Communication method and related device

Abstract

A communication method and related device, the method comprising: a master node obtains first information and / or second information of at least two auxiliary nodes, the first information of any one auxiliary node indicating position information and / or rotation information of the auxiliary node, and the second information of any one auxiliary node indicating antenna configuration information of the auxiliary node; the main node determines spatial information of the at least two auxiliary nodes according to the first information and / or the second information of the at least two auxiliary nodes; and the main node sends the spatial information to the at least two auxiliary nodes. By adopting the method provided by the invention, the communication reliability and perception capability can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Radar can be used in non-contact object detection to achieve functions such as speed measurement, distance measurement, and imaging. When detecting a target, the radar transmitter emits electromagnetic waves, which are received by the radar receiver after being reflected by the target. By analyzing the changes in the transmitted wave and the target reflected wave through signal processing, the target's speed, distance, and other information can be solved, or the target can be detected and imaged through related algorithms. Considering that wireless communication has abundant spectrum resources, large deployment scale and wide coverage, radar perception and wireless communication can be integrated, that is, communication perception integration, which can meet both wireless communication needs and detection needs. At present, for devices with integrated communication and perception functions, a single device is constrained by cost, complexity, power consumption, etc., and its communication and perception capabilities are limited. Therefore, how to improve communication reliability and perception capabilities is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present application provides a communication method and related devices, which are conducive to improving communication reliability and perception capabilities.

[0004] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a master node, which can be the master node itself, or a module or chip in the master node. Exemplarily, the master node can be a network device or a terminal device. The method includes: obtaining first information and / or second information of at least two auxiliary nodes, the first information of any auxiliary node indicating the position information and / or rotation information of the auxiliary node, and the second information of any auxiliary node indicating the antenna configuration information of the auxiliary node; determining the spatial information of the at least two auxiliary nodes based on the first information and / or the second information of the at least two auxiliary nodes; and sending the spatial information to the at least two auxiliary nodes.

[0005] In the present application, the auxiliary node can be a device with integrated communication and perception functions. By designing a network of multiple auxiliary nodes and sending the information of each auxiliary node to the main node, the main node can determine the joint beam and distribute the corresponding spatial information to the auxiliary node, so that the subsequent auxiliary nodes can communicate or perceive based on the received spatial information. This will greatly improve the beam gain and help improve communication reliability and perception capabilities.

[0006] In a possible implementation, the position information of the auxiliary node is the absolute position coordinate value of the auxiliary node; or, the position information of the auxiliary node is the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node, and the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node is the change in the position of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to the reference position.

[0007] Under this implementation method, when the reported position information is an absolute position coordinate value, the main node can directly determine the absolute coordinate position of the auxiliary node based on the position information reported by the auxiliary node. This information carrying method is more intuitive; when the reported position information is a relative position coordinate value, although the main node needs to determine the absolute coordinate position of the auxiliary node based on the reference position and the reported relative position coordinate value, this information carrying method is more conducive to saving signaling overhead.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the rotation information of the auxiliary node is the absolute rotation angle value of the auxiliary node; or, the rotation information of the auxiliary node is the relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node, and the relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node is the change in the rotation angle of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to the reference angle.

[0009] Under this implementation method, when the reported rotation information is an absolute rotation angle value, the master node can directly determine the absolute rotation angle value of the auxiliary node based on the rotation information reported by the auxiliary node. This information carrying method is more intuitive; when the reported rotation information is a relative rotation angle value, although the master node needs to determine the absolute rotation angle value of the auxiliary node based on the reference angle and the reported relative rotation angle value, this information carrying method is more conducive to saving signaling overhead.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the antenna configuration information of the secondary node includes one or more of the following information:

[0011] Number of vertical plane antennas, number of horizontal plane antennas, number of polarizations, number of vertical panels, number of horizontal panels, number of vertical ports, number of horizontal ports, horizontal distance between antennas, or vertical distance between antennas.

[0012] In this implementation, the antenna configuration information includes information in multiple dimensions, which is conducive to improving the accuracy of the calculated spatial information, and further conducive to improving communication reliability and perception capabilities.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the acquiring the first information and / or the second information of at least two secondary nodes includes:

[0014] The first information and / or the second information is received from the at least two secondary nodes.

[0015] In this implementation manner, the first information and / or the second information of the auxiliary node can be actively reported by the auxiliary node, which is easy to implement.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0017] Sending first indication information to the at least two secondary nodes, where the first indication information is used to trigger the secondary node to report the first information and / or the second information;

[0018] The acquiring the first information and / or the second information of at least two secondary nodes includes:

[0019] The first information and / or the second information is received from the at least two secondary nodes.

[0020] In this implementation manner, the first information and / or the second information of the secondary node can be reported by the secondary node triggered by the primary node. This trigger-based approach can save signaling overhead and has high adaptability.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the first indication information is sent periodically, or the first indication information is sent semi-persistently, or the first indication information is sent aperiodically.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the first information and / or the second information is transmitted periodically, or the first information and / or the second information is transmitted semi-continuously, or the first information and / or the second information is transmitted aperiodically.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the spatial information includes beam information, wherein:

[0024] The beam information includes a beam direction; or,

[0025] The beam information includes an index of a beam direction, where one index corresponds to one beam direction.

[0026] In this implementation mode, it is more intuitive for the master node to directly distribute the beam direction; distributing the index of the beam direction is helpful to reduce the signaling overhead.

[0027] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a secondary node, which can be the secondary node itself, or a module or chip in the secondary node. Exemplarily, the secondary node can be a network device or a terminal device. The method includes: sending first information and / or second information to a primary node, the first information indicating the position information and / or rotation information of the secondary node, and the second information indicating the antenna configuration information of the secondary node; receiving the spatial information of the secondary node, the spatial information of the secondary node being determined based on the first information and / or the second information.

[0028] In the present application, the auxiliary node can be a device with integrated communication and perception functions. By designing a network of multiple auxiliary nodes and reporting the information of each auxiliary node to the main node, the main node can determine the joint beam and distribute the corresponding spatial information to the auxiliary node, so that the subsequent auxiliary nodes can communicate or perceive based on the received spatial information. This will greatly improve the beam gain and help improve communication reliability and perception capabilities.

[0029] In a possible implementation, sending the first information and / or the second information to the master node includes:

[0030] The first information and / or the second information is sent to the master node based on a first event; wherein the first event includes one or more of the following events:

[0031] The position change of the auxiliary node is greater than or equal to a first threshold;

[0032] The rotation angle of the auxiliary node is greater than or equal to a second threshold.

[0033] In this implementation manner, the auxiliary node triggers reporting of the first information and / or the second information based on an event, and the implementation manner is diverse and has high applicability.

[0034] In a possible implementation, the first threshold is half a wavelength, and / or the second threshold is angle detection accuracy.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0036] receiving first indication information from the primary node, where the first indication information is used to trigger the secondary node to report first information and / or second information;

[0037] The sending the first information and / or the second information to the master node includes:

[0038] The first information and / or the second information is sent to the master node according to the first indication information.

[0039] In this implementation, the secondary node is triggered to report the first information and / or the second information by receiving the first indication information sent by the primary node, which is beneficial to saving signaling overhead and has high adaptability.

[0040] In a possible implementation, the first indication information is sent periodically, or the first indication information is sent semi-persistently, or the first indication information is sent aperiodically.

[0041] In a possible implementation, the first information and / or the second information is transmitted periodically, or the first information and / or the second information is transmitted semi-continuously, or the first information and / or the second information is transmitted aperiodically.

[0042] In a possible implementation, the position information of the auxiliary node is the absolute position coordinate value of the auxiliary node; or, the position information of the auxiliary node is the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node, and the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node is the change in the position of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to the reference position.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the rotation information of the auxiliary node is the absolute rotation angle value of the auxiliary node; or, the rotation information of the auxiliary node is the relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node, and the relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node is the change in the rotation angle of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to the reference angle.

[0044] In a possible implementation, the antenna configuration information of the secondary node includes one or more of the following information:

[0045] Number of vertical plane antennas, number of horizontal plane antennas, number of polarizations, number of vertical panels, number of horizontal panels, number of vertical ports, number of horizontal ports, horizontal distance between antennas, or vertical distance between antennas.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the spatial information includes beam information, wherein:

[0047] The beam information includes a beam direction; or,

[0048] The beam information includes an index of a beam direction, where one index corresponds to one beam direction.

[0049] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a main node itself, or a module or chip in the main node. Exemplarily, the main node may be a network device or a terminal device. The communication device includes: a transceiver unit, used to obtain first information and / or second information of at least two auxiliary nodes, the first information of any auxiliary node indicating the position information and / or rotation information of the auxiliary node, and the second information of any auxiliary node indicating the antenna configuration information of the auxiliary node; a processing unit, used to determine the spatial information of the at least two auxiliary nodes based on the first information and / or the second information of the at least two auxiliary nodes; the transceiver unit, used to send the spatial information to the at least two auxiliary nodes.

[0050] In a possible implementation, the position information of the auxiliary node is the absolute position coordinate value of the auxiliary node; or, the position information of the auxiliary node is the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node, and the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node is the change in the position of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to the reference position.

[0051] In one possible implementation, the rotation information of the auxiliary node is the absolute rotation angle value of the auxiliary node; or, the rotation information of the auxiliary node is the relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node, and the relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node is the change in the rotation angle of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to the reference angle.

[0052] In a possible implementation, the antenna configuration information of the secondary node includes one or more of the following information:

[0053] Number of vertical plane antennas, number of horizontal plane antennas, number of polarizations, number of vertical panels, number of horizontal panels, number of vertical ports, number of horizontal ports, horizontal distance between antennas, or vertical distance between antennas.

[0054] In a possible implementation, when acquiring the first information and / or the second information of at least two secondary nodes, the transceiver unit is used to:

[0055] The first information and / or the second information is received from the at least two secondary nodes.

[0056] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further used for:

[0057] Sending first indication information to the at least two secondary nodes, where the first indication information is used to trigger the secondary node to report the first information and / or the second information;

[0058] When acquiring the first information and / or the second information of at least two secondary nodes, the transceiver unit is used to:

[0059] The first information and / or the second information is received from the at least two secondary nodes.

[0060] In a possible implementation, the first indication information is sent periodically, or the first indication information is sent semi-persistently, or the first indication information is sent aperiodically.

[0061] In a possible implementation, the first information and / or the second information is transmitted periodically, or the first information and / or the second information is transmitted semi-continuously, or the first information and / or the second information is transmitted aperiodically.

[0062] In a possible implementation, the spatial information includes beam information, wherein:

[0063] The beam information includes a beam direction; or,

[0064] The beam information includes an index of a beam direction, where one index corresponds to one beam direction.

[0065] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a secondary node itself, or a module or chip in the secondary node. Exemplarily, the secondary node may be a network device or a terminal device. The communication device includes: a transceiver unit, used to send first information and / or second information to a primary node, the first information indicating position information and / or rotation information of the secondary node, the second information indicating antenna configuration information of the secondary node; the transceiver unit, used to receive spatial information of the secondary node, the spatial information of the secondary node being determined based on the first information and / or the second information.

[0066] In a possible implementation, when sending the first information and / or the second information to the master node, the transceiver unit is used to:

[0067] The first information and / or the second information is sent to the master node based on a first event; wherein the first event includes one or more of the following events:

[0068] The position change of the auxiliary node is greater than or equal to a first threshold;

[0069] The rotation angle of the auxiliary node is greater than or equal to a second threshold.

[0070] In a possible implementation, the first threshold is half a wavelength, and / or the second threshold is angle detection accuracy.

[0071] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further used for:

[0072] receiving first indication information from the primary node, where the first indication information is used to trigger the secondary node to report first information and / or second information;

[0073] When sending the first information and / or the second information to the master node, the transceiver unit is used to:

[0074] The first information and / or the second information is sent to the master node according to the first indication information.

[0075] In a possible implementation, the first indication information is sent periodically, or the first indication information is sent semi-persistently, or the first indication information is sent aperiodically.

[0076] In a possible implementation, the first information and / or the second information is transmitted periodically, or the first information and / or the second information is transmitted semi-continuously, or the first information and / or the second information is transmitted aperiodically.

[0077] In a possible implementation, the position information of the auxiliary node is the absolute position coordinate value of the auxiliary node; or, the position information of the auxiliary node is the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node, and the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node is the change in the position of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to the reference position.

[0078] In one possible implementation, the rotation information of the auxiliary node is the absolute rotation angle value of the auxiliary node; or, the rotation information of the auxiliary node is the relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node, and the relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node is the change in the rotation angle of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to the reference angle.

[0079] In a possible implementation, the antenna configuration information of the secondary node includes one or more of the following information:

[0080] Number of vertical plane antennas, number of horizontal plane antennas, number of polarizations, number of vertical panels, number of horizontal panels, number of vertical ports, number of horizontal ports, horizontal distance between antennas, or vertical distance between antennas.

[0081] In a possible implementation, the spatial information includes beam information, wherein:

[0082] The beam information includes a beam direction; or,

[0083] The beam information includes an index of a beam direction, where one index corresponds to one beam direction.

[0084] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor, and the processor is used to execute a computer program so that the communication device performs a method as described in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0085] In one possible design, the communication device may be a chip that implements the method in the first aspect or the second aspect, or a device including a chip.

[0086] In one possible design, the communication device further includes a transceiver, and the processor is coupled to the transceiver.

[0087] In a possible design, the communication device further includes a memory. The processor is coupled to the memory, a computer program is stored in the memory, and the processor is further configured to call the computer program in the memory.

[0088] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor, and the processor is used to implement a method as described in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect through a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

[0089] In one possible design, the communication device further includes an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit the signals to the processor or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device.

[0090] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a computer, the method as described in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect is implemented.

[0091] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product. When a computer reads and executes the computer program product, the computer executes the method described in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0092] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which includes a primary node and one or more secondary nodes, wherein the primary node can be used to implement any of the methods described in the first aspect above, and the secondary node is used to implement any of the methods described in the second aspect above.

[0093] The beneficial effects of the second to ninth aspects can refer to the beneficial effects of the first aspect and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0094] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applied in an embodiment of the present application;

[0095] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0096] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an n-element uniform linear array;

[0097] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of periodic functions and gate functions;

[0098] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of TMA spectrum components provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0099] Figure 6 It is a flow chart of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0100] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the rotation of the antenna on the secondary node provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0101] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the format of the secondary node reporting information provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0102] Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of cooperative perception of drone scenes provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0103] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0104] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0105] The specific embodiments of the present application are further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0106] The terms "first" and "second" and the like in the specification, claims and drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device comprising a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0107] Reference to "embodiments" herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of the phrase in various locations in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0108] In the present application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, "more than one" means two or more, "at least two (items)" means two or three and more than three, and "and / or" is used to describe the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist at the same time, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" 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 or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0109] In order to better understand the embodiments of the present application, the system architecture and application scenarios involved in the embodiments of the present application are first introduced below. It is understandable that the system architecture and application scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0110] It is understandable that the communication system includes communication equipment, and the communication equipment can use air interface resources for wireless communication. Exemplarily, the communication equipment may include network equipment and terminal equipment, wherein the network equipment may include access network equipment and core network equipment, wherein the network equipment may also be referred to as network side equipment, or network side, etc., and this application does not limit this.

[0111] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system used in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 As shown, the communication system 1000 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may also include the Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g. Figure 1 110a and 110b, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (such as Figure 1 RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment ( Figure 1The terminal 120 is connected to the RAN node 110 in a wireless manner. The RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 in a wireless or wired manner. The core network device in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 may be different physical devices, or may be the same physical device that integrates the core network logical function and the radio access network logical function.

[0112] RAN 100 may be a cellular system related to the third generation partnership project (3GPP), for example, a 4G, 5G mobile communication system, or a future evolution system (for example, a 6G mobile communication system). RAN 100 may also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (cloud radio access network, CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (wireless fidelity, WiFi) system. RAN 100 may also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0113] The RAN node 110, which may also be sometimes referred to as an access network device, 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 base stations 110a and 110b may be understood as communication devices having base station functions, and the terminals 120a-120j may be understood as communication devices having terminal functions.

[0114] In one possible scenario, a RAN node may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node 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 description), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an on-board device, etc. For example, the access network device in the vehicle to everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in the present application may also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The RAN node in the present application may also be a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the RAN node.

[0115] 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 here completes the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence layer protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also complete the function of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU completes the functions of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also complete the functions of part of the physical layer or all of the physical layer. For the specific description of the above-mentioned various protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The CU and DU can be set separately, or can also be included in the same network element, such as the baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, for example, in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU) or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0116] 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, CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU are described as examples in this application. 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.

[0117] The terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, mobile equipment (ME), etc. The terminal can be widely used in various scenarios, for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, automatic driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. 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 ship, a robot, a mechanical arm, a smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0118] The core network may include one or more functional entities (or core network elements, network elements, entities, etc.), such as network slice selection function (NSSF), network exposure function (NEF), network storage function (NRF), policy control function (PCF), unified data management (UDM), access and mobility management function (AMF), authentication server function (AUSF), session management function (SMF), etc.

[0119] It should be noted that the above functional entity is only a name, and the name itself does not limit the entity. For example, the session management function may also be replaced by "session management function entity" or other names. Moreover, the session management function entity may also correspond to an entity including other functions in addition to the session management function. The user plane function may also be replaced by "user plane function entity" or other names, and the user plane function entity may also correspond to an entity including other functions in addition to the user plane function. A unified explanation is given here, and no further description is given below.

[0120] It should be noted that the message names between network elements or the names of parameters in the messages in the following embodiments of the present application are merely examples, and other names may be used in specific implementations, and the embodiments of the present application do not impose any specific limitations on this.

[0121] The technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to wireless communication between access network equipment and terminal equipment, wireless communication between access network equipment and access network equipment, and wireless communication between terminal equipment and terminal equipment. In the embodiment of the present application, the term "wireless communication" can also be referred to as "communication", and the term "communication" can also be described as "data transmission", "information transmission" or "transmission", etc., and the present application does not limit this. For the convenience of description, the following embodiments of the present application are mainly described with the main node and the auxiliary node as the execution subject of the method. Among them, the main node can specifically be the terminal device or access network device described above, and the auxiliary node can also be the terminal device or access network device described above, and the present application does not limit this.

[0122] The communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application is mainly aimed at long term evolution (LTE), 5G NR, 5G-Advanced, 6G and other protocol frameworks, and can be applied to a variety of mobile communication perception scenarios. For example, point-to-point transmission between a base station and a UE, or between a transmission and receiving point (TRP) and a UE, or between UEs, multi-hop / relay transmission between a base station and a user equipment, dual connectivity (DC) or multi-connection between multiple base stations and user equipment, and other scenarios. For example, see Figure 2 , Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the application scenario provided by the embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2 Four application scenarios are shown, namely point-to-point single connection, multi-hop single connection, dual connection, and multi-hop multi-connection. It should be understood that the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to Figure 2 In the various application scenarios shown, it should also be understood that Figure 2 This is only exemplary. From the perspective of business scenarios, the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application is also applicable to many scenarios, including but not limited to data encoding in extended reality (XR) services, uplink large capacity scenarios, etc. Figure 2 There is no restriction on the network architecture applicable to this application, and this application does not limit uplink, downlink, access link, backhaul link, sidelink (SL) and other transmissions.

[0123] In the present application, "sending information to...(secondary node)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the secondary node. It can include sending information to the secondary node directly or indirectly, for example, the primary node directly sends information to the secondary node, or the primary node sends information to another secondary node through a secondary node. "Receiving information from...(primary node)" can be understood as the source of the information being the primary node, and can include receiving information from the primary node directly or indirectly. The information may be processed as necessary between the source and destination of the information transmission, such as format changes, etc., but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in the present application can be understood similarly and will not be repeated here.

[0124] It should be understood that the terminal device can be any of the above-mentioned devices or chips, and the specifics are not limited here. Whether as a device or as a chip, the terminal device can be manufactured, sold or used as an independent product.

[0125] It should be understood that the device for implementing the function of the access network device may be the access network device itself, or may be a device that can support the access network device to implement the function, such as a chip system or a combination device or component that can implement the function of the access network device, and the device may be installed in the access network device. The chip system may be composed of chips, or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0126] The following is an explanation of the relevant technical features involved in the embodiments of the present application. It should be noted that these explanations are intended to make the embodiments of the present application easier to understand and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of protection claimed by the present application.

[0127] Communication and perception integration: Communication and perception integration is a key technology in the next generation of wireless communication networks. It aims to integrate wireless communication and perception into the same system, and use the various propagation characteristics of wireless signals to achieve perception functions such as positioning, detection, imaging and identification of targets, obtain information about the surrounding physical environment, tap into communication capabilities, and enhance user experience.

[0128] The basic principle of perception is to transmit a perception signal and simultaneously receive an echo signal reflected by a target in the environment. The time delay of the echo signal relative to the sent perception signal reflects the distance of the target; the Doppler frequency shift of the echo signal relative to the sent perception signal reflects the speed of the target. The echo signal can also be described as a reflection signal, etc., which is not limited here.

[0129] From the development trend, communication is gradually moving from the time domain and frequency domain to the air domain, and directional communication and space division multiple access technology will become the mainstream in the future. Modern communication technology has begun to adopt smart antennas and space division multiple access technology. The essence of communication perception integration based on space division is to transfer signal processing from time division / frequency division multiple access to space division multiple access, which is in line with the development direction of modern technology and will also be the development trend of future integrated electronic information systems. At the same time, the high gain, low side lobe and low side lobe characteristics of phased array radar will greatly improve the anti-interference ability of communication. In order to increase the flexibility of antenna control, the time variable is introduced as a new design freedom into the traditional phased array antenna, and then the time modulation array is proposed. In a broad sense, the time modulation array also belongs to the category of phased array. However, both in terms of radiation characteristics and array synthesis, the time modulation array is very different from the traditional phased array.

[0130] This application is based on a space-division communication and perception integrated system based on a time modulated array (TMA), that is, the master node and the auxiliary node involved in the embodiment of this application can form a fundamental wave and multiple harmonics based on TMA, which are used for communication and perception respectively, thereby realizing the communication and perception integrated function. The basic principles of TMA are as follows:

[0131] Consider an N-element uniform linear array with an element spacing d, such as Figure 3 Its array factor can be expressed as:

[0132]

[0133] in, is the amplitude and phase of the static excitation of the nth array element, β = 2π / λ, λ is the wavelength, and θ is the incident direction of the incident wave.

[0134] ULA can be transformed into TMA through periodic modulation. Compared with the traditional antenna array, the time modulation array adds a periodically modulated RF switch to each RF front end of the array. In mathematical terms, it is to use a periodic function to modulate the signal received or transmitted on the channel.

[0135] Assume U n (t) is the periodic function of modulating the nth array element, expressed as:

[0136]

[0137] Among them, T p is the modulation period. g n (t) is the gate function, which can be written as:

[0138]

[0139] Among them, τ on,n and τ off,n They represent the opening and closing time of the nth array element respectively. Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of periodic functions and gate functions.

[0140] In addition, the periodic function U n (t) can be expanded by Fourier series as:

[0141]

[0142] where F p =1 / T p is the modulation frequency, α nk is the k-th order harmonic coefficient, which can be calculated by the following formula (5):

[0143]

[0144] Based on equation (5), the following conclusions can be drawn. First, the fundamental component α of the nth channel n0 is a real number whose amplitude is proportional to the duty cycle F of the on time p (τ off,n -τ on,n ). Secondly, the harmonic component α nk The amplitude is a sinc(·) function with independent variable k, and its phase is related to the center position of the switching moment, that is, F p (τ off,n +τ on,n ).

[0145] In TMA, equation (1) can be rewritten as:

[0146]

[0147] The array factor of TMA becomes the sum of the fundamental component and each harmonic component, which can be expressed as:

[0148]

[0149]

[0150] As shown in equations (7) and (8), for the fundamental component, since its coefficient α n0 is a real number, and the main lobe pointing is the same as that of the ULA with the same configuration. For the harmonic components, due to their coefficients α nk are complex numbers, and their main lobes point to different directions. As shown in equation (5), the amplitude and phase of the harmonic coefficients are determined by the turn-on time τ on,n and the closing time τ off,nTherefore, the fundamental wave pattern of the array can be determined by the static coefficient A n By selecting the appropriate on and off times, the radiation pattern of each harmonic can be controlled.

[0151] Consider an N-element TMA operating in receive mode with an element spacing of d, such as Figure 5 As shown. The carrier frequency is F c The far-field signal s(t) of is incident on the antenna array at an angle θ. The static gain of the nth channel is A n The output of TMA is the fundamental component s0(t) and each harmonic component s k (t), k = ±1, ±2, .... The frequency of s0(t) is F c ,s k The frequency of (t) is F c +kF p . So the output of the received signal can be expressed as follows:

[0152]

[0153] The characteristics of the Fourier series of periodic signals show that after time modulation, the spectrum of the original signal will be modulated at the modulation frequency F on the frequency axis. p Repeated extension, such as Figure 5 As shown, the bandwidth of the original signal is B.

[0154] In order to avoid spectrum aliasing, the modulation frequency and the original signal bandwidth should satisfy F p ≥B. In practical applications, RF switches have specific on and off times. This non-ideal characteristic of hardware will have a certain impact on the spectrum of the output signal. Generally speaking, the faster the switch is on or off, the closer the spectrum of the output signal will be to the spectrum of the desired signal.

[0155] According to the above analysis, the frequency is F c The incident signal s(t) can be converted into a series of harmonic components and a fundamental component, but the amplitude of each component is determined by the incident angle. By using a bandpass filter, a small amount of the remaining harmonic components (or fundamental components) can be filtered out. Therefore, the spatial division multiple access signal can be converted into a frequency division multiple access signal through TMA, which means that different signals can share the same spectrum in the RF channel.

[0156] According to the antenna reciprocity theory, the properties of the transmit TMA are similar to those of the receive TMA, such as the antenna radiation pattern. c The signal s(t) is transmitted through TMA, and the output signal will be a series of modulation frequencies F c +kFp The harmonic components and fundamental components of the kth harmonic are all pointed in different directions by the array factor F of the kth harmonic. k (θ) or the array factor F0(θ) of the fundamental wave, as shown in equations (7) and (8). If only the fundamental wave component is needed, a narrowband antenna can be used. In this case, all harmonic components will be filtered out, and the carrier frequency in the RF channel is F c If the original signal is modulated to various harmonic frequencies before transmission, the main lobes of the fundamental components of each signal will point in different directions. In other words, frequency division multiple access is converted into space division multiple access through TMA.

[0157] For example, if you want to send three signals s1(t), s2(t) and s3(t) to three directions θ0, +θ1 and -θ2 respectively, you can modulate these signals onto different carrier frequencies in advance:

[0158]

[0159] After TMA, these three signals are modulated onto the carrier F. c The directional function F0(θ) points to the three directions of θ0, +θ1 and -θ2. +1 (θ) is the main lobe direction, -θ2 is F -2 (θ) is the main lobe direction. s1(t), s2(t) and s3(t) are the same carrier frequency F c signal.

[0160] The communication method and communication device provided by this application are described in detail below:

[0161] See also Figure 6 , Figure 6 is a flow chart of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 6 As shown, the communication method includes the following steps S601 to S603. Figure 6 The method execution subject shown can be a primary node and a secondary node, or, Figure 6 The execution subject of the method shown can also be a chip in the main node and a chip in the auxiliary node. For the convenience of description, Figure 6 The main example of the method execution subject is mainly the main node and auxiliary node. It should be noted that Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of a method embodiment of the present application, showing detailed communication steps or operations of the method, but these steps or operations are only examples, and the present application embodiment may also perform other operations or Figure 6 In addition, Figure 6The steps in Figure 6 are executed in a different order than those presented, and may not be executed in the order Figure 6 All operations in . Among them:

[0162] S601: A primary node obtains first information and / or second information of at least two secondary nodes.

[0163] In some feasible implementations, the main node obtaining the first information and / or second information of at least two auxiliary nodes can be understood as: the at least two auxiliary nodes send their respective first information and / or second information to the main node respectively, so that the main node can receive the first information and / or second information from the at least two auxiliary nodes. Optionally, the main node obtaining the first information and / or second information of at least two auxiliary nodes can be understood as: the main node reads the first information and / or second information of the at least two auxiliary nodes previously obtained from the memory, where the memory can be the internal memory of the main node, or it can also be an external memory, or it can also be cloud storage, etc., which is not limited here. For example, assuming that the main node has obtained the information of all auxiliary nodes last time, and the information of each auxiliary node has not been updated this time, therefore, each auxiliary node does not need to re-report the information this time, and then the main node can use the information of all auxiliary nodes obtained previously as the information required this time. Optionally, the master node obtains the first information and / or the second information of at least two auxiliary nodes, which can also be understood as: the master node receives the first information and / or the second information reported by a part of the at least two auxiliary nodes, and reads the first information and / or the second information of another part of the at least two auxiliary nodes from the memory. For example, taking three auxiliary nodes (such as auxiliary nodes 1 to 3) as an example, assuming that the master node has learned the information of the three auxiliary nodes last time, and stored the obtained information of the three auxiliary nodes in the memory, if the information of auxiliary node 1 is not updated this time, and the information of auxiliary nodes 2 and 3 is updated, then auxiliary node 1 does not need to report information again this time (that is, the master node can use the information of auxiliary node 1 obtained last time as the information of auxiliary node 1 this time), and use the information received from auxiliary node 2 and auxiliary node 3 this time as the information of auxiliary node 2 and auxiliary node 3 required this time.

[0164] It should be noted that when the first information and / or the second information is sent by the auxiliary node to the main node, if the main node is an access network device and the auxiliary node is a terminal device, the auxiliary node can send the first information and / or the second information to the main node through the uplink control information (uplink control information, UCI) in the PUSCH or the Uu port, wherein the UCI can be carried through the physical uplink shared channel (physical downlink shared channel, PUSCH) or the physical uplink control channel (physical uplink control channel, PUCCH). Optionally, if the main node is terminal device 1 and the auxiliary node is terminal device 2, the auxiliary node can send the first information and / or the second information to the main node through the sidelink feedback control information (sidelink feedback control information, SFCI) or the sidelink (sidelink, SL), wherein the SFCI can be carried through the physical sidelink feedback channel (physical sidelink feedback channel, PSFCH).

[0165] In some feasible implementations, the information may be actively sent / reported by the auxiliary node to the main node. Exemplarily, the auxiliary node may periodically send information to the main node, or the auxiliary node may semi-continuously send information to the main node, or the auxiliary node may non-periodically send information to the main node. Again exemplarily, the auxiliary node may also send the first information and / or the second information to the main node based on the first event. Among them, the first event includes one or more of the following events: ① The position change of the auxiliary node is greater than or equal to the first threshold. ② The rotation angle of the auxiliary node is greater than or equal to the second threshold. That is to say, ① for a certain auxiliary node, when the position change of the auxiliary node is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the auxiliary node sends information to the main node, and when the position change of the auxiliary node is less than the first threshold, the auxiliary node does not send information (or, when the position change of the auxiliary node is greater than the first threshold, the auxiliary node sends information to the main node, and when the position change of the auxiliary node is less than or equal to the first threshold, the auxiliary node does not send information). ② For a certain auxiliary node, when the rotation angle of the auxiliary node is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the auxiliary node sends information to the main node, and when the rotation angle of the auxiliary node is less than the second threshold, the auxiliary node does not send information (or, when the rotation angle of the auxiliary node is greater than the second threshold, the auxiliary node sends information to the main node, and when the rotation angle of the auxiliary node is less than or equal to the second threshold, the auxiliary node does not send information). Exemplarily, the first threshold involved in the embodiments of the present application can be half a wavelength, and the second threshold can be angle detection accuracy, etc., which are not limited here.

[0166] Optionally, in some feasible implementations, the information may also be sent by the secondary node triggered by the primary node. Specifically, the primary node may send a first indication message (or enabling message) to the secondary node, and the first indication message is used to trigger the secondary node to send the first information and / or the second information. Optionally, the first indication message may be sent periodically, or the first indication message may be sent semi-continuously, or the first indication message may be sent non-periodically, and the present application does not impose any restrictions on this. Exemplarily, when the primary node is an access network device and the secondary node is a terminal device, the channel state information (CSI) measurement configuration and reporting framework may be reused for expansion and enhancement, such as adding the first indication information to the CSI measurement configuration sent by the access network device, and adding the first information and / or the second information to the CSI measurement report reported by the terminal device.

[0167] It is understandable that the first information of any auxiliary node indicates the position information and / or rotation information of the auxiliary node, and the second information of any auxiliary node indicates the antenna configuration information of the auxiliary node. Optionally, the first information and the second information may also be the same information, that is, the first information (or second information) of any auxiliary node indicates the position information, rotation information, and antenna configuration information of the auxiliary node.

[0168] It is understandable that the rotation information of the auxiliary node in the present application is specifically the rotation information of the antenna on the auxiliary node. For the convenience of description, the "rotation information of the antenna on the auxiliary node" is briefly referred to as "rotation information of the auxiliary node" in the following text. For example, see Figure 7 , Figure 7 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the rotation of the antenna on the auxiliary node provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 As shown, four antenna panels are installed on the auxiliary node, and there are two antennas on each antenna panel.

[0169] Optionally, the location information of the auxiliary node can also be understood as the location information of the antenna on the auxiliary node. The location information of the auxiliary node can be the absolute position coordinate value of the auxiliary node. Alternatively, the location information of the auxiliary node can be the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node, wherein the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node is the change in the position of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to the reference position, and the change can be the specific value of the change in the position of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to the reference position (for example, how many meters), or it can also be the percentage of the change in the position of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to the reference position (for example, how many percent). Here, the reference position can be the position of the auxiliary node obtained by the main node last time (or previous time), or the reference position can be the position reported by the auxiliary node, or the reference position can be a predefined position, or the reference position can be a previously stored position, etc. This application does not limit this. Exemplarily, the location information of the auxiliary node can be global navigation satellite system (GNSS) information.

[0170] It should be noted that when the spatial rectangular coordinate system is used to represent the absolute position coordinate value of the auxiliary node, the absolute position coordinate value of the auxiliary node can be represented as (x, y, z), where x represents the value on the horizontal axis, y represents the value on the vertical axis, and z represents the value on the vertical axis. When the spatial rectangular coordinate system is used to represent the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node, the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node can be represented as (△x, △y, △z), where △x represents the change on the horizontal axis, △y represents the change on the vertical axis, and △z represents the change on the vertical axis.

[0171] Optionally, when the geodetic coordinate system is used to represent the absolute position coordinate value of the auxiliary node, the absolute position coordinate value of the auxiliary node can be represented as (B, L, H), where B represents the geodetic latitude, L represents the geodetic longitude, and H represents the geodetic height. When the geodetic coordinate system is used to represent the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node, the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node can be represented as (△B, △L, △H), where △B represents the change in geodetic latitude, △L represents the change in geodetic longitude, and △H represents the change in geodetic height.

[0172] For example, the absolute position coordinate value of the auxiliary node can be directly expressed as (+50, -23, +5), where the unit is meter (m).

[0173] For another example, taking the coordinate value of the reference position as (+50, +50, +50), where the unit is meter (m), and assuming that the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node is (0, -73, -45), then based on the coordinate value of the reference position and the relative position coordinate value, the absolute position coordinate value can be determined to be (+50, -23, +5), where the unit is meter (m).

[0174] The rotation information of the auxiliary node can be the absolute rotation angle value of the auxiliary node, or the rotation information of the auxiliary node can also be the relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node, wherein the relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node is the change in the rotation angle of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to the reference angle, and the change can be the specific value of the change in the rotation angle of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to the reference angle (for example, how many degrees), or it can also be the percentage of the change in the rotation angle of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to the reference angle (for example, how many percent). Here, the reference angle can be the rotation angle of the auxiliary node obtained by the main node last time (or previous time), or the reference angle is the rotation angle reported by the auxiliary node, or the reference angle is a predefined angle, or the reference angle is a previously stored angle value, etc., and the present application does not impose any restrictions on this. Exemplarily, the rotation information of the auxiliary node can be measured by a gyroscope. Among them, if the rotation information of the auxiliary node is the absolute rotation angle value of the auxiliary node, then the absolute rotation angle value of the auxiliary node can be expressed as (α, β), where α represents the rotation angle in the horizontal direction, and β represents the rotation angle in the vertical direction. If the rotation information of the auxiliary node is the relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node, then the relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node can be expressed as (△α, △β), where △α represents the change in the rotation angle in the horizontal direction, and △β represents the change in the rotation angle in the vertical direction.

[0175] The antenna configuration information of the auxiliary node includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the number of vertical plane antennas, the number of horizontal plane antennas, the number of polarizations, the number of vertical panels, the number of horizontal panels, the number of vertical ports, the number of horizontal ports, the distance between horizontal antennas, or the distance between vertical antennas. It is understandable that the number of vertical ports can be determined based on the number of vertical plane antennas, the number of vertical panels, and the number of polarizations, for example, Mp=M*Mg*P, where Mp represents the number of vertical ports, M represents the number of vertical plane antennas, Mg represents the number of vertical panels, and P represents the number of polarizations. The number of horizontal ports can be determined based on the number of horizontal plane antennas, the number of horizontal panels, and the number of polarizations, for example, Np=N*Ng*P, where Np represents the number of horizontal ports, N represents the number of horizontal plane antennas, Ng represents the number of horizontal panels, and P represents the number of polarizations.

[0176] For example, see Figure 8 , Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the format of the secondary node reporting information provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 8As shown, the position information of the auxiliary node is (+50, -23, +5), the unit is m, the rotation information of the auxiliary node is (5%, 10%), and the antenna configuration information of the auxiliary node includes the number of vertical plane antennas M=1, the number of horizontal plane antennas N=4, the number of polarizations P=2, the number of vertical panels Mg=1, the number of horizontal panels Ng=1, the horizontal antenna distance dH=0, and the vertical antenna distance dV=0.5. Optionally, since the number of vertical ports Mp=M*Mg*P and the number of horizontal ports Np=N*Ng*P, based on Figure 8 From the information reported by the auxiliary node, it can be determined that the number of vertical ports Mp=2 and the number of horizontal ports Np=8.

[0177] S602: The primary node determines spatial information of at least two secondary nodes according to the first information and / or the second information of at least two secondary nodes.

[0178] In some feasible implementations, the master node may determine the spatial information of at least two auxiliary nodes based on the first information and / or the second information of at least two auxiliary nodes. Optionally, in actual implementation, in a certain calculation, there may be a situation where the position information, rotation information, and antenna configuration information of a certain auxiliary node or some auxiliary nodes have not changed compared to the previous calculation. Therefore, the master node may determine the spatial information of at least one auxiliary node based on the first information and / or the second information of at least two auxiliary nodes.

[0179] Here, the spatial information may be one or more of beam information, angle information, large-scale parameters, or spatial domain parameter, spatial parameter, spatial domain setting, spatial setting, quasi-colocation (QCL) information, QCL assumption, QCL indication, and the like.

[0180] Exemplarily, the master node may obtain the joint beam direction (or referred to as a joint beamforming matrix or a joint beamforming vector) based on the following formula according to the obtained first information and second information:

[0181]

[0182] Where θ represents the joint beam direction (or main beam direction), A i represents the antenna configuration information of auxiliary node i, N represents the number of auxiliary nodes, I i represents the antenna element excitation of auxiliary node i, α i,1 represents the amplitude coefficient of the antenna element of auxiliary node i for harmonic +1, β irepresents the phase coefficient of the antenna element of auxiliary node i for harmonic +1, represents the location information of auxiliary node i, α γ Represents the rotation information of auxiliary node i.

[0183] Furthermore, the master node decomposes the acquired joint beam direction (for example, decomposes it horizontally and vertically) to obtain the spatial information corresponding to each slave node. It can be understood that the composite direction of the beam generated and sent by each slave node based on the spatial information received is the joint beam direction.

[0184] S603: The primary node sends spatial information to the secondary node. Correspondingly, the secondary node receives the spatial information.

[0185] In some feasible implementations, the master node may send spatial information corresponding to each of the auxiliary nodes to at least two auxiliary nodes. Optionally, in actual implementation, in a certain calculation, there may be a situation where the position information, rotation information, and antenna configuration information of a certain auxiliary node or some auxiliary nodes have not changed compared to the previous calculation. Therefore, the master node may not send spatial information to the auxiliary nodes that have not changed, that is, the master node may send spatial information corresponding to each auxiliary node to at least one auxiliary node.

[0186] It is understandable that when the spatial information is beam information, the beam information can specifically be a beam direction, that is, the master node can directly indicate the beam direction of the secondary node. Alternatively, the beam information can also be an index of the beam direction, where one index corresponds to a beam direction, that is, the master node can indicate the index of the beam direction of the secondary node. Therefore, when the secondary node receives the index of the beam direction sent from the master node, it can determine the corresponding beam direction according to the index. The mapping relationship between the index of the beam direction and the beam direction can be predefined by the protocol, or it can be preconfigured, or it can be configured by the master node (for example, the master node can be configured by radio resource control (RRC) signaling). The spatial information of the secondary node involved in the present application can be specifically carried in DCI or MAC CE, etc., and the present application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0187] It should be noted that, after the auxiliary node receives the spatial information corresponding to itself, each auxiliary node can form / generate a corresponding beam based on the received spatial information and transmit it for detecting the target object or for communication. For the convenience of description, the subsequent embodiments of the present application are mainly illustrated by taking the auxiliary node forming a corresponding beam and transmitting it for detection according to the spatial information distributed by the main node as an example.

[0188] For example, see Fig. 9 , Fig. 9 Schematic diagram of cooperative perception of drone scenes provided by the embodiment of the present application. Fig. 9 As shown, the main node and the auxiliary node are both drones. The main node sends corresponding spatial information to auxiliary nodes 1 to 6 respectively. The synthetic direction of the beams generated and sent by auxiliary nodes 1 to 6 based on their respective spatial information is the joint beam direction.

[0189] It is understandable that after the auxiliary node sends a beam to detect the target object, it can obtain relevant information of the target object (such as distance, speed, angle, etc.) and send it to the main node in the following way:

[0190] Mode 1: The auxiliary node obtains the original data and directly forwards it to the main node. The main node integrates and processes the data of multiple auxiliary nodes to obtain accurate information of the target object (such as distance, speed, angle, etc.). For example, the original data may include signal amplitude, phase, delay, frequency deviation, Doppler information, and other signal-related information.

[0191] Method 2: After the auxiliary node obtains the original data, it first processes the data to obtain the intermediate information or final information of the target object and sends it to the main node. The main node then integrates and processes the data of multiple auxiliary nodes to obtain accurate information of the target object (such as distance, speed, angle, etc.). Exemplarily, the intermediate information can be time information, spatial information, position information, angle information, etc. obtained based on signal-related information, and the final information can be distance, speed, angle, height, behavior, action, etc. of the target object.

[0192] In an embodiment of the present application, the auxiliary node can be a device with integrated communication and perception functions. By designing a network of multiple auxiliary nodes and sending the information of each auxiliary node to the main node, the main node can determine the joint beam and distribute the corresponding spatial information to the auxiliary node, so that the subsequent auxiliary nodes can communicate or perceive based on the received spatial information. This will greatly improve the beam gain and help improve communication reliability and perception capabilities.

[0193] The following will be combined Figure 10-11 The communication device provided in this application is described in detail.

[0194] It is understandable that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0195] Fig.10 and Fig.11 The schematic diagram of the structure of possible communication devices provided by the embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the master node or the auxiliary node in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above method embodiments.

[0196] like Fig.10 As shown, the communication device 1000 includes a processing unit 1010 and a transceiver unit 1020. The communication device 1000 is used to implement the above Figure 6 The functions of the master node or the slave node in the method embodiment shown in FIG.

[0197] When the communication device 1000 is used to implement Figure 6 The functions of the master node in the method embodiment shown are:

[0198] The transceiver unit 1020 is used to obtain the first information and / or the second information of at least two auxiliary nodes, wherein the first information of any auxiliary node indicates the position information and / or rotation information of the auxiliary node, and the second information of any auxiliary node indicates the antenna configuration information of the auxiliary node; the processing unit 1010 is used to determine the spatial information of the at least two auxiliary nodes based on the first information and / or the second information of the at least two auxiliary nodes; and the transceiver unit 1020 is used to send the spatial information to the at least two auxiliary nodes.

[0199] In a possible implementation, the position information of the auxiliary node is the absolute position coordinate value of the auxiliary node; or, the position information of the auxiliary node is the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node, and the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node is the change in the position of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to the reference position.

[0200] In one possible implementation, the rotation information of the auxiliary node is the absolute rotation angle value of the auxiliary node; or, the rotation information of the auxiliary node is the relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node, and the relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node is the change in the rotation angle of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to the reference angle.

[0201] In a possible implementation, the antenna configuration information of the secondary node includes one or more of the following information:

[0202] Number of vertical plane antennas, number of horizontal plane antennas, number of polarizations, number of vertical panels, number of horizontal panels, number of vertical ports, number of horizontal ports, horizontal distance between antennas, or vertical distance between antennas.

[0203] In a possible implementation, when acquiring the first information and / or the second information of at least two secondary nodes, the transceiver unit 1020 is configured to:

[0204] The first information and / or the second information is received from the at least two secondary nodes.

[0205] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1020 is further configured to:

[0206] Sending first indication information to the at least two secondary nodes, where the first indication information is used to trigger the secondary node to report the first information and / or the second information;

[0207] When acquiring the first information and / or the second information of at least two secondary nodes, the transceiver unit 1020 is used to:

[0208] The first information and / or the second information is received from the at least two secondary nodes.

[0209] In a possible implementation, the first indication information is sent periodically, or the first indication information is sent semi-persistently, or the first indication information is sent aperiodically.

[0210] In a possible implementation, the first information and / or the second information is transmitted periodically, or the first information and / or the second information is transmitted semi-continuously, or the first information and / or the second information is transmitted aperiodically.

[0211] In a possible implementation, the spatial information includes beam information, wherein:

[0212] The beam information includes a beam direction; or,

[0213] The beam information includes an index of a beam direction, where one index corresponds to one beam direction.

[0214] When the communication device 1000 is used to implement Figure 6 The functions of the auxiliary node in the method embodiment shown are:

[0215] The transceiver unit 1020 is used to send first information and / or second information to the main node, where the first information indicates the position information and / or rotation information of the auxiliary node, and the second information indicates the antenna configuration information of the auxiliary node; the transceiver unit 1020 is used to receive the spatial information of the auxiliary node, and the spatial information of the auxiliary node is determined based on the first information and / or the second information.

[0216] In a possible implementation, when sending the first information and / or the second information to the master node, the transceiver unit 1020 is used to:

[0217] The first information and / or the second information is sent to the master node based on a first event; wherein the first event includes one or more of the following events:

[0218] The position change of the auxiliary node is greater than or equal to a first threshold;

[0219] The rotation angle of the auxiliary node is greater than or equal to a second threshold.

[0220] In a possible implementation, the first threshold is half a wavelength, and / or the second threshold is angle detection accuracy.

[0221] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1020 is further configured to:

[0222] receiving first indication information from the primary node, where the first indication information is used to trigger the secondary node to report first information and / or second information;

[0223] When sending the first information and / or the second information to the master node, the transceiver unit 1020 is used to:

[0224] The first information and / or the second information is sent to the master node according to the first indication information.

[0225] In a possible implementation, the first indication information is sent periodically, or the first indication information is sent semi-persistently, or the first indication information is sent aperiodically.

[0226] In a possible implementation, the first information and / or the second information is transmitted periodically, or the first information and / or the second information is transmitted semi-continuously, or the first information and / or the second information is transmitted aperiodically.

[0227] In a possible implementation, the position information of the auxiliary node is the absolute position coordinate value of the auxiliary node; or, the position information of the auxiliary node is the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node, and the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node is the change in the position of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to the reference position.

[0228] In one possible implementation, the rotation information of the auxiliary node is the absolute rotation angle value of the auxiliary node; or, the rotation information of the auxiliary node is the relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node, and the relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node is the change in the rotation angle of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to the reference angle.

[0229] In a possible implementation, the antenna configuration information of the secondary node includes one or more of the following information:

[0230] Number of vertical plane antennas, number of horizontal plane antennas, number of polarizations, number of vertical panels, number of horizontal panels, number of vertical ports, number of horizontal ports, horizontal distance between antennas, or vertical distance between antennas.

[0231] In a possible implementation, the spatial information includes beam information, wherein:

[0232] The beam information includes a beam direction; or,

[0233] The beam information includes an index of a beam direction, where one index corresponds to one beam direction.

[0234] For more detailed description of the processing unit 1010 and the transceiver unit 1020, please refer to Figure 6 The method embodiment shown is described in detail.

[0235] like Fig.11 As shown, the communication device 1100 includes a processor 1110 and an interface circuit 1120. The processor 1110 and the interface circuit 1120 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1120 can be a transceiver or an input-output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1100 may also include a memory 1130 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1110 or storing input data required by the processor 1110 to execute instructions or storing data generated after the processor 1110 executes instructions.

[0236] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement Figure 6 When the method is shown, the processor 1110 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned processing unit 1010, and the interface circuit 1120 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned transceiver unit 1020.

[0237] When the above communication device is a chip applied to the master node, the master node chip implements the function of the master node in the above method embodiment. The master node chip receives information (such as the first information and / or the second information) sent by the auxiliary node to the master node through other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the master node; or, the master node chip sends information (such as spatial information) to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the master node, and the information is sent by the master node to the auxiliary node.

[0238] When the above communication device is a chip applied to the auxiliary node, the auxiliary node chip implements the function of the auxiliary node in the above method embodiment. The auxiliary node chip receives information (such as spatial information) sent by the main node through other modules (such as radio frequency module or antenna) in the auxiliary node; or, the auxiliary node chip sends information (such as first information and / or second information) to other modules (such as radio frequency module or antenna) in the auxiliary node, and the information is sent by the auxiliary node to the main node.

[0239] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0240] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware, or in software instructions that can be executed by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, register, hard disk, mobile hard disk, CD-ROM or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and can write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a master node or a slave node. The processor and the storage medium can also be present in a master node or a slave node as discrete components.

[0241] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by 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 programs or instructions. When the computer program or instruction is loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is executed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device or other programmable device. The computer program or instruction may 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 program or instruction may be transmitted from one website site, computer, server or data center to another website site, computer, server or data center by wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape; it may also be an optical medium, for example, a digital video disc; it may also be a semiconductor medium, for example, a solid-state hard disk. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0242] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or provided for in any logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between the different embodiments are consistent and may be referenced to each other, and the technical features in the different embodiments may be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0243] It is understood that the various numbers involved in the embodiments of the present application are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the sequence number of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Acquire first information and / or second information of at least two auxiliary nodes, where the first information of any auxiliary node indicates position information and / or rotation information of the auxiliary node, and the second information of any auxiliary node indicates antenna configuration information of the auxiliary node; Determine spatial information of the at least two secondary nodes according to the first information and / or the second information of the at least two secondary nodes; The spatial information is sent to the at least two secondary nodes.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The position information of the auxiliary node is the absolute position coordinate value of the auxiliary node; or, The position information of the auxiliary node is a relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node, and the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node is a change amount of the position of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to a reference position.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The rotation information of the auxiliary node is the absolute rotation angle value of the auxiliary node; or, The rotation information of the auxiliary node is a relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node, and the relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node is a change amount of the rotation angle of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to a reference angle.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The antenna configuration information of the secondary node includes one or more of the following information: Number of vertical plane antennas, number of horizontal plane antennas, number of polarizations, number of vertical panels, number of horizontal panels, number of vertical ports, number of horizontal ports, horizontal distance between antennas, or vertical distance between antennas.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The acquiring the first information and / or the second information of at least two secondary nodes includes: The first information and / or the second information is received from the at least two secondary nodes.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Sending first indication information to the at least two secondary nodes, where the first indication information is used to trigger the secondary node to report the first information and / or the second information; The acquiring the first information and / or the second information of at least two secondary nodes includes: The first information and / or the second information is received from the at least two secondary nodes.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The first indication information is sent periodically, or the first indication information is sent semi-persistently, or the first indication information is sent aperiodically.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that: The first information and / or the second information are transmitted periodically, or the first information and / or the second information are transmitted semi-persistently, or the first information and / or the second information are transmitted aperiodically.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The spatial information includes beam information, wherein: The beam information includes a beam direction; or, The beam information includes an index of a beam direction, where one index corresponds to one beam direction.

10. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Sending first information and / or second information to the primary node, wherein the first information indicates position information and / or rotation information of the secondary node, and the second information indicates antenna configuration information of the secondary node; The spatial information of the auxiliary node is received, where the spatial information of the auxiliary node is determined based on the first information and / or the second information.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The sending the first information and / or the second information to the master node includes: The first information and / or the second information is sent to the master node based on a first event; wherein the first event includes one or more of the following events: The position change of the auxiliary node is greater than or equal to a first threshold; The rotation angle of the auxiliary node is greater than or equal to a second threshold.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The first threshold is half a wavelength, and / or the second threshold is angle detection accuracy.

13. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving first indication information from the primary node, where the first indication information is used to trigger the secondary node to report first information and / or second information; The sending the first information and / or the second information to the master node includes: The first information and / or the second information is sent to the master node according to the first indication information.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The first indication information is sent periodically, or the first indication information is sent semi-persistently, or the first indication information is sent aperiodically.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that: The first information and / or the second information are transmitted periodically, or the first information and / or the second information are transmitted semi-persistently, or the first information and / or the second information are transmitted aperiodically.

16. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that: The position information of the auxiliary node is the absolute position coordinate value of the auxiliary node; or, The position information of the auxiliary node is a relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node, and the relative position coordinate value of the auxiliary node is a change amount of the position of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to a reference position.

17. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 16, characterized in that: The rotation information of the auxiliary node is the absolute rotation angle value of the auxiliary node; or, The rotation information of the auxiliary node is a relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node, and the relative rotation angle value of the auxiliary node is a change amount of the rotation angle of the auxiliary node obtained this time relative to a reference angle.

18. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that: The antenna configuration information of the secondary node includes one or more of the following information: Number of vertical plane antennas, number of horizontal plane antennas, number of polarizations, number of vertical panels, number of horizontal panels, number of vertical ports, number of horizontal ports, horizontal distance between antennas, or vertical distance between antennas.

19. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 18, characterized in that: The spatial information includes beam information, wherein: The beam information includes a beam direction; or, The beam information includes an index of a beam direction, where one index corresponds to one beam direction.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or comprises a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 10 to 19.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor, wherein the processor is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 through a logic circuit or executes a code instruction, or implements the method according to any one of claims 10 to 19.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 10 to 19 is implemented.

23. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises a computer program code, and when the computer program code is executed on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 10 to 19 is implemented.

24. A communication system, characterized in that: The method comprises a primary node and a secondary node, wherein the primary node is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and the secondary node is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 10 to 19.

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