Communication method and device and readable storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and device and a readable storage medium, and in the method, a first communication device can send a first time-space wave packet signal to a second communication device at a first moment. Wherein the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal is smaller than the light velocity. Accordingly, the first communication device can receive a feedback signal from the second communication device at a second moment, and the group velocity of the feedback signal is smaller than or equal to the light velocity. The first communication device may determine a first distance from the second communication device according to the first time, the second time, the group velocity of the first spatio-temporal wave packet signal, and the group velocity of the feedback signal. According to the method and the device, in a ranging positioning scene, the space-time wave packet signals with the group velocity smaller than the light velocity can be adopted between the communication devices for ranging positioning, ranging positioning errors can be reduced, and ranging positioning precision can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology, and in particular, to a communication method, device, and readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Positioning technology is widely used in various fields, and positioning technology may include signal fingerprint positioning, ranging positioning, etc. In ranging positioning, triangulation positioning algorithm, time-of-flight positioning algorithm, etc. may also be used to achieve positioning. For example, a transmitter and a receiver may be set in a current electronic device, the transmitter is used to transmit a signal to a target, and the receiver is used to receive a feedback signal from the target. The electronic device may obtain the distance between the electronic device and the target based on the time difference between the transmitted signal and the received signal, and the speed of the electromagnetic wave.

[0003] Positioning accuracy is the core factor affecting ranging and positioning. The accuracy of time measurement is related to the clock accuracy of the transmitter and receiver themselves. Affected by the clock accuracy of the transmitter and receiver themselves, the current ranging and positioning accuracy is low. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, an apparatus, and a readable storage medium, which can use a space-time wave packet signal with a group velocity less than the speed of light for ranging, thereby reducing ranging and positioning errors and improving ranging and positioning accuracy.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, in which a first communication device may send a first space-time wave packet signal to a second communication device at a first moment. The group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal is less than the speed of light. Accordingly, the first communication device may receive a feedback signal from the second communication device at a second moment, and the group velocity of the feedback signal is less than or equal to the speed of light. The first communication device may determine a first distance from the second communication device based on the first moment, the second moment, the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal, and the group velocity of the feedback signal.

[0006] In the embodiment of the present application, the positioning accuracy is related to the transmission speed of the electromagnetic wave and the time measurement error. Among them, improving the accuracy of time measurement will lead to high cost and small application scope of the communication device. Therefore, under the premise that the time measurement error remains unchanged, the positioning accuracy can be improved by reducing the transmission speed of the electromagnetic wave in the embodiment of the present application. Among them, in the ranging positioning scenario, the communication devices can exchange signals with a transmission speed lower than the speed of light, which can improve the positioning accuracy.

[0007] In a possible implementation, the second communication device has the ability to generate a space-time wave packet signal, the feedback signal is a second space-time wave packet signal, and the group velocity of the second space-time wave packet signal is less than the speed of light.

[0008] In a possible implementation, the second communication device does not have the ability to generate a space-time wave packet signal, the feedback signal is a first electromagnetic wave signal, and the group velocity of the first electromagnetic wave signal is equal to the speed of light.

[0009] In this implementation, because the first communication device can send a space-time wave packet signal to the second communication device, the second communication device can feedback the space-time wave packet signal or the first electromagnetic wave signal to the first communication device. Regardless of whether the feedback signal is a space-time wave packet signal or a first electromagnetic wave signal, because the first communication device can send a space-time wave packet signal to the second communication device, the interactive process can also reduce the ranging and positioning error and improve the ranging and positioning accuracy.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the first communication device may not consider the time taken by the second communication device to process the first space-time wave packet, and the first communication device may determine the first distance from the second communication device based on the first moment, the second moment, the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal, and the group velocity of the feedback signal.

[0011] In a possible implementation, in order to improve the ranging and positioning accuracy, the first communication device may consider the time it takes for the second communication device to process the first space-time wave packet and subtract the time to obtain an accurate ranging and positioning result.

[0012] In this implementation, the first communication device may also receive a third moment and a fourth moment from the second communication device, the third moment being the moment when the second communication device receives the first space-time wave packet signal, and the fourth moment being the moment when the second communication device sends the feedback signal. The third moment and the fourth moment may be sent together with the feedback signal, or sent separately, and this is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0013] In this implementation, the first communication device may determine the first distance according to the first moment, the second moment, the third moment, the fourth moment, the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal, and the group velocity of the feedback signal.

[0014] In a possible implementation, multiple communication devices may send space-time wave packet signals to a second communication device to perform ranging and positioning on the second communication device, so as to further improve ranging and positioning accuracy. Exemplarily, taking the multiple communication devices including a first communication device and at least one third communication device as an example, the first communication device may send a first space-time wave packet signal to the second communication device, and the third communication device may send a third space-time wave packet signal to the second communication device.

[0015] The first communication device can receive a feedback signal from the second communication device, and the third communication device can receive a feedback signal from the second communication device. Accordingly, the third communication device can determine the second distance between the third communication device and the second communication device based on the sending time of the third space-time wave packet signal and the receiving time of the feedback signal. Alternatively, the third communication device can determine the second distance from the second communication device based on the sending time of the third space-time wave packet signal (such as the fifth moment), the receiving time of the feedback signal (such as the sixth moment), and the seventh moment and the eighth moment. Among them, the seventh moment is the moment when the second communication device receives the third space-time wave packet signal, and the eighth moment is the moment when the second communication device sends a feedback signal to the third communication device.

[0016] It should be understood that the manner in which the third communication device determines the second distance between the third communication device and the second communication device may refer to the description of the first communication device determining the first distance between the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0017] When the third communication device determines the second distance, it can send the second distance to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device can receive the second distance from at least one third communication device. The second distance is: the distance between the third communication device and the second communication device obtained by the third communication device sending a space-time wave packet signal to the second communication device. The first communication device can determine the position of the second communication device based on the first distance and at least one second distance. Exemplarily, the first communication device can use a hyperbolic positioning method to determine the position of the second communication device.

[0018] In this implementation, multiple communication devices may send space-time wave packet signals to the second communication device to perform ranging and positioning on the second communication device, thereby positioning the second communication device with high positioning accuracy.

[0019] In a possible implementation, before the communication devices exchange signals, the communication devices may mutually determine the group speed of the signal sent by the other party.

[0020] Exemplarily, for a scenario where the second communication device does not have the ability to generate a space-time wave packet signal, taking the interaction between the first communication device and the second communication device as an example, the first communication device may send first information to the second communication device before sending the first space-time wave packet signal to the second communication device at a first moment, and the first information is used to indicate the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal. After receiving the first information, the second communication device may determine the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal. Since the second communication device does not have the ability to generate a space-time wave packet signal, the second communication device may not send information indicating the group velocity of the space-time wave packet signal to the first communication device. In this example, the second communication device may send confirmation information to the first communication device, and the confirmation information indicates that the second communication device has received the first information.

[0021] Exemplarily, for a scenario where the second communication device does not have the ability to generate a space-time wave packet signal, taking the interaction between the first communication device and the second communication device as an example, the first communication device may negotiate with the second communication device at a first moment to determine the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal and the group velocity of the second space-time wave packet signal before sending the first space-time wave packet signal to the second communication device.

[0022] The first communication device may send first information to the second communication device, the first information being used to indicate the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal, and the second communication device may send second information to the first communication device, the second information being used to indicate the group velocity of the second space-time wave packet signal. In some embodiments, the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal and the group velocity of the second space-time wave packet signal may be the same or different.

[0023] It should be understood that after receiving the first information, the second communication device can send confirmation information to the first communication device, and the confirmation information indicates that the second communication device has received the first information. Correspondingly, after receiving the second information, the first communication device can send confirmation information to the second communication device, and the confirmation information indicates that the first communication device has received the second information.

[0024] In this example, before the communication devices exchange information for ranging and positioning, the communication devices can mutually confirm the group velocity of the space-time wave packet signal sent by the other party, so as to accurately receive the space-time wave packet signal from the other party.

[0025] The following takes the first communication device as an example to introduce the process of the first communication device generating the first space-time wave packet signal. The second communication device generates the second space-time wave packet signal, and the third communication device generates the third space-time wave packet signal. The description of the first communication device generating the first space-time wave packet signal can be referred to:

[0026] The first communication device includes an antenna array, the antenna array includes N antenna units, and the first space-time wave packet signal includes: a multi-carrier signal transmitted by each antenna unit at the first moment. The multi-carrier signal includes: a subcarrier signal carried on M subcarriers, each subcarrier has a different frequency, each subcarrier has a different phase, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0027] The phase of each subcarrier signal is related to a preset angle, and the preset angle is used to indicate the angle between the light cone section of the envelope of the first space-time wave packet signal and the space Z axis, and the preset angle is less than 45°. In the embodiment of the present application, the preset angle can be set in advance to enable the first communication device to generate the first space-time wave packet signal.

[0028] In some embodiments, the preset angle is in the range of 0.06°-6°.

[0029] In the embodiment of the present application, when the preset angle is smaller, the group velocity of the space-time wave packet is smaller, and the accuracy of ranging and positioning is higher. Among them, when the preset angle is in the range of 0.06°-6°, the group velocity Vg of the space-time wave packet signal is The accuracy of ranging and positioning can be further improved within the range of . Where C is the speed of light.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the N antenna units include an i-th antenna unit, where i is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N. The following takes the generation of a multi-carrier signal transmitted by the i-th antenna unit by the first communication device as an example to introduce a process in which the first communication device generates a multi-carrier signal transmitted by each antenna unit:

[0031] First, the first communication device may generate a digital signal of each subcarrier at p moments according to the frequency of each subcarrier corresponding to the i-th antenna unit, the phase of the subcarrier signal carried on each subcarrier, and a preset frequency, wherein the preset frequency is: the frequency of any subcarrier among the M subcarriers, and p is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The first communication device may obtain a first analog signal by subjecting the digital signal of each subcarrier at p moments to digital-to-analog conversion.

[0032] The first communication device may modulate the first analog signal according to the preset frequency to obtain a multi-carrier signal corresponding to the i-th antenna unit. After obtaining the multi-carrier signal corresponding to the i-th antenna unit, the first communication device may send the multi-carrier signal to the i-th antenna unit so that the i-th antenna unit transmits the multi-carrier signal.

[0033] In a possible implementation manner, the first communication device may generate a digital signal for each subcarrier at p times, including:

[0034]

[0035] The first communication device takes p values ​​of t according to Formula 1 to obtain p moments, and substitutes each moment into Formula 1 to obtain the digital signal of each subcarrier at the p moments.

[0036] In formula 1, k represents any subcarrier corresponding to the i-th antenna unit, f 0 represents the preset frequency, f k represents the frequency of any subcarrier, represents the phase of the subcarrier signal carried by any subcarrier, and A represents the amplitude.

[0037] Secondly, the first communication device may generate the phase of each subcarrier signal at p moments according to the frequency of each subcarrier corresponding to the i-th antenna unit and the phase of the subcarrier signal carried on each subcarrier, where p is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The first communication device may obtain a second analog signal by performing digital-to-analog conversion on the preset amplitude of each subcarrier signal at p moments and the phase of each subcarrier signal at p moments, and the second analog signal is used to characterize the multi-carrier signal corresponding to the i-th antenna unit.

[0038] After obtaining the second analog signal, the first communication device may send the second analog signal to the i-th antenna unit, so that the i-th antenna unit transmits a multi-carrier signal.

[0039] In the first and second ones, for the M subcarriers corresponding to the i-th antenna unit, the phase of the subcarrier signal carried on each subcarrier is related to the frequency of each subcarrier, the preset frequency, the preset angle, and the distance between the i-th antenna unit and the preset position of the antenna array.

[0040] The first communication device may include the kth subcarrier in the M subcarriers corresponding to the i-th antenna unit, and taking the k-th subcarrier as an example, the first communication device may obtain the phase of the subcarrier signal carried on the k-th subcarrier based on the frequency of the k-th subcarrier, the preset frequency, the preset angle, and the distance between the i-th antenna unit and the preset position of the antenna array.

[0041] In an embodiment of the present application, the first communication device can generate a first space-time wave packet signal based on the methods in one or two above. Based on this, the communication devices can exchange space-time wave packet signals with a group velocity less than the speed of light, which can improve the ranging and positioning accuracy.

[0042] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may include: a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store computer executable program code, and the program code includes instructions; when the processor executes the instructions, the instructions cause the communication device to execute the method in the first aspect.

[0043] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, which may include a unit, module or circuit for executing the method provided in the first aspect above. In some embodiments, the communication device may be an electronic device or a module in an electronic device.

[0044] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method in the first aspect.

[0045] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer-readable storage medium is run on a computer, the computer executes the method in the first aspect above.

[0046] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip, comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor utilizes the communication interface to execute the method in the first aspect above.

[0047] The beneficial effects of the possible implementation methods of the second to sixth aspects mentioned above can be referred to the beneficial effects brought about by the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be elaborated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] Figure 1A A schematic diagram of a scenario applicable to the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 1B A schematic diagram for ranging and positioning;

[0050] Figure 2A A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Figure 2B A schematic diagram of a positioning signal;

[0052] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a space-time wave packet generator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a space-time wave packet signal;

[0054] Figure 5 A flow chart of an embodiment of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] Figure 6 A flowchart of another embodiment of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0056] Fig. 7A A flowchart of another embodiment of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Figure 7B A flowchart of another embodiment of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of another scenario to which the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application is applicable;

[0059] Fig. 9 A flowchart of another embodiment of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] Ranging and positioning are widely used in various fields. For example, in the field of robotics, ranging and positioning can help robots achieve precise positioning. By measuring the distance from the surrounding environment, the current position of the robot can be determined, so that accurate trajectory planning can be carried out. For example, in the field of drones, ranging and positioning can help aircraft accurately measure the height from the ground, perform altitude control and obstacle avoidance navigation. For example, in the field of autonomous driving, ranging and positioning can detect the distance to the obstacles ahead, and perform adaptive cruising and braking. For example, in service robots, ranging and positioning can help robots sense the distance from the human body and carry out human-machine interaction and collaboration.

[0062] At present, common distance measurement and positioning methods include but are not limited to: laser distance measurement and positioning, ultrasonic distance measurement and positioning, and photoelectric distance measurement and positioning. Among them, laser distance measurement and positioning uses the time and energy changes of the laser beam to calculate the distance, ultrasonic distance measurement and positioning uses the time of ultrasonic wave propagation in the air to calculate the distance, and photoelectric distance measurement and positioning uses the reflection of light and the response of photosensitive elements to calculate the distance.

[0063] The following introduces the basic principles of current ranging and positioning:

[0064] Figure 1A A schematic diagram of a scenario applicable to the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 1A , the scenario may include a first communication device 11 and a second communication device 12. In the ranging and positioning scenario, for example, the first communication device is a base station and the second communication device is a mobile phone. Or the first communication device is a mobile phone 1 and the second communication device is a mobile phone 2, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 1A In the example, the first communication device is a base station and the second communication device is a mobile phone.

[0065] Taking the first communication device 11 measuring the distance of the second communication device 12 as an example, the first communication device 11 can be regarded as a positioning signal transmitting device, and the second communication device 12 can be regarded as a positioned device. For example, at time t1, the first communication device 11 sends a positioning signal to the second communication device 12, and the positioning signal may include but is not limited to a radar pulse, a positioning data packet, etc. In some embodiments, the radar pulse, the data packet, etc. may be sent in the form of a data frame.

[0066] At time t2, the second communication device 12 receives the positioning signal from the first communication device 11. After parsing and processing the positioning signal, the second communication device 12 may send a feedback signal to the first communication device 11 at time t3. At time t4, the first communication device 11 receives the feedback signal from the second communication device 12.

[0067] In some embodiments, reference Figure 1A , the first communication device 11 can calculate the distance between the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 12 according to the following formula 1:

[0068]

[0069] Wherein, L is the distance between the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 12, and C is the transmission speed of electromagnetic waves, which is equal to the speed of light.

[0070] In Formula 1, the first communication device ignores the time taken by the second communication device 12 to process the positioning signal. However, since the second communication device 12 also needs time to process the positioning signal, and this part of time is not the transmission time of the electromagnetic wave, in some embodiments, reference is made to Figure 1B , the first communication device 11 can subtract the time for the second communication device 12 to process the positioning signal, and calculate the distance between the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 12 according to the following formula 2:

[0071]

[0072] Compared with Formula 1, in Formula 2, the first communication device 11 can subtract the time for the second communication device 12 to process the positioning signal, so that the distance between the first communication device 11 and the second communication device 12 can be calculated more accurately.

[0073] The core indicator of ranging and positioning technology is positioning accuracy. At present, high-precision ranging capabilities are required in ranging and positioning scenarios to support accurate perception and positioning. For example, vehicle-mounted radars require millimeter (mm) to centimeter (cm) level positioning accuracy, but currently based on 100MHz wireless positioning signals, only 1 to 3m positioning accuracy can be achieved indoors. Therefore, in ranging and positioning, how to improve positioning accuracy is crucial.

[0074] According to the distance measurement method in Formula 1 and Formula 2, no matter which calculation method is used, the transmission speed C of the electromagnetic wave and the transmission time of the positioning signal are used. Among them, the transmission speed of the electromagnetic wave is equal to the speed of light. In some embodiments, the accuracy of the transmission time of the positioning signal can be improved to improve the accuracy of the distance measurement and positioning.

[0075] The accuracy of time measurement is related to the clock accuracy of the receiver and transmitter of the communication device. The communication device can transmit signals through the transmitter and receive signals through the receiver. For example, if the clock accuracy of the receiver and transmitter of the communication device can only be accurate to 1nm, then based on the transmission speed of electromagnetic waves, the accuracy of ranging and positioning is difficult to exceed 30cm, where 1ns×speed of light=30cm.

[0076] In some embodiments, a high-precision clock may be set in the communication device, but the high-precision clock has high cost and a small scope of application.

[0077] In some embodiments, in order to reduce the time measurement error and improve the accuracy of time measurement, the first communication device and the second communication device can use broadband signals when exchanging signals, but the communication device takes a long time to receive the broadband signal, which will also cause ranging and positioning errors. For example, the bandwidth of the signal is 1MHz, and the pulse time of the signal is about 1us. Even if the accuracy of the clock set in the communication device is very high, it will be affected by the signal detection and reception. The error of the arrival time of the signal received by the communication device will be 1us, and 1us will cause a ranging and positioning error of 300m. Among them, 1us×speed of light=300m. However, if the bandwidth of the signal is 1GHz, the pulse time of the signal is about 1ns, and 1ns will cause a ranging and positioning error of 30cm.

[0078] In some embodiments, the first communication device and the second communication device may use a wideband signal when exchanging signals, but a wideband signal requires an ultra-narrow pulse signal generator, which has high cost and a small application range.

[0079] In summary, positioning accuracy is related to the transmission speed of electromagnetic waves (such as the speed of light) and time measurement errors. Since improving the accuracy of time measurement will lead to high costs and small scope of application of communication devices, the positioning accuracy can be improved by reducing the transmission speed of electromagnetic waves under the premise that the time measurement error remains unchanged. For example, the transmission speed C1 of the signal exchanged between communication devices is less than the speed of light. If the clock accuracy of the receiver and transmitter of the communication device is 1nm, or the pulse time of the signal is 1ns, then the 1ns will introduce a ranging positioning error of 1ns×C1. Because C1 is less than the speed of light C, the ranging positioning error is reduced and the positioning accuracy is improved.

[0080] Based on the above concept, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method. In a ranging and positioning scenario, communication devices can exchange signals with a transmission speed lower than the speed of light, thereby improving positioning accuracy.

[0081] In some embodiments, the communication device in the embodiments of the present application, such as the first communication device and the second communication device, is a device provided with a space-time wave packet generator. For example, the communication device can be a network device, a terminal device, etc. The form of the communication device in the embodiments of the present application is not specifically limited.

[0082] For example, the network device may be a base station, or a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or the network device may be a mobile switching center, a relay station, an access point, a hub, a switch, a bridge, a router, a network side device in a 5G network, or a network device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), etc.

[0083] For example, the terminal device may be a mobile phone, a portable android device (PAD), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device, a vehicle-mounted device or a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in a smart home, etc.

[0084] Before introducing the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the structure of the communication device is first introduced:

[0085] Figure 2A A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2A The communication device may include: a baseband signal generating module 21, a digital-to-analog conversion module 22, a modulation and demodulation module 23, and a space-time wave packet generator 24. It is understandable that Figure 2A The structure illustrated in the figure does not constitute a specific limitation on the communication device. In other embodiments of the present application, the communication device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine some components, or split some components, or arrange the components differently. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0086] The baseband signal generating module 21 is used to generate a positioning signal, which is a digital signal and may be composed of multiple discrete signals.

[0087] The digital-to-analog conversion module 22 is used to convert the digital signal into an analog signal to obtain a continuous positioning signal.

[0088] The modulation and demodulation module 23 is used to modulate the frequency of the positioning signal.

[0089] The space-time wave packet generator 24 is used to transmit positioning signals and receive signals from other communication devices.

[0090] In some embodiments, the space-time wave packet generator 24 may be composed of a phased array, a leaky wave antenna, or a metasurface (reconfigurable intelligence surface).

[0091] In some embodiments, the space-time wave packet generator 24 may include an antenna array, which may include N antenna units, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 Each square in represents an antenna unit. Each antenna unit can be used to transmit a signal, and the sum of the signals transmitted by N antenna units can be used as a positioning signal. In addition, the antenna unit is also used to receive signals from other communication devices.

[0092] For example, Figure 2B It is shown that three antenna units transmit a signal, and the sum of the three signals can constitute a positioning signal.

[0093] Reference Figure 2B The communication device may further include: an analog-to-digital conversion module 25. The analog-to-digital conversion module 25 is used to convert the signal received by the space-time wave packet generator 24 into a digital signal and send it to the baseband signal generation module 21.

[0094] Because the communication device in the embodiment of the present application can transmit a signal with a transmission speed less than the speed of light to improve positioning accuracy, the following describes the signal with a transmission speed less than the speed of light and the process of the communication device transmitting the signal:

[0095] In some embodiments, the signal with a transmission speed less than the speed of light can be a space-time wave packet signal. The space-time wave packet is a new type of space-time coupled non-diffraction pulse light beam, and the group velocity of the space-time wave packet can be arbitrarily adjusted between sub-light speed and super-light speed. It should be understood that the group velocity of the space-time wave packet is the envelope transmission speed of the space-time wave packet, and can also be regarded as the actual forward speed of the space-time wave packet. The space-time wave packet has many characteristics such as anomalous refraction, anomalous space-time dispersion, free space dispersion, and time diffraction.

[0096] Figure 4 a in the figure is a schematic diagram of a space-time wave packet signal, which can be regarded as a pulse beam composed of many small beams. The group velocity of the space-time wave packet signal is Vg = C × tanθ, where C is the speed of light and θ is the angle between the light cone section of the space-time wave packet signal and the z-axis. Figure 4 In b, when θ is greater than 45°, the group velocity of the space-time wave packet signal is superluminal, when θ is equal to 45°, the group velocity of the space-time wave packet signal is equal to the speed of light, and when θ is less than 45°, the group velocity of the space-time wave packet signal is subluminal. In the embodiment of the present application, in order to ensure that the group velocity of the space-time wave packet signal is less than the speed of light, θ can be set to be less than 45°.

[0097] Reference Figure 4 a in the coordinate system includes the x-axis, z-axis and ω / C axis. Among them, the x-axis is used to determine the transverse wave number of the space-time wave packet signal, and the wave number represents the number of wavelengths contained in a unit distance. In a multidimensional system, the wave number is the size of the wave vector. Among them, the wave vector is a vector representation of the wave. The wave vector is a vector. The size of the wave vector represents the wave number, and the direction of the wave vector represents the direction of wave propagation. The z-axis is used to determine the longitudinal wave number of the space-time wave packet signal. ω represents the angular frequency of the signal. The angular frequency of the signal is the frequency that describes the periodic changes of the signal, usually expressed as the angular change per unit time.

[0098] Figure 4 In a, a parallelogram is used to represent the light cone section of the space-time wave packet signal. The angle between the light cone section and the z-axis is θ, and the intersection of the light cone section and the ω / C axis is ω. 0 In the embodiment of the present application, the space-time wave packet signal can be obtained by adjusting the angle between the light cone section and the z-axis.

[0099] Among them, the space-time wave packet signal satisfies the following formula 3 (light cone equation), formula 4 (tangent plane equation), and formula 5:

[0100]

[0101] Among them, k x represents the transverse wave number of the space-time wave packet signal, k z It represents the longitudinal wave number of the space-time wave packet signal, and ω / C represents the quotient of the angular frequency of the space-time wave packet signal and the speed of light.

[0102]

[0103] Among them, θ represents the angle between the light cone section of the space-time wave packet signal and the z-axis, ω 0 / C represents the intersection of the light cone section of the space-time wave packet signal and the ω / C axis.

[0104]

[0105] in, represents the phase of the space-time wave packet signal, f represents the frequency of the space-time wave packet signal, and d represents the distance between the antenna unit and the preset position of the antenna array. The preset position in the antenna array is pre-set, and the preset position can be any position of the antenna array. For example, the preset position can be the center position of the antenna array.

[0106] Combine the following Figure 2A The structure of the communication device shown in the figure introduces the process of generating space-time wave packet signal by the communication device:

[0107] The space-time wave packet generator 24 includes an antenna array, which may include N antenna units, each of which may transmit a multi-carrier signal. The space-time wave packet signal includes: a multi-carrier signal transmitted by the N antenna units.

[0108] A multi-carrier signal can be understood as a signal carried on multiple carriers, each of which has a different frequency. In some embodiments, each carrier in the multi-carrier can be used as a subcarrier, and the multi-carrier signal can include a subcarrier signal carried on M subcarriers, each of which has a different frequency. Wherein, M is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0109] Each antenna unit transmits a multi-carrier signal. In some embodiments, the communication device can generate a broadband signal including M frequencies, and a broadband signal of one frequency corresponds to a subcarrier signal transmitted by the antenna unit. In this way, the broadband signal of M frequencies can correspond to M subcarrier signals, and the frequency of the subcarrier to which each subcarrier signal belongs is equal to the frequency of the corresponding broadband signal.

[0110] Exemplarily, the communication device can generate a broadband signal including M frequencies, namely broadband signal 1, broadband signal 2, ..., broadband signal M. The frequency of broadband signal 1 is frequency 1, the frequency of broadband signal 2 is frequency 2, ..., and the frequency of broadband signal M is frequency M. Correspondingly, each antenna unit will transmit a multi-carrier signal. Taking the multi-carrier signal transmitted by one of the antenna units as an example, for example, the multi-carrier signal includes: a subcarrier signal carried on subcarrier 1, a subcarrier signal carried on subcarrier 2, ..., a subcarrier signal carried on subcarrier M. Among them, the frequency of subcarrier 1 is frequency 1, the frequency of subcarrier 2 is frequency 2, ..., and the frequency of subcarrier M is frequency M.

[0111] In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device can generate a broadband signal including M frequencies, and the communication device can generate a multi-carrier signal corresponding to each antenna unit according to the broadband signal of the M frequencies. The following takes the communication device generating a multi-carrier signal corresponding to the i-th antenna unit among N antenna units as an example to introduce the communication device generating a multi-carrier signal corresponding to each antenna unit:

[0112] In the antenna array, the distance between the i-th antenna unit and the preset position is d i , and the i-th antenna unit corresponds to M subcarriers, each subcarrier carries a signal. Among the M subcarriers, the frequency of the k-th subcarrier is f k , S K (t) represents the kth subcarrier signal. Because the signal transmitted by the communication device is a space-time wave packet signal, the kth subcarrier signal is a signal included in the space-time wave packet signal, so the communication device can obtain the phase of the kth subcarrier signal based on Formula 5.

[0113] In some embodiments, based on Formula 3-Formula 5, the following Formula 6 can be derived, and the communication device can obtain the phase of the k-th subcarrier signal according to the following Formula 6:

[0114]

[0115] in, represents the phase of the kth subcarrier signal, f k represents the frequency of the kth subcarrier signal, d i represents the distance between the ith antenna element and the preset position of the antenna array, f 0 In some embodiments, the frequency of the preset subcarrier signal may be referred to as a preset frequency. 0 It may be the frequency of the first subcarrier among the M subcarriers. θ represents the angle between the light cone section of the space-time wave packet signal and the z-axis. In some embodiments, θ may be referred to as a preset angle.

[0116] In some embodiments, the preset angle is less than 45°. Figure 4 In b, in order to further reduce the speed of the space-time wave packet and improve the accuracy of ranging and positioning, the preset angle can be in the range of 0.06°-6°. It should be understood that when the preset angle is smaller, the group velocity of the space-time wave packet is smaller, and the accuracy of ranging and positioning is higher. Among them, when the preset angle is in the range of 0.06°-6°, the group velocity Vg of the space-time wave packet signal is within the range.

[0117] Referring to Formula 6, for the M subcarriers corresponding to the i-th antenna unit, the phase of each subcarrier signal is different, and the phase of each subcarrier signal is related to a preset angle.

[0118] In summary, for the kth subcarrier, the communication device can obtain the phase of the subcarrier signal carried on the kth subcarrier according to the frequency of the kth subcarrier, the preset frequency, the preset angle, and the distance between the i-th antenna unit and the preset position.

[0119] For the i-th antenna unit, the i-th antenna unit corresponds to M subcarriers. Based on the description of the k-th subcarrier, the communication device can obtain the phase of the subcarrier signal carried on each subcarrier corresponding to the i-th antenna unit according to the frequency, preset frequency, preset angle of each subcarrier, and the distance between the i-th antenna unit and the preset position.

[0120] After obtaining the phase of the subcarrier signal carried on each subcarrier corresponding to the i-th antenna unit, the communication device can determine that the multicarrier signal corresponding to the i-th antenna unit is The phase of each subcarrier signal can be obtained based on Formula 6.

[0121] In some embodiments, the baseband signal generation module 21 in the communication device can obtain the phase of the subcarrier signal carried on each subcarrier corresponding to the i-th antenna unit according to the frequency of each subcarrier, the preset frequency, the preset angle, and the distance between the i-th antenna unit and the preset position. The baseband signal generation module 21 can determine the multicarrier signal G corresponding to the i-th antenna unit. i (t), when the baseband signal generation module 21 determines the multi-carrier signal G corresponding to the i-th antenna element i (t) after which the baseband signal generation module 21 can generate a multi-carrier signal G i (t) The corresponding digital signal.

[0122] In some embodiments, the multi-carrier signal G i(t) may be an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal or a discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM) signal, which is not limited in the present embodiment. i (t) is an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing signal as an example, illustrating that the communication device generates a multi-carrier signal G corresponding to the i-th antenna unit i (t) process:

[0123] Based on the expression formula of OFDM signal, in the multi-carrier signal corresponding to the i-th antenna unit, the k-th subcarrier signal S k (t) can be as public

[0124] As shown in formula 7:

[0125]

[0126] Correspondingly, the multi-carrier signal G corresponding to the i-th antenna element i (t) can be expressed as formula 8:

[0127]

[0128] Wherein, A represents the maximum amplitude of the space-time wave packet signal. In some embodiments, A can be a preset value. In some embodiments, the multi-carrier signal G i The maximum amplitude of each subcarrier signal in (t) is equal.

[0129] Here, the communication device generates a multi-carrier signal G corresponding to the i-th antenna unit as an example. i (t) process:

[0130] In some embodiments, the baseband signal generating module 21 can generate a digital signal for each subcarrier at p times according to the frequency of each subcarrier corresponding to the i-th antenna unit, the phase of the subcarrier signal carried on each subcarrier, and the preset frequency, and can refer to the following formula 1.

[0131] Here, p is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0132]

[0133] Among them, t represents any moment among p moments, G i0 (t) represents the digital signal at any moment.

[0134] Referring to Formula 1, the baseband signal generation module 21 can take t as p values ​​to obtain p moments, and substitute each moment into Formula 1 to obtain the digital signal of each subcarrier at the p moments. Exemplarily, the p moments include moment t1, moment t2, ..., and moment tp. Taking moment t1 as an example, the baseband signal generation module 21 can substitute t1 into Formula 1 to obtain the digital signal G of each subcarrier corresponding to the i-th antenna unit at moment t1. i (t1). Similarly, the baseband signal generation module 21 can obtain the digital signal of each subcarrier at p times.

[0135] After the processing of formula 1, it can be regarded that the baseband signal generation module 21 modulates the phase offset signal on each subcarrier

[0136] The digital signal at p moments is a discrete signal. The baseband signal generation module 21 can send the digital signal at p moments to the digital-to-analog conversion module 22, and the digital-to-analog conversion module 22 can process the digital signal of each subcarrier at p moments through digital-to-analog conversion to obtain a first analog signal. The first analog signal is an analog signal corresponding to the multi-carrier signal corresponding to the i-th antenna unit, and the first analog signal is a continuous signal.

[0137] In this example, the baseband signal generation module 21 uses the preset frequency f according to Formula 6. 0 , obtain the phase of each subcarrier signal. Therefore, after the digital-to-analog conversion module 22 obtains the first analog signal, the modulation and demodulation module 23 can 0 , modulate the first analog signal to obtain a multi-carrier signal corresponding to the i-th antenna unit. The modulation and demodulation module 23 can superimpose a frequency Get the multi-carrier signal G corresponding to the i-th antenna unit i (t).

[0138] The modulation and demodulation module 23 obtains the multi-carrier signal G corresponding to the i-th antenna unit i (t) After that, the modulation and demodulation module 23 can send a multi-carrier signal G to the i-th antenna unit. i (t) The i-th antenna unit receives the multi-carrier signal G from the modulation and demodulation module 23. i (t) later, the multi-carrier signal G can be transmitted i (t).

[0139] Similarly, the communication device generates a multi-carrier signal G corresponding to the i-th antenna unit i(t) method, the communication device can generate a multi-carrier signal corresponding to each antenna unit, and the modulation and demodulation module 23 can send the corresponding multi-carrier signal to each antenna unit, so that each antenna unit in the antenna array can transmit a multi-carrier signal.

[0140] It should be understood that the steps performed by the baseband signal generation module 21, the digital-to-analog conversion module 22, the modulation and demodulation module 23, and the space-time wave packet generator 24 in the embodiment of the present application can be regarded as steps performed by the communication device.

[0141] For the i-th antenna unit, each subcarrier signal corresponding to the i-th antenna unit can be characterized by amplitude and phase. In some embodiments, for each subcarrier signal corresponding to the i-th antenna unit, the baseband signal generation module 21 can take t as p values, obtain p moments, and substitute each moment into formula 6 to obtain the phase of the subcarrier signal carried on each subcarrier at p moments. Exemplarily, for the k-th subcarrier corresponding to the i-th antenna unit, the baseband signal generation module 21 can take t as p values, obtain p moments, and substitute each moment into formula 6 to obtain the phase of the subcarrier signal carried on the k-th subcarrier at p moments.

[0142] For each moment, each subcarrier signal can be characterized by amplitude and phase, and the baseband signal generation module 21 can correspond the phase and amplitude of each subcarrier signal at p moments to obtain the digital signal of each subcarrier at p moments. The digital signal of each subcarrier at p moments can be understood as: the digital signal corresponding to the subcarrier signal carried on each subcarrier at p moments.

[0143] In some embodiments, the amplitude of each subcarrier at p moments may be a preset amplitude, wherein the amplitudes at p moments may be equal or unequal.

[0144] The baseband signal generation module 21 can send the preset amplitude of each subcarrier signal at p moments and the phase of each subcarrier signal at p moments to the digital-to-analog conversion module 22. The digital-to-analog conversion module 22 can obtain a second analog signal by performing digital-to-analog conversion on the preset amplitude of each subcarrier signal at p moments and the phase of each subcarrier signal at p moments. The second analog signal is used to represent the multicarrier signal G corresponding to the i-th antenna unit. i (t).

[0145] Because the baseband signal generation module 21 in the embodiment of the present application directly obtains the phase and amplitude of each subcarrier signal at p times, and does not generate a digital signal based on a preset frequency, the digital-to-analog conversion module 22 can directly send the second analog signal to the i-th antenna unit without frequency adjustment after obtaining the second analog signal. After the i-th antenna unit receives the second analog signal from the digital-to-analog conversion module 22, it can transmit a multi-carrier signal.

[0146] Similarly, the communication device can obtain the phase and amplitude of each subcarrier signal corresponding to each antenna unit at p moments, and based on the phase and amplitude of each subcarrier signal corresponding to each antenna unit at p moments, the communication device can obtain the multi-carrier signal corresponding to each antenna unit, and the communication device can send the corresponding multi-carrier signal to each antenna unit, so that each antenna unit in the antenna array can transmit a multi-carrier signal.

[0147] Based on the description of the communication device generating a time wave packet signal in the above embodiment, the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described below in combination with specific embodiments. The following embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments.

[0148] Figure 5 A flow chart of an embodiment of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 , the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application may include:

[0149] S501, at a first moment, a first communication device sends a first space-time wave packet signal to a second communication device, and a group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal is less than the speed of light.

[0150] In the ranging and positioning scenario, at a first moment, the first communication device sends a first space-time wave packet signal to the second communication device. The group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal is less than the speed of light. The process of the first communication device generating the first space-time wave packet signal can refer to the relevant description in the above embodiment.

[0151] S502, at a second moment, the first communication device receives a feedback signal from the second communication device, and the group velocity of the feedback signal is less than or equal to the speed of light.

[0152] After receiving the first space-time wave packet signal, the second communication device can parse and process the first space-time wave packet signal and send a feedback signal in response to the first space-time wave packet signal to the first communication device. Accordingly, at the second moment, the first communication device can receive the feedback signal from the second communication device.

[0153] The group velocity of the feedback signal is less than or equal to the speed of light. In some embodiments, the second communication device has the ability to generate a space-time wave packet signal, and the feedback signal can be a second space-time wave packet signal, and the group velocity of the second space-time wave packet signal is less than the speed of light. The process of the second communication device generating the second space-time wave packet signal can refer to the relevant description in the above embodiments.

[0154] In some embodiments, the second communication device does not have the ability to generate a space-time wave packet signal, and the feedback signal may be a first electromagnetic wave signal, the group velocity of which is equal to the speed of light.

[0155] Because the feedback signal is a second space-time wave packet signal or a first electromagnetic wave signal, and the pulse of the feedback signal has a certain reception time, the first communication device needs a certain time to receive the feedback signal. In some embodiments, the second communication device can use the moment of receiving the peak of the feedback signal as the second moment.

[0156] S503: The first communication device determines a first distance from the second communication device according to the first time, the second time, the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal, and the group velocity of the feedback signal.

[0157] In some embodiments, when the feedback signal is a second space-time wave packet signal, the group velocity of the second space-time wave packet signal may be equal to or different from the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal.

[0158] When the group velocity of the second space-time wave packet is equal to the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal, the communication device can calculate the first distance L1 between the first communication device and the second communication device using the following formula 9:

[0159]

[0160] Wherein, L1 is the distance between the first communication device and the second communication device, C1 is the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal, t1 is the first moment, and t4 is the second moment.

[0161] When the group velocity of the second space-time wave packet is not equal to the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal, the communication device may use the following formula 10 to calculate the first distance L1 between the first communication device and the second communication device:

[0162]

[0163] Where L1 is the distance between the first communication device and the second communication device, C1 is the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal, and C2 is the group velocity of the second space-time wave packet signal. When the distance between the first communication device and the second communication device is constant, the group velocity of the space-time wave packet is inversely proportional to the space-time wave packet transmission time, so It can represent the transmission time of the first space-time wave packet. The product of the transmission time of the first space-time wave packet and the speed C1 of the first space-time wave packet is the distance L1 between the first communication device and the second communication device. Similarly, The transmission time of the second space-time wave packet can be represented by the product of the transmission time of the second space-time wave packet and the speed C2 of the second space-time wave packet, which is also the distance L1 between the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0164] Similarly, in some embodiments, when the feedback signal is a first electromagnetic wave signal, the group velocity of the first electromagnetic wave signal is equal to the speed of light. The communication device may calculate the first distance L1 between the first communication device and the second communication device using the following formula 11:

[0165]

[0166] Wherein, L1 is the distance between the first communication device and the second communication device, C1 is the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal, and C is the group velocity of the first electromagnetic wave signal.

[0167] In some embodiments, according to the transmission principle of electromagnetic waves, the sinusoidal carriers of the first space-time wave packet signal and the feedback signal will change phase based on the transmission distance, so the first communication device can convert the time “(t 4 -t 1 )” is equivalently transformed into a phase, and the distance measurement is achieved through the phase difference. Taking the feedback signal as the second space-time wave packet signal, and the group velocity of the second space-time wave packet signal is equal to the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal as an example, the first communication device can calculate the first distance L1 between the first communication device and the second communication device based on formula 12:

[0168]

[0169] Among them, because the space-time wave packet includes a multi-carrier signal, the frequencies of different sub-carrier signals are different. In some embodiments, f is the center frequency (or center frequency point) of the multi-carrier signal, θ1 is the phase when the first communication device sends the first space-time wave packet signal, and the phase is the phase corresponding to the center frequency. θ0 is the phase when the first communication device receives the feedback signal, and the phase is the phase corresponding to the center frequency of the feedback signal, and n is the number of wavelengths experienced at the carrier frequency f.

[0170] In the embodiment of the present application, in the ranging and positioning scenario, the first communication device may send a first space-time wave packet signal to the second communication device, and the second communication device may send a feedback signal to the first communication device, and the group velocity of the feedback signal is less than or equal to the speed of light. Because the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal is less than the speed of light, the ranging and positioning error is reduced, and the positioning accuracy can be improved.

[0171] Figure 5 In the example shown, when the first communication device performs ranging and positioning, the time taken by the second communication device to parse and process the first space-time wave packet is not subtracted. In order to further improve the positioning accuracy, the first communication device may subtract the time taken by the second communication device to parse and process the first space-time wave packet to obtain a more accurate ranging result.

[0172] Reference Figure 6 , the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application may include:

[0173] S601, at a first moment, a first communication device sends a first space-time wave packet signal to a second communication device, and a group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal is less than the speed of light.

[0174] S601 may refer to the description of S501.

[0175] S602: At a third moment, the second communication device receives a first space-time wave packet signal from the first communication device.

[0176] S603: At a fourth moment, the second communication device sends a feedback signal to the first communication device.

[0177] Taking the third moment as t2 and the fourth moment as t3 as an example, t3-t2 is the time for the second communication device to parse and process the first space-time wave packet.

[0178] In some embodiments, in order to facilitate the first communication device to determine the time when the second communication device parses and processes the first space-time wave packet, the second communication device can send a third time and a fourth time to the first communication device. The third time is the time when the second communication device receives the first space-time wave packet signal, and the fourth time is the time when the second communication device sends a feedback signal.

[0179] In some embodiments, the feedback signal may include a third time and a fourth time.

[0180] S604: At a second moment, the first communication device receives a feedback signal from the second communication device.

[0181] S604 may refer to the description of S503.

[0182] S605: The first communication device determines a first distance according to the first moment, the second moment, the third moment, the fourth moment, the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal, and the group velocity of the feedback signal.

[0183] In some embodiments, when the feedback signal is a second space-time wave packet signal, and the group velocity of the second space-time wave packet is equal to the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal, the communication device may calculate the first distance L1 between the first communication device and the second communication device using the following formula 13:

[0184]

[0185] Among them, t2 is the third moment, and t3 is the fourth moment.

[0186] In some embodiments, when the feedback signal is a second space-time wave packet signal, and when the group velocity of the second space-time wave packet is not equal to the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal, the communication device may calculate the first distance L1 between the first communication device and the second communication device using the following formula 14:

[0187]

[0188] In some embodiments, when the feedback signal is a first electromagnetic wave signal, the group velocity of the first electromagnetic wave signal is equal to the speed of light. The communication device may calculate the first distance L1 between the first communication device and the second communication device using the following formula 15:

[0189]

[0190] In some embodiments, the first communication device may also convert the time in Formula 13-Formula 15 into a phase equivalently, and implement ranging through a phase difference, which will not be elaborated here.

[0191] In an embodiment of the present application, in a ranging and positioning scenario, the first communication device can subtract the time taken by the second communication device to parse and process the first space-time wave packet, and the first communication device and the second communication device can exchange signals with a group velocity less than the speed of light, thereby obtaining a ranging result with high positioning accuracy.

[0192] As described in the above embodiments, the first communication device and the second communication device can exchange signals with a group velocity less than the speed of light to achieve ranging and positioning, wherein the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet and the group velocity of the feedback signal are essential for calculating the distance between the first communication device and the second communication device. In order to facilitate both communicating parties to determine the group velocity of the signal sent by the other party, in some embodiments, before ranging and positioning, the first communication device and the second communication device can exchange the group velocity of the signal.

[0193] In some embodiments, before ranging and positioning, the first communication device and the second communication device may also exchange their respective device capabilities, which may include whether they have the ability to generate space-time wave packet signals. The following uses two scenarios as examples to illustrate the process of the group velocity of the signal exchange between the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0194] In some embodiments, before ranging and positioning, the first communication device and the second communication device may synchronize the group speeds of the signals they transmit to each other, so that the first communication device and the second communication device may determine the group speeds of the signals transmitted by each other.

[0195] The following description is made by taking the example that the first communication device and the second communication device can also exchange their respective device capabilities:

[0196] Scenario 1: The second communication device does not have the ability to generate a space-time wave packet signal, and the feedback signal is the first electromagnetic wave signal.

[0197] Reference Fig. 7A The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application may include S701-S701, and S701-S701 may be executed before S501-S503, or before S601-S605. It should be understood that, taking 7A as an example, S701-S701 is executed before S501-S503:

[0198] S701: A first communication device sends first information to a second communication device, where the first information is used to indicate a group velocity of a first space-time wave packet signal.

[0199] In some embodiments, the first information may include the group velocity Vg of the first space-time wave packet signal, and / or the angle θ between the light cone section of the first space-time wave packet signal and the z-axis. Based on the group velocity Vg=C×tanθ of the space-time wave packet signal, the group velocity Vg of the first space-time wave packet signal may be determined based on the angle θ.

[0200] S702: The second communication device sends confirmation information to the first communication device.

[0201] In some embodiments, S702 is an optional step.

[0202] After receiving the first information, the second communication device can determine the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal. In some embodiments, the second communication device sends confirmation information to the first communication device, and the confirmation information is used to indicate that the second communication device has received the first information.

[0203] Scenario 2: The second communication device has the ability to generate a space-time wave packet signal, and the feedback signal is a second space-time wave packet signal.

[0204] Reference Figure 7B , the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application may include S701A, and S701A may be executed before S501-S503, or before S601-S605. It should be understood that, taking 7B as an example, S701A is executed before S501-S503:

[0205] S701A, the first communication device negotiates with the second communication device to determine the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal and the group velocity of the second space-time wave packet signal.

[0206] The negotiation process between the first communication device and the second communication device may include: the first communication device sends first information to the second communication device, and the second communication device sends confirmation information to the first communication device. In addition, in order to facilitate the first communication device to determine the group velocity of the second space-time wave packet signal, the second communication device may send second information to the first communication device, and the second information is used to indicate the group velocity of the second space-time wave packet signal. Accordingly, after receiving the second information, the first communication device may send confirmation information to the second communication device.

[0207] In some embodiments, the second information may include: a group velocity of the second space-time wave packet signal, and / or an angle between a light cone section of the second space-time wave packet signal and the z-axis.

[0208] In an embodiment of the present application, in a ranging and positioning scenario, before the first communication device starts ranging, the first communication device and the second communication device can exchange the group speeds of the signals they send, so that both the first communication device and the second communication device can determine the group speed of the signals sent by the other party.

[0209] The above embodiments introduce a method for a first communication device to perform ranging and positioning on a second communication device. In some embodiments, there may be multiple devices for performing ranging and positioning. For example, Figure 8 A schematic diagram of another scenario applicable to the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 , the scenario may include: a first communication device 81, a second communication device 82, and a third communication device 83. The first communication device 81 and the third communication device 83 are positioning signal transmitting devices, and the second communication device 82 is a positioned device. In some embodiments, for example, the first communication device 81 and the third communication device 83 are base stations, and the second communication device 82 is a terminal device.

[0210] It should be understood that more positioning signal transmitting devices may be included in the ranging and positioning scenario, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. The following is an example of the first communication device 81 and the third communication device 83 performing ranging and positioning on the second communication device 82:

[0211] Reference Fig. 9 , Fig. 9 Taking a third communication device as an example, the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application may include:

[0212] S901, at a first moment, a first communication device sends a first space-time wave packet signal to a second communication device.

[0213] S902: At a second moment, the first communication device receives a feedback signal from the second communication device.

[0214] S903, the first communication device determines a first distance from the second communication device according to the first time, the second time, the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal, and the group velocity of the feedback signal.

[0215] S904, at a fifth moment, the third communication device sends a third space-time wave packet signal to the second communication device.

[0216] S905, at a sixth moment, the third communication device receives a feedback signal from the second communication device.

[0217] S906: The third communication device determines a second distance from the second communication device according to the fifth moment, the sixth moment, the group velocity of the second space-time wave packet signal, and the group velocity of the feedback signal.

[0218] S901-S903 may refer to the description in S501-S503, and S904-S906 may refer to the description related to the first communication device determining the first distance to the second communication device.

[0219] In some embodiments, S901-S903 may be replaced by S601-S605, and accordingly, the method for the third communication device to determine the second distance may refer to the description in S601-S605.

[0220] It should be understood that there is no difference in order between S901 - S903 and S904 - S906 .

[0221] S907: The third communication device sends the second distance to the first communication device.

[0222] In some embodiments, the device that ultimately determines the location of the second communication device can be determined by negotiation between the first communication device and the third communication device. For example, when the first communication device is the device that ultimately determines the location of the second communication device, the third communication device can send the second distance to the first communication device after determining the second distance between the third communication device and the second communication device. In this way, the first communication device can know the distance between each positioning signal transmitting device and the positioned device. Similarly, when the third communication device is the device that ultimately determines the location of the second communication device, the first communication device can send the first distance to the first communication device after determining the first distance between the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0223] S908: The first communication device determines a location of the second communication device according to the first distance and at least one second distance.

[0224] In some embodiments, the first communication device may calculate the distance difference between the first distance and each second distance, and then determine the position of the second communication device through a hyperbolic positioning algorithm. This embodiment of the present application does not elaborate on this process.

[0225] It is conceivable that, in some embodiments, when there are n positioning signal transmitting devices, the n devices can transmit space-time wave packet signals at time t1, time t2, ..., time tn, respectively, and the positioned device can receive the space-time wave packet signals at time s1, time s2, ..., time sn, respectively. Among them, the device that finally determines the position of the second communication device can calculate the distance difference between any two positioning signal transmitting devices (such as device i and device j) and the positioned device as Vg×[(si-ti)-(sj-tj)], and the device that finally determines the position of the second communication device can determine the position of the terminal device through the hyperbola.

[0226] In an embodiment of the present application, in a ranging and positioning scenario, when multiple positioning signal transmitting devices are positioning a positioned device, the devices can also achieve positioning by interacting with each other through space-time wave packet signals, thereby improving positioning accuracy.

[0227] It should be noted that the data involved in this application (including but not limited to data used for analysis, stored data, displayed data, etc.) are all information and data authorized by the user or fully authorized by all parties, and the collection, use and processing of relevant data must comply with relevant laws, regulations and standards of relevant countries and regions, and provide corresponding operation entrances for users to choose to authorize or refuse.

[0228] In one embodiment, the present application also provides an electronic device, which may be the first communication device, the second communication device, or the third communication device described in the above embodiment. Fig.10 , the electronic device may include: a processor 1001 (such as a CPU), and a memory 1002. The memory 1002 may include a high-speed random access memory (RAM), and may also include a non-volatile memory (NVM), such as at least one disk memory. The memory 1002 may store various instructions for completing various processing functions and implementing the method steps of the present application.

[0229] Optionally, the electronic device involved in the present application may further include: a power supply 1003, a communication bus 1004 and a communication port 1005. The above-mentioned communication port 1005 is used to realize the connection and communication between the electronic device and other peripherals. In the embodiment of the present application, the memory 1002 is used to store computer executable program code, and the program code includes instructions; when the processor 1001 executes the instruction, the instruction causes the processor 1001 of the electronic device to perform the action in the above-mentioned method embodiment, and its implementation principle and technical effect are similar, which will not be repeated here.

[0230] It should be noted that the modules or components described in the above embodiments may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). For another example, when a module above is implemented in the form of a processing element scheduling program code, the processing element may be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or other processors that can call program codes, such as a controller. For another example, these modules may be integrated together and implemented in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0231] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When loading and executing computer program instructions on a computer, the process or function according to the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website site, a computer, a server or a data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server, a data center, etc. that contains one or more available media integrated. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid-state hard disk Solid State Disk (SSD)), etc.

[0232] The term "plurality" in this article refers to two or more than two. The term "and / or" in this article is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship; in the formula, the character " / " indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in a "division" relationship. In addition, it should be understood that in the description of this application, words such as "first" and "second" are only used for the purpose of distinguishing descriptions, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, nor can they be understood as indicating or implying order.

[0233] It should be understood that the various numerical numbers involved in the embodiments of the present application are only used for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0234] It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a first communication device, the method comprises: At a first moment, sending a first space-time wave packet signal to a second communication device, wherein a group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal is less than the speed of light; At a second moment, receiving a feedback signal from the second communication device, wherein a group velocity of the feedback signal is less than or equal to the speed of light; A first distance to the second communication device is determined according to the first time, the second time, the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal, and the group velocity of the feedback signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The feedback signal is a second space-time wave packet signal, the group velocity of the second space-time wave packet signal is less than the speed of light; or, The feedback signal is a first electromagnetic wave signal, and the group velocity of the first electromagnetic wave signal is equal to the speed of light.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: receiving a third time and a fourth time from the second communication device, the third time being the time when the second communication device receives the first space-time wave packet signal, and the fourth time being the time when the second communication device sends the feedback signal; The determining of the first distance to the second communication device according to the first moment, the second moment, the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal, and the group velocity of the feedback signal comprises: The first distance is determined according to the first moment, the second moment, the third moment, the fourth moment, the group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal, and the group velocity of the feedback signal.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a second distance from at least one third communication device, where the second distance is: a distance between the third communication device and the second communication device obtained by the third communication device sending a space-time wave packet signal to the second communication device; After determining the first distance to the second communication device, the method further includes: The position of the second communication device is determined based on the first distance and at least one second distance.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that Before sending the first space-time wave packet signal to the second communication device at the first moment, the method further includes: sending first information to the second communication device, wherein the first information is used to indicate a group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal; Receive confirmation information from the second communication device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: When the feedback signal is a second space-time wave packet signal, before sending the first space-time wave packet signal to the second communication device at the first moment, the method further includes: The group velocity of the first space-time wave packet signal and the group velocity of the second space-time wave packet signal are determined in consultation with the second communication device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first communication device includes an antenna array, the antenna array includes N antenna units, the first space-time wave packet signal includes: a multi-carrier signal transmitted by each antenna unit at the first moment, the multi-carrier signal includes: a sub-carrier signal carried on M sub-carriers, each sub-carrier has a different frequency, each sub-carrier has a different phase, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2; The phase of each subcarrier signal is related to a preset angle, and the preset angle is used to indicate the angle between the light cone section of the envelope of the first space-time wave packet signal and the spatial Z axis, and the preset angle is less than 45°.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The preset angle is in the range of 0.06°-6°.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The N antenna units include an i-th antenna unit, i is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N, and the method further includes: Generate a digital signal of each subcarrier at p times according to the frequency of each subcarrier corresponding to the i-th antenna unit, the phase of the subcarrier signal carried on each subcarrier, and a preset frequency, wherein the preset frequency is: the frequency of any subcarrier among the M subcarriers, and p is an integer greater than or equal to 2; The digital signal of each subcarrier at p moments is subjected to digital-to-analog conversion to obtain a first analog signal; Modulating the first analog signal according to the preset frequency to obtain a multi-carrier signal corresponding to the i-th antenna unit; A multi-carrier signal is sent to the i-th antenna unit so that the i-th antenna unit transmits the multi-carrier signal.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The generating of the digital signal of each subcarrier at p times comprises: According to formula 1, t takes p values ​​and obtains p moments; Substituting each moment into Formula 1, a digital signal of each subcarrier at p moments is obtained; Wherein, k represents any subcarrier corresponding to the i-th antenna unit, f0 represents the preset frequency, and f k represents the frequency of any subcarrier, represents the phase of the subcarrier signal carried by any subcarrier, and A represents the amplitude.

11. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The N antenna units include an i-th antenna unit, i is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N, and the method further includes: Generate a phase of each subcarrier signal at p moments according to the frequency of each subcarrier corresponding to the i-th antenna unit and the phase of the subcarrier signal carried on each subcarrier, where p is an integer greater than or equal to 2; The preset amplitude of each subcarrier signal at p moments and the phase of each subcarrier signal at p moments are processed by digital-to-analog conversion to obtain a second analog signal, where the second analog signal is used to characterize the multicarrier signal corresponding to the i-th antenna unit; The second analog signal is sent to the i-th antenna unit so that the i-th antenna unit transmits a multi-carrier signal.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that: The M subcarriers corresponding to the i-th antenna unit include the k-th subcarrier, and the method further includes: The phase of the subcarrier signal carried on the kth subcarrier is acquired according to the frequency of the kth subcarrier, the preset frequency, the preset angle, and the distance between the i-th antenna unit and the preset position of the antenna array.

13. A communication device, characterized in that: include: Processor and memory; The memory stores computer-executable instructions; The processor executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory, so that the processor performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instruction, and when the computer program or instruction is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 is implemented.

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