Communication method and related equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and related equipment, which are used for realizing uplink cooperative processing of first terminal equipment in a service cell and a cooperative cell. In the method, a first unit receives uplink data of a first terminal device, at least one cooperative cell of the first terminal device corresponds to the first unit, and a serving cell of the first terminal device corresponds to a second unit; and sending first data through a link between the first unit and the second unit, wherein the first data is data obtained by processing uplink data of the first terminal device through a first physical layer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and related equipment. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication may refer to transmission communication between multiple communication nodes without propagation through conductors or cables. Generally, network equipment and terminal equipment may be used as different communication nodes to communicate based on wireless communication. Among them, a network device may include one or more cells. When a terminal device is located in the signal coverage area of ​​two or more cells, the two or more cells may collaboratively process the signal of the terminal device to obtain signal gain (e.g., signal combining gain and / or diversity gain, etc.).

[0003] Currently, in communication systems, network devices can be deployed in a distributed manner. For example, the functional entities used to process signals in network devices are split, with some functional entities carried on one device and others carried on another device, to improve the coverage capability and deployment flexibility of network devices.

[0004] However, how to achieve collaborative processing of signals from terminal devices between different functional entities in network devices is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and related equipment for implementing uplink collaborative processing of a first terminal device in a serving cell and a collaborative cell.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a first unit, and the method is executed by the first unit, or the method is executed by some components in the first unit (such as a processor, a chip or a chip system, etc.), or the method can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the first unit. In the first aspect and its possible implementation, the method is described as being executed by the first unit. In the method, the first unit receives uplink data of a first terminal device, at least one collaborative cell of the first terminal device corresponds to the first unit, and the service cell of the first terminal device corresponds to the second unit; the first unit sends first data through a link between the first unit and the second unit, and the first data is the uplink data of the first terminal device processed by the first physical layer.

[0007] Based on the above technical solution, the first unit is a unit where at least one cooperative cell of the first terminal device is located, and the second unit is a unit where the service cell of the first terminal device is located. After receiving the uplink data of the first terminal device, the first unit can send the first data to the second unit on the link between the first unit and the second unit. Thus, after the network device uses different functional division methods to divide the functional entities, and part of the physical layer processing (such as the first physical layer processing) functions in the network device are set in the first unit (and / or the second unit), the first data sent by the first unit to the second unit through the link between the first unit and the second unit is the uplink data of the first terminal device after the first physical layer processing, that is, the first data is used as cooperative data. The above implementation scheme enables the transmission of the cooperative data between the first unit and the second unit. The second unit can subsequently perform other physical layer processing based on the first data to realize the uplink cooperative processing of the first terminal device in the service cell and the cooperative cell.

[0008] It should be understood that the first unit can be used to receive / send signals from N (N is a positive integer) cells, and the N cells include the above-mentioned at least one coordinated cell; accordingly, the at least one coordinated cell corresponding to (or located in) the first unit can be expressed as: the first unit includes the at least one coordinated cell, and the first unit is used to receive / send signals from the at least one coordinated cell, or the first unit is used to provide network services for the at least one coordinated cell. Similarly, the second unit can be used to receive / send signals from M (M is a positive integer) cells, and the M cells include the above-mentioned service cell; accordingly, the service cell corresponds to (or is located in) the second unit can be expressed as: the second unit includes the service cell, and the second unit is used to receive / send signals from the service cell, or the second unit is used to provide network services for the service cell.

[0009] It should be understood that in the present application, the first unit may be a network device having at least a first physical layer processing function, and the first unit may also have other physical layer processing functions (such as the second physical layer processing mentioned later). Similarly, the second unit may be a network device having at least a second physical layer processing function, and the second unit may also have other physical layer processing functions (such as the first physical layer processing function).

[0010] Optionally, the first unit (and / or the second unit) may also have a radio frequency signal processing function, for example, the radio frequency signal processing function can be used for one or more of analog (beamforming, BF) processing and analog to digital (analog to digital, AD) conversion processing. Wherein, in the case where the first unit (and / or the second unit) has the radio frequency signal processing function, the first unit (and / or the second unit) can receive data from the terminal device on the air interface through the module of the radio frequency signal processing function, that is, the first unit (and / or the second unit) can perform the above radio frequency signal processing locally; in the case where the first unit (and / or the second unit) has the radio frequency signal processing function, the first unit (and / or the second unit) can receive data from the terminal device from the radio frequency module, that is, the first unit (and / or the second unit) does not need to perform the above radio frequency signal processing locally.

[0011] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first physical layer processing includes at least one of fast Fourier transform (FFT) processing and cyclic prefix (CP) removal processing.

[0012] Based on the above technical solution, the first physical layer processing performed by the first unit on the uplink data of the first terminal device may specifically include at least one of the above items, so that the second unit does not need to perform the above FFT processing and / or de-CP processing.

[0013] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first physical layer processing does not include digital beamforming processing.

[0014] Based on the above technical solution, the digital beamforming processing can process data with antenna characteristics into data with beam characteristics, that is, the digital beamforming processing can process antenna-level data into beam-level data, and compared with beam-level data, the antenna-level data has more signal characteristics. In the case where the first physical layer processing does not include digital beamforming processing, the first unit sends antenna-level data instead of beam-level data to the second unit, thereby enabling the second unit to perform uplink collaborative processing based on antenna-level data with more signal characteristics, which can improve the performance of uplink collaborative processing.

[0015] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, before sending the first data, the method also includes: the first unit receives first information, the first information including an identifier of the at least one collaborative cell, an identifier of the serving cell and at least one item of first indication information; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the cell coordination type of the at least one collaborative cell is a collaborative cell.

[0016] Based on the above technical solution, the first unit can also receive the first information, so that the first unit can clarify the information of the collaboration group to which the at least one collaborative cell and the service cell are located based on the first information, and subsequently communicate with the first terminal device / second unit based on the information of the collaboration group.

[0017] Optionally, for the first unit, the first information can be received through a direct link between the first unit and the DU to which the first unit is connected, or through a link between the first unit and other devices between the first unit and the DU to which the first unit is connected, wherein the other devices may be other units (for example, the second unit, or the third unit appearing later, etc.), switches, etc.

[0018] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first information further includes information of other coordinated cells.

[0019] Optionally, the information of the other coordinated cells may include the identifier of the other coordinated cells, the coordination type of the other coordinated cells, the communication address of the other coordinated cells, the communication address of the unit where the other coordinated cells are located, etc.

[0020] Based on the above technical solution, the first information received by the first unit may include information about at least one collaborative cell in the first unit and information about the service cell, and may also include information about other collaborative cells in units other than the first unit and the second unit, so that when there is no direct communication link between the first unit and the second unit, the first unit and the second unit can communicate through forwarding by the unit where the other collaborative cells are located.

[0021] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, before the first unit sends the first data, the method further includes: the first unit sending the first information through a link between the first unit and the second unit.

[0022] Based on the above technical solution, after receiving the first information, the first unit can also send the first information to the second unit on the link between the first unit and the second unit, so that the second unit can clarify the information of the collaborative cell in the first unit based on the first information, and subsequently communicate with the first unit based on the information of the collaborative cell.

[0023] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first information is sent to other units where other coordinated cells are located.

[0024] Based on the above technical solution, after receiving the first information, the first unit can also send the first information to other units where other collaborative cells are located, so that the other units can clarify the information of the collaborative cells in the first unit based on the first information, and subsequently communicate with the first unit based on the information of the collaborative cells.

[0025] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, before the first unit sends the first data, the method also includes: the first unit receives second information through a link between the first unit and the second unit, the second information including an identifier of a collaborative cell of the first terminal device, an identifier of the service cell, and at least one of second indication information; wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the cell collaboration type of the service cell is a service cell.

[0026] Based on the above technical solution, the first unit can also receive the second information, so that the first unit can clarify the information of the collaboration group to which the at least one collaborative cell and the service cell are located based on the second information, and subsequently communicate with the first terminal device / second unit based on the information of the collaboration group.

[0027] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method also includes: the first unit sends or receives a negotiation message through a link between the first unit and the second unit (or the first unit and other units), and the negotiation message includes at least one of capability information, manufacturer information, security verification information, and encryption information.

[0028] Based on the above technical solution, the first unit and the second unit (or other units) can also exchange negotiation messages, so that different units can negotiate based on the negotiation messages to improve communication efficiency or communication security.

[0029] Optionally, the negotiation message is preconfigured in the first unit or the second unit or other units (eg, a possible third unit).

[0030] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, before the first unit sends the first data, the method also includes: the first unit sends third information through a link between the first unit and the distributed unit, the third information including an identifier of the first unit and / or a communication address of the first unit.

[0031] Based on the above technical solution, the first unit can also send third information to the distributed unit on the link between the first unit and the distributed unit, and the third information includes the identifier of the first unit and / or the communication address of the first unit, so that the distributed unit can communicate based on the third information. For example, the distributed unit can determine or plan the cooperative cell group information based on the third information, or the distributed unit can publish / notify the third information to other units.

[0032] Optionally, the third information is preconfigured in the distributed unit and / or other units (eg, the second unit, and a third unit that may appear later, etc.).

[0033] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, before the first unit sends the first data, the method also includes: the first unit receives fourth information through a link between the first unit and the distributed unit, the fourth information including an identifier of the second unit and / or a communication address of the second unit.

[0034] Based on the above technical solution, the first unit can also receive fourth information sent by the distributed unit on the link between the first unit and the distributed unit, and the fourth information includes the identification of the second unit and / or the communication address of the second unit, so that the first unit can communicate with the second unit based on the fourth information.

[0035] Optionally, the fourth information is preconfigured in the distributed unit and / or other units (eg, the first unit, and a third unit that may appear later, etc.).

[0036] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first unit and the second unit are connected in cascade.

[0037] Based on the above technical solution, the first unit and the second unit (and other units that may exist) may be connected in cascade, so that different units can communicate with each other in a cascade manner.

[0038] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first unit and the second unit are connected through a switch, and the switch is used to forward data processed by the first physical layer.

[0039] It can be understood that the data processed by the first physical layer includes the first data obtained by the first unit performing the first physical layer processing on the data of the first terminal device, and may also include data obtained by other units (such as the second unit, etc.) performing the first physical layer processing on the data of the terminal device.

[0040] Based on the above technical solution, the first unit and the second unit (and other units that may exist) can be connected via a switch, so that different units can communicate with each other through routing forwarding of the switch.

[0041] Optionally, the data format for communication between the first unit (or the second unit, or other units that may exist) and the switch may be an Ethernet format.

[0042] Optionally, without communicating through a switch, the data format for communication between different units (such as the first unit, the second unit, the distributed unit, or any two or more of other possible units) can be a CPRI format, a CPRI-like format, or a private format, etc.

[0043] Optionally, the switch can be replaced by a physical device / virtual device with routing functionality, such as a router, a virtual machine, a container, etc.

[0044] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method also includes: the first unit receives uplink data of a second terminal device, and a service cell of the second terminal device corresponds to (or is located in) the first unit; the first unit sends second data through a link between the first unit and the distributed unit, and the second data is the uplink data of the second terminal device after being processed by the first physical layer and the second physical layer, and the second physical layer processing includes digital beamforming processing.

[0045] Based on the above technical solution, the first unit may include a collaborative cell where some terminal devices (such as the first terminal device) are located, and may also include a service cell where some terminal devices (such as the second terminal device) are located. Accordingly, different from the first unit's processing of the uplink data of the first terminal device, after receiving the uplink data of the second terminal device, the first unit may send the uplink data of the second terminal device to the distributed unit to perform the first physical layer processing and the data after the second physical layer processing.

[0046] The second aspect of the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a second unit, and the method is executed by the second unit, or the method is executed by some components in the second unit (such as a processor, a chip or a chip system, etc.), or the method can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the second unit. In the second aspect and its possible implementation, the method is described as being executed by the second unit. In this method, the second unit receives first data through a link between the first unit and the second unit, and the first data is uplink data of the first terminal device processed by the first physical layer; wherein at least one collaborative cell of the first terminal device corresponds to (or is located in) the first unit, and the service cell of the first terminal device corresponds to (or is located in) the second unit; the second unit sends third data to the distributed unit, and the third data is obtained based on the first data processed by the second physical layer.

[0047] Based on the above technical solution, the first unit is a unit where at least one coordinated cell of the first terminal device is located, and the second unit is a unit where the serving cell of the first terminal device is located. On the link between the first unit and the second unit, the first data received by the second unit is the data of the uplink data of the first terminal device after being processed by the first physical layer. After that, the second unit can perform the second physical layer processing based on the first data to obtain the third data, and then the second unit sends the third data to the distributed unit to realize the uplink coordinated processing of the first terminal device. Therefore, after the network device uses different functional division methods to divide the functional entities, when part of the physical layer processing (for example, the first physical layer processing) function in the network device is set in the first unit (and / or the second unit), the first data sent by the first unit to the second unit through the link between the first unit and the second unit is the data of the uplink data of the first terminal device after being processed by the first physical layer, that is, the first data is used as the coordinated data. The above implementation scheme enables the transmission of the coordinated data between the first unit and the second unit. The second unit can subsequently perform the second physical layer processing based on the first data to realize the uplink coordinated processing of the first terminal device in the serving cell and the coordinated cell.

[0048] It should be understood that the first unit can be used to receive / send signals from N (N is a positive integer) cells, and the N cells include the above-mentioned at least one coordinated cell; accordingly, the at least one coordinated cell corresponding to (or located in) the first unit can be expressed as: the first unit includes the at least one coordinated cell, and the first unit is used to receive / send signals from the at least one coordinated cell, or the first unit is used to provide network services for the at least one coordinated cell. Similarly, the second unit can be used to receive / send signals from M (M is a positive integer) cells, and the M cells include the above-mentioned service cell; accordingly, the service cell corresponds to (or is located in) the second unit can be expressed as: the second unit includes the service cell, and the second unit is used to receive / send signals from the service cell, or the second unit is used to provide network services for the service cell.

[0049] It should be understood that in the present application, the first unit may be a network device having at least a first physical layer processing function, and the first unit may also have other physical layer processing functions (such as a second physical layer processing function). Similarly, the second unit may be a network device having at least a second physical layer processing function, and the second unit may also have other physical layer processing functions (such as a first physical layer processing function).

[0050] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the second physical layer processing includes digital beamforming processing; or, the second physical layer processing includes digital beamforming processing and at least one of the following: decoding, rate matching, descrambling, demodulation, inverse discrete Fourier transform, channel equalization, and resource unit mapping.

[0051] Based on the above technical solution, the digital beamforming processing can process data with antenna characteristics into data with beam characteristics, that is, the digital beamforming processing can process antenna-level data into beam-level data, and compared with beam-level data, the antenna-level data has more signal characteristics. In the case where the second physical layer processing includes digital beamforming processing, the second unit can perform uplink collaborative processing based on antenna-level data with more signal characteristics, which can improve the performance of uplink collaborative processing.

[0052] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the first physical layer processing includes at least one of fast Fourier transform processing and cyclic prefix removal processing.

[0053] Based on the above technical solution, the first physical layer processing performed by the first unit on the uplink data of the first terminal device may specifically include at least one of the above items, so that the second unit does not need to perform the above FFT processing and / or de-CP processing.

[0054] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the first physical layer processing does not include digital beamforming processing.

[0055] Based on the above technical solution, when the first physical layer processing does not include digital beamforming processing, the first unit sends antenna-level data rather than beam-level data to the second unit, so that the second unit can perform uplink collaborative processing based on antenna-level data with more signal characteristics, thereby improving the performance of uplink collaborative processing.

[0056] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, before the second unit receives the first data, the method also includes: the second unit receives first information through a link between the first unit and the second unit, the first information including an identifier of the at least one collaborative cell, an identifier of the serving cell and at least one item of first indication information; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the cell coordination type of the at least one collaborative cell is a collaborative cell.

[0057] Based on the above technical solution, the second unit can also receive the first information from the first unit on the link between the first unit and the second unit, so that the second unit can clarify the information of the collaborative cell in the first unit based on the first information, and subsequently communicate with the first unit based on the information of the collaborative cell.

[0058] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the first information further includes information of other coordinated cells.

[0059] Optionally, the information of the other coordinated cells may include the identifier of the other coordinated cells, the coordination type of the other coordinated cells, the communication address of the other coordinated cells, the communication address of the unit where the other coordinated cells are located, etc.

[0060] Based on the above technical solution, the first information received by the second unit may include information about at least one collaborative cell in the first unit and information about the service cell, and may also include information about other collaborative cells in units other than the first unit and the second unit, so that when there is no direct communication link between the first unit and the second unit, the first unit and the second unit can communicate through forwarding by the unit where the other collaborative cells are located.

[0061] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, before the second unit receives the first data, the method also includes: the second unit receives second information, the second information including an identifier of the collaborative cell of the first terminal device, an identifier of the service cell and at least one of the second indication information; wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the cell collaboration type of the service cell is a service cell.

[0062] Based on the above technical solution, the second unit can also receive second information, so that the second unit can clarify the information of the collaboration group to which the at least one collaborative cell and the service cell are located based on the second information, and subsequently communicate with the first terminal device / first unit based on the information of the collaboration group.

[0063] Optionally, for the second unit, the second information can be received through a direct link between the second unit and the DU to which the second unit is connected, or through a link between the second unit and other devices between the second unit and the DU to which the second unit is connected, wherein the other devices may be other units (for example, the first unit, or the third unit appearing later, etc.), switches, etc.

[0064] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the second information further includes information of other coordinated cells.

[0065] Optionally, the information of the other coordinated cells may include the identifier of the other coordinated cells, the coordination type of the other coordinated cells, the communication address of the other coordinated cells, the communication address of the unit where the other coordinated cells are located, etc.

[0066] Based on the above technical solution, the second information received by the second unit may include information about at least one collaborative cell in the first unit and information about the service cell, and may also include information about other collaborative cells in units other than the first unit and the second unit, so that when there is no direct communication link between the first unit and the second unit, the first unit and the second unit can communicate through forwarding by the unit where the other collaborative cells are located.

[0067] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, before the second unit receives the first data, the method further includes: the second unit sending the second information through a link between the first unit and the second unit.

[0068] Based on the above technical solution, the second unit can also send second information on the link between the first unit and the second unit, so that the first unit can clarify the information of the collaboration group in which at least one collaborative cell and the service cell are located based on the second information, and subsequently communicate with the first terminal device / second unit based on the information of the collaboration group.

[0069] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the method also includes: the second unit sends or receives a negotiation message through a link between the first unit and the second unit, and the negotiation message includes at least one of capability information, manufacturer information, security verification information, and encryption information.

[0070] Based on the above technical solution, the first unit and the second unit (or other units) can also exchange negotiation messages, so that different units can negotiate based on the negotiation messages to improve communication efficiency or communication security.

[0071] Optionally, the negotiation message is preconfigured in the first unit or the second unit or other units (eg, a possible third unit).

[0072] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, before the second unit receives the first data, the method also includes: the second unit sends fourth information through a link between the second unit and the distributed unit, the fourth information being used to indicate communication information of the second unit, the communication information including an identifier of the second unit and / or a communication address of the second unit.

[0073] Based on the above technical solution, the second unit may also send fourth information to the distributed unit on the link between the second unit and the distributed unit, the fourth information including the identifier of the second unit and / or the communication address of the second unit, so that the distributed unit can communicate based on the fourth information. For example, the distributed unit can determine or plan the coordinated cell group information based on the fourth information, or the distributed unit can publish / notify the fourth information to other units.

[0074] Optionally, the fourth information is preconfigured in the distributed unit and / or other units (eg, the second unit, and a third unit that may appear later, etc.).

[0075] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, before the second unit receives the first data, the method also includes: the second unit receives third information through a link between the first unit and the second unit, the third information including an identifier of the first unit and / or a communication address of the first unit.

[0076] Based on the above technical solution, the second unit can also send third information to the distributed unit on the link between the second unit and the distributed unit, and the third information includes the identifier of the first unit and / or the communication address of the first unit, so that the distributed unit can communicate based on the third information. For example, the distributed unit can determine or plan the cooperative cell group information based on the third information, or the distributed unit can publish / notify the third information to other units.

[0077] Optionally, the third information is preconfigured in the distributed unit and / or other units (eg, the second unit, and a third unit that may appear later, etc.).

[0078] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the first unit and the second unit are connected in cascade.

[0079] Based on the above technical solution, the first unit and the second unit (and other units that may exist) may be connected in cascade, so that different units can communicate with each other in a cascade manner.

[0080] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the first unit and the second unit are connected through a switch, and the switch is used to forward data processed by the first physical layer.

[0081] It can be understood that the data processed by the first physical layer includes the first data obtained by the first unit performing the first physical layer processing on the data of the first terminal device, and may also include data obtained by other units (such as the second unit, etc.) performing the first physical layer processing on the data of the terminal device.

[0082] Based on the above technical solution, the first unit and the second unit (and other units that may exist) can be connected via a switch, so that different units can communicate with each other through routing forwarding of the switch.

[0083] Optionally, the data format for communication between the first unit (or the second unit, or other units that may exist) and the switch may be an Ethernet format.

[0084] Optionally, the switch can be replaced by a physical device / virtual device with routing functionality, such as a router, a virtual machine, a container, etc.

[0085] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method also includes: the second unit receives uplink data of a third terminal device; the second unit sends fourth data through a link between the second unit and the distributed unit, and the fourth data is the uplink data of the third terminal device that is processed by the first physical layer and the second physical layer.

[0086] Based on the above technical solution, the second unit may include a collaborative cell where some terminal devices are located, and may also include a service cell where some terminal devices (such as the first terminal device) are located. Accordingly, different from the second unit's processing of the uplink data of the first terminal device, after receiving the uplink data of the third terminal device, the second unit may send the uplink data of the third terminal device to the distributed unit to perform the first physical layer processing and the data after the second physical layer processing.

[0087] In a third aspect of the present application, a communication device is provided, which can implement the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. The communication device includes corresponding units or modules for executing the above method. The units or modules included in the communication device can be implemented by software and / or hardware. For example, the device can be a first unit, or the device can be a component in the first unit (such as a processor, a chip or a chip system, etc.), or the device can also be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first unit.

[0088] Among them, the communication device includes a processing module and a transceiver module; the transceiver module is used to receive uplink data of a first terminal device, at least one collaborative cell of the first terminal device corresponds to (or is located in) a first unit, and the service cell of the first terminal device corresponds to (or is located in) a second unit; the processing module is used to determine the first data; the transceiver module is also used to send the first data through the link between the first unit and the second unit, and the first data is the uplink data of the first terminal device processed by the first physical layer.

[0089] In a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the first physical layer processing includes at least one of fast Fourier transform processing and cyclic prefix removal processing.

[0090] In a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the first physical layer processing does not include digital beamforming processing.

[0091] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the transceiver module is also used to receive first information, which includes an identifier of the at least one collaborative cell, an identifier of the service cell, and at least one item of first indication information; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the cell coordination type of the at least one collaborative cell is a collaborative cell.

[0092] In a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the first information further includes information of other coordinated cells.

[0093] In a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the transceiver module is further configured to send the first information through a link between the first unit and the second unit.

[0094] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the transceiver module is also used to receive second information through a link between the first unit and the second unit, the second information including an identifier of a collaborative cell of the first terminal device, an identifier of the service cell, and at least one of second indication information; wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the cell collaboration type of the service cell is a service cell.

[0095] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the transceiver module is also used to send or receive a negotiation message through a link between the first unit and the second unit, and the negotiation message includes at least one of capability information, manufacturer information, security verification information, and encryption information.

[0096] In a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the transceiver module is further used to send third information through a link between the first unit and the distributed unit, where the third information includes an identifier of the first unit and / or a communication address of the first unit.

[0097] In a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the transceiver module is further used to receive fourth information through a link between the first unit and the distributed unit, where the fourth information includes an identifier of the second unit and / or a communication address of the second unit.

[0098] In a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the first unit and the second unit are connected in cascade.

[0099] In a possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the first unit and the second unit are connected via a switch, and the switch is used to forward data processed by the first physical layer.

[0100] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the transceiver module is also used to receive uplink data of a second terminal device, and the service cell of the second terminal device corresponds to (or is located in) the first unit; the transceiver module is also used to send second data through the link between the first unit and the distributed unit, and the second data is the uplink data of the second terminal device after the first physical layer processing and the second physical layer processing, and the second physical layer processing includes digital beamforming processing.

[0101] In the third aspect, the processing module and the transceiver module can also be used to execute the steps performed in each possible implementation method of the first aspect and achieve corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0102] In a fourth aspect of the present application, a communication device is provided, which can implement the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. The communication device includes a corresponding unit or module for executing the above method. The unit or module included in the communication device can be implemented by software and / or hardware. For example, the device can be the second unit, or the device can be a component in the second unit (such as a processor, a chip, a chip system, etc.), or the device can also be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second unit.

[0103] The communication device includes a processing module and a transceiver module; the transceiver module is used to receive first data through a link between the first unit and the second unit, and the first data is uplink data of the first terminal device processed by the first physical layer; at least one collaborative cell of the first terminal device corresponds to (or is located in) the first unit, and the service cell of the first terminal device corresponds to (or is located in) the second unit; the processing module is used to determine third data; the transceiver module is also used to send third data to the distributed unit, and the third data is obtained based on the first data processed by the second physical layer.

[0104] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the second physical layer processing includes digital beamforming processing; or, the second physical layer processing includes digital beamforming processing and at least one of the following: decoding, rate matching, descrambling, demodulation, inverse discrete Fourier transform, channel equalization, and resource unit mapping.

[0105] In a possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the first physical layer processing includes at least one of fast Fourier transform processing and cyclic prefix removal processing.

[0106] In a possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the first physical layer processing does not include digital beamforming processing.

[0107] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the transceiver module is also used to receive first information through a link between the first unit and the second unit, the first information including an identifier of the at least one collaborative cell, an identifier of the service cell and at least one item of first indication information; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the cell coordination type of the at least one collaborative cell is a collaborative cell.

[0108] In a possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the first information also includes information of other coordinated cells.

[0109] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the transceiver module is also used to receive second information, which includes the identifier of the collaborative cell of the first terminal device, the identifier of the service cell and at least one of the second indication information; wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the cell collaboration type of the service cell is a service cell.

[0110] In a possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the transceiver module is further used to send the second information through a link between the first unit and the second unit.

[0111] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the transceiver module is also used to send or receive a negotiation message through a link between the first unit and the second unit, and the negotiation message includes at least one of capability information, manufacturer information, security verification information, and encryption information.

[0112] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the transceiver module is also used to send fourth information through a link between the second unit and the distributed unit, and the fourth information is used to indicate communication information of the second unit, and the communication information includes an identifier of the second unit and / or a communication address of the second unit.

[0113] In a possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the transceiver module is further used to receive third information through a link between the first unit and the second unit, where the third information includes an identifier of the first unit and / or a communication address of the first unit.

[0114] In a possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the first unit and the second unit are connected in cascade.

[0115] In a possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the first unit and the second unit are connected via a switch, and the switch is used to forward data processed by the first physical layer.

[0116] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the transceiver module is also used to receive uplink data of a third terminal device; the transceiver module is also used to send fourth data through the link between the second unit and the distributed unit, and the fourth data is the uplink data of the third terminal device after being processed by the first physical layer and the second physical layer.

[0117] In the fourth aspect, the processing module and the transceiver module can also be used to execute the steps performed in each possible implementation method of the second aspect and achieve corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the second aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0118] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising at least one processor coupled to a memory; the processor is used to execute the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation method of the first aspect.

[0119] For example, the memory is used to store programs or instructions; the at least one processor is used to execute the program or instructions so that the device implements the method described in the aforementioned first aspect or any possible implementation method of the first aspect.

[0120] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising at least one processor coupled to a memory; the processor is used to execute the method described in the aforementioned second aspect or any possible implementation method of the second aspect.

[0121] For example, the memory is used to store programs or instructions; the at least one processor is used to execute the program or instructions so that the device implements the method described in the aforementioned second aspect or any possible implementation method of the second aspect.

[0122] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising at least one logic circuit and an input / output interface; the logic circuit is used to execute the method described in the first aspect and any possible implementation method thereof.

[0123] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising at least one logic circuit and an input / output interface; the logic circuit is used to execute the method described in the second aspect and any possible implementation method thereof.

[0124] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which is used to store one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the method described in any possible implementation method of any aspect of the first to second aspects above.

[0125] The tenth aspect of the present application provides a computer program product (or computer program). When the computer program product is executed by the processor, the processor executes a method in any possible implementation manner of any aspect from the first to the second aspect.

[0126] In the eleventh aspect of the present application, a chip system is provided, which includes at least one processor for supporting a communication device to implement the functions involved in any possible implementation method of any aspect of the first to second aspects.

[0127] In a possible design, the chip system may also include a memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices. Optionally, the chip system also includes an interface circuit, which provides program instructions and / or data for the at least one processor.

[0128] The twelfth aspect of the present application provides a communication system, which includes the communication device of the third aspect and the calling device of the fourth aspect, or the communication system includes the communication device of the fifth aspect and the communication device of the sixth aspect, or the communication system includes the communication device of the seventh aspect and the communication device of the eighth aspect.

[0129] Optionally, the communication system further includes a third unit, wherein one or more coordinated cells of the first terminal device correspond to (or are located in) the third unit.

[0130] Optionally, the communication system further comprises a distributed unit.

[0131] Optionally, the system further comprises a switch, through which the first unit and the second unit are connected, and the switch is used for forwarding data processed by the first physical layer.

[0132] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any design method from the third aspect to the twelfth aspect can refer to the technical effects brought about by the above-mentioned first aspect to the second aspect and their different design methods, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0133] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system provided for this application;

[0134] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the network equipment provided for this application;

[0135] Figure 3 Another schematic diagram of a network device provided for this application;

[0136] Figure 4a A schematic diagram of a communication scenario provided for this application;

[0137] Figure 4b Another schematic diagram of the communication scenario provided for this application;

[0138] Figure 5 Another schematic diagram of the communication scenario provided for this application;

[0139] Figure 6a Another schematic diagram of the communication scenario provided for this application;

[0140] Figure 6b Another schematic diagram of the communication scenario provided for this application;

[0141] Figure 6c Another schematic diagram of the communication scenario provided for this application;

[0142] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the communication method provided by the present application;

[0143] Figure 8 Another schematic diagram of the communication method provided by the present application;

[0144] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a communication device provided for this application;

[0145] Fig.10 Another schematic diagram of a communication device provided by the present application;

[0146] Fig.11 Another schematic diagram of a communication device provided by the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0147] The technical solution in this application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in this application. Based on this application, all other solutions obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0148] The terms "system" and "network" in this application can be used interchangeably. "At least one" means one or more, and "plurality" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. And, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in this application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0149] The present application can be applied to various possible communication systems. For example, the present application can be applied to long-term evolution (LTE) systems, new radio (NR) systems, open access networks (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), cloud radio access networks (cloud radio access network, CRAN), or new wireless vehicle networks (NR vehicle to everything, NR V2X) systems, etc. The present application can also be applied to systems with mixed networking of multiple access technologies. The present application can also be applied to device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, Internet of Things (IoT), or drone communication systems. In addition, the present application can also be applied to non-ground communication systems, such as satellite communication systems, or high-altitude communication platforms.

[0150] See also Figure 1 , is a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting application scenario provided by this application. The solution provided by this application can be applied to Figure 1 The communication system 1000 is shown. In the communication system, common devices participating in the communication include terminal devices and network devices. The following will first introduce these two types of devices respectively.

[0151] In a communication system, a terminal device may be a wireless terminal device capable of receiving network device scheduling and indication information. A wireless terminal device may be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, or a handheld device with a wireless connection function, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. In some implementations, the terminal device may communicate with one or more core networks or the Internet via a radio access network (RAN). The terminal device may also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal device may be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, or satellite communication. The terminal may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, a drone, a helicopter, an airplane, a hot air balloon, a ship, a robot, a mechanical arm, or a smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0152] In the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal device may be the terminal device, or may be a device capable of supporting the terminal device to realize the function, such as a processor, a circuit, a chip, a chip system, etc. The device may be installed in the terminal device or connected to the terminal device for use. In the technical solution provided in the present application, the technical solution provided in the present application is described by taking the terminal device as an example in which the device for realizing the function of the terminal device is the terminal device.

[0153] In a communication system, a network device may be a device in a wireless network. For example, a network device may be a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. In some implementations, the network device may also include a satellite, an aircraft, etc. In addition, in other possible cases, the network device may be other devices that provide wireless communication functions for the terminal device. This application does not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the network device. For the convenience of description, this application is not limited.

[0154] In the present application, the device for realizing the function of the network device may be a network device, or a device that can support the network device to realize the function, such as a processor, a circuit, a chip, or a chip system, etc. The device may be installed in the network device or connected to the network device for use. In the technical solution provided in the present application, the technical solution provided in the present application is described by taking the device for realizing the function of the network device as a network device as an example.

[0155] Optionally, the network device may further include a core network device, the core network device including, for example, an access and mobility management function (AMF), a user plane function (UPF) or a session management function (SMF).

[0156] like Figure 1 As shown, the communication system 1000 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network 200. The RAN 100 may include at least one RAN device (such as Figure 1 110a and 110b in the figure are collectively referred to as 110). RAN100 may also include at least one terminal (such as Figure 1 The terminals 120a-120j are collectively referred to as 120). The terminals 120a-120j are connected to the RAN device 110 in a wireless manner. The RAN 100 may also include other RAN devices, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices ( Figure 1 The access network device 110 is connected to the core network 200 by wireless or wired means. The core network device in the core network and the access network device in the wireless access network can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating the core network logical function and the wireless access network logical function, without limitation. Terminals can be connected to each other by wireless means. Access network devices can be connected to each other by wired or wireless means. Figure 1This is just a schematic diagram. The communication system may also include other network devices, for example, wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices ( Figure 1 not shown).

[0157] For example, in Figure 1 In the present invention, RAN 100 can be configured as a cellular system related to the third generation partnership project (3GPP). For example, RAN 100 can be configured as a fourth generation (4G) mobile communication system, a fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system, or a future evolution system (such as a 6G mobile communication system). Alternatively, RAN 100 can also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (cloud radio access network, CRAN). RAN100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0158] The RAN device 110, which may also be sometimes referred to as a RAN node, a RAN entity or an access node, constitutes a part of the communication system to help the terminal achieve wireless access. The multiple RAN nodes 110 in the communication system 1000 may be nodes of the same type or nodes of different types. In some scenarios, the roles of the RAN node 110 and the terminal 120 are relative, for example, Figure 1 The network element 120i may be a helicopter or a drone, which may be configured as a mobile base station. For the terminals 120j that access the RAN 100 through the network element 120i, the network element 120i is a base station; but for the base station 110a, the network element 120i is a terminal. The RAN node 110 and the terminal 120 are sometimes referred to as communication devices, for example Figure 1 The network elements 110a and 110b may be understood as communication devices having base station functions, and the network elements 120a-120j may be understood as communication devices having terminal functions.

[0159] In one possible scenario, the access network device may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a next generation NodeB in a 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system, or an access node in a base station in a future mobile communication system. The access network device may be a macro base station (e.g. Figure 1 110a in), micro base stations or indoor stations (such as Figure 1 110b in the communication system), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the access network device may also be a server, a wearable device, or an in-vehicle device. For example, the access network device in the vehicle to everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU). Multiple access network devices in a communication system may be base stations of the same type or different types. A base station may communicate with a terminal or communicate with the terminal through a relay station. A terminal may communicate with multiple base stations in different access technologies.

[0160] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU) or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0161] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application takes CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU and RU can implement different protocol layer functions.

[0162] The communication between the access network device and the terminal device may follow a certain protocol layer structure. The protocol layer may include a control plane protocol layer and a user plane protocol layer. The control plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: a radio resource control (RRC) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a media access control (MAC) layer, or a physical (PHY) layer. The user plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, or a physical layer.

[0163] As an implementation example, Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an access network device is shown. The access network device includes one or more CUs, one or more DUs, and one or more radio units (RUs). For the sake of clarity, Figure 2 Only one CU, DU and RU are shown. The CU is used to connect to the core network and one or more DUs. Optionally, the CU may have some functions of the core network. The CU may include CU-CP and CU-UP. The CU and DU may be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement: for example, the functions of the PDCP layer and the protocol layers above it (such as the RRC layer and the SDAP layer, etc.) are set in the CU, and the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as the RLC layer, the MAC layer and the PHY layer, etc.) are set in the DU; for another example, the functions of the protocol layers above the PDCP layer are set in the CU, and the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer are set in the DU, without limitation. The above configuration of the CU and DU is only an example, and the functions of the CU and DU may also be configured as needed. For example, the CU or DU may be configured to have the functions of more protocol layers, or the CU or DU may be configured to have some processing functions of the protocol layer. For example, some functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layers above the RLC layer are set in the CU, and the remaining functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layers below the RLC layer are set in the DU. For another example, the functions of CU or DU can be divided according to business type or other system requirements, such as by latency, and the functions whose processing time needs to meet a smaller latency requirement can be set in DU, and the functions that do not need to meet the latency requirement can be set in CU.

[0164] Furthermore, the DU and RU can cooperate to jointly implement the functions of the PHY layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of the DU and RU can be configured in a variety of ways according to the design. For example, the DU is configured to implement the baseband function, and the RU is configured to implement the mid-RF function. For another example, the DU is configured to implement the high-level functions in the PHY layer, and the RU is configured to implement the low-level functions in the PHY layer or to implement the low-level functions and the RF functions. The high-level functions in the physical layer may include a part of the functions of the physical layer, which is closer to the MAC layer, and the low-level functions in the physical layer may include another part of the functions of the physical layer, which is closer to the mid-RF side. For example, the high-level functions of the PHY layer include one or more of the following: feedforward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding, scrambling, or modulation / demodulation. The low-level functions of the PHY layer include one or more of the following: fast Fourier transform (FFT) transform / inverse fast Fourier transformation (iFFT) transform, beamforming, or extraction and filtering of the physical random access channel (PRACH). The RU can communicate RF signals with the terminal device through the air interface. The precoding function of the PHY layer can be located in the DU or in the RU. The splitting method between the DU and the RU can be various possible methods without limitation.

[0165] There is an interface between the DU and the RU, for example, the interface can be called a fronthaul (FH) interface. In one possible implementation, the DU is located in the BBU, the RU is located in the RRU / AAU / RRH, and the interface between the BBU and the RRU / AAU / RRH can also be called a fronthaul interface. In order to implement the fronthaul interface, the BBU and the RRU / AAU / RRH can be connected through a fronthaul network, or the DU and the RU can be connected through a fronthaul network. For example, the fronthaul network includes but is not limited to: direct fiber connection and a wavelength division network. In addition, depending on the splitting method, the interface between the DU and the RU can also be a common public radio interface (CPRI) interface or an enhanced common public radio interface (eCPRI) interface.

[0166] like Figure 3A schematic diagram of an access network device is shown, which illustrates the MAC layer function, physical layer function (ie, PHY layer function) and radio frequency function of the access network device in the downlink direction and the uplink direction, respectively, to realize signal processing.

[0167] like Figure 3 As shown, taking the physical layer function as an example, the access network device includes one or more of the following functions: coding, rate matching, scrambling, modulation, layer mapping, precoding, resource element (RE) mapping, digital beamforming (BF), inverse fast Fourier transformation (IFFT) / adding a cyclic prefix (CP), decoding, rate matching, descrambling, demodulation, inverse discrete Fourier transformation (IDFT), channel equalization (or channel estimation), RE mapping, digital BF, fast Fourier transform (FFT) / removal of CP, digital to analog (DA) conversion, analog BF, analog to digital (AD) conversion, or analog BF.

[0168] The above one or more functional modules may be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. They may be physically discrete or integrated. It is understood that the above functional modules are only examples, and the access network device may include more other modules (for example, a scheduling module, a power control module, a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) module, a flow control module, a mobility management module, or an artificial intelligence (AI) module, etc.) according to the design, or may not include any other modules. Figure 3 A certain functional module shown in (for example, excluding the digital BF module).

[0169] Access network equipment can support one or more types of fronthaul interfaces. Different fronthaul interfaces correspond to DUs and RUs with different functions. Figure 3As shown, if the fronthaul interface between DU and RU is CPRI, DU is configured to implement one or more baseband functions, and RU is configured to implement one or more RF functions. If the fronthaul interface between DU and RU is eCPRI, relative to CPRI, part of the downlink and / or uplink baseband functions are moved from DU to RU for implementation. Different division methods between DU and RU correspond to different types (category, referred to as Cat) of eCPRI. Figure 3 Six types of eCPRI are given as examples, represented by Cat A, B, C, D, E, and F (which can also be represented as Option A to F, or Option 1 to 6, or other methods). It can be understood that there may be other ways of dividing DU and RU, that is, there may be other types of eCPRI.

[0170] Taking eCPRI Cat A as an example, for downlink transmission, based on layer mapping, DU is configured to implement RE mapping and one or more functions before it (the "before" of downlink transmission here is understood to be the processing function located above the eCPRI Cat A interface, that is, one or more of coding, rate matching, scrambling, modulation, layer mapping, precoding, and RE mapping), while other functions after RE mapping (the "after" of downlink transmission here is understood to be the processing function located below the eCPRI Cat A interface, that is, digital BF, or one or more of IFFT / adding CP) are moved to RU for implementation.

[0171] Still taking eCPRI Cat A as an example, for uplink transmission, with de-RE mapping as the division, DU is configured to implement de-mapping and one or more functions thereafter (the "after" of uplink transmission here is understood to be the processing function located above the eCPRI Cat A interface, namely, decoding, rate matching, descrambling, demodulation, IDFT, channel equalization, and one or more functions of de-RE mapping), while other functions before demapping (the "before" of uplink transmission here is understood to be the processing function located below the eCPRI Cat A interface, namely, one or more of digital BF or FFT / de-CP) are moved to RU for implementation.

[0172] Similarly, for eCPRI Cat B, Cat C, Cat D, Cat E, and Cat F, they correspond to different DU and RU segmentation methods. The segmentation point and the functions before the segmentation point are implemented by the DU, while the functions after the segmentation point are implemented by the RU. For the segmentation points of each type of eCPRI, refer to Figure 3As shown, no further details are given. For example, for eCPRI Cat B, layer mapping is used as the segmentation of downlink transmission, and RE demapping is used as the segmentation of uplink transmission. For uplink transmission, RE mapping and functions before RE mapping are implemented by DU, while functions after RE mapping and RF functions are implemented by RU. For downlink transmission, layer mapping and functions before layer mapping are implemented by DU, while functions after layer mapping and RF functions are implemented by RU.

[0173] The eCPRI segmentation method can be symmetrical for uplink and downlink, such as Figure 3 Alternatively, the eCPRI segmentation method may be asymmetric for uplink and downlink, such as Figure 3 The eCPRI Cat B, Cat D, Cat E and Cat F shown are not limited. Optionally, for uplink and / or downlink, different segmentation modes may be configured for different channels or different channel groups, that is, different types of eCPRI may be configured. A group of channels may include one or more channels.

[0174] In a possible design, the access network device may include multiple device forms, for example, the access network device may include a combination of BBU and RRU, or a combination of BBU and AAU, or a combination of BBU and RRH, etc. Among them, in the access network device, the processing module mainly used to implement the baseband function may be called BBU; and in the access network device, the processing module mainly used to implement the radio frequency function may be called RRU / AAU / RRH.

[0175] Optionally, all baseband functions in the access network device can be integrated in the BBU; or, some baseband functions in the access network device are implemented in the BBU, and other baseband functions are implemented in the RRU / AAU / RRH. Figure 3 Taking the physical layer functions in eCPRI Cat A as an example, in eCPRI Cat A, some baseband functions set in the BBU in the downlink direction may include one or more of coding, rate matching, scrambling, modulation, layer mapping, precoding, and RE mapping, and some baseband functions set in the RRU / AAU / RRH in the downlink direction may include one or more of digital BF, or IFFT / adding CP. In other words, the DU mentioned above can be located in the BBU, and the RU can be located in the RRU / AAU / RRH.

[0176] In one possible design, when some baseband functions in the access network device are implemented in the BBU and other baseband functions are implemented in the RRU / AAU / RRH, the processing module for implementing the baseband function in the BBU is called a baseband high layer (BBH) unit, and the processing module for implementing the baseband function in the RRU / AAU / RRH is called a baseband low layer (BBL) unit. The first unit and the second unit involved in the present application may be different BBL units.

[0177] Optionally, the first unit (and / or the second unit) may have other names. For example, the first unit (and / or the second unit) may have a radio frequency signal processing function, and the first unit (and / or the second unit) may be understood as a network device having a radio frequency signal processing function, that is, the first unit (and / or the second unit) may be called a radio frequency unit, a radio equipment (radio equipment, RE), a remote radio unit (remote radio unit, RRU), an active antenna processing module (active antenna unit, AAU), or a radio unit (radio unit, RU), etc.; in addition, the first unit (and / or the second unit) can be connected to a network device having a baseband signal processing function, and the network device having a baseband signal processing function may be called a baseband unit, a radio equipment controller (radio equipment controller, REC), an indoor baseband processing module (building base band unit, BBU), or a distributed unit (distributed unit, DU), etc.

[0178] As an implementation example, the first unit and the second unit are different BBL units, and the network device with baseband signal processing function connected to the first unit and the second unit is DU. The link between the BBL unit and the DU can be called a fronthaul link, a fronthaul network, etc. The communication interface between the BBL unit and the DU can be called a common public radio interface (CPRI) interface, an enhanced common public radio interface (eCPRI) interface, a fronthaul interface in an open access network (open radio access network, ORAN or O-RAN), or other interface names, which are not limited here.

[0179] Optionally, the first unit and the second unit may be connected to the same distributed unit (DU) or to different DUs.

[0180] In addition, there may be multiple implementations of the communication connection between the first unit and the second unit involved in the present application, which will be introduced below in conjunction with some drawings.

[0181] It should be noted that the first unit may correspond to one or more cells, and the second unit may also correspond to one or more cells. In the following example, at least one collaborative cell of the first terminal device corresponds to the first unit, and the service cell of the first terminal device corresponds to the second unit. Optionally, the first terminal device may correspond to multiple collaborative cells, and the multiple collaborative cells may include only the at least one collaborative cell, or the multiple collaborative cells may include the at least one collaborative cell and other collaborative cells. In the following example, one or more collaborative cells in the other collaborative cells correspond to the third unit as an example.

[0182] In a first implementation mode, the first unit and the second unit (and other units that may exist, such as the third unit) may be connected in cascade, so that different units can communicate with each other in a cascade manner.

[0183] As an implementation example, Figure 4a As shown, the first unit may be the BBL 1 or AAU 1 shown in the figure, and the second unit may be the BBL 2 or AAU 2 shown in the figure. Figure 4a In the embodiment, the first unit can be connected to the DU via the eCPRI 1 interface shown by the single-line arrow, and the second unit can be connected to the DU via the eCPRI 2 interface shown by the single-line arrow. In addition, the first unit and the second unit can communicate via the link between BBL 1 and BBL 2 shown by the double-line arrow, for example, the first data mentioned later can be exchanged via the link.

[0184] As another implementation example, Figure 4b As shown, the first unit may be BBL 1 or AAU 1 in the figure, the second unit may be BBL 2 or AAU 2 in the figure, and the third unit may be BBL 3 or AAU 3 in the figure. Figure 4b In the embodiment, the first unit can be connected to the DU via the eCPRI 1 interface shown by the single-line arrow, the second unit can be connected to the DU via the eCPRI 2 interface shown by the single-line arrow, and the third unit can be connected to the DU via the eCPRI 3 interface shown by the single-line arrow. In addition, the first unit and the second unit can communicate via the link between BBL 1 and BBL 2 shown by the double-line arrow, for example, the first data mentioned later can be exchanged via the link.

[0185] It is understandable that in Figure 4b In the embodiment, the second unit and the third unit can communicate through the link between BBL2 and BBL3 shown by the double-line arrow, and the first unit and the third unit can communicate through the forwarding of BBL2, the link between BBL1 and BBL2, and the link between BBL2 and BBL3.

[0186] In a second implementation mode, different units among the first unit, the second unit and other possible units may be connected via a switch, so that different units can communicate with each other through routing forwarding of the switch.

[0187] As an implementation example, Figure 5 As shown, the first unit may be BBL 1 or AAU 1 in the figure, the second unit may be BBL 2 or AAU 2 in the figure, and the third unit may be BBL 3 or AAU 3 in the figure. Figure 5 In the embodiment, the first unit can be connected to the switch through the eCPRI 1 interface shown by the single-line arrow, the second unit can be connected to the switch through the eCPRI 2 interface shown by the single-line arrow, and the third unit can be connected to the switch through the eCPRI 3 interface shown by the single-line arrow, so that each unit can communicate with the DU through the eCPRI interface between the switch and the DU. In addition, the first unit and the second unit can communicate through the eCPRI 1 interface and the eCPRI 2 interface based on the forwarding of the switch, for example, the first data mentioned later can be exchanged through the forwarding of the switch.

[0188] It is understandable that in Figure 5 In the embodiment, the second unit and the third unit can also communicate with each other through the forwarding of the switch, and the first unit and the third unit can also communicate with each other through the forwarding of the switch.

[0189] It is understandable that in Figure 4a / Figure 4b / Figure 5 In the embodiment, the RF module located inside the AAU or RU is used to perform the RF signal processing process. For example, the RF signal processing process may include AD / DA / analog BF and other processing.

[0190] Optionally, in Figure 5 In the embodiment, the data format of the communication between the first unit or the second unit or other units that may exist and the switch may be in Ethernet format. Figure 4a / Figure 4bIn the present invention, when communicating without going through a switch, the data format for communication between different units (such as the first unit, the second unit, the distributed unit or any two or more of other units that may exist) can be an Ethernet format, a CPRI format, a CPRI-like format, or a private format, etc.

[0191] Optionally, in Figure 5 In the example, the switch can be replaced by a physical device / virtual device with routing capabilities, such as a router, virtual machine, container, etc.

[0192] In a communication system, network equipment (such as Figures 1 to 3 Any network device shown) and terminal device (such as Figure 1 or Figure 2 Any terminal device shown in the figure can be used as different communication nodes to communicate based on wireless communication. Among them, a network device may include one or more cells. When a terminal device is located in the signal coverage area of ​​two or more cells, the two or more cells may collaboratively process the signal of the terminal device to obtain signal gain (such as signal combining gain and / or diversity gain, etc.).

[0193] The following will be combined Figure 6a and Figure 6b The implementation example shown provides an exemplary description of the process of two or more cells collaboratively processing uplink data of a terminal device.

[0194] like Figure 6a In part (a) of FIG. 1 , the network device can be a directional station, that is, the network device can send and receive signals of different cells in a specified direction, such as Cell 0, Cell 1, and Cell 2 in the figure. In the case where the terminal device is located at the cell edge of Cell 1, its uplink signal can be received by the two cells and jointly demodulated, thereby obtaining signal combining gain.

[0195] like Figure 6a In part (b), the network device can be an omnidirectional station, that is, the network device can send and receive signals of the same cell in different directions, such as Cell 0, Cell 1 and Cell 2 in the figure. In the case where the terminal device is located at the cell edge of Cell 1, its uplink signal can be received by two cells (i.e. Cell 1 and Cell 0) and jointly demodulated, thereby obtaining signal combining gain.

[0196] exist Figure 6aIn the figure, the solid arrow represents the communication link of the service cell, and the dotted arrow represents the communication link of the collaborative cell, that is, the service cell of the terminal device is Cell 1, and the collaborative cell of the terminal device is Cell 0.

[0197] exist Figure 6b In the embodiment, the serving cell and the cooperative cell are provided with independent radio frequency processing modules (the radio frequency processing modules can be used to perform radio frequency signal processing, for example Figure 3 DA, AD, analog BF, etc. shown in the figure) as an example. Figure 6b In the embodiment, the radio frequency processing module may be the RU, and the physical layer processing module and other possible processing (such as MAC layer processing, RLC layer, etc.) may be located in the DU.

[0198] for Figure 6b In the collaborative cell, after receiving the uplink data of the terminal device, the collaborative cell can send the collaborative data obtained after the uplink data is processed by the RF module to the serving cell through the CPRI interface, that is, the collaborative data is data that has not been processed by the physical layer. In other words, during the collaborative processing process, the collaborative cell does not need to perform physical layer processing and other possible processing (such as MAC layer processing, RLC layer processing, etc.) on the uplink data of the terminal device.

[0199] for Figure 6b In the service cell, the service cell will receive two parts of terminal device data. One part is the uplink data of the terminal device received by the RF module in the service cell, and the other part is the collaborative data received by the service cell from one or more collaborative cells through the CPRI interface, that is, the DU of the service cell can receive collaborative data from the RU of the collaborative cell through the CPRI interface. After that, the DU in the service cell can perform collaborative processing through the uplink collaborative algorithm in the physical layer processing based on the data of these two parts to obtain signal combining gain.

[0200] In other words, Figure 6a and Figure 6b In the implementation example shown, the processing basis for the service cell to perform uplink collaborative processing includes the DU receiving data from the RF processing module of the service cell through the CPRI interface, and the collaborative data from the RF processing module of the collaborative cell received by the DU through the CPRI interface. In addition, since the physical layer processing is all located in the DU, the uplink collaborative processing process is performed by the DU.

[0201] In addition, in the communication system, network devices can be deployed in a distributed manner. Some functional entities are carried on one device, and other functional entities are carried on another device to improve the coverage capability and deployment flexibility of network devices. Figure 6b The functional entity used for physical layer processing can be Figure 3 The eCPRI interface shown in the figure is split, that is, the physical layer processing module in the cooperative cell may be split into a BBH module and a BBL module, and the BBH module and the BBL module respectively perform different physical layer processing processes. Among them, the BBL module and the RF module may be set in the same device (such as RRU / AAU / RRH), that is, the signal of the cooperative cell is processed by an RRU / AAU / RRH with a BBL module and a RF module, and the signal of the serving cell is processed by another RRU / AAU / RRH with a BBL module and a RF module.

[0202] For example, Figure 6c As shown, Figure 6b Taking the example of the physical layer processing module being split into a BBL module and a BBH module, both the serving cell and the coordinated cell may have an AAU and a DU, wherein the AAU includes a radio frequency processing module and a BBL module, and the DU includes a BBH module and other processing modules, which may be used to perform MAC layer processing, RLC layer processing, etc. Figure 6c In the UL protocol, the uplink coordination process in the serving cell can be performed by the BBL module. In other words, the uplink coordination process in the serving cell may no longer be performed by the DU. This results in that after the AAU of the coordination cell sends coordination data to the DU of the serving cell, the DU of the serving cell will discard or ignore the coordination data because the DU of the serving cell no longer has the uplink coordination function, making the uplink coordination impossible to perform.

[0203] Therefore, when network devices use different functional division methods to divide functional entities, how to achieve coordinated processing of signals from terminal devices is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0204] In order to solve the above problems, the present application provides a communication method and device for realizing the coordinated processing of uplink data of a first terminal device. Figure 7 , is a schematic diagram of the communication method provided in this application, and the method includes the following steps.

[0205] S701. The first terminal device sends uplink data of the first terminal device to the first unit, and correspondingly, the first unit receives the uplink data of the first terminal device.

[0206] Among them, at least one coordinated cell of the first terminal device corresponds to the first unit, and the service cell of the first terminal device corresponds to the second unit. It can also be understood that at least one coordinated cell of the first terminal device is located in the first unit, and the service cell of the first terminal device is located in the second unit, or in other words, at least one coordinated cell of the first terminal device is provided by the first unit, and the service cell of the first terminal device is provided by the second unit.

[0207] S702. The first unit sends first data to the second unit, and correspondingly, the second unit receives the first data.

[0208] In step S702, the first unit may send first data to the second unit through a link between the first unit and the second unit, where the first data is uplink data of the first terminal device processed by a first physical layer.

[0209] It should be understood that in the present application, the first unit may be a network device having at least a first physical layer processing function, and the first unit may also have other physical layer processing functions (such as the second physical layer processing mentioned later). Similarly, the second unit may be a network device having at least a second physical layer processing function, and the second unit may also have other physical layer processing functions (such as the first physical layer processing function).

[0210] In addition, the data is also processed by radio frequency signal before being processed by the first physical layer. For example, the radio frequency signal processing may include one or more of analog (beamforming, BF) processing and analog to digital (analog to digital, AD) conversion processing. The above radio frequency signal processing can be performed by the first unit, or by a radio frequency signal processing function module independent of the first unit, which is not limited in this application. For example, the first unit can be an AAU or an RRU.

[0211] In one possible implementation, the first physical layer processing may include at least one of fast Fourier transform (FFT) processing and cyclic prefix (CP) removal processing. The first physical layer processing performed by the first unit on the uplink data may specifically include at least one of the above items, so that the second unit does not need to perform the above FFT processing and / or CP removal processing. In addition, in the case where the first unit and the distributed unit communicate through the eCPRI interface, part of the baseband functions in the distributed unit are delegated to the first unit, so that the first unit has the first physical layer processing function. To this end, the first unit can perform the first physical layer processing on the uplink data of the first terminal device, so that the above technical solution can reuse the eCPRI interface between the first unit and the distributed unit.

[0212] In one possible implementation, the first physical layer processing does not include digital beamforming processing. Specifically, digital beamforming processing can process data with antenna characteristics into data with beam characteristics. Among them, the data received by the module with RF signal processing function through the air interface can be called antenna-level data. In addition, based on the spatial correlation of the antenna-level data, the digital beamforming processing concentrates the antenna-level data on part of the beam in the beam domain to obtain beam-level data, that is, the digital beamforming processing can process the antenna-level data into beam-level data. However, compared with the beam-level data, the antenna-level data has more signal characteristics. In the interference suppression and merging technology, as mentioned above Figure 6c As shown, when the uplink collaborative processing process in the service cell is performed by the BBL module, since the antenna-level data has more signal characteristics than the beam-level data, the BBL module can perform the uplink collaborative processing process through the antenna-level data. For example, the collaborative processing performed by the uplink collaborative algorithm can be located after the FFT / CP removal processing in the BBL module and before the AD processing, or it can be located before the digital BF module and before the FFT / CP removal processing. For this reason, the signal sent by the collaborative cell to the service cell should be antenna-level data, and when the fronthaul interface is the eCPRI interface, the collaborative cell sends beam-level data to the service cell. Since the beam-level data loses many signal characteristics compared to the antenna-level data, the interference suppression combining technology cannot be multiplexed. In the implementation method provided in the present application, when the first unit corresponding to the collaborative cell performs the first physical layer processing on the uplink data that does not include digital beamforming, the first unit sends antenna-level data rather than beam-level data to the second unit, so that when the fronthaul interface is an eCPRI interface, the second unit corresponding to the serving cell can perform uplink collaborative processing based on antenna-level data including more signal characteristics, so that the interference suppression combining technology can be reused, which can improve the performance of uplink collaborative processing.

[0213] In a possible implementation, before step S701, the method may further include: the first unit receives first information, the first information includes at least one of the identifier of the at least one collaborative cell, the identifier of the serving cell and first indication information; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the type of the at least one collaborative cell is a collaborative cell. Specifically, the first unit may also receive the first information, so that the first unit may clarify the information of the collaborative group to which the at least one collaborative cell and the serving cell belong based on the first information, and may subsequently communicate with the first terminal device / second unit based on the information of the collaborative group.

[0214] Optionally, for the first unit, the first information can be received through a direct link between the first unit and the DU to which the first unit is connected, or through a link between the first unit and other devices between the first unit and the DU to which the first unit is connected, wherein the other devices may be other units (for example, the second unit, or the third unit appearing later, etc.), switches, etc.

[0215] In a possible implementation, before the first unit sends the first data in step S701, the method may further include: the first unit sends the first information through the link between the first unit and the second unit. Specifically, after the first unit receives the first information, the first unit sends the first information to the second unit through the link between the first unit and the second unit, so that the second unit can clarify the information of the coordinated cell in the first unit based on the first information, and subsequently the second unit can communicate with the first unit based on the information of the coordinated cell.

[0216] It should be noted that, in the process of collaborative processing of uplink data of a terminal device, the terminal device may correspond to a service cell and several collaborative cells, the service cell corresponds to the second unit, and at least one of the several collaborative cells corresponds to the first unit. Optionally, the several collaborative cells may include only the at least one collaborative cell, or the several collaborative cells may include both the at least one collaborative cell and other collaborative cells. Accordingly, the first unit may also send the first information to other units where other collaborative cells are located. Other units can clarify the information of the collaborative cells in the first unit based on the first information, and can subsequently communicate with the first unit based on the information of the collaborative cells.

[0217] In a possible implementation, the second unit may also execute the implementation process of the type of the first information received and sent by the first unit. Before the second unit receives the first data in step S701, the method may also include: the second unit receives the second information, the second information includes the identifier of the collaborative cell of the first terminal device, the identifier of the service cell and at least one of the second indication information; wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the cell collaboration type of the service cell is a service cell. Specifically, the second unit may also receive the second information, so that the second unit can clarify the information of the collaborative group to which the at least one collaborative cell and the service cell are located based on the second information, and subsequently communicate with the first terminal device / first unit based on the information of the collaborative group.

[0218] Optionally, for the second unit, the second information can be received through a direct link between the second unit and the DU to which the second unit is connected, or through a link between the second unit and other devices between the second unit and the DU to which the second unit is connected, wherein the other devices may be other units (for example, the first unit, or the third unit appearing later, etc.), switches, etc.

[0219] In a possible implementation, the first information (and / or the second information) may also include information of other collaborative cells. Specifically, the first information received by the first unit (and / or the second information received by the second unit) may include information of at least one collaborative cell in the first unit and information of the serving cell, and may also include information of other collaborative cells in other units other than the first unit and the second unit, so that when there is no direct communication link between the first unit and the second unit, the first unit and the second unit can communicate through forwarding of the unit where the other collaborative cells are located.

[0220] Optionally, the information of the other coordinated cells may include the identifier of the other coordinated cells, the coordination type of the other coordinated cells, the communication address of the other coordinated cells, the communication address of the unit where the other coordinated cells are located, etc.

[0221] In one possible implementation, Figure 7 In the method shown, the method may also include: on the link between the first unit and the second unit (or the first unit and other units), the first unit sends or receives a negotiation message, and the negotiation message includes at least one of capability information, manufacturer information, security verification information, and encryption information. Similarly, the second unit may also send or receive the negotiation message. Specifically, the first unit and the second unit (or other units) may also exchange negotiation messages, so that different units can negotiate based on the negotiation message to improve communication efficiency or communication security.

[0222] Optionally, the information in the negotiation message is preconfigured in the first unit or the second unit or other units (eg, a possible third unit).

[0223] In a possible implementation, before the first unit sends the first data in step S701, the method may further include: on the link between the first unit and the distributed unit, the first unit sends third information, the third information including the identifier of the first unit and / or the communication address of the first unit. Specifically, the first unit may also send third information to the distributed unit on the link between the first unit and the distributed unit, the third information including the identifier of the first unit and / or the communication address of the first unit, so that the distributed unit can communicate with the first unit based on the third information. For example, the distributed unit is enabled to determine or plan the cooperative cell group information based on the third information and other possible information (such as information indicating the network service range of the first unit, information indicating the identifier and / or communication address of other units, information indicating the network service range of other units, etc.), or the distributed unit is enabled to publish / notify the third information to other units.

[0224] It can be understood that the identifier of a certain unit (such as the first unit or the second unit, etc.) is used to identify the unit, for example, the identifier of the unit may include the identity identifier of the unit, the device identifier of the unit or the device identification code of the unit, etc. Similarly, the communication address of a certain unit (such as the first unit or the second unit, etc.) is used for other devices to communicate with the unit, for example, the communication address of the unit may include the Internet protocol (IP) address or media access control (MAC) address of the unit, etc.

[0225] Optionally, for the second unit, the second unit can obtain the identifier of the first unit and / or the communication address of the first unit in a variety of ways. For example, after the distributed unit obtains the third information through the above process, the distributed unit can pass the identifier of the first unit and / or the communication address of the first unit to the second unit. For another example, the first unit sends the third information to the second unit through the link between the first unit and the second unit. For another example, in the second information sent by the DU to the second unit, the second information may also include the identifier and / or communication address of the corresponding unit of the collaborative cell of the first terminal device, wherein the corresponding unit of the collaborative cell of the first terminal device includes at least the first unit.

[0226] In a possible implementation, the second unit may also perform a similar implementation process of the first unit sending and receiving the third information. Before the second unit receives the first data in step S702, the method may also include: on the link between the second unit and the distributed unit, the second unit sends fourth information, the fourth information is used to indicate the communication information of the second unit, and the communication information includes the identifier of the second unit and / or the communication address of the second unit. Specifically, the second unit may also send fourth information to the distributed unit on the link between the second unit and the distributed unit, the fourth information includes the identifier of the second unit and / or the communication address of the second unit, so that the distributed unit can communicate based on the fourth information. For example, the distributed unit can determine or plan the cooperative cell group information based on the fourth information, or the distributed unit can publish / notify the fourth information to other units.

[0227] Optionally, for the first unit, the first unit can obtain the identifier of the second unit and / or the communication address of the second unit in a variety of ways. For example, after the distributed unit obtains the fourth information through the above process, the distributed unit can pass the identifier of the second unit and / or the communication address of the second unit to the first unit. For another example, the second unit sends the fourth information to the first unit through the link between the first unit and the second unit. For another example, in the first information sent by the DU to the first unit, the first information may also include the identifier and / or communication address of the corresponding unit of the collaborative cell of the first terminal device, wherein the corresponding unit of the collaborative cell of the first terminal device includes at least the second unit.

[0228] Optionally, the third information or the fourth information can be pre-configured in the distributed unit and / or other units (such as the second unit, and the third unit that may appear later, etc.), so that the first unit and the second unit can obtain the third information or the fourth information without the instruction of the above-mentioned distributed unit, which can reduce overhead and save communication delay.

[0229] S703. The second unit sends the third data, and correspondingly, the distributed unit receives the third data.

[0230] The third data is obtained based on the first data after being processed by the second physical layer.

[0231] It should be noted that the second unit is the unit where the service cell of the first terminal device is located. Before step S703, when the second unit determines the third data based on the first data, the second unit can also receive the uplink data of the first terminal device, so that the second unit can perform uplink collaborative processing based on the first data and the uplink data of the first terminal device received by the second unit, and the result of the uplink collaborative processing can include the third data, and then the second unit sends the third data to the distributed unit in step S703.

[0232] Optionally, when all the collaborative cells of the first terminal device correspond to the first unit, the second unit can perform uplink collaborative processing based on the first data and the uplink data of the first terminal device received by the second unit to obtain third data. When there are multiple collaborative cells in the first terminal device, in addition to at least one collaborative cell of the multiple collaborative cells corresponding to the first unit, other collaborative cells can also correspond to other units (for example, the third unit), the second unit can also receive other data from the third unit (the process of the third unit determining the other data can refer to the process of the first unit determining the first data), so that the second unit can perform uplink collaborative processing based on the first data, the other data and the uplink data of the first terminal device received by the second unit to obtain third data.

[0233] Optionally, the second unit may implement uplink collaborative processing based on a variety of algorithms, such as a joint interference rejection combining (JIRC) algorithm, a soft combination (SC) algorithm, etc., which is not limited here.

[0234] In one possible implementation, the second physical layer processing performed by the second unit on the first data may include digital beamforming processing. The second physical layer processing may also include at least one of the following in addition to the digital beamforming processing: decoding, rate matching, descrambling, demodulation, inverse discrete Fourier transform, channel equalization, and resource unit mapping. Specifically, the digital beamforming processing can process data with antenna characteristics into data with beam characteristics, that is, the digital beamforming processing can process antenna-level data into beam-level data, and the antenna-level data has more signal characteristics than the beam-level data. In the case where the second physical layer processing includes digital beamforming processing, the second unit can perform uplink collaborative processing based on antenna-level data with more signal characteristics, which can improve the performance of uplink collaborative processing.

[0235] based on Figure 7In the technical solution shown, the first unit is a unit where at least one cooperative cell of the first terminal device is located, and the second unit is a unit where the service cell of the first terminal device is located. After the first unit receives the uplink data of the first terminal device, the first unit can send the first data to the second unit on the link between the first unit and the second unit. Thus, after the network device uses different functional division methods to divide the functional entities, and part of the physical layer processing (such as the first physical layer processing) functions in the network device are set in the first unit (and / or the second unit), the first data sent by the first unit to the second unit through the link between the first unit and the second unit is the uplink data of the first terminal device that has been processed by the first physical layer, that is, the first data is used as cooperative data. The above implementation scheme enables the transmission of the cooperative data between the first unit and the second unit. The second unit can subsequently perform other physical layer processing based on the first data to achieve uplink cooperative processing of the first terminal device.

[0236] exist Figure 7 In a possible implementation of the method shown, since one network device can serve multiple terminal devices, that is, the one network device can send and receive signals from multiple terminal devices, the following will be combined with Figure 8 The implementation example shown is described.

[0237] For the first terminal device, the first unit may be the unit where the coordinated cell of the first terminal device is located, and the second unit may be the unit where the serving cell of the first terminal device is located. As shown in step S703 above, for the processing of uplink data of the first terminal device, the second unit may also receive the uplink data of the first terminal device. Figure 8 In the process of processing uplink data involving the first terminal device, the process is shown in the following steps S801a, S801b, S802 and S803.

[0238] S801a. The first terminal device sends the uplink data of the first terminal device, and correspondingly, the first unit receives the uplink data of the first terminal device.

[0239] S801b. The first terminal device sends the uplink data of the first terminal device, and correspondingly, the second unit receives the uplink data of the first terminal device.

[0240] It should be noted that the first terminal device can perform a sending action in step S801a and step S801b, or the first terminal device can also perform sending actions in step S801a and step S801b respectively, so that the first unit and the second unit respectively receive the uplink data of the first terminal device, which is not limited here.

[0241] S802. The first unit sends first data, and correspondingly, the second unit receives the first data.

[0242] S803. The second unit sends the third data, and correspondingly, the distributed unit receives the third data.

[0243] Specifically, Figure 8 As shown, the processing process of the uplink data of the first terminal device may include the following steps: the first terminal device sends the uplink data of the first terminal device, and accordingly, the first unit receives the uplink data of the first terminal device in step S801a, and the second unit receives the uplink data of the first terminal device in step S801b. Thereafter, the first unit performs the first physical layer processing based on the uplink data of the first terminal device in this step to obtain the first data, and sends the first data to the second unit in step S802. Subsequently, the second unit may perform uplink collaborative processing based on the uplink data of the first terminal device in step S801b and the first data in step S802, obtain and send the third data in step S803, so as to realize the uplink collaborative processing of the first terminal device.

[0244] It should be understood that Figure 8 The interaction process of the uplink data, the first data, and the third data of the first terminal device can refer to the aforementioned Figure 7 The description in is not repeated here.

[0245] For the second terminal device, the first unit may be a unit where the serving cell of the second terminal device is located, and in this example, the second terminal device does not include a coordinated cell. Figure 8 In the process of processing uplink data involving the second terminal device, the process is shown in the following steps S804 and S805.

[0246] S804. The second terminal device sends the uplink data of the second terminal device, and correspondingly, the first unit receives the uplink data of the second terminal device.

[0247] S805. The first unit sends the second data, and correspondingly, the distributed unit receives the second data.

[0248] Specifically, Figure 8 As shown, the processing process of the uplink data of the second terminal device may include the following steps: the first unit receives the uplink data of the second terminal device in step S804; on the link between the first unit and the distributed unit, the first unit sends second data in step S805, the second data is the uplink data of the second terminal device after the first physical layer processing and the second physical layer processing, the second physical layer processing includes digital beamforming processing, and the second physical layer processing can refer to Figure 7. Specifically, the first unit may include a collaborative cell where some terminal devices (such as the first terminal device) are located, and may also include a service cell where some terminal devices (such as the second terminal device) are located. Correspondingly, different from the processing process of the first unit on the uplink data of the first terminal device, after receiving the uplink data of the second terminal device, the first unit may send the uplink data of the second terminal device to the distributed unit to perform the first physical layer processing and the data after the second physical layer.

[0249] For the third terminal device, the second unit may be a unit where the serving cell of the third terminal device is located, and this example is described by taking the example that the third terminal device does not include a coordinated cell. Figure 8 In the process of processing uplink data involving the second terminal device, the process is shown in the following steps S806 and S807.

[0250] S806. The third terminal device sends the uplink data of the third terminal device, and correspondingly, the second unit receives the uplink data of the third terminal device.

[0251] S807. The second unit sends fourth data, and correspondingly, the distributed unit receives the fourth data.

[0252] Similarly, S806 and S807 may refer to the description of S804 and S805, which will not be repeated here.

[0253] It should be noted that the above implementation process is mainly described from the collaborative processing process of uplink data, and in actual application, the above implementation process can be applied to the collaborative processing process of downlink data. The collaborative processing process of downlink data can refer to the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0254] In order to implement the functions of the method provided by the present application, the device executing the method may include a hardware structure and / or a software module, and implement the functions in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module. Whether one of the functions is executed in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0255] See also Fig. 9 The present application provides a communication device 900 , which includes a processing module 901 and a transceiver module 902 .

[0256] As an implementation example, the communication device 900 can implement the functions of the first unit in the above method, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method. In the present application, the communication device 900 can be the first unit, or it can be a software module, an integrated circuit or a component, such as a chip, inside the first unit, without limitation. The following description takes the communication device 900 as the first unit as an example.

[0257] Specifically, the transceiver module 902 is used to receive uplink data of a first terminal device, at least one collaborative cell of the first terminal device corresponds to (or is located in) a first unit, and a service cell of the first terminal device corresponds to (or is located in) a second unit; the processing module 901 is used to determine first data; the transceiver module 902 is also used to send first data through a link between the first unit and the second unit, and the first data is the uplink data of the first terminal device processed by the first physical layer.

[0258] In a possible implementation manner, the first physical layer processing includes at least one of a fast Fourier transform processing and a cyclic prefix removal processing.

[0259] In a possible implementation manner, the first physical layer processing does not include digital beamforming processing.

[0260] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 902 is also used to receive first information, which includes an identifier of the at least one collaborative cell, an identifier of the service cell, and at least one item of first indication information; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the cell coordination type of the at least one collaborative cell is a collaborative cell.

[0261] In a possible implementation manner, the first information also includes information of other coordinated cells.

[0262] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 902 is further configured to send the first information through a link between the first unit and the second unit.

[0263] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 902 is also used to receive second information through a link between the first unit and the second unit, the second information including an identifier of a collaborative cell of the first terminal device, an identifier of the service cell and at least one of second indication information; wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the cell collaboration type of the service cell is a service cell.

[0264] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 902 is further used to send or receive a negotiation message through the link between the first unit and the second unit, where the negotiation message includes at least one of capability information, manufacturer information, security verification information, and encryption information.

[0265] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 902 is further configured to send third information through a link between the first unit and the distributed unit, where the third information includes an identifier of the first unit and / or a communication address of the first unit.

[0266] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 902 is further configured to receive fourth information through a link between the first unit and the distributed unit, where the fourth information includes an identifier of the second unit and / or a communication address of the second unit.

[0267] In a possible implementation manner, the first unit and the second unit are connected in cascade.

[0268] In a possible implementation manner, the first unit and the second unit are connected via a switch, and the switch is used to forward data processed by the first physical layer.

[0269] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 902 is also used to receive uplink data of a second terminal device, and the service cell of the second terminal device corresponds to (or is located in) the first unit; the transceiver module 902 is also used to send second data through the link between the first unit and the distributed unit, and the second data is the uplink data of the second terminal device after the first physical layer processing and the second physical layer processing, and the second physical layer processing includes digital beamforming processing.

[0270] As another implementation example, the communication device 900 can implement the function of the second unit in the above method, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method. In the present application, the communication device 900 can be the second unit, or it can be a software module, an integrated circuit or a component, such as a chip, inside the second unit, without limitation. The following description is made by taking the communication device 900 as the second unit as an example.

[0271] Specifically, the transceiver module 902 is used to receive first data through a link between the first unit and the second unit, and the first data is uplink data of the first terminal device processed by the first physical layer; wherein, at least one collaborative cell of the first terminal device corresponds to (or is located in) the first unit, and the service cell of the first terminal device corresponds to (or is located in) the second unit; the processing module 901 is used to determine third data; the transceiver module 902 is also used to send third data to the distributed unit, and the third data is obtained based on the first data processed by the second physical layer.

[0272] In one possible implementation, the second physical layer processing includes digital beamforming processing; or, the second physical layer processing includes digital beamforming processing and at least one of the following: decoding, rate matching, descrambling, demodulation, inverse discrete Fourier transform, channel equalization, and resource unit mapping.

[0273] In a possible implementation manner, the first physical layer processing includes at least one of a fast Fourier transform processing and a cyclic prefix removal processing.

[0274] In a possible implementation manner, the first physical layer processing does not include digital beamforming processing.

[0275] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 902 is also used to receive first information through a link between the first unit and the second unit, the first information including an identifier of the at least one collaborative cell, an identifier of the service cell and at least one item of the first indication information; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the cell coordination type of the at least one collaborative cell is a collaborative cell.

[0276] In a possible implementation manner, the first information also includes information of other coordinated cells.

[0277] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 902 is also used to receive second information, which includes the identifier of the collaborative cell of the first terminal device, the identifier of the service cell and at least one of the second indication information; wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the cell collaboration type of the service cell is a service cell.

[0278] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 902 is further configured to send the second information through a link between the first unit and the second unit.

[0279] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 902 is further used to send or receive a negotiation message through the link between the first unit and the second unit, where the negotiation message includes at least one of capability information, manufacturer information, security verification information, and encryption information.

[0280] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 902 is also used to send fourth information through the link between the second unit and the distributed unit, and the fourth information is used to indicate the communication information of the second unit, and the communication information includes the identifier of the second unit and / or the communication address of the second unit.

[0281] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 902 is further configured to receive third information through a link between the first unit and the second unit, where the third information includes an identifier of the first unit and / or a communication address of the first unit.

[0282] In a possible implementation manner, the first unit and the second unit are connected in cascade.

[0283] In a possible implementation manner, the first unit and the second unit are connected via a switch, and the switch is used to forward data processed by the first physical layer.

[0284] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 902 is also used to receive uplink data of a third terminal device; the transceiver module 902 is also used to send fourth data through the link between the second unit and the distributed unit, and the fourth data is the uplink data of the third terminal device after being processed by the first physical layer and the second physical layer.

[0285] It should be noted that the information execution process and other contents of the units of the above-mentioned communication device 900 can be specifically referred to the description of the method shown in the above-mentioned application, and will not be repeated here.

[0286] See also Fig.10 , is another schematic structural diagram of the communication device 1000 provided in the present application, and the communication device 1000 at least includes a logic circuit 1001. The communication device 1000 may be a chip or an integrated circuit.

[0287] Optionally, the communication device further includes an input / output interface 1002 .

[0288] in, Fig. 9 The transceiver module 902 shown may be a communication interface, which may be Fig.10 The input / output interface 1002 in the embodiment may include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication interface may also be a transceiver circuit, which may include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0289] Optionally, the input-output interface 1002 is used to receive uplink data of a first terminal device, at least one coordinated cell of the first terminal device corresponds to (or is located in) the first unit, and the service cell of the first terminal device corresponds to (or is located in) the second unit; the logic circuit 1001 is used to determine the first data; the input-output interface 1002 is also used to send the first data through the link between the first unit and the second unit, and the first data is the uplink data of the first terminal device processed by the first physical layer. It should be understood that the logic circuit 1001 and the input-output interface 1002 can also execute other steps executed by the first unit in any of the aforementioned examples and achieve corresponding beneficial effects, which will not be repeated here.

[0290] Optionally, the input-output interface 1002 is used to receive first data through a link between the first unit and the second unit, and the first data is uplink data of the first terminal device processed by the first physical layer; wherein at least one cooperative cell of the first terminal device corresponds to (or is located in) the first unit, and the service cell of the first terminal device corresponds to (or is located in) the second unit; the logic circuit 1001 is used to determine third data; the input-output interface 1002 is also used to send third data to the distributed unit, and the third data is obtained by processing the second physical layer based on the first data. It should be understood that the logic circuit 1001 and the input-output interface 1002 can also execute other steps performed by the second unit in any of the aforementioned examples and achieve corresponding beneficial effects, which will not be repeated here.

[0291] In one possible implementation, Fig. 9 The processing module 901 shown can be Fig.10 The logic circuit 1001 in FIG.

[0292] Optionally, the logic circuit 1001 may be a processing device, and the functions of the processing device may be partially or completely implemented by software. The functions of the processing device may be partially or completely implemented by software.

[0293] Optionally, the processing device may include a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor reads and executes the computer program stored in the memory to perform corresponding processing and / or steps in any one of the methods.

[0294] Alternatively, the processing device may include only a processor. A memory for storing a computer program is located outside the processing device, and the processor is connected to the memory via a circuit / wire to read and execute the computer program stored in the memory. The memory and the processor may be integrated together, or may be physically independent of each other.

[0295] Optionally, the processing device may be one or more chips, or one or more integrated circuits. For example, the processing device may be one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), system on chip (SoC), central processor unit (CPU), network processor (NP), digital signal processor (DSP), microcontroller unit (MCU), programmable logic device (PLD) or other integrated chips, or any combination of the above chips or processors.

[0296] See also Fig.11 , is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 1100 involved in the above example provided in the present application. The communication device 1100 may specifically be the communication device as the first unit or the second unit in the above example. The structure of the communication device may refer to Fig.11 The structure shown.

[0297] The communication device 1100 includes at least one processor 1111 and at least one network interface 1114 .

[0298] Further optionally, the communication device also includes at least one memory 1112, at least one transceiver 1113 and one or more antennas 1115. The processor 1111, the memory 1112, the transceiver 1113 and the network interface 1114 are connected, for example, through a bus. In the present application, the connection may include various interfaces, transmission lines or buses, etc., which are not limited in the present application. The antenna 1115 is connected to the transceiver 1113. The network interface 1114 is used to enable the communication device to communicate with other communication devices through a communication link. For example, the network interface 1114 may include a network interface between the communication device and the core network device, such as an S1 interface, and the network interface may include a network interface between the communication device and other communication devices (such as other network devices or core network devices), such as an X2 or Xn interface.

[0299] The processor 1111 is mainly used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and to control the entire communication device, execute the software program, and process the data of the software program, for example, to support the communication device to perform the actions described in the above implementation process. The communication device may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit, the baseband processor is mainly used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and the central processing unit is mainly used to control the entire terminal device, execute the software program, and process the data of the software program. Fig.11 The processor 1111 in the embodiment can integrate the functions of the baseband processor and the central processor. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the baseband processor and the central processor can also be independent processors, which are interconnected through technologies such as buses. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the network device can include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network formats, and the network device can include multiple central processors to enhance its processing capabilities. The various components of the network device can be connected through various buses. The baseband processor can also be described as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The central processor can also be described as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The function of processing the communication protocol and the communication data can be built into the processor, or it can be stored in the memory in the form of a software program, and the processor executes the software program to realize the baseband processing function.

[0300] The memory is mainly used to store software programs and data. The memory 1112 can exist independently and be connected to the processor 1111. Optionally, the memory 1112 can be integrated with the processor 1111, for example, integrated into a chip. Among them, the memory 1112 can store program codes for executing the technical solutions of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 1111. The various types of computer program codes executed can also be regarded as drivers of the processor 1111.

[0301] Fig.11 Only one memory and one processor are shown. In an actual network device, there may be multiple processors and multiple memories. The memory may also be referred to as a storage medium or a storage device, etc. The memory may be a storage element on the same chip as the processor, i.e., an on-chip storage element, or an independent storage element, which is not limited in this application.

[0302] The transceiver 1113 can be used to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency signals between the communication device and the terminal, and the transceiver 1113 can be connected to the antenna 1115. The transceiver 1113 includes a transmitter Tx and a receiver Rx. Specifically, one or more antennas 1115 can receive radio frequency signals, and the receiver Rx of the transceiver 1113 is used to receive the radio frequency signal from the antenna, and convert the radio frequency signal into a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency signal, and provide the digital baseband signal or the digital intermediate frequency signal to the processor 1111, so that the processor 1111 further processes the digital baseband signal or the digital intermediate frequency signal, such as demodulation and decoding. In addition, the transmitter Tx in the transceiver 1113 is also used to receive a modulated digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency signal from the processor 1111, and convert the modulated digital baseband signal or the digital intermediate frequency signal into a radio frequency signal, and send the radio frequency signal through one or more antennas 1115. Specifically, the receiver Rx can selectively perform one or more stages of down-mixing and analog-to-digital conversion processing on the RF signal to obtain a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency signal, and the order of the down-mixing and analog-to-digital conversion processing is adjustable. The transmitter Tx can selectively perform one or more stages of up-mixing and digital-to-analog conversion processing on the modulated digital baseband signal or digital intermediate frequency signal to obtain a RF signal, and the order of the up-mixing and digital-to-analog conversion processing is adjustable. The digital baseband signal and the digital intermediate frequency signal can be collectively referred to as a digital signal.

[0303] The transceiver 1113 may also be referred to as a transceiver module, a transceiver, a transceiver device, etc. Optionally, a device in the transceiver module for implementing a receiving function may be regarded as a receiving unit, and a device in the transceiver module for implementing a sending function may be regarded as a sending unit, that is, the transceiver module includes a receiving unit and a sending unit, the receiving unit may also be referred to as a receiver, an input port, a receiving circuit, etc., and the sending unit may be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitter, or a transmitting circuit, etc.

[0304] It should be noted that Fig.11 The communication device 1100 shown can be specifically used to implement the steps implemented by the first unit or the second unit in the aforementioned method, and to achieve the technical effects corresponding to the first unit or the second unit. Fig.11 The specific implementation methods of the communication device 1100 shown can refer to the description in the aforementioned method, which will not be repeated here.

[0305] The division of modules in this application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. In addition, each functional module in this application may be integrated into a processor, or may exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into one module. The above-mentioned integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules.

[0306] The technical solution provided in this application can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in this application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a terminal device or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center to another website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (digital subscriber line, DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium, etc.

[0307] In the present application, on the premise that there is no logical contradiction, the examples can reference each other, for example, the methods and / or terms between method examples can reference each other, for example, the functions and / or terms between device examples can reference each other, for example, the functions and / or terms between device examples and method examples can reference each other.

[0308] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Receiving uplink data of a first terminal device, where at least one coordinated cell of the first terminal device corresponds to a first unit, and a serving cell of the first terminal device corresponds to a second unit; First data is sent via a link between the first unit and the second unit, where the first data is uplink data of the first terminal device processed by a first physical layer.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first physical layer processing includes at least one of a fast Fourier transform processing and a cyclic prefix removal processing.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first physical layer processing does not include digital beamforming processing.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: Before sending the first data, the method further includes: Receive first information, the first information including an identifier of the at least one collaborative cell, an identifier of the serving cell and at least one item of first indication information; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the cell coordination type of the at least one collaborative cell is a collaborative cell.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that Before sending the first data, the method further includes: The first information is sent to the second unit via a link between the first unit and the second unit.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: Before sending the first data, the method further includes: The second information is received through the link between the first unit and the second unit, the second information including the identifier of the collaborative cell of the first terminal device, the identifier of the service cell and at least one of the second indication information; wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the cell collaboration type of the service cell is a service cell.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A negotiation message is sent or received via a link between the first unit and the second unit, wherein the negotiation message includes at least one of capability information, manufacturer information, security verification information, and encryption information.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: Before sending the first data, the method further includes: The third information is sent through the link between the first unit and the distributed unit, the third information including the identification of the first unit and / or the communication address of the first unit.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: Before sending the first data, the method further includes: Fourth information is received via a link between the first unit and the distributed unit, the fourth information including an identification of the second unit and / or a communication address of the second unit.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The first unit and the second unit are connected in cascade.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The first unit and the second unit are connected via a switch, and the switch is used to forward the first data.

12. A communication method, characterized in that: include: receiving first data through a link between the first unit and the second unit, where the first data is uplink data of the first terminal device processed by the first physical layer; wherein at least one coordinated cell of the first terminal device corresponds to the first unit, and the serving cell of the first terminal device corresponds to the second unit; Sending third data to the distributed unit, where the third data is obtained based on the first data after being processed by the second physical layer.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The second physical layer processing includes digital beamforming processing; The second physical layer processing further includes at least one of the following: Decoding, rate matching, descrambling, demodulation, inverse discrete Fourier transform, channel equalization, resource unit mapping.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The first physical layer processing includes at least one of a fast Fourier transform processing and a cyclic prefix removal processing.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that The first physical layer processing does not include digital beamforming processing.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that Before receiving the first data, the method further includes: First information is received through a link between the first unit and the second unit, wherein the first information includes an identifier of the at least one collaborative cell, an identifier of the serving cell and at least one item of first indication information; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the cell coordination type of the at least one collaborative cell is a collaborative cell.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that: Before receiving the first data, the method further includes: Receive second information, the second information including the identifier of the collaborative cell of the first terminal device, the identifier of the service cell and at least one of the second indication information; wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the cell collaboration type of the service cell is a service cell.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that Before receiving the first data, the method further includes: The second information is sent via a link between the first unit and the second unit.

19. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 18, characterized in that The method further comprises: A negotiation message is sent or received via a link between the first unit and the second unit, wherein the negotiation message includes at least one of capability information, manufacturer information, security verification information, and encryption information.

20. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 19, characterized in that Before receiving the first data, the method further includes: Fourth information is sent through a link between the second unit and the distributed unit, where the fourth information is used to indicate communication information of the second unit, and the communication information includes an identifier of the second unit and / or a communication address of the second unit.

21. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 20, characterized in that Before receiving the first data, the method further includes: Third information is received via a link between the first unit and the second unit, the third information including an identification of the first unit and / or a communication address of the first unit.

22. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 21, characterized in that The first unit and the second unit are connected in cascade.

23. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 21, characterized in that The first unit and the second unit are connected via a switch, and the switch is used to forward the first data.

24. A communication system, characterized in that: It includes the first unit and the second unit; The first unit is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, and the second unit is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 12 to 23.

25. The system according to claim 24, characterized in that The system further includes a switch, the first unit and the second unit are connected via the switch, and the switch is used to forward the first data.

26. The system according to claim 24 or 25, characterized in that The system also includes the distributed unit.

27. A communication device, characterized in that: A method comprising: comprising a unit for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11; or a method comprising: comprising a unit for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 23.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The medium stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed by a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23 is implemented.

29. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23.

Images