Wireless communication method and terminal equipment

Abstract

A wireless communication method and a terminal device, the method comprising: a terminal device sends a first signal by using a target sending mode, the target sending mode comprising an active emission mode and / or a backscattering mode. The first signal is sent in a proper sending mode, and power consumption and transmission performance of the terminal equipment are both considered.

Description

Wireless communication method and terminal device Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and specifically to a method and terminal device for wireless communication. Background Art

[0002] In some scenarios, zero-power terminals can transmit information by backscattering carrier signals rather than actively transmitting them. In practical applications, some capable zero-power terminals can also transmit information by actively transmitting signals. Therefore, when a zero-power terminal supports both backscattering and active transmission, how to transmit signals becomes a pressing issue.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] An embodiment of the present application provides a method and terminal device for wireless communication, wherein the terminal device can send a first signal using an active transmission method and / or a backscattering method, which is conducive to sending the first signal using a suitable transmission method while taking into account the power consumption and transmission performance of the terminal device.

[0005] In a first aspect, a method for wireless communication is provided, comprising: a terminal device sending a first signal using a target sending mode, wherein the target sending mode includes an active transmission mode and / or a backscattering mode.

[0006] In a second aspect, a terminal device is provided, configured to execute the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. Specifically, the terminal device includes a unit configured to execute the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0007] In a third aspect, a terminal device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store a computer program, and the processor is configured to call and execute the computer program stored in the memory to perform the method of the first aspect or its implementations.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a chip is provided for implementing the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or its various implementations.

[0009] Specifically, the chip includes: a processor for calling and running a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or its various implementations.

[0010] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided for storing a computer program, which enables a computer to execute the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or its various implementations.

[0011] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising computer program instructions, which enable a computer to execute the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or its various implementations.

[0012] In a seventh aspect, a computer program is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or its various implementations.

[0013] Based on the above technical solution, the terminal device can send the first signal using active transmission and / or backscattering, which is conducive to using a suitable transmission method to send the first signal while taking into account the power consumption and transmission performance of the terminal device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0015] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a zero-power communication system according to an example of the present application.

[0016] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of energy harvesting according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0017] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of backscatter communication according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0018] FIG5 is a circuit diagram of resistive load modulation according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0019] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the format of a PPDU frame.

[0020] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the format of a PPDU frame provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a signal sending method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] FIG10 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] FIG11 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in another embodiment of the present application.

[0025] FIG12 is a schematic block diagram of a chip provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0026] FIG13 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The following will describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. With respect to the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0028] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System of Mobile communication (GSM) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, Advanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A) system, New Radio (NR) system, NR system evolution system, LTE on unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) system, NR on unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) system, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (Wireless Fidelity) system. Fidelity, WiFi), fifth-generation communication (5th-Generation, 5G) system, cellular Internet of Things system, cellular passive Internet of Things system or other communication systems, etc.

[0029] Generally speaking, traditional communication systems support a limited number of connections and are easy to implement. However, with the development of communication technology, mobile communication systems will not only support traditional communications, but will also support, for example, device-to-device (D2D) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, etc. The embodiments of the present application can also be applied to these communication systems.

[0030] Optionally, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, a dual connectivity (DC) scenario, or a standalone (SA) networking scenario.

[0031] Optionally, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to an unlicensed spectrum, where the unlicensed spectrum can also be considered as a shared spectrum; or, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to an authorized spectrum, where the authorized spectrum can also be considered as an unshared spectrum.

[0032] The embodiments of the present application describe various embodiments in conjunction with network devices and terminal devices, wherein the terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device, zero-power terminal, etc.

[0033] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device may be a device for communicating with a mobile device. The network device may be an access point (AP) in WLAN, a base station (BTS) in GSM or CDMA, a base station (NodeB, NB) in WCDMA, an evolved base station (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, or a relay station or access point, or a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and a network device (gNB) in an NR network, or a network device in a cellular Internet of Things, or a network device in a cellular passive Internet of Things, or a network device in a future evolved PLMN network or a network device in an NTN network, etc.

[0034] As an example and not a limitation, in an embodiment of the present application, the network device may have a mobile feature, for example, the network device may be a mobile device. Alternatively, the network device may be a satellite or a balloon station. For example, the satellite may be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite, etc. Optionally, the network device may also be a base station set up in a location such as land or water.

[0035] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device can provide services for a cell, and the terminal device communicates with the network device through the transmission resources used by the cell (for example, frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources). The cell can be a cell corresponding to the network device (for example, a base station). The cell can belong to a macro base station or a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cells here may include: metro cells, micro cells, pico cells, femto cells, etc. These small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0036] The terminal device can be a station (STA) in a WLAN, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a next-generation communication system such as an NR network, or a terminal device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) network, a terminal device in a cellular Internet of Things, a terminal device in a cellular passive Internet of Things, etc.

[0037] In some embodiments, the terminal device can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer, virtual reality (VR) device, augmented reality (AR) device, wireless device in industrial control, set-top box, wireless device in self-driving, in-vehicle communication equipment, wireless device in remote medical, wireless device in smart grid, wireless device in transportation safety, wireless device in smart city or wireless device in smart home, etc., which can be equipped with WLAN or WiFi technology.

[0038] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water surface (such as ships, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.).

[0039] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, or a wireless terminal device in a smart home, etc.

[0040] As an example and not a limitation, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be called wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0041] For example, a communication system 100 used in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG1 . The communication system 100 may include a network device 110, which may be a device that communicates with a terminal device 120 (or a communication terminal or terminal). The network device 110 may provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area and may communicate with terminal devices within the coverage area.

[0042] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, a device having a communication function in a network / system may be referred to as a communication device. Taking the communication system 100 shown in FIG1 as an example, the communication device may include a network device 110 and a terminal device 120 having a communication function. The network device 110 and the terminal device 120 may be the specific devices described above and will not be described in detail here. The communication device may also include other devices in the communication system 100, such as a network controller, a mobility management entity, and other network entities, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0043] FIG1 exemplarily shows a network device and two terminal devices. Optionally, the communication system 100 may include multiple network devices and each network device may include other numbers of terminal devices within its coverage area, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0044] Optionally, the communication system 100 may further include other network entities such as a network controller and a mobility management entity, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0045] In some embodiments, the communication system 100 may further include one or more zero-power consumption terminals.

[0046] In some embodiments, the network device 110 may be an AP, and the terminal device 120 may be a STA.

[0047] In some embodiments, APs and STAs can be devices used in the Internet of Vehicles, IoT nodes and sensors in the Internet of Things (IoT), smart cameras, smart remote controls, smart water and electricity meters in smart homes, and sensors in smart cities.

[0048] In some embodiments, the AP may support 802.11 technology, which may include but is not limited to various current and future 802.11 family WLAN technologies such as 802.11be, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b and 802.11a.

[0049] In some embodiments, the STA may support 802.11 technology, which may include but is not limited to various current and future 802.11 family WLAN technologies such as 802.11be, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b and 802.11a.

[0050] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably herein. The term "and / or" is simply a description of an association between related objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0051] It should be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association. For example, "A indicates B" can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can be obtained through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; it can also mean that there is an association between A and B.

[0052] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" may indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between the two, or an association relationship between the two, or a relationship between indication and being indicated, configuration and being configured, etc.

[0053] In the embodiments of the present application, "pre-defined" may be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in a device (e.g., a terminal device or a network device). The present application does not limit the specific implementation method. For example, pre-defined may refer to information defined in a protocol.

[0054] In the embodiments of the present application, the "protocol" may refer to a standard protocol in the communication field, for example, it may include an LTE protocol, an NR protocol, and related protocols used in future communication systems, and this application does not limit this.

[0055] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the relevant technologies of the present application are explained.

[0056] 1. Zero-power communication

[0057] The key technologies of zero-power communication include energy harvesting, backscatter communication and low-power technology.

[0058] As shown in Figure 2, a typical zero-power communication system (such as an RFID system) includes a network device (such as an RFID system reader) and a zero-power terminal (such as an electronic tag). The network device is used to send wireless power supply signals, downlink communication signals, and receive backscattered signals from the zero-power terminal to the zero-power terminal. A basic zero-power terminal includes an energy collection module, a backscatter communication module, and a low-power computing module. In addition, the zero-power terminal may also have a memory or sensor for storing some basic information (such as item identification, etc.) or sensor data such as ambient temperature and ambient humidity.

[0059] For example, the energy harvesting module can collect energy carried by radio waves in space (Figure 2 shows radio waves emitted by network devices) to drive the low-power computing module of the zero-power terminal and implement backscatter communication. After obtaining energy, the zero-power terminal can receive control commands from the network device and send data to the network device based on control signaling using backscattering. The data sent can be data stored in the zero-power terminal itself (such as an identity or pre-written information, such as the product's production date, brand, manufacturer, etc.). The zero-power terminal can also be loaded with various sensors, so that the data collected by various sensors can be reported based on the zero-power mechanism.

[0060] The following describes the key technologies in zero-power communication.

[0061] 1. RF Power Harvesting

[0062] As shown in Figure 3, the RF energy harvesting module uses the principle of electromagnetic induction to collect electromagnetic wave energy from space, thereby obtaining the energy required to operate the zero-power terminal. For example, it is used to drive low-power demodulation and modulation modules, sensors, and memory reading. Therefore, the zero-power terminal does not require traditional batteries.

[0063] 2. Back Scattering

[0064] As shown in Figure 4, a zero-power terminal receives a carrier signal sent by a network device, modulates it, loads the information to be transmitted, and radiates the modulated signal from the antenna. This information transmission process is called backscatter communication. Backscatter and load modulation are closely related. Load modulation achieves this by adjusting and controlling the circuit parameters of the zero-power terminal's oscillator circuit according to the data stream's rhythm, causing parameters such as the zero-power terminal's impedance to change accordingly. Load modulation techniques primarily include resistive load modulation and capacitive load modulation. In resistive load modulation, a resistor is connected in parallel with the load, which is switched on or off based on the binary data stream, as shown in Figure 5. The switching of the resistor causes a change in the circuit voltage, thus implementing amplitude-shifted keying (ASK). This modulation and transmission of the signal is achieved by adjusting the amplitude of the zero-power terminal's backscattered signal. Similarly, in capacitive load modulation, the switching of the capacitor changes the circuit's resonant frequency, enabling frequency-shifted keying (FSK). This modulation and transmission of the signal is achieved by adjusting the operating frequency of the zero-power terminal's backscattered signal.

[0065] It can be seen that the zero-power terminal uses load modulation to modulate the incoming signal, thereby realizing the backscatter communication process. Therefore, the zero-power terminal has significant advantages:

[0066] (1) It does not actively transmit signals, so it does not require complex RF links, such as PA, RF filters, etc.

[0067] (2) There is no need to actively generate high-frequency signals, so no high-frequency crystal oscillator is required;

[0068] (3) With the help of backscatter communication, terminal signal transmission does not need to consume the terminal's own energy.

[0069] 3. Coding technology

[0070] Data transmitted by zero-power terminals can use various codes to represent binary "1" and "0." RFID systems typically use one of the following encoding methods: non-return-to-zero (NRZ), Manchester, unipolar return-to-zero, differential bi-phase (DBP), differential, pulse interval encoding (PIE), bidirectional space encoding (FMO), Miller, and differential encoding. In simple terms, different encoding techniques use different pulse signals to represent 0 and 1.

[0071] In some scenarios, based on their energy sources and usage, zero-power terminals can be categorized into the following types:

[0072] 1. Passive zero-power terminal

[0073] Zero-power terminals (such as electronic tags in RFID systems) do not require internal batteries. When a zero-power terminal approaches a network device (such as an RFID reader), it is within the near-field radiation generated by the network device's antenna. Consequently, the zero-power terminal's antenna generates an induced current through electromagnetic induction, which drives the low-power chip circuitry in the zero-power terminal. This enables forward link signal demodulation and reverse link (or reflection link) signal modulation. For backscatter links, the zero-power terminal uses backscattering to transmit signals.

[0074] It can be seen that the passive zero-power terminal does not require a built-in battery to drive either the forward link or the reverse link, and is a true zero-power terminal.

[0075] Passive zero-power terminals do not require batteries, and the RF circuit and baseband circuit are very simple. For example, they do not require low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), power amplifiers (PAs), crystal oscillators, analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), and other devices. Therefore, they have many advantages such as small size, light weight, very low price, and long service life.

[0076] 2. Semi-passive zero-power terminal

[0077] Semi-passive zero-power terminals do not have conventional batteries themselves, but instead use RF energy harvesting modules to harvest radio wave energy and store it in an energy storage unit (such as a capacitor). This energy is then used to power the low-power chip circuitry in the zero-power terminal, performing tasks such as demodulating forward link signals and modulating reverse link signals. For backscatter links, the zero-power terminal uses backscattering to transmit signals.

[0078] It can be seen that the semi-passive zero-power terminal does not require a built-in battery to drive either the forward link or the reverse link. Although energy stored in capacitors is used in operation, the energy comes from the radio energy collected by the energy harvesting module. Therefore, it is also a true zero-power terminal.

[0079] Semi-passive zero-power consumption terminals inherit many advantages of passive zero-power consumption terminals, so they have many advantages such as small size, light weight, very low price, and long service life.

[0080] 3. Active zero-power terminal

[0081] In some scenarios, zero-power terminals can also be active zero-power terminals, which can have built-in batteries. The batteries power the low-power chip circuits in the zero-power terminal, which perform tasks such as demodulating forward link signals and modulating reverse link signals. However, for backscatter links, zero-power terminals use backscattering to transmit signals. Therefore, the zero-power nature of these devices lies primarily in the fact that reverse link signal transmission does not require the terminal's own power, but rather utilizes backscattering.

[0082] Active zero-power terminals are powered by built-in batteries to extend their communication range and improve communication reliability. Therefore, they are used in scenarios with relatively high requirements for communication distance and read latency.

[0083] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the power supply signal, scheduling signal and carrier signal related to zero-power communication are explained.

[0084] 1. Energy supply signal

[0085] The energy supply signal is the energy source for the zero-power terminal to collect energy.

[0086] From the perspective of energy supply signal carriers, it can be base stations, smart phones, smart gateways, charging stations, micro base stations, etc.

[0087] In terms of frequency band, the frequency band of radio waves used for energy supply can be low frequency, medium frequency, high frequency, etc.

[0088] In terms of waveform, the radio waves used for power supply can be sine waves, square waves, triangle waves, pulses, rectangular waves, etc.

[0089] In addition, the power supply signal can be a continuous wave or a discontinuous wave (ie, a certain period of interruption is allowed).

[0090] Optionally, the energy supply signal can be an existing signal in the 3GPP standard, such as a sounding reference signal (SRS), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical random access channel (PRACH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), etc., or it can be a WiFi signal or a Bluetooth signal.

[0091] Optionally, the energy supply signal may also be implemented by adding a new signal, for example, adding a signal dedicated to energy supply.

[0092] 2. Trigger signal or scheduling signal

[0093] The trigger signal is used to trigger or schedule the zero-power terminal to transmit data.

[0094] From the perspective of trigger signal carrier, it can be a base station, smart phone, smart gateway, etc.

[0095] In terms of frequency band, the radio waves used for triggering or scheduling can be low frequency, medium frequency, high frequency, etc.

[0096] In terms of waveform, the radio wave used for triggering or scheduling can be a sine wave, square wave, triangle wave, pulse, rectangular wave, etc.

[0097] In addition, the trigger signal can be a continuous wave or a discontinuous wave (ie, a certain period of interruption is allowed).

[0098] Optionally, the trigger signal may be an existing signal in the 3GPP standard, such as SRS, PUSCH, PRACH, PUCCH, PDCCH, PDSCH, PBCH, or a WIFI signal or a Bluetooth signal.

[0099] Optionally, the trigger signal may also be implemented by adding a new signal, for example, adding a signal dedicated to triggering or scheduling.

[0100] 3. Carrier signal

[0101] The carrier signal is used by the zero-power terminal to generate a backscatter signal. For example, the zero-power terminal may modulate the received carrier signal according to the information to be sent to form a backscatter signal.

[0102] From the perspective of carrier signal carrier, it can be a base station, smart phone, smart gateway, etc.

[0103] In terms of frequency band, the radio waves used as carrier signals can be low frequency, medium frequency, high frequency, etc.

[0104] In terms of waveform, the radio wave used as the carrier signal can be a sine wave, square wave, triangle wave, pulse, rectangular wave, etc.

[0105] In addition, the carrier signal can be a continuous wave or a discontinuous wave (ie, a certain period of interruption is allowed).

[0106] Optionally, the carrier signal may be an existing signal in the 3GPP standard, such as SRS, PUSCH, PRACH, PUCCH, PDCCH, PDSCH, PBCH, or a WIFI signal or a Bluetooth signal.

[0107] Optionally, the carrier signal may also be implemented by adding a new signal, for example, adding a carrier signal dedicated to generating a backscatter signal.

[0108] It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, the power supply signal, the scheduling signal and the carrier signal can be the same signal, or they can be different signals. For example, the power supply signal can be used as a carrier signal, and the scheduling signal can also be used as a carrier signal, etc.

[0109] In 802.11 technology, Wi-Fi devices transmit information based on physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) frames. PPDU frames consist of a physical layer header and a data portion. As shown in Figure 6, the physical layer header of an 802.11a / g PPDU frame includes a short training field (STF), a long training field (LTF), and a signal field.

[0110] Among them, STF is mainly composed of 10 short symbols (t1-t10), each of which is 0.8us, which implements multiple functions, mainly including frame synchronization and coarse frequency synchronization. Among them, the main functions implemented by t1-t7 include signal detection (Signal Detect), automatic gain control (Auto gain control, AGC), diversity selection (Diversity Selection), and the functions implemented by t8-t10 include coarse frequency (Coarse Freq), offset estimation (Offset Estimation), and timing synchronization (Timing Synchronize). LTF is mainly used to achieve fine frequency synchronization and channel estimation. The SIGNAL part carries information related to the data part, including data transmission rate, data packet length information Length, reserved bits and tail bits.

[0111] Different types of zero-power terminals support different signal transmission methods. When a zero-power terminal supports both active transmission and backscattering signal transmission, how to transmit signals in a way that balances the power consumption and transmission performance of the terminal device is an urgent problem that needs to be solved.

[0112] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions of the present application are described in detail below through specific embodiments. The above related technologies can be combined arbitrarily with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and all of them fall within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application include at least part of the following contents.

[0113] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication method 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG7 , the method 200 includes at least part of the following:

[0114] S210, the terminal device sends a first signal using a target sending mode, where the target sending mode includes an active transmission mode and / or a backscattering mode.

[0115] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device supports active transmission mode and backscattering mode.

[0116] Optionally, the backscattering mode may refer to a signal transmission mode in which a carrier signal is modulated to carry information to be transmitted.

[0117] Optionally, the active transmission mode may refer to a signal transmission mode in which information to be transmitted is carried by an active transmission signal without using a carrier signal.

[0118] In some embodiments, the terminal device has a functional module for actively transmitting signals, such as PA, LNA, local oscillator, crystal oscillator, etc.

[0119] It should be understood that the functional module for actively transmitting signals may also be used to amplify backscattered signals in some cases to increase the communication range of the backscattered signals. For example, the backscattered signals may be amplified by a PA or LNA to increase the communication range of the backscattered signals.

[0120] In some embodiments, the terminal device has a primary transmitter and a backscatter transmitter.

[0121] Optionally, the backscatter transmitter supports sending signals in a backscattering manner. The backscatter transmitter cannot transmit signals autonomously, but needs to modulate and reflect received signals to carry information to be sent.

[0122] In some embodiments, a primary transmitter may actively transmit signals to network devices or other nodes.

[0123] In some embodiments, the main transmitter and the backscatter transmitter can be independent modules, or the main transmitter and the backscatter transmitter can be considered to include different functional modules of the terminal device. For example, the main transmitter may include functional modules such as a power amplifier, a local oscillator, a crystal oscillator, and an LNA, while the backscatter transmitter may not include the above functional modules.

[0124] In other words, different signal transmission modes may correspond to whether a specific functional module of the transmitter of the terminal device is enabled. Optionally, the specific functional module may include a functional module for actively transmitting signals, such as a power amplifier, a local oscillator, a crystal oscillator, an LNA, etc. For example, for a backscattering mode or an active transmission mode, one difference is whether a PA is used to amplify the signal. The use of a PA corresponds to an active transmission mode, which requires additional energy to achieve a longer communication distance. Not using a PA and only backscattering the carrier signal corresponds to a backscattering mode. For another example, whether a local oscillator is used may also correspond to different signal transmission modes. The active transmission mode generates a transmission signal through the local oscillator of the transmitter and performs modulation, which does not rely on an external carrier signal. The backscattering mode does not use the local oscillator of the transmitter to generate a transmission signal, but relies on an external carrier signal and performs modulation.

[0125] In some embodiments, the terminal device may be a zero-power terminal that obtains energy through energy harvesting to operate.

[0126] In some scenarios, the terminal device may be a zero-power terminal in a Wi-Fi system.

[0127] It should be noted that this application does not limit the specific classification method of zero-power terminals. For example, zero-power terminals can be classified based on characteristics such as device complexity, power supply method, communication method, modulation method, etc. For example, a zero-power terminal can be a terminal with at least one of the following characteristics: low complexity, support for environmental power supply, support for power supply from other devices, backscatter, new waveform (or simple waveform), and low-complexity modulation method.

[0128] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the naming of zero-power terminals. For example, they can also be called low-power terminals, ambient power enabled (AMP) terminals, energy harvesting-based terminals, etc.

[0129] It should also be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the source of energy for the zero-power terminal. For example, it can come from ambient energy, or the energy required for the operation of the zero-power terminal comes from the power supply of the zero-power terminal itself, or the energy of the zero-power terminal can also be provided by a network device, such as in a WIFI system, it can be provided by an AP, or it can be provided by a traditional terminal, such as in a WIFI system, it can be provided by a STA, or it can be provided by a dedicated power supply node. The present application is not limited to this.

[0130] It should be understood that the present application does not limit the specific source of environmental energy, and the environmental energy may include but is not limited to solar energy, pressure, temperature, etc.

[0131] In some embodiments, the terminal device is an IoT device and obtains energy by collecting ambient energy. Such a terminal is also called an ambient power enabled IoT (AMP) device.

[0132] The following describes the method for sending the first signal in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0133] Example 1:

[0134] In some embodiments, the first signal includes a first partial signal and a second partial signal, wherein the first partial signal is sent via backscattering, and the second partial signal is sent via active transmission.

[0135] In some embodiments, the first signal portion uses a high-complexity modulation scheme, such as OFDM, and the second signal portion uses a low-complexity modulation scheme, such as ASK. In other words, the first signal portion has a complex waveform, and the second signal portion has a simple waveform.

[0136] In some embodiments, the first portion of the signal is obtained by backscattering a carrier signal, wherein the carrier signal adopts a highly complex modulation method.

[0137] Due to the low complexity of the terminal device, when the terminal device needs to send a signal including a complex waveform and a simple waveform, the terminal device can use backscattering to send the complex waveform part, and use active transmission to send the simple waveform part.

[0138] Embodiment 2: determining a target sending mode of the first signal according to the first information.

[0139] In some embodiments, the first information is related to energy obtained by the terminal device through energy harvesting.

[0140] In some embodiments, the first information related to the terminal device obtaining energy through energy harvesting may refer to:

[0141] In scenarios where a terminal device needs to obtain energy through energy harvesting, relevant information such as the terminal device's energy storage, ambient energy intensity, and carrier signal strength is required. Considering the terminal device's energy storage and other information when determining the signal transmission method helps ensure successful signal transmission.

[0142] In some embodiments, the first information includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0143] The energy status of the terminal device, the duration information of the first signal (or the transmission duration information), the intensity information of the ambient energy, the intensity information of the carrier signal, the intensity information of the backscattered signal, the type information of the signal to be sent, and the modulation method of the signal to be sent.

[0144] The following describes the specific implementation of determining the target sending mode of the first signal according to the first information in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0145] Example 2-1: Determine the signal sending method according to the energy status of the terminal device.

[0146] In some embodiments, the terminal device uses an energy harvesting module to harvest ambient energy and then stores the harvested energy in an energy storage unit. Once the energy storage unit has sufficient energy, it can drive a low-power circuit for reverse link signal modulation and transmission. Optionally, it can also drive a PA to amplify signal power. Compared to passive backscattering, active signal transmission can increase signal transmission power.

[0147] Since different signal transmission methods consume different amounts of energy, considering the energy status information of the terminal device when determining the signal transmission method is helpful in avoiding signal transmission failures caused by insufficient energy storage of the terminal device.

[0148] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the energy status information of the terminal device can also be replaced by other expressions, such as the energy storage status information of the terminal device, the energy storage information of the terminal device, etc., and the present application is not limited to this.

[0149] It should be understood that this application does not limit the expression method of the energy state of the terminal device. For example, it can be expressed by the charging percentage of the energy storage unit, or it can be expressed by the output voltage value of the energy storage unit, or it can be expressed by the energy storage level, and each energy storage level can correspond to a corresponding driving capability. For example, the first energy storage level corresponds to supporting the driving transmitter to perform backscatter communication, and the second energy storage level corresponds to supporting the driving transmitter to actively transmit signals.

[0150] In some embodiments, when a terminal device has both backscatter and active transmission signal transmission capabilities, the selection of a signal transmission mode must meet certain conditions. For active transmission, the zero-power terminal must meet a certain energy state to drive the relevant modules for active transmission.

[0151] In some embodiments, when the terminal device receives an uplink schedule from a network device, or the terminal device needs to actively initiate uplink data transmission, the terminal device can determine the target sending method of the first signal based on the current energy state, for example, determining whether the current energy state supports active signal transmission.

[0152] In some embodiments, when the energy state of the terminal device meets the energy state required for active transmission, the first signal is sent using active transmission.

[0153] In some embodiments, when the energy state of the terminal device does not meet the energy state required for active transmission, the first signal is sent using a backscattering method, or the first signal is sent using a backscattering method and an active transmission method, that is, part of the first signal is sent using a backscattering method, and the other part is sent using an active transmission method.

[0154] In some embodiments, whether the energy state of the terminal device meets the energy state required for active transmission may include:

[0155] Whether the current stored energy of the terminal device meets the energy required for actively transmitting the first signal, for example, the energy for driving related modules (such as PA, LNA, crystal oscillator, etc.) to work.

[0156] In some embodiments, when the energy state of the terminal device meets an energy state threshold (eg, a charging percentage threshold or an output voltage value threshold), the first signal is sent using an active transmission method.

[0157] In some embodiments, when the energy state of the terminal device does not meet the energy state threshold (for example, the charging percentage threshold or the output voltage value threshold), the first signal is sent using a backscattering method, or the first signal is sent using a backscattering method and an active transmission method, that is, part of the first signal is sent using a backscattering method, and the other part is sent using an active transmission method.

[0158] In some embodiments, the energy state of the terminal device meeting the energy state threshold includes:

[0159] The current energy state of the terminal device is higher than the energy state threshold; or

[0160] The current energy state of the terminal device is higher than or equal to the energy state threshold.

[0161] In some embodiments, the energy state of the terminal device not meeting the energy state threshold (e.g., the charging percentage threshold) may include:

[0162] The current energy state of the terminal device is lower than the energy state threshold; or

[0163] The current energy state of the terminal device is lower than or equal to the energy state threshold.

[0164] Optionally, the energy state threshold may be a statistical value of energy required to send a signal, or a maximum value of energy required to send a signal.

[0165] Optionally, the energy state threshold may be predefined, or may be configured by the network device.

[0166] In some embodiments, the energy state of the terminal device may include an awake state and a recovery state, wherein, in the awake state, the terminal device can support an active transmission mode, and in the recovery state, the terminal device needs to perform energy harvesting to restore the energy storage of the terminal device, and in the recovery state, the terminal device can support a backscattering mode.

[0167] Example 2-2: Determine the signal sending method based on the signal transmission duration.

[0168] In some embodiments, a terminal device uses an energy harvesting module to harvest ambient energy and then stores the harvested energy in an energy storage unit. The duration for which the energy storage unit drives the transmitter may vary. Determining the signal transmission method based on the signal transmission duration helps ensure successful signal transmission.

[0169] In some embodiments, the terminal device determines the supported active transmission communication duration, i.e., the supported communication duration using the active transmission mode, based on at least one of the terminal device's energy storage status, the terminal device's energy storage capacity, and the terminal device's power consumption. The active transmission communication duration is proportional to the terminal device's energy storage status.

[0170] Optionally, the power consumption information of the terminal device may include the power consumption of the terminal device when sending the first signal in an active transmission manner, for example, the power consumption of driving related modules to work.

[0171] It should be understood that the energy storage capability of the terminal device may also be replaced by other expressions, such as the energy collection capability of the terminal device, etc., and the present application is not limited thereto.

[0172] Optionally, the energy storage capacity of the terminal device represents the maximum energy that the terminal device can store, or the maximum state of energy collection of the terminal device, that is, the maximum energy storage state of the terminal device.

[0173] Optionally, the active transmission communication duration supported by the terminal device may be the maximum active transmission communication duration that the terminal device can support, for example, which can be determined based on the energy storage capacity of the terminal device and the power consumption of the terminal device. Alternatively, it may be the active transmission communication duration that the current energy storage of the terminal device can support, for example, which can be determined based on the current energy storage state of the terminal device and the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0174] It should be understood that this application does not limit the expression method of the active transmission communication duration supported by the terminal device. For example, it can be expressed by the number of time units, which can be time slots, subframes, etc., or it can be expressed by active transmission communication duration levels, with each active transmission communication duration level corresponding to a duration range.

[0175] In some embodiments, when the terminal device receives an uplink schedule from a network device, or when the terminal device needs to actively initiate uplink data transmission, the terminal device can determine the target sending method of the first signal based on the supported active transmission communication duration.

[0176] For example, if the active transmission communication duration supported by the terminal device reaches the transmission duration of the first signal, the active transmission mode is adopted. Alternatively, if the active transmission communication duration supported by the terminal device does not reach the transmission duration of the first signal, the backscattering mode is adopted, or the backscattering mode and the active transmission mode are adopted, for example, part of the signal is sent using the backscattering mode, and the other part of the signal is sent using the active transmission mode.

[0177] In some embodiments, the active transmission communication duration reaching the transmission duration of the first signal may include:

[0178] The duration of active transmission of communication is greater than the duration of the number of times the first signal is transmitted; or

[0179] The duration of the active transmission communication is greater than or equal to the transmission duration of the first signal.

[0180] In some embodiments, the active transmission communication duration not reaching the transmission duration of the first signal may include:

[0181] The duration of the active transmission communication is shorter than the transmission duration of the first signal; or

[0182] The duration of active communication transmission is less than or equal to the duration of the number of times the first signal is transmitted.

[0183] In some embodiments, the first signal is a PPDU frame. If the transmission duration of the PPDU frame exceeds the active transmission communication duration supported by the terminal device, the terminal device cannot send the PPDU using active transmission, or cannot send the entire PPDU using active transmission. Optionally, in this case, the terminal device can send a portion of the PPDU using active transmission and another portion using backscattering. For example, the PPDU includes a first signal portion and a second signal portion, wherein the first signal portion includes a preamble signal. The first signal portion can be sent using backscattering, and the second signal portion can be sent using active transmission.

[0184] Example 2-3: Determine the signal transmission method based on the intensity information of the ambient energy or the energy collection efficiency.

[0185] For terminal devices that harvest energy from ambient energy, the intensity of the ambient energy determines the efficiency of energy harvesting. This efficiency determines whether the terminal device can support continuous active transmission. For example, a terminal device harvests energy from wireless signals. The power of the received wireless signals may vary, which in turn determines the energy harvesting efficiency. As the received wireless signal strength decreases, the rate at which the energy harvesting module collects and stores energy decreases. If the energy harvesting speed is insufficient to meet the power consumption of active transmission (e.g., 1 MW), the terminal device cannot support active transmission. For another example, a terminal device harvests energy from ambient light. If the ambient light intensity changes, such as during the night when there is no sunlight, the terminal device can only transmit signals using backscattering. When sufficient sunlight is available during the day, the terminal device can support active transmission. Therefore, under different ambient energy intensities, the terminal device supports different signal transmission methods, and accordingly, the signal coverage distance also varies.

[0186] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, when determining the target transmission method of the signal, considering the intensity information of the ambient energy or the energy collection efficiency is beneficial to ensure that the terminal device uses an appropriate transmission method to send the signal, reduce the power consumption of the terminal device, and ensure the successful transmission of the signal.

[0187] In some embodiments, when the intensity of the ambient energy meets a first intensity threshold, an active transmission mode is adopted; or, when the intensity of the ambient energy does not meet the first intensity threshold, a backscattering mode is adopted; or, both an active transmission mode and a backscattering mode are adopted, that is, part of the signal is sent by backscattering mode, and the other part of the signal is sent by active transmission mode.

[0188] In some embodiments, the intensity of the ambient energy meeting the first intensity threshold may include:

[0189] The intensity of the ambient energy is greater than the first intensity threshold; or

[0190] The intensity of the ambient energy is greater than or equal to a first intensity threshold.

[0191] In some embodiments, the intensity of the ambient energy not meeting the first intensity threshold may include:

[0192] The intensity of the ambient energy is less than the first intensity threshold; or

[0193] The intensity of the ambient energy is less than or equal to a first intensity threshold.

[0194] In some embodiments, the first strength threshold is predefined or configured by the network device.

[0195] In some embodiments, the first intensity threshold may be the minimum intensity of ambient energy required to support continuous active transmission of the terminal device. For example, the first intensity threshold can ensure that the speed of energy collection of the terminal device meets the power consumption of active transmission of the terminal device.

[0196] Example 2-4: Determine the signal transmission mode according to the strength information of the carrier signal or the strength information of the backscattered signal.

[0197] In some embodiments, the backscattering of the terminal device depends on the carrier signal, and the strength of the carrier signal determines the strength of the backscattering signal and also determines the communication distance of the signal.

[0198] In some embodiments, the strength of the backscattered signal is determined by the strength of the incident carrier signal and the backscattered loss. For example, the backscattered loss is generally 5 dB.

[0199] In some scenarios, the location of the terminal device, or the strength of the carrier signal received by the terminal device, determines the strength of the backscattered signal and the signal strength reaching the receiving end. When the strength of the backscattered signal can meet the communication distance requirements, such as when the terminal device is relatively close to the signal receiving end, the terminal device does not need to use active transmission to send the uplink signal. In this case, the uplink signal can be sent by backscattering to save power consumption of the terminal device. When the strength of the backscattered signal cannot meet the communication distance requirements, such as when the terminal device is relatively far from the signal receiving end, the terminal device needs to use active transmission to send the uplink signal to increase the communication distance of the signal.

[0200] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine a target transmission mode for the first signal based on whether the carrier signal strength information meets the communication distance requirement of the first signal. For example, if the carrier signal strength information meets the communication distance requirement of the first signal, a backscattering mode may be used; or, if the carrier signal strength information does not meet the communication distance requirement of the first signal, an active transmission mode may be used, or both the active transmission mode and the backscattering mode may be used.

[0201] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine the target transmission mode for the first signal based on the carrier signal strength information in combination with the second strength threshold. For example, when the carrier signal strength information meets the second strength threshold, the backscattering mode may be used; otherwise, the active transmission mode may be used, or both the backscattering mode and the active transmission mode may be used.

[0202] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine a target transmission mode for the first signal based on whether the strength information of the backscattered signal meets the communication distance requirement of the first signal. For example, if the strength information of the backscattered signal meets the communication distance requirement of the first signal, the backscattering mode may be adopted; or, if the strength information of the backscattered signal does not meet the communication distance requirement of the first signal, the active transmission mode may be adopted, or both the active transmission mode and the backscattering mode may be adopted.

[0203] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine the target transmission mode for the first signal based on the backscatter signal strength information combined with a third strength threshold. For example, when the backscatter signal strength information meets the third strength threshold, the backscatter mode is determined to be used; otherwise, the active transmission mode is used, or both the backscatter mode and the active transmission mode are used.

[0204] In some embodiments, the second strength threshold may be predefined or configured by a network device.

[0205] In some embodiments, the third strength threshold may be predefined or configured by the network device.

[0206] In some embodiments, the carrier signal strength information meeting the second strength threshold may include:

[0207] The strength information of the carrier signal is greater than the second strength threshold; or

[0208] The strength information of the carrier signal is greater than or equal to the second strength threshold.

[0209] In some embodiments, the strength information of the carrier signal failing to meet the second strength threshold may include:

[0210] The strength information of the carrier signal is less than the second strength threshold; or

[0211] The strength information of the carrier signal is less than or equal to the second strength threshold.

[0212] In some embodiments, the intensity information of the backscattered signal meeting the third intensity threshold may include:

[0213] The intensity information of the backscattered signal is greater than a third intensity threshold; or

[0214] The intensity information of the backscattered signal is greater than or equal to a third intensity threshold.

[0215] In some embodiments, the intensity information of the backscattered signal failing to meet the third intensity threshold may include:

[0216] The intensity information of the backscattered signal is less than a third intensity threshold; or

[0217] The intensity information of the backscattered signal is less than or equal to a third intensity threshold.

[0218] In some embodiments, the second intensity threshold may correspond to a certain communication distance. The intensity information of the carrier signal satisfying the second intensity threshold may be understood as the communication distance between the terminal device and the receiving end of the signal does not exceed the communication distance of the backscattered signal. Therefore, the first signal may be sent in a backscattering manner, which is beneficial to reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0219] In some embodiments, the third intensity threshold may correspond to a certain communication distance. The intensity of the backscattered signal satisfying the third intensity threshold may be understood as the communication distance between the terminal device and the receiving end of the signal does not exceed the communication distance of the backscattered signal. Therefore, the first signal may be sent in a backscattering manner, which is beneficial to reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0220] Example 2-5: Determine the signal sending method based on the type information of the signal to be sent.

[0221] In some embodiments, the type of signal to be sent may include a reference signal, a channel, etc.

[0222] In some embodiments, the type of signal to be sent may include preamble, header, data, etc.

[0223] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device sends the signal using a corresponding sending method according to the type of the signal to be sent, which is conducive to ensuring the successful transmission of the signal.

[0224] For example, a preamble type signal may be sent in a backscattering manner, or a data type signal may be sent in an active transmission manner.

[0225] For another example, a reference signal or channel may be sent in a backscattering manner.

[0226] Example 2-6: Determine the signal transmission mode according to the modulation mode of the signal to be transmitted.

[0227] In some embodiments, the modulation method of the signal to be transmitted includes low-complexity modulation methods such as amplitude shift keying (ASK), frequency shift keying (FSK), phase shift keying (PSK), on-off keying (OOK), etc., as well as high-complexity modulation methods such as OFDM.

[0228] For zero-power terminals, due to their low complexity, they usually cannot generate high-complexity modulation waveforms. Therefore, signals using high-complexity modulation waveforms can be sent using backscattering, and signals using low-complexity modulation waveforms can be sent using active transmission, or they can also be sent using backscattering.

[0229] For example, when the modulation mode of the first signal is the first modulation mode, the first signal is sent using the active transmission mode.

[0230] For another example, when the modulation mode of the first signal is the second modulation mode, the first signal is sent using a backscattering mode.

[0231] The complexity of the first modulation mode is lower than that of the second modulation mode, that is, the first modulation mode is a low-complexity modulation mode, and the second modulation mode is a high-complexity modulation mode.

[0232] For example, the first modulation mode may include ASK, FSK, PSK, OOK, etc.

[0233] For example, the second modulation scheme may include OFDM.

[0234] Example 3:

[0235] In some embodiments of the present application, the first signal includes a first part signal and a second part signal, wherein the first part signal is sent via a backscattering method, and the second part signal is sent via a first sending method, wherein the first sending method includes an active transmission method and / or a backscattering method.

[0236] In some embodiments, the first signal portion uses a high-complexity modulation scheme, such as OFDM, and the second signal portion uses a low-complexity modulation scheme, such as ASK, FSK, PSK, OOK, etc. In other words, the first signal portion has a complex waveform, and the second signal portion has a simple waveform.

[0237] In some embodiments, the first portion of the signal is obtained by backscattering a carrier signal, wherein the carrier signal adopts a highly complex modulation method.

[0238] In some embodiments, the first sending mode is determined based on first information, wherein the first information is related to energy obtained by the terminal device through energy harvesting.

[0239] In some embodiments, the first information includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0240] The energy status of the terminal device, the duration information of the second part of the signal (or the transmission duration information), the intensity information of the ambient energy, the intensity information of the carrier signal, the intensity information of the backscattered signal, the type information of the signal to be sent, and the modulation method of the signal to be sent.

[0241] It should be understood that in this embodiment 3, the specific implementation of determining the first sending mode according to the first information is similar to the implementation of determining the target sending mode of the first signal according to the first information in embodiment 2. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0242] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application can be applied to any communication system, such as a traditional cellular communication system and other cellular communication systems introduced in the standard evolution, or can also be applied to a WIFI system or a WLAN system, and the present application is not limited to this.

[0243] Example 4

[0244] In some embodiments of the present application, the first signal includes a first partial signal and a second partial signal, the first partial signal includes a first preamble signal, and the first partial signal is sent via backscattering.

[0245] When zero-power terminals are introduced into Wi-Fi systems, compatibility between them and traditional Wi-Fi devices becomes a concern. For example, Wi-Fi devices use a carrier detection mechanism for channel sensing. Specifically, carrier detection is performed based on the preamble portion of the 802.11 PPDU frame. This signal uses OFDM modulation, and since zero-power terminals typically only support low-complexity modulation, they cannot generate preamble signals. If a zero-power terminal cannot send a preamble signal, traditional Wi-Fi devices will not be able to detect that the zero-power terminal is using the channel by detecting the preamble signal, and will therefore also use the channel for transmission, causing interference.

[0246] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, when the zero-power terminal cannot generate a preamble signal, a first preamble signal is sent by adopting a backscattering method, so that a traditional WIFI device can detect that the zero-power terminal is using a channel based on the first preamble signal, thereby avoiding using the channel for transmission, thereby avoiding interference.

[0247] In some implementations, the second portion of the signal may be sent in an active transmission manner.

[0248] In some other implementations, the second portion of the signal is sent using a first sending mode, where the first sending mode includes an active transmission mode and / or a backscattering mode.

[0249] In some embodiments, the first sending mode is determined according to the first information. The determination method of the first sending mode is similar to the determination method of the target sending mode in embodiment 2, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0250] In some embodiments, the first signal may be a PPDU frame.

[0251] In some embodiments, the first portion of the signal is transmitted via a conventional 802.11 wireless interface.

[0252] In some embodiments, the second portion of the signal is transmitted via a zero-power wireless interface.

[0253] It should be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the traditional 802.11 wireless interface may refer to the interface for communication between the access point device and the traditional WIFI device (such as STA) before the introduction of the zero-power terminal. After the introduction of the zero-power terminal, the zero-power terminal can also be considered as a new WIFI device. In this case, the communication interface between the zero-power terminal and the access point device (i.e., the zero-power wireless interface) can be considered as an extended 802.11 wireless interface.

[0254] In some embodiments, the conventional 802.11 wireless interface may include an interface for communication between the AP and the STA. That is, the AP and the STA may communicate via the conventional 802.11 wireless interface.

[0255] In some embodiments, a legacy 802.11 wireless interface may refer to a communication interface that supports 802.11 technology.

[0256] In some embodiments, a zero-power radio interface may refer to a communication interface for zero-power communication, or a communication interface used for communication between a zero-power terminal and other devices. For example, the zero-power radio interface may be used to carry information sent by the zero-power terminal to other devices, or to carry information sent by other devices to the zero-power terminal.

[0257] In some embodiments, the zero-power wireless interface is used to transmit low-complexity modulation waveforms, such as ASK, FSK, PSK, OOK and other low-complexity modulation waveforms.

[0258] In some embodiments, the zero-power wireless interface can be used for communication in both backscatter mode and active transmission mode.

[0259] That is, the zero-power wireless interface can be used to transmit both backscattered signals and actively transmitted signals. Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the backscattering mode and the active transmission mode use the same zero-power wireless interface, or different zero-power wireless interfaces can also be used.

[0260] For example, the zero-power wireless interface includes a first zero-power wireless interface and a second zero-power wireless interface, wherein the first zero-power wireless interface is used for the zero-power terminal to communicate in a backscattering manner, and the second zero-power wireless interface is used for the zero-power terminal to communicate in an active transmission manner.

[0261] For another example, the zero-power wireless interface includes a third zero-power wireless interface, wherein the third zero-power wireless interface is used for the zero-power terminal to perform backscatter communication and active transmission communication.

[0262] In some embodiments, the first portion of the signal and the second portion of the signal have different waveforms.

[0263] For example, the first preamble signal may adopt a signal waveform supported by a conventional 802.11 wireless interface, such as an OFDM modulated waveform.

[0264] For example, the second part of the signal uses a signal waveform supported by a zero-power wireless interface, such as a low-complexity modulation waveform such as ASK, FSK, PSK, OOK, etc.

[0265] Specifically, because zero-power terminals are low-complexity and only support simple modulation methods such as ASK, FSK, PSK, and OOK, they may not be able to implement OFDM modulation, which is supported by Wi-Fi devices. Therefore, the waveforms used in zero-power communication differ from those based on OFDM.

[0266] In some embodiments, the first preamble signal may be used for carrier detection.

[0267] In some embodiments, the first preamble signal may include the STF of the physical layer header of 802.11a / g, or the STF and LTF of the physical layer header of 802.11a / g, or the STF, LTF, and SIGNAL of the physical layer header of 802.11a / g.

[0268] In some embodiments, the first preamble signal may include a preamble of a physical layer header of 802.11b, or a preamble and a header of a physical layer header of 802.11b.

[0269] In some embodiments, the first partial signal may further include a header signal and / or a data signal.

[0270] In some embodiments, the second portion of the signal includes at least one of the following:

[0271] Second preamble signal, header signal, data (paload) signal.

[0272] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific signal composition and signal structure of the first signal, as long as the transmitter and receiver of the first signal have the same understanding of the signal composition and signal structure of the first signal.

[0273] 8 , a typical implementation of the frame structure of the first signal according to an embodiment of the present application is described, but the present application is not limited thereto.

[0274] As shown in Figure 8, the first signal is a PPDU frame, and the frame structure of the PPDU frame may include a first preamble signal, a second preamble signal and data, wherein the first preamble part is sent via backscattering, and the second preamble signal and data signal are sent via active transmission.

[0275] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a zero-power terminal and a network device performing signal transmission according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 9, the network device can send a third preamble signal and a carrier signal, and the zero-power terminal can backscatter the third preamble signal to send a first preamble signal, and further, send a data signal by active transmission. In this way, the signal sent by the zero-power terminal includes a preamble that can be recognized by traditional WIFI devices, thereby achieving compatibility between the zero-power terminal and traditional WIFI devices.

[0276] In summary, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can use active transmission mode and / or backscattering mode to send the first signal, which is conducive to the terminal device using an appropriate transmission mode to send the first signal, taking into account the power consumption and transmission performance of the terminal device.

[0277] For example, different sending modes are used for different parts of the first signal. For example, the first part of the signal is sent in a backscattering mode, and the second part of the signal is sent in an active transmission mode.

[0278] For another example, a sending method of the first signal is determined according to the first information.

[0279] For example, in a WIFI scenario, a first part of the signal is sent via backscattering, where the first part of the signal includes a preamble signal, and a second part of the signal is sent via active transmission, where the second part of the signal is used to carry the information to be sent by the terminal device.

[0280] For another example, in a WIFI scenario, the first part of the signal is sent via backscattering, wherein the first part of the signal includes a leading signal, and the sending method of the second part of the signal is determined based on the first information, wherein the second part of the signal is used to carry the information to be sent by the terminal device.

[0281] The above text, in combination with Figures 7 to 9, describes in detail the method embodiment of the present application. The following text, in combination with Figures 10 to 13, describes in detail the device embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the device embodiment and the method embodiment correspond to each other, and similar descriptions can refer to the method embodiment.

[0282] FIG10 shows a schematic block diagram of a terminal device 400 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG10 , the terminal device 400 includes:

[0283] The communication unit 410 is configured to send a first signal using a target sending mode, where the target sending mode includes an active transmission mode and / or a backscattering mode.

[0284] In some embodiments, the target sending mode is determined based on first information, and the first information is related to energy obtained by the terminal device through energy harvesting.

[0285] In some embodiments, the first signal includes a first partial signal and a second partial signal, wherein the first partial signal is sent via backscattering, and the second partial signal is sent via active transmission.

[0286] In some embodiments, the first signal includes a first part signal and a second part signal, wherein the first part signal is sent via a backscattering method, and the second part signal is sent via a first sending method, wherein the first sending method includes an active transmission method and / or a backscattering method.

[0287] In some embodiments, the first sending mode is determined based on first information, and the first information is related to energy obtained by the terminal device through energy harvesting.

[0288] In some embodiments, the first portion of the signal includes a first preamble signal.

[0289] In some embodiments, the first preamble signal uses a signal waveform supported by a traditional 802.11 wireless interface.

[0290] In some embodiments, the second part of the signal includes at least one of the following: a second preamble signal, a header signal, and a data signal.

[0291] In some embodiments, the second part of the signal uses a signal waveform supported by a zero-power wireless interface.

[0292] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0293] The energy status of the terminal device;

[0294] Duration information of the first signal;

[0295] Environmental energy intensity information;

[0296] Carrier signal strength information;

[0297] Backscatter signal strength information;

[0298] Type information of the signal to be sent;

[0299] The modulation method of the signal to be sent.

[0300] In some embodiments, the terminal device sends the first signal using a target sending mode, including:

[0301] When the energy state of the terminal device meets the energy state required for active transmission, sending the first signal in an active transmission manner; or

[0302] When the energy state of the terminal device does not meet the energy state required for active transmission, the first signal is sent using a backscattering mode, or the first signal is sent using a backscattering mode and an active transmission mode.

[0303] In some embodiments, the communication unit 410 is further configured to:

[0304] When the duration of active transmission communication supported by the terminal device satisfies the duration information of the first signal, sending the first signal in an active transmission manner; or

[0305] When the active transmission communication duration supported by the terminal device does not meet the duration information of the first signal, the first signal is sent using a backscattering method, or the first signal is sent using a backscattering method and an active transmission method.

[0306] 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the duration of active transmission communication supported by the terminal device is determined according to at least one of the energy state of the terminal device, the energy storage capacity of the terminal device, and the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0307] In some embodiments, the communication unit 410 is further configured to:

[0308] If the intensity information of the ambient energy supports the terminal device to send a signal in an active transmission mode or the intensity information of the ambient energy meets a first intensity threshold, the first signal is sent in an active transmission mode; or

[0309] If the intensity information of the ambient energy does not support the terminal device to send signals in an active transmission mode or the intensity information of the ambient energy meets the first intensity threshold, the first signal is sent in a backscattering mode, or the first signal is sent in a backscattering mode and an active transmission mode.

[0310] In some embodiments, the communication unit 410 is further configured to:

[0311] When the strength information of the carrier signal meets a second strength threshold, sending the first signal in a reverse transmission manner; or

[0312] When the strength information of the carrier signal does not meet the second strength threshold, the first signal is sent using an active scattering mode, or the first signal is sent using a backscattering mode and an active transmission mode.

[0313] In some embodiments, the strength information of the carrier signal is higher than the second strength threshold; or

[0314] The strength information of the carrier signal is higher than or equal to the second strength threshold.

[0315] In some embodiments, the strength information of the carrier signal is lower than the second strength threshold; or

[0316] The strength information of the carrier signal is lower than or equal to the second strength threshold.

[0317] In some embodiments, the communication unit 410 is further configured to:

[0318] When the strength information of the backscattered signal meets a third strength threshold, sending the first signal in a reverse transmission manner; or

[0319] When the strength information of the backscattered signal does not meet the third strength threshold, the first signal is sent using an active scattering mode, or the first signal is sent using a backscattering mode and an active transmission mode.

[0320] In some embodiments, the intensity information of the backscattered signal meeting the third intensity threshold includes:

[0321] The intensity information of the backscattered signal is higher than the third intensity threshold; or

[0322] The intensity information of the backscattered signal is higher than or equal to the third intensity threshold.

[0323] In some embodiments, the intensity information of the backscattered signal does not meet the third intensity threshold includes:

[0324] The intensity information of the backscattered signal is lower than the third intensity threshold; or

[0325] The intensity information of the backscattered signal is lower than or equal to the third intensity threshold.

[0326] In some embodiments, the communication unit 410 is further configured to:

[0327] When the modulation mode of the first signal is the first modulation mode, sending the first signal in an active transmission mode; or

[0328] When the modulation mode of the first signal is the second modulation mode, sending the first signal by using a backscattering mode;

[0329] The complexity of the first modulation method is lower than that of the second modulation method.

[0330] Alternatively, in some embodiments, the communication unit may be a communication interface or a transceiver, or an input / output interface of a communication chip or a system on chip. The processing unit may be one or more processors.

[0331] It should be understood that the terminal device 400 according to the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the terminal device in the embodiment of the method of the present application, and the above-mentioned and other operations and / or functions of each unit in the terminal device 400 are respectively for realizing the corresponding processes of the terminal device in the method shown in Figures 7 to 9. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0332] Figure 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 600 shown in Figure 11 includes a processor 610, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0333] Optionally, as shown in FIG11 , the communication device 600 may further include a memory 620. The processor 610 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 620 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0334] The memory 620 may be a separate device independent of the processor 610 , or may be integrated into the processor 610 .

[0335] Optionally, as shown in FIG11 , the communication device 600 may further include a transceiver 630 , and the processor 610 may control the transceiver 630 to communicate with other devices, specifically, to send information or data to other devices, or to receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0336] The transceiver 630 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 630 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0337] Optionally, the communication device 600 may specifically be a network device in an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 600 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in each method in the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0338] Optionally, the communication device 600 may specifically be a mobile terminal / terminal device in an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 600 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the mobile terminal / terminal device in each method in the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0339] Figure 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip 700 shown in Figure 12 includes a processor 710, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method according to the embodiment of the present application.

[0340] Optionally, as shown in FIG12 , the chip 700 may further include a memory 720 , wherein the processor 710 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 720 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0341] The memory 720 may be a separate device independent of the processor 710 , or may be integrated into the processor 710 .

[0342] Optionally, the chip 700 may further include an input interface 730. The processor 710 may control the input interface 730 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0343] Optionally, the chip 700 may further include an output interface 740. The processor 710 may control the output interface 740 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0344] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in each method of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0345] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the mobile terminal / terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the mobile terminal / terminal device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0346] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system-on-chip chip, etc.

[0347] FIG13 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system 900 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG13 , the communication system 900 includes a terminal device 910 and a network device 920 .

[0348] Among them, the terminal device 910 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the terminal device in the above method, and the network device 920 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the network device in the above method. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0349] It should be understood that the processor of the embodiments of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or software instructions. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0350] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus random access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0351] It should be understood that the above-mentioned memories are exemplary but not restrictive. For example, the memories in the embodiments of the present application may also be static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM RAM (DR RAM), etc. In other words, the memories in the embodiments of the present application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0352] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program.

[0353] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0354] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the mobile terminal / terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the mobile terminal / terminal device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0355] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions.

[0356] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program instructions enable the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0357] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the mobile terminal / terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program instructions enable the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the mobile terminal / terminal device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0358] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program.

[0359] Optionally, the computer program can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not described here.

[0360] Optionally, the computer program can be applied to the mobile terminal / terminal device in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program runs on the computer, the computer executes the corresponding processes implemented by the mobile terminal / terminal device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0361] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0362] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0363] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0364] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0365] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0366] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0367] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, characterized in that: include: The terminal device sends the first signal using a target sending mode, where the target sending mode includes an active transmission mode and / or a backscattering mode.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The target sending mode is determined according to first information, and the first information is related to energy obtained by the terminal device through energy harvesting.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first signal includes a first signal portion and a second signal portion, wherein the first signal portion is sent in a backscattering manner, and the second signal portion is sent in an active transmission manner.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first signal includes a first part signal and a second part signal, wherein the first part signal is sent via a backscattering mode, and the second part signal is sent via a first sending mode, wherein the first sending mode includes an active transmission mode and / or a backscattering mode.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The first sending mode is determined according to first information, and the first information is related to energy obtained by the terminal device through energy harvesting.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that The first part of the signal includes a first preamble signal.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The first pilot signal uses a signal waveform supported by a traditional 802.11 wireless interface.

8. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that The second part of the signal includes at least one of the following: a second leading signal, a header signal, and a data signal.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The second part of the signal adopts a signal waveform supported by a zero-power wireless interface.

10. The method according to claim 2 or 5, characterized in that The first information includes at least one of the following: The energy status of the terminal device; Duration information of the first signal; Environmental energy intensity information; Carrier signal strength information; Backscatter signal strength information; Type information of the signal to be sent; The modulation method of the signal to be sent.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that The terminal device sends a first signal using a target sending mode, including: When the energy state of the terminal device meets the energy state required for active transmission, sending the first signal in an active transmission manner; or When the energy state of the terminal device does not meet the energy state required for active transmission, the first signal is sent using a backscattering mode, or the first signal is sent using a backscattering mode and an active transmission mode.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that The terminal device sends a first signal using a target sending mode, including: When the duration of active transmission communication supported by the terminal device satisfies the duration information of the first signal, sending the first signal in an active transmission manner; or When the active transmission communication duration supported by the terminal device does not meet the duration information of the first signal, the first signal is sent using a backscattering method, or the first signal is sent using a backscattering method and an active transmission method.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The active transmission communication duration supported by the terminal device is determined according to at least one of the energy state of the terminal device, the energy storage capacity of the terminal device and the power consumption of the terminal device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that The terminal device sends a first signal using a target sending mode, including: If the intensity information of the ambient energy supports the terminal device to send a signal in an active transmission mode or the intensity information of the ambient energy meets a first intensity threshold, the first signal is sent in an active transmission mode; or If the intensity information of the ambient energy does not support the terminal device to send signals in an active transmission mode or the intensity information of the ambient energy meets the first intensity threshold, the first signal is sent in a backscattering mode, or the first signal is sent in a backscattering mode and an active transmission mode.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that The terminal device sends a first signal using a target sending mode, including: When the strength information of the carrier signal meets a second strength threshold, sending the first signal in a reverse transmission manner; or When the strength information of the carrier signal does not meet the second strength threshold, the first signal is sent using an active scattering mode, or the first signal is sent using a backscattering mode and an active transmission mode.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The strength information of the carrier signal satisfies the second strength threshold, including: The strength information of the carrier signal is higher than the second strength threshold; or The strength information of the carrier signal is higher than or equal to the second strength threshold.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that The strength information of the carrier signal does not meet the second strength threshold including: The strength information of the carrier signal is lower than the second strength threshold; or The strength information of the carrier signal is lower than or equal to the second strength threshold.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that The terminal device sends a first signal using a target sending mode, including: When the strength information of the backscattered signal meets a third strength threshold, sending the first signal in a reverse transmission manner; or When the strength information of the backscattered signal does not meet the third strength threshold, the first signal is sent using an active scattering mode, or the first signal is sent using a backscattering mode and an active transmission mode.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The intensity information of the backscattered signal meeting the third intensity threshold includes: The intensity information of the backscattered signal is higher than the third intensity threshold; or The intensity information of the backscattered signal is higher than or equal to the third intensity threshold.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that The intensity information of the backscattered signal does not meet the third intensity threshold including: The intensity information of the backscattered signal is lower than the third intensity threshold; or The intensity information of the backscattered signal is lower than or equal to the third intensity threshold.

21. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that The terminal device sends a first signal using a target sending mode, including: When the modulation mode of the first signal is the first modulation mode, sending the first signal in an active transmission mode; or When the modulation mode of the first signal is the second modulation mode, sending the first signal by using a backscattering mode; The complexity of the first modulation method is lower than that of the second modulation method.

22. A terminal device, characterized in that: include: The communication unit is configured to send a first signal using a target sending mode, where the target sending mode includes an active transmission mode and / or a backscattering mode.

23. The terminal device according to claim 22, characterized in that The target sending mode is determined according to first information, and the first information is related to energy obtained by the terminal device through energy harvesting.

24. The terminal device according to claim 22 or 23, characterized in that: The first signal includes a first signal portion and a second signal portion, wherein the first signal portion is sent in a backscattering manner, and the second signal portion is sent in an active transmission manner.

25. The terminal device according to claim 22 or 23, characterized in that: The first signal includes a first part signal and a second part signal, wherein the first part signal is sent via a backscattering mode, and the second part signal is sent via a first sending mode, wherein the first sending mode includes an active transmission mode and / or a backscattering mode.

26. The terminal device according to claim 25, characterized in that The first sending mode is determined according to first information, and the first information is related to energy obtained by the terminal device through energy harvesting.

27. The terminal device according to any one of claims 24 to 26, characterized in that: The first part of the signal includes a first preamble signal.

28. The terminal device according to claim 27, characterized in that The first pilot signal uses a signal waveform supported by a traditional 802.11 wireless interface.

29. The terminal device according to any one of claims 24 to 28, characterized in that: The second part of the signal includes at least one of the following: a second leading signal, a header signal, and a data signal.

30. The terminal device according to claim 29, characterized in that The second part of the signal adopts a signal waveform supported by a zero-power wireless interface.

31. The terminal device according to claim 23 or 26, characterized in that: The first information includes at least one of the following: The energy status of the terminal device; Duration information of the first signal; Environmental energy intensity information; Carrier signal strength information; Backscatter signal strength information; Type information of the signal to be sent; The modulation method of the signal to be sent.

32. The terminal device according to any one of claims 22 to 31, characterized in that: The communication unit is further configured to: When the energy state of the terminal device meets the energy state required for active transmission, sending the first signal in an active transmission manner; or When the energy state of the terminal device does not meet the energy state required for active transmission, the first signal is sent using a backscattering mode, or the first signal is sent using a backscattering mode and an active transmission mode.

33. The terminal device according to any one of claims 22 to 32, characterized in that: The communication unit is further configured to: When the duration of active transmission communication supported by the terminal device satisfies the duration information of the first signal, sending the first signal in an active transmission manner; or When the active transmission communication duration supported by the terminal device does not meet the duration information of the first signal, the first signal is sent using a backscattering method, or the first signal is sent using a backscattering method and an active transmission method.

34. The terminal device according to claim 33, characterized in that The active transmission communication duration supported by the terminal device is determined according to at least one of the energy state of the terminal device, the energy storage capacity of the terminal device and the power consumption of the terminal device.

35. The terminal device according to any one of claims 22 to 34, characterized in that: The communication unit is further configured to: If the intensity information of the ambient energy supports the terminal device to send a signal in an active transmission mode or the intensity information of the ambient energy meets a first intensity threshold, the first signal is sent in an active transmission mode; or If the intensity information of the ambient energy does not support the terminal device to send signals in an active transmission mode or the intensity information of the ambient energy meets the first intensity threshold, the first signal is sent in a backscattering mode, or the first signal is sent in a backscattering mode and an active transmission mode.

36. The terminal device according to any one of claims 22 to 35, characterized in that: The communication unit is further configured to: When the strength information of the carrier signal meets a second strength threshold, sending the first signal in a reverse transmission manner; or When the strength information of the carrier signal does not meet the second strength threshold, the first signal is sent using an active scattering mode, or the first signal is sent using a backscattering mode and an active transmission mode.

37. The terminal device according to claim 36, characterized in that The strength information of the carrier signal satisfies the second strength threshold, including: The strength information of the carrier signal is higher than the second strength threshold; or The strength information of the carrier signal is higher than or equal to the second strength threshold.

38. The terminal device according to claim 36 or 37, characterized in that: The strength information of the carrier signal does not meet the second strength threshold including: The strength information of the carrier signal is lower than the second strength threshold; or The strength information of the carrier signal is lower than or equal to the second strength threshold.

39. The terminal device according to any one of claims 22 to 38, characterized in that: The communication unit is further configured to: When the strength information of the backscattered signal meets a third strength threshold, sending the first signal in a reverse transmission manner; or When the strength information of the backscattered signal does not meet the third strength threshold, the first signal is sent using an active scattering mode, or the first signal is sent using a backscattering mode and an active transmission mode.

40. The terminal device according to claim 39, characterized in that The intensity information of the backscattered signal meeting the third intensity threshold includes: The intensity information of the backscattered signal is higher than the third intensity threshold; or The intensity information of the backscattered signal is higher than or equal to the third intensity threshold.

41. The terminal device according to claim 39 or 40, characterized in that: The intensity information of the backscattered signal does not meet the third intensity threshold including: The intensity information of the backscattered signal is lower than the third intensity threshold; or The intensity information of the backscattered signal is lower than or equal to the third intensity threshold.

42. The terminal device according to any one of claims 22 to 41, characterized in that: The terminal device sends a first signal using a target sending mode, including: When the modulation mode of the first signal is the first modulation mode, sending the first signal in an active transmission mode; or When the modulation mode of the first signal is the second modulation mode, sending the first signal by using a backscattering mode; The complexity of the first modulation method is lower than that of the second modulation method.

43. A terminal device, characterized in that: include: A processor and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the processor being used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

44. A chip, characterized in that include: A processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

45. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that Used to store a computer program, wherein the computer program causes a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

46. ​​A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises computer program instructions for causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

47. A computer program, characterized in that The computer program causes a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

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