136] The transmitting unit 902 is used to send a first uplink signal to the second device, which belongs to the second cell.

[0137] In one possible implementation,

[0138] The acquisition unit 901 is also used to acquire a first downlink signal from the second device, the downlink signal being modulated.

[0139] The transmitting unit 902 is also configured to transmit a first downlink signal to the first PRRU, so that the first PRRU transmits the first downlink signal to the first terminal.

[0140] Please see Figure 10a In this embodiment of the application, the communication device 1000 includes an acquisition unit 1001.

[0141] The acquisition unit 1001 is used to acquire a second uplink signal from the second device. The second uplink signal is received by the second PRRU from the second terminal. The second uplink signal has not been demodulated. The first device belongs to the first cell, the second PRRU belongs to the second cell, and the second terminal is connected to the first cell.

[0142] In one possible implementation, please refer toFigure 10b The communication device 1000 also includes a transmitting unit 1002.

[0143] The acquisition unit 1001 is also used to acquire a second downlink signal, which has undergone modulation processing.

[0144] The transmitting unit 1002 is used to transmit a second downlink signal to the second device, so that the second device transmits the second downlink signal to the second PRRU, and the second PRRU transmits the second downlink signal to the second terminal.

[0145] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1100 may include one or more central processing units (CPUs) 1101 and a memory 1105, in which one or more applications or data are stored.

[0146] The memory 1105 can be volatile or persistent storage. The program stored in the memory 1105 can include one or more modules, each module including a series of instruction operations. Furthermore, the central processing unit 1101 can be configured to communicate with the memory 1105 and execute the series of instruction operations in the memory 1105 on the communication device 1100.

[0147] The communication device 1100 may also include one or more power supplies 1102, one or more wired or wireless network interfaces 1103, one or more input / output interfaces 1104, and / or one or more operating systems.

[0148] The central processing unit 1101 can implement the steps in the aforementioned embodiments, and the specifics will not be repeated here.

[0149] This application also provides a baseband processing unit, which includes a first device.

[0150] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0151] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units through some interfaces, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0152] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0153] 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.

[0154] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The first device acquires a first uplink signal, which is received from the first terminal by a first small radio remote unit (PRRU). The first uplink signal is not demodulated. The first PRRU and the first device belong to the first cell. The first terminal accesses the second cell. The first device sends the first uplink signal to the second device, the second device belongs to the second cell, the first device is a single board or chip in the first cell that can realize layer 1 function, the second device is a single board or chip in the second cell that can realize layer 1 function, or the first device is a single board or chip in the first cell that can realize platform layer function, the second device is a single board or chip in the second cell that can realize platform layer function, or the first device and the second device are a radio frequency remote unit hub, or the first device is a radio frequency remote unit hub, and the second device is a single board or chip in the second cell that can realize platform layer function.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first device receives a first downlink signal from the second device, the downlink signal being modulated; The first device sends the first downlink signal to the first PRRU, so that the first PRRU sends the first downlink signal to the first terminal.

3. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The first device acquires a second uplink signal from the second device. The second uplink signal is received from the second terminal by the second small radio remote unit (PRRU). The second uplink signal is not demodulated. The first device belongs to the first cell, the second PRRU belongs to the second cell, and the second terminal is connected to the first cell. The first device is a single board or chip in the first cell that can implement Layer 1 functions, and the second device is a single board or chip in the second cell that can implement Layer 1 functions. Alternatively, the first device is a single board or chip in the first cell that can implement platform layer functions, and the second device is a single board or chip in the second cell that can implement platform layer functions. Alternatively, the first device and the second device are a radio remote unit hub. Alternatively, the first device is a single board or chip in the first cell that can implement platform layer functions, and the second device is a radio remote unit hub.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first device acquires a second downlink signal, which is then modulated. The first device sends the second downlink signal to the second device, so that the second device sends the second downlink signal to the second PRRU, and the second PRRU sends the second downlink signal to the second terminal.

5. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is a first device, comprising: The acquisition unit is used to acquire a first uplink signal, which is received by a first small radio remote unit (PRRU) from a first terminal. The first uplink signal is not demodulated. The first PRRU and the first device belong to a first cell. The first terminal is connected to a second cell. The transmitting unit is further configured to transmit the first uplink signal to the second device, the second device belonging to the second cell, the first device being a single board or chip in the first cell capable of implementing Layer 1 functions, the second device being a single board or chip in the second cell capable of implementing Layer 1 functions, or the first device being a single board or chip in the first cell capable of implementing platform layer functions, the second device being a single board or chip in the second cell capable of implementing platform layer functions, or the first device and the second device being a radio frequency remote unit hub, or the first device being a radio frequency remote unit hub, and the second device being a single board or chip in the second cell capable of implementing platform layer functions.

6. The communication device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The acquisition unit is further configured to acquire a first downlink signal from the second device, the downlink signal being modulated; The transmitting unit is further configured to transmit the first downlink signal to the first PRRU, so that the first PRRU transmits the first downlink signal to the first terminal.

7. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is a first device, comprising: The acquisition unit is used to acquire a second uplink signal from a second device. The second uplink signal is received from a second terminal by a second small radio remote unit (PRRU). The second uplink signal is not demodulated. The first device belongs to a first cell, the second PRRU belongs to a second cell, and the second terminal is connected to the first cell. The first device is a single board or chip in the first cell that can implement Layer 1 functions, and the second device is a single board or chip in the second cell that can implement Layer 1 functions. Alternatively, the first device is a single board or chip in the first cell that can implement platform layer functions, and the second device is a single board or chip in the second cell that can implement platform layer functions. Alternatively, the first device and the second device are a radio remote unit hub. Alternatively, the first device is a single board or chip in the first cell that can implement platform layer functions, and the second device is a radio remote unit hub.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that, The communication device further includes a transmitting unit; The acquisition unit is further configured to acquire a second downlink signal, the second downlink signal being modulated; The transmitting unit is further configured to transmit the second downlink signal to the second device, so that the second device transmits the second downlink signal to the second PRRU, and the second PRRU transmits the second downlink signal to the second terminal.

9. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is a first device, including a processor coupled to a memory for storing instructions. When the instructions are executed by the processor, the first device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

10. A baseband processing unit, characterized in that, Includes the communication device as described in any one of claims 5 to 8.

11. 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 the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

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