Communication method, user terminal, communication system and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a communication method, user terminal, communication system, and storage medium. The communication method includes: receiving a first radio frequency signal sent by a base station via a first link; receiving a second radio frequency signal sent by a backscattering device via a second link, wherein the backscattering device modulates the first radio frequency signal to generate the second radio frequency signal; determining a time difference between the first link and the second link based on the reception time of the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal; and transmitting the time difference to the base station via the first link, so that the base station controls the backscattering device to be in an active state within a delay duration determined based on the time difference.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a communication method, a user terminal, a communication system, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Backscatter technology is a wireless technology that achieves signal transmission and encoding without an active transmitter. Similar to the principle of radar, electromagnetic waves are partially reflected when they strike an object. The strength of the reflected signal depends on the object's shape, material, and distance. From a radar perspective, each object has a radar cross-section (RCS). Tags modulate the reflected signal by changing its RCS. Backscatter transmitters modulate received RF signals to transmit data, eliminating the need to generate their own RF signals.

[0003] Currently, ambient backscatter communication (AmBC) has become a more promising technology for enabling low-power communications. It can effectively address the limitations of traditional backscatter communication systems, making AmBC technology more widely adopted in practical applications.

[0004] For example, the primary system's receiver receives communication signals from the primary system's transmitter. Simultaneously, the primary system's transmitter signal serves as RF stimulus for the secondary system, which then uses the RF stimulus to communicate with the secondary system's receiver. In this scenario, two interference links exist: the direct link interference from the primary system's transmitter to the secondary system's receiver, and the reflected link interference from the secondary system's reflector to the primary system's receiver.

[0005] When the secondary system's reflective devices leverage their reflective capabilities to provide multipath services to the primary system, the primary system achieves a better signal-to-noise ratio, offsetting interference from the reflective links. The primary system provides the secondary system with an excitation source, and the secondary system provides multipath for the primary system, achieving mutually beneficial communication. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The inventors have noticed that since the symbols sent by the primary system and the secondary system are multiplied in the reflection link, when the signals of the two systems are not synchronized, spectrum spreading will occur, thereby affecting the communication quality.

[0007] Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a communication solution that can effectively achieve symbol synchronization between the primary system and the secondary system, thereby effectively achieving reciprocal communication and improving spectrum utilization and resource utilization.

[0008] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, which is performed by a user terminal. The method includes: receiving a first radio frequency signal sent by a base station through a first link; receiving a second radio frequency signal sent by a backscatter device through a second link, wherein the backscatter device modulates the first radio frequency signal to generate the second radio frequency signal; determining a time difference between the first link and the second link based on reception times of the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal; and sending the time difference to the base station through the first link, so that the base station controls the backscatter device to be in an operating state within a delay duration determined based on the time difference.

[0009] In some embodiments, the delay duration is determined based on the time difference and a preset symbol period; and the delay duration is sent to the backscatter device via the second link so that the backscatter device adjusts the timing advance based on the delay duration.

[0010] In some embodiments, the delay duration is a remainder of dividing the time difference by the preset symbol period.

[0011] In some embodiments, the backscatter device includes N sub-backscatter devices, and the second link includes N sub-links corresponding one-to-one to the N sub-backscatter devices, where N is a natural number greater than 1; receiving the second radio frequency signal sent by the backscatter device through the second link includes: receiving the i-th radio frequency signal sent by the i-th sub-backscatter device through the i-th sub-link, 1≤i≤N; and using the signal strength of the i-th radio frequency signal as the signal strength of the i-th sub-backscatter device to obtain the signal strength of the N sub-backscatter devices.

[0012] In some embodiments, determining the time difference between the first link and the second link includes: determining the time difference between the first link and the i sub-links according to the reception time of the first RF signal and the i-th RF signal to obtain N time differences.

[0013] In some embodiments, sending the time difference to the base station through the first link includes: sending the N time differences and the signal strength of the N sub-backscatter devices to the base station through the first link, so that the base station selects a target backscatter device from the N sub-backscatter devices based on the N time differences and the signal strength of the N sub-backscatter devices, determines a target delay duration based on the time difference corresponding to the target backscatter device, and controls the target backscatter device to be in a working state within the target delay duration range.

[0014] In some embodiments, determining the delay duration according to the time difference includes: determining the delay duration of the i-th sub-backscatter device according to the i-th time difference and the preset symbol period.

[0015] In some embodiments, sending the delay duration to the backscatter device through the second link includes: sending the delay duration of the i-th sub-backscatter device to the i-th sub-backscatter device through the i-th sub-link, so that the i-th sub-backscatter device adjusts the time advance according to the delay duration of the i-th sub-backscatter device.

[0016] In some embodiments, when the second radio frequency signal is received and the first radio frequency signal is not received, beam indication information is sent to the base station so that the base station aims the beam at the backscatter device.

[0017] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a user terminal is provided, comprising: a first processing module configured to receive a first radio frequency signal sent by a base station via a first link; a second processing module configured to receive a second radio frequency signal sent by a backscatter device via a second link, wherein the backscatter device modulates the first radio frequency signal to generate the second radio frequency signal; and a third processing module configured to determine a time difference between the first link and the second link based on reception times of the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal, and send the time difference to the base station via the first link, so that the base station controls the backscatter device to be in an operating state within a delay duration determined based on the time difference.

[0018] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a user terminal is provided, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the method as described in any of the above embodiments based on instructions stored in the memory.

[0019] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, comprising: a user terminal as described in any of the above embodiments; a base station, configured to send a first radio frequency signal to the user terminal via a first link, receive a time difference sent by the user terminal via the first link, and control a backscatter device to be in an operating state within a delay duration determined according to the time difference; and a backscatter device, configured to modulate the first radio frequency signal to generate a second radio frequency signal, and send the second radio frequency signal to the user terminal via a second link.

[0020] In some embodiments, the base station is configured to determine a delay duration based on the time difference and a preset symbol period.

[0021] In some embodiments, the delay duration is a remainder of dividing the time difference by the preset symbol period.

[0022] In some embodiments, the backscatter device is configured to adjust the timing advance according to a delay duration of transmission by the user terminal via the second link.

[0023] In some embodiments, the backscatter device is configured to record at least one of the communication time, occupied bandwidth, and traffic data volume of the base station.

[0024] In some embodiments, the backscatter device includes N sub-backscatter devices, and the second link includes N sub-links corresponding one-to-one to the N sub-backscatter devices, where N is a natural number greater than 1; the i-th sub-backscatter device is configured to modulate the first RF signal to generate an i-th RF signal, and send the i-th RF signal to the user terminal through the i-th sub-link, 1≤i≤N.

[0025] In some embodiments, the base station is configured to receive N time differences and signal strengths of N sub-backscatter devices sent by the user terminal through the first link, select a target backscatter device from the N sub-backscatter devices according to the N time differences and the signal strengths of the N sub-backscatter devices, determine a target delay duration according to the time difference corresponding to the target backscatter device, and control the target backscatter device to be in a working state within the target delay duration range.

[0026] In some embodiments, the base station is configured to determine whether each of the N time differences is an integer multiple of the preset symbol period. If each time difference is an integer multiple of the preset symbol period, each of the N sub-backscatter devices is used as a target backscatter device, and the i-th delay duration is determined according to the i-th time difference among the N time differences and the preset symbol period, and the i-th sub-backscatter device is controlled to be in a working state within the i-th delay duration range.

[0027] In some embodiments, the base station is configured to use the sub-backscatter device with the maximum signal strength as the target backscatter device if at least one of the N time differences is not an integer multiple of the preset symbol period, determine the target delay duration based on the time difference associated with the sub-link corresponding to the target backscatter device and the preset symbol period, and control the target backscatter device to be in an operating state within the target delay duration range.

[0028] In some embodiments, the i-th sub-backscatter device is configured to receive the delay duration of the i-th sub-backscatter device sent by the user terminal through the i-th sub-link, and adjust the time advance according to the delay duration of the i-th sub-backscatter device.

[0029] In some embodiments, the base station is configured to align the beam toward the backscatter device upon receiving beam indication information sent by the user terminal.

[0030] According to a fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the instructions are executed by a processor, the method described in any of the above embodiments is implemented.

[0031] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0033] Figure 1 A flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 2 A flow chart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of a user terminal according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 5 This is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 6 This is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all the embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is actually only illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure and its application or use. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0040] Unless specifically stated otherwise, the relative arrangement of components and steps, the numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0041] At the same time, it should be understood that for the convenience of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship.

[0042] Technologies, methods and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such technologies, methods and equipment should be considered part of the authorization specification.

[0043] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not limiting. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0044] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters refer to like items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0045] Figure 1 The following is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the following communication method is performed by a communication device.

[0046] In step 101, a first radio frequency signal sent by a base station is received via a first link.

[0047] It should be noted that the base station and user terminals constitute the main system.

[0048] In step 102, a second radio frequency signal transmitted by a backscatter device is received via a second link, wherein the backscatter device modulates the first radio frequency signal to generate the second radio frequency signal.

[0049] It should be noted that the backscatter device and the user terminal constitute a subsystem.

[0050] In step 103, the time difference between the first link and the second link is determined according to the reception time of the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal.

[0051] In step 104, the time difference is sent to the base station via the first link, so that the base station controls the backscatter device to be in an operating state within a delay duration range determined according to the time difference.

[0052] In some embodiments, when the backscatter device has the ability to adjust the time advance, the delay duration is determined based on the time difference and the preset symbol period, and the delay duration is sent to the backscatter device via the second link so that the backscatter device adjusts the time advance based on the delay duration.

[0053] In some embodiments, the delay duration is the remainder of the time difference divided by the preset symbol period. For example, the delay duration TA is as shown in formula (1).

[0054] TA=Δ mod Ts (1)

[0055] Wherein, Δ is the time difference, and Ts is the preset symbol period.

[0056] In some embodiments, when the second radio frequency signal is received but the first radio frequency signal is not received, beam indication information is sent to the base station so that the base station can align the beam toward the backscatter device. This allows the user terminal to still receive the signal with the strongest signal strength through the second link even if the first link fails.

[0057] In the communication method provided in the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure, a user terminal receives a first radio frequency signal sent by a base station through a first link, receives a second radio frequency signal sent by a backscatter device through a second link, determines a time difference between the first link and the second link based on the reception time of the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal, and sends the time difference to the base station through the first link, so that the base station controls the backscatter device to be in an operating state within a delay duration determined according to the time difference, thereby effectively achieving symbol synchronization between the primary system and the secondary system, and effectively achieving reciprocal communication.

[0058] It should be noted that the backscatter device interacting with the user terminal can be one or more. Figure 1 In the embodiment shown, the backscatter device interacting with the user terminal is a Figure 2 In the embodiment, the backscatter device interacting with the user terminal includes N sub-backscatter devices, and the second link includes N sub-links corresponding to the N sub-backscatter devices one-to-one, where N is a natural number greater than 1.

[0059] Figure 2 FIG2 is a flow chart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the following communication method is performed by a communication device.

[0060] In step 201, a first radio frequency signal sent by a base station is received via a first link.

[0061] It should be noted that the base station and user terminals constitute the main system.

[0062] In step 202, the i-th radio frequency signal sent by the i-th sub-backscattering device is received through the i-th sub-link, where 1≤i≤N, to obtain N radio frequency signals.

[0063] In step 203, the signal strength of the i-th radio frequency signal is used as the signal strength of the i-th sub-backscattering device to obtain the signal strengths of the N sub-backscattering devices.

[0064] It should be noted that N sub-backscatter devices and user terminals constitute a sub-system.

[0065] In step 204, the time difference between the first link and the i-th sub-link is determined according to the reception time of the first radio frequency signal and the i-th radio frequency signal to obtain N time differences.

[0066] In step 205, the N time differences and the signal strengths of the N sub-backscatter devices are sent to the base station through the first link, so that the base station selects a target backscatter device from the N sub-backscatter devices based on the N time differences and the signal strengths of the N sub-backscatter devices, determines a target delay duration based on the time difference corresponding to the target backscatter device, and controls the target backscatter device to be in an operating state within the target delay duration range.

[0067] For example, the base station determines whether each of the N time differences is an integer multiple of the preset symbol period. If each time difference is an integer multiple of the preset symbol period, each of the N sub-backscatter devices is used as a target backscatter device, and the i-th delay duration is determined according to the i-th time difference in the N time differences and the preset symbol period, and the i-th sub-backscatter device is controlled to be in a working state within the i-th delay duration range.

[0068] For another example, if at least one of the N time differences is not an integer multiple of the preset symbol period, the base station will use the sub-backscatter device with the maximum signal strength as the target backscatter device, determine the target delay duration based on the time difference associated with the sub-link corresponding to the target backscatter device and the preset symbol period, and control the target backscatter device to be in an operating state within the target delay duration range.

[0069] In some embodiments, when N sub-backscatter devices are capable of adjusting timing advance, a delay duration of the i-th sub-backscatter device is determined based on the i-th time difference and a preset symbol period, and the delay duration of the i-th sub-backscatter device is transmitted to the i-th sub-backscatter device via the i-th sub-link, so that the i-th sub-backscatter device adjusts its timing advance based on the delay duration of the i-th sub-backscatter device. In this manner, the timing advance of each sub-backscatter device can be adjusted.

[0070] Figure 3FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 As shown, the user terminal includes a first processing module 31 , a second processing module 32 and a third processing module 33 .

[0071] The first processing module 31 is configured to receive a first radio frequency signal sent by a base station through a first link.

[0072] It should be noted that the base station and user terminals constitute the main system.

[0073] The second processing module 32 is configured to receive a second radio frequency signal sent by the backscatter device through a second link, wherein the backscatter device modulates the first radio frequency signal to generate the second radio frequency signal.

[0074] It should be noted that the backscatter device and the user terminal constitute a subsystem.

[0075] The third processing module 33 is configured to determine a time difference between the first link and the second link based on the reception time of the first RF signal and the second RF signal, and send the time difference to the base station through the first link, so that the base station controls the backscatter device to be in an operating state within a delay duration determined according to the time difference.

[0076] In some embodiments, when the backscatter device has the ability to adjust the time advance, the third processing module 33 is configured to determine the delay duration based on the time difference and the preset symbol period, and send the delay duration to the backscatter device through the second link, so that the backscatter device adjusts the time advance according to the delay duration.

[0077] In some embodiments, the delay duration is the remainder of the time difference divided by the preset symbol period. For example, the delay duration TA is as shown in formula (1).

[0078] In some embodiments, when the second processing module 32 receives the second RF signal and the first processing module 31 does not receive the first RF signal, the third processing module 33 is configured to send beam indication information to the base station so that the base station can align the beam toward the backscatter device. This allows the user terminal to still receive the signal with the highest signal strength via the second link even if the first link fails.

[0079] In the user terminal provided by the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure, a first radio frequency signal sent by a base station is received through a first link, and a second radio frequency signal sent by a backscatter device is received through a second link. A time difference between the first link and the second link is determined based on the reception time of the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal, and the time difference is sent to the base station through the first link, so that the base station controls the backscatter device to be in an operating state within a delay duration determined based on the time difference, thereby effectively achieving symbol synchronization between the primary system and the secondary system, and effectively achieving reciprocal communication.

[0080] It should be noted that the backscatter device interacting with the user terminal may be one or more. For example, there may be one backscatter device interacting with the user terminal. In another example, the backscatter device interacting with the user terminal includes N sub-backscatter devices, and the second link includes N sub-links corresponding one-to-one to the N sub-backscatter devices, where N is a natural number greater than 1.

[0081] In some embodiments, the second processing module 32 is configured to receive the i-th radio frequency signal sent by the i-th sub-backscatter device through the i-th sub-link, 1≤i≤N, to obtain N radio frequency signals, and use the signal strength of the i-th radio frequency signal as the signal strength of the i-th sub-backscatter device to obtain the signal strength of N sub-backscatter devices.

[0082] It should be noted that N sub-backscatter devices and user terminals constitute a sub-system.

[0083] In some embodiments, the third processing module 33 is configured to determine the time difference between the first link and the i-th sub-links based on the reception time of the first RF signal and the i-th RF signal to obtain N time differences, and send the N time differences and the signal strength of the N sub-backscatter devices to the base station through the first link, so that the base station selects a target backscatter device from the N sub-backscatter devices based on the N time differences and the signal strength of the N sub-backscatter devices, determines the target delay duration based on the time difference corresponding to the target backscatter device, and controls the target backscatter device to be in a working state within the target delay duration range.

[0084] In some embodiments, when the N sub-backscatter devices are capable of adjusting the timing advance, the third processing module 33 is configured to determine the delay duration of the i-th sub-backscatter device based on the i-th time difference and a preset symbol period, and send the delay duration of the i-th sub-backscatter device to the i-th sub-backscatter device via the i-th sub-link, so that the i-th sub-backscatter device adjusts the timing advance based on the delay duration of the i-th sub-backscatter device. In this way, the timing advance of each sub-backscatter device can be adjusted.

[0085] Figure 4FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a user terminal according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 As shown, the user terminal includes a memory 41 and a processor 42.

[0086] The memory 41 is used to store instructions. The processor 42 is coupled to the memory 41. The processor 42 is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory. Figure 1 or Figure 2 The method according to any one of the embodiments.

[0087] like Figure 4 As shown, the user terminal further includes a communication interface 43 for exchanging information with other devices. At the same time, the user terminal further includes a bus 44 through which the processor 42, the communication interface 43, and the memory 41 communicate with each other.

[0088] Memory 41 may include high-speed RAM memory or non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device. Memory 41 may also be a memory array. Memory 41 may also be divided into blocks, and the blocks may be combined into virtual volumes according to certain rules.

[0089] Furthermore, the processor 42 may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or may be configured to implement one or more integrated circuits of the present disclosure.

[0090] The present disclosure also relates to a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the following Figure 1 or Figure 2 The method according to any one of the embodiments.

[0091] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 As shown, the communication system includes a user terminal 51, a base station 52 and a backscattering device 53. The user terminal 51 is Figure 3 or Figure 4 The user terminal involved in any embodiment.

[0092] The base station 52 is configured to send a first radio frequency signal to the user terminal 51 via the first link, receive the time difference sent by the user terminal 51 via the first link, and control the backscatter device 53 to be in an operating state within a delay duration determined according to the time difference.

[0093] For example, the base station 52 sends a carrier activation signal to the backscatter device 53 so that the backscatter device 53 is in an operating state.

[0094] In some embodiments, the base station 52 is configured to determine the delay time according to the time difference and the preset symbol period. For example, the delay time TA is as shown in formula (1).

[0095] The backscatter device 53 is configured to modulate the first radio frequency signal to generate a second radio frequency signal, and send the second radio frequency signal to the user terminal 51 through the second link.

[0096] In some embodiments, the backscatter device 53 is configured to adjust the timing advance according to the delay duration of the user terminal 51 sent via the second link.

[0097] In some embodiments, the backscatter device 53 is configured to record at least one of the communication time, occupied bandwidth, and service data volume of the base station 52 so as to obtain and predict the spectrum usage of the primary system.

[0098] In some embodiments, the base station 52 is configured to align the beam toward the backscatter device 53 upon receiving the beam indication information sent by the user terminal 51. Thus, if the first link fails, the user terminal 51 can still receive the signal with the highest signal strength through the second link.

[0099] Figure 6 This is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 and Figure 5 The difference is that in Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, the backscatter device 53 includes N sub-backscatter devices 531, ..., 53i, ..., 53N. Accordingly, the second link includes N sub-links corresponding one-to-one to the N sub-backscatter devices, where N is a natural number greater than 1.

[0100] The i-th sub-backscatter device 53i is configured to modulate the first radio frequency signal to generate an i-th radio frequency signal, and send the i-th radio frequency signal to the user terminal through the i-th sub-link, 1≤i≤N.

[0101] In some embodiments, the base station 52 is configured to receive N time differences and signal strengths of N sub-backscatter devices sent by the user terminal 51 through the first link, select a target backscatter device from the N sub-backscatter devices based on the N time differences and the signal strengths of the N sub-backscatter devices, determine a target delay duration based on the time difference corresponding to the target backscatter device, and control the target backscatter device to be in a working state within the target delay duration range.

[0102] In some embodiments, the base station 52 is configured to determine whether each time difference among the N time differences is an integer multiple of the preset symbol period. If each time difference is an integer multiple of the preset symbol period, each sub-backscatter device among the N sub-backscatter devices is used as a target backscatter device, and the i-th delay duration is determined according to the i-th time difference among the N time differences and the preset symbol period, and the i-th sub-backscatter device is controlled to be in a working state within the i-th delay duration range.

[0103] For example, if each of the N time differences is an integer multiple of a preset symbol period, the base station 52 uses each of the N sub-backscatter devices as a target backscatter device. Next, the base station 52 determines a first delay duration based on the first time difference Δ1 and the preset symbol period, and controls the first sub-backscatter device to be in an active state within the first delay duration range. The base station 52 determines a second delay duration based on the second time difference Δ2 and the preset symbol period, and controls the second sub-backscatter device to be in an active state within the second delay duration range. This process continues in this manner until the base station 52 determines an Nth delay duration based on the Nth time difference ΔN and the preset symbol period, and controls the Nth sub-backscatter device to be in an active state within the Nth delay duration range.

[0104] In some embodiments, the base station 52 is configured to use the sub-backscatter device with the maximum signal strength as the target backscatter device if at least one of the N time differences is not an integer multiple of the preset symbol period, determine the target delay duration based on the time difference associated with the sub-link corresponding to the target backscatter device and the preset symbol period, and control the target backscatter device to be in an operating state within the target delay duration range.

[0105] For example, if at least one of the N time differences is not an integer multiple of the preset symbol period, base station 52 selects sub-backscatter device 531 with the maximum signal strength as the target backscatter device, determines a target delay duration based on time difference Δ1 associated with the first sub-link corresponding to sub-backscatter device 531 and the preset symbol period, and controls the target backscatter device to remain in an active state within the delay duration range. In other words, in this case, only the link between sub-backscatter device 531 and user terminal 51 is used as a reflection link, and links between sub-backscatter devices other than sub-backscatter device 531 and user terminal 51 are not used.

[0106] In some embodiments, the i-th sub-backscatter device 53i is configured to receive the delay duration of the i-th sub-backscatter device sent by the user terminal 51 via the i-th sub-link, and adjust the timing advance based on the delay duration of the i-th sub-backscatter device. In this way, the timing advance of each sub-backscatter device can be adjusted.

[0107] By implementing the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure, the following beneficial effects can be obtained.

[0108] 1. It can effectively coordinate the time difference between the primary system and the secondary system, thereby achieving symbol synchronization of the primary system and the secondary coefficients.

[0109] 2. It greatly improves the completeness of the reciprocal communication technology solution and helps improve spectrum utilization and resource utilization.

[0110] 3. The backscatter equipment has low cost and low implementation complexity, making it easy to implement the system and promote the solution.

[0111] In some embodiments, the functional units described above may be implemented as general-purpose processors, programmable logic controllers (PLC), digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any appropriate combination thereof, for performing the functions described in the present disclosure.

[0112] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps to implement the above embodiments may be accomplished by hardware, or by a program to instruct the relevant hardware, and the program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which may be a read-only memory, a disk, or an optical disk, etc.

[0113] The description of the present disclosure is provided for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the disclosed form. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The embodiments are selected and described in order to better illustrate the principles and practical applications of the present disclosure and to enable those skilled in the art to understand the present disclosure and design various embodiments with various modifications suitable for specific applications.

Claims

1. A communication method, performed by a user terminal, comprising: receiving a first radio frequency signal sent by a base station through a first link; receiving a second radio frequency signal transmitted by a backscatter device through a second link, wherein the backscatter device modulates the first radio frequency signal to generate the second radio frequency signal; determining a time difference between the first link and the second link according to reception times of the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal; Sending the time difference to the base station through the first link, so that the base station controls the backscatter device to be in an operating state within a delay duration range determined according to the time difference; Determining the delay duration according to the time difference and a preset symbol period, wherein the delay duration is a remainder of dividing the time difference by the preset symbol period; The delay duration is sent to the backscatter device through the second link, so that the backscatter device adjusts the timing advance according to the delay duration.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The backscatter device includes N sub-backscatter devices, and the second link includes N sub-links corresponding one-to-one to the N sub-backscatter devices, where N is a natural number greater than 1; Receiving, through the second link, a second radio frequency signal sent by the backscatter device includes: Receive the i-th radio frequency signal sent by the i-th sub-backscatter device through the i-th sub-link, 1≤i≤N; The signal strength of the i-th radio frequency signal is used as the signal strength of the i-th sub-backscattering device to obtain the signal strengths of N sub-backscattering devices.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: Determining the time difference between the first link and the second link includes: The time difference between the first link and the i-th sub-link is determined according to the reception time of the first radio frequency signal and the i-th radio frequency signal to obtain N time differences.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: Sending the time difference to the base station through the first link includes: The N time differences and the signal strengths of the N sub-backscatter devices are sent to the base station through the first link, so that the base station selects a target backscatter device from the N sub-backscatter devices according to the N time differences and the signal strengths of the N sub-backscatter devices, determines a target delay duration according to the time difference corresponding to the target backscatter device, and controls the target backscatter device to be in an operating state within the target delay duration range.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein Determining the delay duration according to the time difference includes: The delay duration of the i-th sub-backscattering device is determined according to the i-th time difference and the preset symbol period.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: Sending the delay duration to the backscatter device through the second link includes: The delay duration of the i-th sub-backscatter device is sent to the i-th sub-backscatter device through the i-th sub-link, so that the i-th sub-backscatter device adjusts the time advance according to the delay duration of the i-th sub-backscatter device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: In a case where the second radio frequency signal is received but the first radio frequency signal is not received, beam indication information is sent to the base station so that the base station aligns a beam with the backscatter device.

8. A user terminal, comprising: A first processing module is configured to receive a first radio frequency signal sent by a base station through a first link; a second processing module configured to receive a second radio frequency signal sent by a backscatter device through a second link, wherein the backscatter device modulates the first radio frequency signal to generate the second radio frequency signal; The third processing module is configured to determine the time difference between the first link and the second link based on the reception time of the first RF signal and the second RF signal, and send the time difference to the base station through the first link, so that the base station controls the backscatter device to be in an operating state within the delay duration determined according to the time difference; determine the delay duration based on the time difference and a preset symbol period, wherein the delay duration is a remainder of the time difference divided by the preset symbol period, and send the delay duration to the backscatter device through the second link, so that the backscatter device adjusts the timing advance according to the delay duration.

9. A user terminal, comprising: Memory; A processor is coupled to the memory, and the processor is configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 based on instructions stored in the memory.

10. A communication system comprising: The user terminal according to any one of claims 8 to 9; a base station configured to send a first radio frequency signal to the user terminal via a first link, receive a time difference sent by the user terminal via the first link, and control a backscatter device to be in an operating state within a delay duration range determined according to the time difference; The backscatter device is configured to modulate the first radio frequency signal to generate a second radio frequency signal, and send the second radio frequency signal to the user terminal through a second link.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein: The base station is configured to determine a delay duration according to the time difference and a preset symbol period.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein The delay duration is a remainder obtained by dividing the time difference by the preset symbol period.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein: The backscatter device is configured to adjust the timing advance according to the delay duration of the user terminal sending through the second link.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein: The backscatter device is configured to record at least one of the communication time, occupied bandwidth, and service data volume of the base station.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein: The backscatter device includes N sub-backscatter devices, and the second link includes N sub-links corresponding one-to-one to the N sub-backscatter devices, where N is a natural number greater than 1; The i-th sub-backscatter device is configured to modulate the first radio frequency signal to generate an i-th radio frequency signal, and send the i-th radio frequency signal to the user terminal through the i-th sub-link, 1≤i≤N.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein: The base station is configured to receive N time differences and signal strengths of N sub-backscatter devices sent by the user terminal through the first link, select a target backscatter device from the N sub-backscatter devices according to the N time differences and the signal strengths of the N sub-backscatter devices, determine a target delay duration according to the time difference corresponding to the target backscatter device, and control the target backscatter device to be in an operating state within the target delay duration range.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein: The base station is configured to determine whether each of the N time differences is an integer multiple of a preset symbol period; if each time difference is an integer multiple of the preset symbol period, each of the N sub-backscatter devices is used as a target backscatter device; an i-th delay duration is determined based on the i-th time difference in the N time differences and the preset symbol period; and the i-th sub-backscatter device is controlled to be in a working state within the i-th delay duration range.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein: The base station is configured to, if at least one of the N time differences is not an integer multiple of the preset symbol period, use the sub-backscatter device with the maximum signal strength as the target backscatter device, determine the target delay duration based on the time difference associated with the sub-link corresponding to the target backscatter device and the preset symbol period, and control the target backscatter device to be in an operating state within the target delay duration range.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein: The i-th sub-backscatter device is configured to receive a delay duration of the i-th sub-backscatter device sent by the user terminal through the i-th sub-link, and adjust a timing advance according to the delay duration of the i-th sub-backscatter device.

20. The system according to any one of claims 10 to 19, wherein: The base station is configured to align the beam toward the backscatter device upon receiving the beam indication information sent by the user terminal.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the instructions are executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

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