Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and device, which are mainly applied to a frequency hopping scene and a condition of coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) transmission. Whether listen before talk (LBT) is carried out or not is judged through a transmission time related parameter corresponding to a first channel for transmitting a narrowband signal, and the transmission time related parameter can comprise a first transmission time or a first duty ratio of channel granularity. In a frequency hopping scene, the residence time of the narrowband signal in different channels is shortened, and the interference to WLAN transmission is reduced, so that the coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission can be realized, and the LBT frequency of narrowband transmission equipment is reduced, thereby reducing the time delay of narrowband signal transmission and improving the throughput rate of narrowband signal transmission.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on November 25, 2023, with application number 202311597712.1, and priority to the Chinese patent application with the invention name “Communication Method and Device”, all contents of which are incorporated by reference in this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically to a communication method and device. Background Art

[0003] Wireless local area network (WLAN) technology is a wireless local area network technology created by the Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Alliance based on the 802.11 standard of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The 802.11 standard defines that the transmission bandwidth of different channels corresponding to WLAN transmission can be 20 megahertz (MHz), 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz and 320MHz, etc.

[0004] Compared with the transmission bandwidth of WLAN transmission defined by the 802.11 standard, the transmission bandwidth of Bluetooth transmission and ultra wideband (UWB) transmission can be 1 MHz, 2 MHz or 4 MHz, and therefore, can also be called narrowband (NB) transmission.

[0005] Currently, the alternative spectrum for narrowband transmission includes unlicensed national information infrastructure 3 (U-NII 3) and U-NII 5. The alternative spectrum for narrowband transmission overlaps with the spectrum for traditional WLAN transmission, so there is interference between narrowband transmission and traditional WLAN transmission.

[0006] Frequency hopping technology can reduce the interference of narrowband transmission on traditional WLAN transmission. However, there is currently a lack of methods that can reduce the interference of narrowband transmission on WLAN transmission and reduce the transmission delay of narrowband transmission in frequency hopping scenarios. Therefore, in frequency hopping scenarios, how to achieve the coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission while reducing the transmission delay of narrowband transmission is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: obtaining a first transmission time, the first transmission time being related to a transmission time of at least one first channel among N first channels, the N first channels being used for frequency hopping transmission of narrowband signals, and N being a positive integer greater than or equal to 2. If the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, a listen-before-talk LBT is initiated; if the first transmission time is less than the first threshold value, the LBT is not initiated.

[0008] In the above technical solution, in the frequency hopping scenario, the residence time of the narrowband signal in different channels becomes shorter, and the interference to the WLAN transmission is reduced. Compared with continuing to use the total transmission time of sending the narrowband signal in the transmission cycle to determine whether to perform LBT, that is, the transmission time at the device level granularity to determine whether to perform LBT, the first transmission time involved in the solution of this application is related to the transmission time of at least one of the N first channels. It can achieve the coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission, and reduce the number of times the first device with narrowband communication capability performs LBT without increasing interference, thereby reducing the delay of narrowband signal transmission and improving the throughput of narrowband signal transmission.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method also includes: obtaining N second transmission times corresponding to N first channels, wherein the nth second transmission time includes the transmission time of the narrowband signal on the nth first channel, the first transmission time is the average value of the N second transmission times, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, if the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, starting the listen-before-talk LBT includes: if the first transmission time is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, starting LBT for N first channels.

[0011] In this way, in the frequency hopping scenario, since the first transmission time indicates the average of the N second transmission times of the N first channels, it is only necessary to compare the first transmission time with the first threshold value to determine whether to perform LBT on the N first channels. This method can reduce the number of LBT performed by the first device with narrowband communication capability while achieving the coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission without increasing interference, thereby reducing the delay of narrowband signal transmission. In addition, the first transmission time can be the average value of the transmission time corresponding to the N first channels. The unified judgment method can reduce the calculation complexity and is easier to implement.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first transmission time includes a transmission time of the narrowband signal on the nth first channel when the first device frequency hops to the nth first channel, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, if the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, starting the listen-before-talk LBT includes: if the first transmission time is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, starting LBT for the nth first channel.

[0014] In this way, in the frequency hopping scenario, the transmission time of any one of the N first channels that transmit narrowband signals is used to determine whether to perform LBT on the first channel. While achieving coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission, the number of times the first device with narrowband communication capability performs LBT is reduced without increasing interference, thereby more specifically and accurately improving the throughput of the narrowband signal transmission on the first channel and reducing the delay of the narrowband signal transmission on the first channel.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, a bandwidth size corresponding to each first channel is one of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 240 MHz, 320 MHz, 480 MHz, or 640 MHz.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method also includes: obtaining a first BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to the basic service set BSS where the first device is located, and the first transmission time includes the transmission time of the narrowband signal in the N first channels on part or all of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, if the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, initiating listen-before-talk LBT includes: if the first transmission time is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, initiating LBT for part or all of the first channels.

[0018] In this way, in the frequency hopping scenario, when the first device can sense the first BSS operating bandwidth of the BSS in which it is located, the transmission time of the narrowband signal transmitted on part or all of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth is compared with the first threshold value to determine whether to start LBT. This can more specifically determine the interference caused by the narrowband signal transmission to the BSS, and then reduce the number of LBT performed by the first device with narrowband communication capability without increasing interference while achieving the coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission, thereby more accurately improving the throughput of narrowband signal transmission on channels with overlapping frequency domain resources and reducing the delay of narrowband signal transmission.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: obtaining an nth second BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to the nth first channel, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer. Obtaining the first transmission time includes: obtaining, according to the nth second BSS operating bandwidth, an nth first transmission time corresponding to transmitting a narrowband signal on the nth first channel.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, if the first transmission time is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, starting the listen-before-talk LBT includes: if the nth first transmission time is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, starting LBT for the nth first channel.

[0021] In this way, in the frequency hopping scenario, by sensing the BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to different BSSs of different first channels, the different transmission times of different first channels are compared with the first threshold value to determine whether to start LBT. This can more accurately know in advance the interference that narrowband signal transmission may cause to different BSSs in WLAN transmission in the full frequency band, and then reduce the number of LBT performed by the first device with narrowband communication capability without increasing interference while achieving the coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission, and further improve the throughput of narrowband signal transmission and reduce the delay of narrowband signal transmission in a more targeted and accurate manner.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first transmission time is related to a transmission time of a narrowband signal transmitted by the first device, a bandwidth of the first channel, and a total bandwidth for transmitting the narrowband signal.

[0023] In this way, when the probability of narrowband signal frequency hopping in different channels is approximately the same, the calculation complexity can be further reduced and the transmission delay of the narrowband signal can be reduced.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: obtaining a first duty cycle according to the first transmission time, the first duty cycle indicating the proportion of the first transmission time in the transmission period. If the first transmission time is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, starting the listen-before-talk LBT; if the first transmission time is less than the first threshold value, not starting the LBT includes: if the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, starting the LBT; if the first duty cycle is less than the second threshold value, not starting the LBT.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the type of transmission period includes any one of the following: ranging period, perception period, total period applied to ranging scenario, total period applied to perception scenario, duration of ranging block, duration of perception block or duration of super block. The total period applied to ranging scenario includes ranging period and non-ranging period; the total period applied to perception scenario includes perception period and non-perception period; the duration of ranging block includes ranging period of first user and ranging period of non-first user; the duration of perception block includes perception period of first user and perception period of non-first user; the duration of super block includes duration of one or more ranging blocks, or the duration of super block includes duration of one or more perception blocks.

[0026] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, different types of transmission cycles correspond to first threshold values ​​of different scales, or different types of transmission cycles correspond to second threshold values ​​of different scales.

[0027] In this way, different types of transmission cycles correspond to first threshold values ​​of different scales or second threshold values ​​of different scales, which can improve the flexibility of deciding whether to perform LBT.

[0028] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first transmission period corresponds to a first threshold value of a first scale, and the second transmission period corresponds to a first threshold value of a second scale; if the duration of the first transmission period is less than the duration of the second transmission period, then the first threshold value of the first scale is greater than the first threshold value of the second scale.

[0029] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first transmission cycle corresponds to a second threshold value of the third scale, and the second transmission cycle corresponds to a second threshold value of the fourth scale; if the duration of the first transmission cycle is less than the duration of the second transmission cycle, then the second threshold value of the third scale is greater than the second threshold value of the fourth scale.

[0030] In this way, if the transmission cycle is short, some narrowband signals without LBT can be allowed to be transmitted in the short transmission cycle; if the transmission cycle is long, the overall narrowband transmission ratio can be guaranteed to be low in the long transmission cycle, thereby reducing the overall interference to WLAN signal transmission.

[0031] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: obtaining a first duty cycle, the first duty cycle indicating a proportion of a first transmission time in a transmission period, the first transmission time being related to a transmission time of at least one of N first channels, the N first channels being used for frequency hopping transmission of narrowband signals, and N being a positive integer greater than or equal to 2. If the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, LBT is started; if the first duty cycle is less than the second threshold value, LBT is not started.

[0032] In the above technical solution, in the frequency hopping scenario, the residence time of the narrowband signal in different channels becomes shorter, and the interference to the WLAN transmission is reduced. Compared with continuing to use the total duty cycle of sending the narrowband signal in the transmission period to determine whether to perform LBT, that is, the duty cycle of the device-level granularity to determine whether to perform LBT, the first duty cycle involved in the solution of the present application is related to the duty cycle of at least one of the N first channels. It can not only achieve the coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission, but also reduce the number of times the first device with narrowband communication capability performs LBT without increasing interference, reduce the delay of narrowband signal transmission and improve the throughput of narrowband signal transmission, and based on different transmission periods, a unified second threshold value can be used to reduce the number of configurations of the second threshold value, further reducing the implementation complexity.

[0033] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: obtaining N second duty cycles corresponding to the N first channels. The nth second duty cycle indicates the proportion of the nth second transmission time in the transmission period, the first duty cycle is an average value of the N second duty cycles, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer.

[0034] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, if the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, starting LBT includes: if the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, starting LBT for N first channels.

[0035] In this way, in the frequency hopping scenario, since the first duty cycle indicates the average of the N second duty cycles of the N first channels, it is only necessary to compare the first duty cycle with the second threshold value to determine whether to perform LBT on the N first channels. This method not only reduces the number of LBT performed by the first device with narrowband communication capability without increasing interference while achieving the coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission, thereby reducing the transmission delay of narrowband signals. The unified judgment method can reduce the computational complexity and is easier to implement. Moreover, based on different transmission cycles, a unified second threshold value can be used to reduce the number of configurations of the second threshold value, further reducing the implementation complexity.

[0036] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first duty cycle includes a duty cycle corresponding to when the narrowband signal is transmitted on the nth first channel when the first device hops to the nth first channel, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer.

[0037] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, if the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, starting LBT includes: if the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, starting LBT for the nth first channel.

[0038] In this way, in the frequency hopping scenario, the duty cycle of any one of the N first channels transmitting narrowband signals is used to determine whether to perform LBT on the first channel. This method not only reduces the number of LBTs performed by the first device with narrowband communication capability while achieving coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission without increasing interference, but also improves the throughput of narrowband signal transmission on the first channel and reduces the delay of narrowband signal transmission on the first channel in a more targeted and accurate manner. Moreover, based on different transmission cycles, a unified second threshold value can be used to reduce the number of configurations of the second threshold value, further reducing the implementation complexity.

[0039] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, a bandwidth size corresponding to each first channel is one of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 240 MHz, 320 MHz, 480 MHz, or 640 MHz.

[0040] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method also includes: obtaining a first BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to a basic service set BSS where the first device is located, and the first duty cycle includes a corresponding duty cycle when a narrowband signal in N first channels is transmitted on part or all of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth.

[0041] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, if the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, starting LBT includes: if the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, starting LBT for part or all of the first channels.

[0042] In this way, in a frequency hopping scenario, when the first device can sense the first BSS operating bandwidth of the BSS in which it is located, the first duty cycle of the narrowband signal transmitted on part or all of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth is compared with the first threshold value to determine whether to start LBT. This method can not only more specifically determine the interference caused by narrowband signal transmission to the BSS, and then reduce the number of LBT performed by the first device with narrowband communication capability while achieving coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission without increasing interference, but also more accurately improve the throughput of narrowband signal transmission on channels with overlapping frequency domain resources and reduce the delay of narrowband signal transmission, and based on different transmission cycles, a unified second threshold value can be used to reduce the number of configurations of the second threshold value, further reducing the implementation complexity.

[0043] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: obtaining an nth second BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to the nth first channel, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer. Obtaining the first duty cycle includes: obtaining, according to the nth second BSS operating bandwidth, an nth first duty cycle corresponding to a transmission time of transmitting a narrowband signal on the nth first channel.

[0044] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, if the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, starting LBT includes: if the nth first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, starting LBT for the nth first channel.

[0045] In this way, in the frequency hopping scenario, by sensing the BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to different BSSs of different first channels, the different duty cycles of different first channels are compared with the first threshold value to determine whether to start LBT. This can more accurately know in advance the interference that narrowband signal transmission may cause to different BSSs in WLAN transmission in the entire frequency band. This method can not only reduce the number of LBT performed by the first device with narrowband communication capability while achieving the coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission without increasing interference, but also further improve the throughput of narrowband signal transmission and reduce the delay of narrowband signal transmission in a more targeted and accurate manner. Moreover, based on different transmission cycles, a unified second threshold value can be used to reduce the number of configurations of the second threshold value, further reducing the implementation complexity.

[0046] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first transmission time is related to a transmission time of a narrowband signal transmitted by the first device, a bandwidth of the first channel, and a total bandwidth for transmitting the narrowband signal.

[0047] In this way, when the probability of narrowband signal frequency hopping in different channels is approximately the same, the calculation complexity can be further reduced and the transmission delay of the narrowband signal can be reduced.

[0048] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: obtaining a first transmission time according to the first duty cycle. If the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, starting the listen-before-talk LBT; if the first duty cycle is less than the second threshold value, not starting the LBT includes: if the first transmission time is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, starting the LBT; if the first transmission time is less than the first threshold value, not starting the LBT.

[0049] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the type of transmission period includes any one of the following: ranging period, perception period, total period applied to ranging scenario, total period applied to perception scenario, duration of ranging block, duration of perception block, or duration of super block. The total period applied to ranging scenario includes ranging period and non-ranging period; the total period applied to perception scenario includes perception period and non-perception period; the duration of ranging block includes ranging period of first user and ranging period of non-first user; the duration of perception block includes perception period of first user and perception period of non-first user; the duration of super block includes duration of one or more ranging blocks, or the duration of super block includes duration of one or more perception blocks.

[0050] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, different types of transmission cycles correspond to first threshold values ​​of different scales, or different types of transmission cycles correspond to second threshold values ​​of different scales.

[0051] In this way, different types of transmission cycles correspond to first threshold values ​​of different scales or second threshold values ​​of different scales, which can improve the flexibility of deciding whether to perform LBT.

[0052] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first transmission period corresponds to a first threshold value of a first scale, and the second transmission period corresponds to a first threshold value of a second scale. If the duration of the first transmission period is less than the duration of the second transmission period, then the first threshold value of the first scale is greater than the first threshold value of the second scale.

[0053] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first transmission cycle corresponds to the second threshold value of the third scale, and the second transmission cycle corresponds to the second threshold value of the fourth scale. If the duration of the first transmission cycle is less than the duration of the second transmission cycle, then the second threshold value of the third scale is greater than the second threshold value of the fourth scale.

[0054] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, the device comprising a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit is used to obtain a first transmission time, the first transmission time is related to the transmission time of at least one first channel among N first channels, the N first channels are used for frequency hopping transmission of narrowband signals, and N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2. The processing unit is used to start the listen-before-talk LBT if the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold value; and not start the LBT if the first transmission time is less than the first threshold value.

[0055] It should be understood that the technical solution of the communication device of the third aspect corresponds to the first aspect, and the corresponding technical effects can refer to the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0056] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the transceiver unit is also used to obtain N second transmission times corresponding to N first channels, wherein the nth second transmission time includes the transmission time of the narrowband signal on the nth first channel, the first transmission time is the average value of the N second transmission times, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer.

[0057] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to start LBT for the N first channels if the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold value.

[0058] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the first transmission time includes a transmission time of the narrowband signal on the nth first channel when the first device frequency hops to the nth first channel, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer.

[0059] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to start LBT for the nth first channel if the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold value.

[0060] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the bandwidth size corresponding to each first channel is one of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 240 MHz, 320 MHz, 480 MHz or 640 MHz.

[0061] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the transceiver unit is also used to obtain a first BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to the basic service set BSS where the first device is located, and the first transmission time includes the transmission time of the narrowband signal in the N first channels on part or all of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth.

[0062] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to start LBT for part or all of the first channels if the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold value.

[0063] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to obtain an nth second BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to the nth first channel, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer. The transceiver unit is specifically configured to obtain, according to the nth second BSS operating bandwidth, an nth first transmission time corresponding to transmitting a narrowband signal on the nth first channel.

[0064] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to start LBT for the nth first channel if the nth first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold value.

[0065] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first transmission time is related to the transmission time of the narrowband signal transmitted by the first device, the bandwidth of the first channel, and the total bandwidth of the narrowband signal transmitted.

[0066] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the processing unit is further configured to obtain a first duty cycle according to the first transmission time, wherein the first duty cycle indicates a proportion of the first transmission time in the transmission period. The processing unit is specifically configured to start the LBT if the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, and not start the LBT if the first duty cycle is less than the second threshold value.

[0067] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the type of transmission period includes any one of the following: ranging period, perception period, total period applied to ranging scenario, total period applied to perception scenario, duration of ranging block, duration of perception block or duration of super block. Among them, the total period applied to ranging scenario includes ranging period and non-ranging period; the total period applied to perception scenario includes perception period and non-perception period; the duration of ranging block includes ranging period of first user and ranging period of non-first user; the duration of perception block includes perception period of first user and perception period of non-first user; the duration of super block includes duration of one or more ranging blocks, or the duration of super block includes duration of one or more perception blocks.

[0068] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, different types of transmission cycles correspond to first threshold values ​​of different scales, or different types of transmission cycles correspond to second threshold values ​​of different scales.

[0069] In this way, different types of transmission cycles correspond to first threshold values ​​of different scales or second threshold values ​​of different scales, which can improve the flexibility of deciding whether to perform LBT.

[0070] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the first transmission period corresponds to a first threshold value of a first scale, and the second transmission period corresponds to a first threshold value of a second scale. If the duration of the first transmission period is less than the duration of the second transmission period, then the first threshold value of the first scale is greater than the first threshold value of the second scale.

[0071] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the first transmission cycle corresponds to the second threshold value of the third scale, and the second transmission cycle corresponds to the second threshold value of the fourth scale. If the duration of the first transmission cycle is less than the duration of the second transmission cycle, then the second threshold value of the third scale is greater than the second threshold value of the fourth scale.

[0072] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, the device comprising a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit is used to obtain a first duty cycle, the first duty cycle indicates the proportion of a first transmission time in a transmission period, the first transmission time is related to the transmission time of at least one first channel among N first channels, the N first channels are used for frequency hopping transmission of narrowband signals, and N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2. The processing unit is used to start LBT if the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to a second threshold value; if the first duty cycle is less than the second threshold value, not start LBT.

[0073] It should be understood that the technical solution of the communication device of the fourth aspect corresponds to the second aspect, and the corresponding technical effects can refer to the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0074] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver unit is further used to obtain N second duty cycles corresponding to the N first channels. The nth second duty cycle indicates the proportion of the nth second transmission time in the transmission period, the first duty cycle is an average value of the N second duty cycles, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer.

[0075] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to start LBT for the N first channels if the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value.

[0076] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the first duty cycle includes a duty cycle corresponding to when the narrowband signal is transmitted on the nth first channel when the first device hops to the nth first channel, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer.

[0077] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to start LBT for the nth first channel if the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value.

[0078] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the bandwidth size corresponding to each first channel is one of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 240 MHz, 320 MHz, 480 MHz, or 640 MHz.

[0079] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver unit is also used to obtain a first BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to the basic service set BSS where the first device is located, and the first duty cycle includes a corresponding duty cycle when a narrowband signal in N first channels is transmitted on part or all of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth.

[0080] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to start LBT for part or all of the first channels if the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to a second threshold value.

[0081] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to obtain an nth second BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to the nth first channel, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer. The transceiver unit is specifically configured to obtain, according to the nth second BSS operating bandwidth, an nth first duty cycle corresponding to a transmission time for transmitting a narrowband signal on the nth first channel.

[0082] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to start LBT for the nth first channel if the nth first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value.

[0083] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the first transmission time is related to the transmission time of the narrowband signal transmitted by the first device, the bandwidth of the first channel, and the total bandwidth of the narrowband signal transmitted.

[0084] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the processing unit is further configured to obtain a first transmission time according to the first duty cycle. The processing unit is specifically configured to start LBT if the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold value; and not start LBT if the first transmission time is less than the first threshold value.

[0085] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the type of transmission period includes any one of the following: ranging period, perception period, total period applied to ranging scenario, total period applied to perception scenario, duration of ranging block, duration of perception block, or duration of super block. Among them, the total period applied to ranging scenario includes ranging period and non-ranging period; the total period applied to perception scenario includes perception period and non-perception period; the duration of ranging block includes ranging period of first user and ranging period of non-first user; the duration of perception block includes perception period of first user and perception period of non-first user; the duration of super block includes duration of one or more ranging blocks, or the duration of super block includes duration of one or more perception blocks.

[0086] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, different types of transmission cycles correspond to first threshold values ​​of different scales, or different types of transmission cycles correspond to second threshold values ​​of different scales.

[0087] In this way, different types of transmission cycles correspond to first threshold values ​​of different scales or second threshold values ​​of different scales, which can improve the flexibility of deciding whether to perform LBT.

[0088] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the first transmission period corresponds to a first threshold value of a first scale, and the second transmission period corresponds to a first threshold value of a second scale. If the duration of the first transmission period is less than the duration of the second transmission period, then the first threshold value of the first scale is greater than the first threshold value of the second scale.

[0089] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the first transmission cycle corresponds to the second threshold value of the third scale, and the second transmission cycle corresponds to the second threshold value of the fourth scale. If the duration of the first transmission cycle is less than the duration of the second transmission cycle, then the second threshold value of the third scale is greater than the second threshold value of the fourth scale.

[0090] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes: a memory for storing programs; a processor for executing computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, and when the computer program or instructions stored in the memory are executed, the processor is used to execute the method provided in any one of the implementation modes of the first or second aspect above.

[0091] In one implementation, the apparatus is a first device in a communication method.

[0092] In another implementation, the apparatus is a chip, a chip system or a circuit in a first device in a communication method.

[0093] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a processor for executing the method provided by any one of the implementation modes of the first aspect to the second aspect. In the process of executing these methods, the process of sending the above-mentioned information and obtaining / receiving the above-mentioned information in the above-mentioned method can be understood as the process of outputting the above-mentioned information by the processor, and the process of receiving the above-mentioned information input by the processor. When outputting the above-mentioned information, the processor outputs the above-mentioned information to the interface and transmits it through the interface. After being output by the processor, the above-mentioned information may also need to be processed in other ways before it reaches the interface. Similarly, when the processor receives the above-mentioned information input, the interface obtains / receives the above-mentioned information and inputs it into the processor. Furthermore, after the interface receives the above-mentioned information, the above-mentioned information may need to be processed in other ways before it is input into the processor.

[0094] For the operations involved, such as transmission, sending, and acquisition / reception, unless otherwise specified, or if they do not conflict with their actual functions or internal logic in the relevant descriptions, they can be understood as operations such as output and reception, input, etc., and can also be understood as transmission, sending, and receiving operations performed by radio frequency circuits and antennas. This application does not limit this.

[0095] In the implementation process, the processor may be a processor specifically used to execute these methods, or a processor that executes computer programs or instructions in a memory to execute these methods, such as a general-purpose processor. The memory may be a non-transitory memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), which may be integrated with the processor on the same chip or may be separately arranged on different chips. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of memory and the arrangement of the memory and the processor.

[0096] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a program code for execution by a device, wherein the program code includes a method for executing any one of the implementations of the first to second aspects above.

[0097] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided. When the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is enabled to execute the method provided in any one of the implementations of the first to second aspects above.

[0098] In a ninth aspect, a chip is provided, the chip comprising a processor and a communication interface, the processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the communication interface, and executes the method provided in any one of the implementation modes of the first to second aspects above.

[0099] Optionally, as an implementation method, the chip may also include a memory, in which a computer program or instruction is stored, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or instruction stored in the memory. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the processor is used to execute the method provided in any one of the implementation methods of the first aspect to the second aspect above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0100] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0101] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a UNII-3 frequency band and a UNII-5 frequency band provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0102] Figure 3 It is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0103] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a transmission time and a transmission period provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0104] Figure 5 It is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0105] Figure 6 It is an interactive schematic diagram of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0106] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a first transmission time provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0107] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of another first transmission time provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0108] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of another first transmission time provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0109] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of another first transmission time provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0110] Fig.11 is a schematic diagram of a communication device 1100 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0111] Fig.12 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1200 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0112] Fig.13 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 1300 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0113] Fig.14 It is a schematic diagram of another UNII-3 frequency band and UNII-5 frequency band provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0114] Fig.15 is a schematic diagram of a transmission cycle provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0115] Fig.16 is a schematic diagram of another transmission cycle provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0116] Fig.17 It is a schematic diagram of another transmission cycle provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0117] In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following points are explained:

[0118] First, in this application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their internal logical relationships.

[0119] Second, in this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b and c can mean: a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or b and c, or a, b and c. Where a, b and c can be single or multiple, respectively.

[0120] Third, in the present application, "first", "second" and various numerical numbers (e.g., #1, #2, etc.) indicate distinctions made for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. For example, to distinguish between different duty cycles, etc., rather than to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the objects described in this way can be interchanged where appropriate so as to be able to describe solutions other than the embodiments of the present application.

[0121] Fourth, in this application, descriptions such as "when...", "under the circumstances of...", and "if" all refer to the corresponding processing being carried out under certain objective circumstances, and do not limit the time, nor do they require that there must be a judgment action when implementing, nor do they mean that there are other limitations. In addition, it does not mean that the judgment action after these conditional conjunctions is the only condition for achieving the result, and other additional conditions may also be included to achieve the result.

[0122] Fifth, in this application, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or apparatus comprising a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or apparatuses.

[0123] Sixth, in this application, "used for indication" may include being used for direct indication and being used for indirect indication. When describing that a certain indication information is used for indicating A, it may include that the indication information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, but it does not mean that the indication information must carry A.

[0124] The indication method involved in the embodiments of the present application should be understood to include various methods that can enable the party to be indicated to know the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately, and the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different. The present application does not limit the specific sending method.

[0125] The "indication information" in the embodiments of the present application may be an explicit indication, i.e., directly indicated by signaling, or obtained by combining other rules or other parameters or by deduction according to the parameters indicated by the signaling. It may also be an implicit indication, i.e., obtained by combining other rules or other parameters or by deduction according to a rule or relationship. The present application does not make any specific limitation on this.

[0126] Seventh, in this application, "storage" may refer to storage in one or more memories. The one or more memories may be separately set or integrated in an encoder or decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The one or more memories may also be partially separately set and partially integrated in a decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The type of memory may be any form of storage medium, which is not limited in this application.

[0127] Ninth, in this application, "communication" can also be described as "data transmission", "information transmission", "data processing", etc. "Transmission" includes "sending" and "receiving".

[0128] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to wireless personal area networks (WPAN) with narrowband communication capabilities. The standards currently adopted by ultra-wideband WPANs are the IEEE802.15 series. WPAN can be used for communication between digital auxiliary devices within a small range, such as telephones, computers, and auxiliary devices, and its working range is generally within 10m. Technologies supporting wireless personal area networks include Bluetooth, ZigBee, ultra-wideband (UWB), IrDA infrared connection technology (infrared), HomeRF, etc., among which the Bluetooth Alliance defines two modes: Bluetooth mode and Bluetooth low energy mode. It is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that various aspects of the present application can be applied to other networks using various standards or protocols. For example, wireless local area networks (WLAN), high performance radio LAN (HIPERLAN) (a wireless standard similar to the IEEE 802.11 standard, mainly used in Europe) and wide area networks (WAN) or other networks known now or developed later. Among them, WLAN can support IEEE 802.11 related standards, such as 802.11a / b / g standards, 802.11n standards, 802.11ac standards, 802.11ax standards, IEEE 802.11ax next generation Wi-Fi protocols, such as 802.11be, Wi-Fi7, extremely high throughput (extremely high throughput, EHT), 802.11ad, 802.11ay or 802.11bf, such as 802.11be next generation 802.11bn, Wi-Fi 8, IMMW (Integrated Millimeter Wave, inherited millimeter wave) research working group, etc. Various aspects of the present application can also be applied to sensing systems, such as the 802.11bf series of standards. Among them, the 802.11n standard is called high throughput (HT), the 802.11ac standard is called very high throughput (VHT), the 802.11ax standard is called high efficiency (HE), the 802.11be standard is called extremely high throughput (EHT), and the 802.11bn standard is called Ultra High Reliability (UHR).

[0129] This application supports IEEE protocols, such as IEEE 802.11be / Wi-Fi 7 / EHT protocol, IEEE 802.11bn / UHR / Wi-Fi 8 protocol, IEEE Integrated mmWave / integrated millimeter wave / IMMW protocol, IEEE 802.15 / UWB protocol, or IEEE 802.11bf / sensing / perception protocol; this application may also support Spark Link / NearLink standard protocols.

[0130] The embodiments of the present application may also be applicable to wireless local area network systems such as the Internet of Things (IoT) network or the vehicle to X (V2X). Of course, the embodiments of the present application may also be applicable to other possible communication systems, such as the long term evolution (LTE) system, the LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, the LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, the fifth generation (5G) communication system, and the future sixth generation (6G) communication system.

[0131] The above-mentioned communication system applicable to the present application is only an example for illustration, and the communication system applicable to the present application is not limited to this. A unified description is given here and no further elaboration is given below.

[0132] In the embodiments of the present application, the above-mentioned devices may be access points (AP) and stations (STA) such as communication servers, routers, switches, bridges, computers or mobile phones, smart home devices, and vehicle-mounted communication devices.

[0133] The technical solution in this application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0134] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1As shown, the communication method provided by the present application is applicable to data communication between a first device and a second device, a first device and a first device, or a second device and a second device. Specifically, the scheme of the present application is applicable to data communication between a first device and one or more second devices (for example, data communication between a first device #1 and a second device #1, and a second device #3), and is also applicable to data communication between a first device and a first device (for example, data communication between a first device #1 and a first device #2), and data communication between a second device and a second device (for example, data communication between a second device #2 and a second device #3).

[0135] Exemplarily, when the first device and / or the second device has WLAN communication capability, the first device may be an access point AP-type station, and the second device may be a non-access point station (non-APSTA), referred to as AP (or access point) and STA (or non-AP station), respectively. When the first device and / or the second device has narrowband communication capability, for example, UWB communication capability, the first device may be referred to as an initiator, and the second device may be referred to as a responder. It should be understood that when the first device and the second device have different communication capabilities, they may have different names, which are not limited here.

[0136] The first device can be an access point for a terminal (e.g., a mobile phone) to enter a wired (or wireless) network. It is mainly deployed in homes, buildings, and parks, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters. Of course, it can also be deployed outdoors. In this case, the first device is equivalent to a bridge connecting the wired network and the wireless network. Its main function is to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet.

[0137] Specifically, the first device may be a terminal or network device with narrowband communication capability, or with WLAN communication capability and narrowband communication capability. The network device may be a server, a router, a switch, a bridge, a computer, a mobile phone, a relay station, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a network device in a 5G network, and a network device in a future 6G network or a network device in a public land mobile network (PLMN), etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The first device is a device with narrowband transmission capability. For example, the first device may support one or more standards of the IEEE 802.15 family such as 802.15.4ab and 802.15.3. For example, the first device may support Bluetooth transmission mode or Bluetooth low energy transmission mode. The first device may be a device that supports the WLAN standard. For example, the first device may also support one or more standards of the IEEE 802.11 family, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11bn, 802.11ad, and 802.11ay.

[0138] For example, the second device may be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor or a wireless communication terminal, etc., and may also be referred to as a user, user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent or a user device. The second device may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, an Internet of Things device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, a terminal device in a future 6G network or a terminal device in a PLMN, etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. The second device may be a device with narrowband transmission capability, for example, the second device may support one or more standards of the IEEE 802.15 family such as 802.15.4ab, 802.15.3, etc., and for example, the second device may support Bluetooth transmission mode or Bluetooth low power transmission mode. The second device may also be a device supporting a WLAN standard. For example, the non-AP station may support one or more standards of the IEEE 802.11 family, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11bn, 802.11ad, and 802.11ay.

[0139] The second device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a set-top box, a smart TV, a smart wearable device, a vehicle-mounted communication device, a computer, an Internet of Things (IoT) node, a sensor, a smart home such as a smart camera, a smart remote control, a smart water meter, an electric meter, and sensors in a smart city.

[0140] The above-mentioned first device or second device may include a transmitter, a receiver, a memory, a processor, etc., wherein the transmitter and the receiver are respectively used for sending and receiving packet structures, the memory is used to store signaling information and store pre-agreed threshold values, etc., and the processor is used to parse signaling information, process related data, etc.

[0141] In an embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned device includes a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer includes hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and a memory (also called main memory). The operating system can be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as Linux operating system, Unix operating system, Android operating system, iOS operating system, or Windows operating system.

[0142] In addition, various aspects or features of the present application can be implemented as methods, devices or products using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "product" used in this application covers computer programs that can be accessed from any computer-readable device, carrier or medium. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks or tapes, etc.), optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc.), smart cards and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), cards, sticks or key drives, etc.). In addition, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0143] In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the technical terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are first briefly explained.

[0144] 1. Frequency hopping (FH)

[0145] The frequency position of the data to be transmitted is changed, which is called frequency hopping. Generally speaking, when frequency hopping is enabled, the frequency position of the data to be transmitted changes at different times. The frequency position of the data to be transmitted at different transmission times (for example, time slots) can be different. Frequency hopping can obtain the frequency diversity gain of the communication system and improve the performance of data transmission.

[0146] 2. UNII-3

[0147] The UNII-3 frequency band is 5.725GHz to 5.850GHz, a total of 125MHz spectrum. Figure 2FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a UNII-3 frequency band and a UNII-5 frequency band provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown in (a), the channel of WLAN transmission takes 20MHz bandwidth as an example, so it includes a total of 6 20MHz channels, of which 2 20MHz channels can form a 40MHz channel, and two 40MHz channels further form an 80MHz channel. Channels of the same bandwidth size do not overlap with each other, that is, the first and second 20MHz channels can form the first 40MHz channel, at this time, the second and third cannot form the second 40MHz channel, the third and fourth can form the second 40MHz, and so on.

[0148] 3. UNII-5

[0149] UNII-5 frequency band is 5.925GHz to 6.425GHz, with a total spectrum of 500MHz, which can include 25 20MHz channels, which can be further divided into 12 40MHz channels, or 6 80MHz channels (such as Figure 2 As shown in (b), the WLAN transmission channel is 80MHz, or three 160MHz channels, or two 320MHz channels. The 320MHz channel is rare, so the first 160MHz channel and the second 160MHz channel are allowed to form the first 320MHz channel, and the second 160MHz channel and the third 160MHz channel are allowed to form the second 320MHz channel. These two 320MHz channels overlap, which is a special case.

[0150] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application only use these two frequency bands as examples for illustration, and the present application does not limit the specific values ​​of the specific frequency bands and bandwidth sizes.

[0151] 4. Device-level duty cycle

[0152] The duty cycle is the ratio of the duration of a device sending data to the entire transmission cycle duration within a certain transmission cycle duration. Alternatively, the duty cycle may be the ratio of the duration of a device transmitting data to the entire transmission cycle duration within a certain transmission cycle duration, where the transmission data includes sending and receiving data, or the duty cycle may be the ratio of the duration of a device being in the awake state to the entire transmission cycle duration within a certain transmission cycle duration.

[0153] 5. Basic service set (BSS)

[0154] BSS is a basic building block of 802.11 network, which is used to describe a group of mobile devices that communicate with each other in an 802.11 WLAN.

[0155] There are two types of basic service sets: one is the basic service set of infrastructure mode, which includes an AP and several STAs; the other is the basic service set of independent mode, which consists of several STAs.

[0156] Specifically, each basic service set has a unique identifier, called a basic service set identifier (BSSID), which corresponds to the MAC address of the AP. The BSS in the embodiment of the present application is an infrastructure mode BSS, and the AP and STA included in the BSS under this type can be called mutually associated AP and STA. For example, the AP and STA included in BSS#1 are mutually associated.

[0157] At present, the transmission frequency band of Bluetooth in narrowband transmission may be further expanded from the original 2.4GHz to 5GHz and 6GHz. The narrowband frequency band of UWB transmission in narrowband transmission also involves 5GHz and 6GHz. The UNII-3 band and UNII-5 band described above can also be applied to WLAN transmission. Therefore, interference between narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission is prone to occur. At present, the method of alleviating the interference between narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission does not consider the frequency hopping scenario, that is, it does not consider that the frequency hopping technology itself can reduce the interference of WLAN transmission, which may lead to the reduction of the throughput of narrowband transmission and the increase of the transmission delay of narrowband transmission when the interference of narrowband transmission to WLAN transmission is reduced.

[0158] Therefore, in a frequency hopping scenario, how to achieve coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission while reducing the transmission delay of narrowband transmission is an urgent problem to be solved.

[0159] In view of the above problems, the present application provides a communication method and device. Figures 3 to 13 Detailed description.

[0160] Figure 3 It is a flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. It is understandable that the first device or the second device can execute the communication method, but the present application does not limit the execution subject. For example, the communication method is implemented by the first device or the second device, and can also be implemented by a module (such as a chip, a chip system or a processor) of the first device or the second device, and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first device, and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second device.

[0161] S310, obtaining a first transmission time, where the first transmission time is related to a transmission time of at least one of N first channels, where the N first channels are used for frequency hopping transmission of narrowband signals, and N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0162] It should be understood that the first transmission time may be determined according to the transmission time of at least one first channel among the N first channels.

[0163] As a possible implementation manner, N second transmission times corresponding to N first channels are obtained, the nth second transmission time includes the transmission time of the narrowband signal on the nth first channel, and the first transmission time is an average value of the N second transmission times.

[0164] Optionally, the first transmission time may also be the median or mode of the N second transmission times.

[0165] It should be understood that the first transmission time weakens the differences between the N second transmission times corresponding to the N first channels. Specifically, the average, median or mode of the N second transmission times is selected as the first transmission time, and this application does not limit this. Figure 7 (a) and Figure 7 (b) gives a detailed example of the specific form of the first transmission time.

[0166] As a possible implementation manner, the first transmission time includes a transmission time of the narrowband signal on the nth first channel when the first device frequency hops to the nth first channel.

[0167] In other words, the first transmission time may be a time for the first device to hop to a first channel among the N first channels, and the first channel may be used to transmit a narrowband signal. That is, the first transmission time may include a transmission time for transmitting a narrowband signal corresponding to any first channel among the N first channels. Figure 8 (a) and Figure 8 (b) gives a detailed example of the specific form of the first transmission time.

[0168] Optionally, the bandwidth size corresponding to each of the N first channels may be one of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 240 MHz, 320 MHz, 480 MHz or 640 MHz. The embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. It should be understood that the spectrum in the UNII-3 frequency band and the UNII-5 frequency band in the embodiment of the present application is a specific example, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to the spectrum of these two frequency bands.

[0169] It should be understood that the bandwidth size of each first channel may be the same, or the bandwidth size of each first channel may be different. Figure 7 (a) Figure 7 (b) Figure 8 (a) and Figure 8 (b) Give detailed examples.

[0170] As a possible implementation manner, a first BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to a basic service set BSS where the first device is located is obtained, and the first transmission time includes the transmission time of narrowband signals in N first channels on some or all of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth.

[0171] It should be understood that the first device has both WLAN communication capability and narrowband transmission communication capability, and the first device can sense the first BSS operating bandwidth of the BSS in which it is located and part or all of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth. Among them, WLAN transmission and narrowband signal transmission can be performed on part or all of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth, that is, part or all of the first channels are the parts where WLAN transmission and narrowband signal transmission overlap. Exemplarily, the first BSS operating bandwidth can be an integer multiple of the basic bandwidth, for example, the basic bandwidth size can be 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, 240MHz, 320MHz, 480MHz or 640MHz.

[0172] In other words, the first transmission time includes the transmission time corresponding to part or all of the first channel where the WLAN transmission and the narrowband signal transmission overlap. Fig. 9 (a) and Fig. 9 (b) gives a detailed example of the specific form of the first transmission time.

[0173] As a possible implementation method, the nth second BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to the nth first channel is obtained, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer; based on the nth second BSS operating bandwidth, the nth first transmission time corresponding to transmitting a narrowband signal on the nth first channel is obtained.

[0174] It should be understood that the first device has both WLAN communication capability and narrowband transmission communication capability, and the first device has the capability of BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to different BSSs of different first channels on a certain frequency band.

[0175] It should also be understood that N first channels may correspond to N second BSS operating bandwidths, and the second BSS operating bandwidths corresponding to each first channel may be the same or different, and the present application embodiment does not limit this. Exemplarily, the second BSS operating bandwidth may be an integer multiple of the basic bandwidth, for example, the basic bandwidth size may be 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz, 240MHz, 320MHz, 480MHz or 640MHz. Fig.10 (a) and Fig.10 (b) gives a detailed example of the specific form of the first transmission time.

[0176] Optionally, a first duty cycle is obtained according to the first transmission time, where the first duty cycle indicates a proportion of the first transmission time in the transmission period.

[0177] S320: If the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold, start listen before talk (LBT). If the first transmission time is less than the first threshold, do not start LBT.

[0178] Optionally, if the first transmission time is greater than a first threshold value, LBT is started. If the first transmission time is less than or equal to the first threshold value, LBT is not started.

[0179] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are not limited to starting LBT or not starting LBT when the first transmission time is equal to the first threshold value.

[0180] It should be understood that the first threshold value is related to the transmission period, and the first threshold value may be the same or different for different frequency bands (e.g., UNII-3 and UNII-5). Exemplarily, the range of the first threshold value is 0 to the transmission period. Alternatively, the range of the first threshold value may also be less than or equal to 0. Alternatively, the range of the first threshold value may also be greater than or equal to the transmission period.

[0181] When the first transmission time is equal to the first threshold value and LBT is started, the specific methods are as follows.

[0182] Optionally, when the first threshold value is less than or equal to 0, the first transmission time is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, and LBT is started.

[0183] Optionally, when the first threshold value is greater than the transmission period, the first transmission time is less than the first threshold value, and LBT is not started.

[0184] For the case where the first transmission time is equal to the first threshold value and LBT is not started, the specific methods are as follows.

[0185] Optionally, when the first threshold value is less than or equal to 0, the first transmission time is greater than the first threshold value, and LBT is started.

[0186] Optionally, when the first threshold value is greater than the transmission period, the first transmission time is less than or equal to the first threshold value, and LBT is not started.

[0187] Exemplarily, the first threshold value may be based on the definition of the regulatory department and may be different in different countries and regions. Alternatively, the first threshold value may be negotiated by the first device and the second device. Alternatively, the first threshold value may also be defined by the first device and notified to the second device, for example, the access point defines the first threshold value and notifies each STA of the first threshold value. Alternatively, the first threshold value may also be defined by the second device and notified to the first device. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the method for determining the first threshold value.

[0188] Optionally, when determining whether to perform LBT by the first duty cycle, if the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, LBT is started; if the first duty cycle is less than the second threshold value, LBT is not started.

[0189] Alternatively, if the first duty cycle is greater than the second threshold value, LBT is activated; if the first duty cycle is less than or equal to the second threshold value, LBT is not activated. The application embodiment is not limited to activating LBT or not activating LBT when the first duty cycle is equal to the second threshold value.

[0190] It should be understood that the second threshold value may be the same or different for different frequency bands (e.g., UNII-3 and UNII-5). Exemplarily, the range of the second threshold value is 0 to 1. Alternatively, the range of the second threshold value may also be less than or equal to 0. Alternatively, the range of the second threshold value may also be greater than or equal to 1.

[0191] When the first duty cycle is equal to the second threshold value and the LBT is started, the following specific methods may be used.

[0192] Optionally, when the second threshold value is less than or equal to 0, the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, and LBT is started.

[0193] Optionally, when the second threshold value is greater than 1, the first duty cycle is less than the second threshold value, and LBT is not started.

[0194] For the case where the first duty cycle is equal to the second threshold value and the LBT is not started, the specific methods are as follows.

[0195] Optionally, when the second threshold value is less than or equal to 0, the first duty cycle is greater than the second threshold value, and LBT is started.

[0196] Optionally, when the second threshold value is greater than, the first duty cycle is less than or equal to the second threshold value, and LBT is not started.

[0197] It should be understood that the second threshold value is determined in a similar manner to the first threshold value, and is not described in detail here.

[0198] As a possible implementation, the type of transmission period includes any one of the following: ranging period, perception period, total period applied to ranging scenario, total period applied to perception scenario, duration of ranging block, duration of perception block or duration of super block. Among them, the total period applied to ranging scenario includes ranging period and non-ranging period; the total period applied to perception scenario includes perception period and non-perception period; the duration of ranging block includes ranging period of first user and ranging period of non-first user; the duration of perception block includes perception period of first user and perception period of non-first user; the duration of super block includes duration of one or more ranging blocks; or the duration of super block includes duration of one or more perception blocks.

[0199] The transmission period may be a predefined period of time, for example, 100 milliseconds, 1 second, or 100 seconds. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific value of the transmission period. Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a transmission time and a transmission period provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 The scenarios shown are two specific examples in UWB narrowband transmission. Figure 4 (a) is the ranging scene, Figure 4 (b) is the perceived scene.

[0200] For example, Figure 4 As shown in (a), in the ranging scenario, the transmission period can be called a ranging period (ranginground), denoted as T1, wherein the ranging control phase (denoted as t1-1) and the ranging report phase (denoted as t1-3) adopt narrowband transmission. Different phases may include one or more ranging slots. The first transmission time is determined according to the transmission time of at least one of the N first channels corresponding to the ranging control phase (denoted as t1-1) and the ranging report phase (denoted as t1-3). Then, the first transmission time is compared with a predefined first threshold value to determine whether to perform LBT.

[0201] The ranging cycle T1 includes a ranging control phase (referred to as t1-1), a ranging phase (referred to as t1-2), and a ranging report phase (referred to as t1-3). The ranging phase t1-2 uses ultra wideband (UWB) transmission.

[0202] It should be understood that due to Figure 4 The ranging control phase t1-1 shown in (a) is relatively fixed, and the first transmission time can be based on Figure 4 The ranging report phase t1-3 in (a) is determined by the transmission time of at least one of the N first channels in the frequency domain.

[0203] For example, Figure 4 As shown in (b), in the perception scenario, the transmission period can be called a sensing period (sensing round), denoted as T2, wherein the perception control phase (denoted as t2-1) and the perception report phase (denoted as t2-3) adopt narrowband transmission. Different phases may include one or more sensing slots. The first transmission time is determined according to the transmission time of at least one of the N first channels corresponding to the perception control phase (denoted as t2-1) and the perception report phase (denoted as t2-3). Then, the first transmission time is compared with a predefined first threshold value to determine whether to perform LBT.

[0204] The ranging cycle T1 includes a sensing control phase (control phase, denoted as t2-1), a sensing phase (sensing phase, denoted as t2-2) and a sensing report phase (report phase, denoted as t2-3). The sensing phase t2-2 adopts UWB transmission.

[0205] It should be understood that the first transmission time is less than or equal to the duration corresponding to the ranging report phase t1-3, or the first transmission time is less than or equal to the duration corresponding to the ranging control phase t1-1 and the ranging report phase t1-3.

[0206] As a possible implementation, in the ranging report phase t1-3, after transmitting the report, the first device may also transmit data using a narrowband, and the first transmission time may include the transmission duration corresponding to the transmission of data using a narrowband in the ranging report phase t1-3.

[0207] It should be understood that due to Figure 4 The sensing control stage shown in (b) is relatively fixed at t2-1, and the first transmission time can be determined according to Figure 4 The perception reporting phase t2-3 in (b) is determined by the transmission time of at least one of the N first channels in the frequency domain.

[0208] It should be understood that the first transmission time is less than or equal to the duration corresponding to the perception reporting phase t2-3, or the first transmission time is less than or equal to the duration corresponding to the perception control phase t2-1 and the perception reporting phase t2-3.

[0209] As a possible implementation method, in the perception reporting stage t2-3, the first device may also use narrowband to transmit data after transmitting the report, and the first transmission time may include the transmission duration corresponding to the narrowband transmission of data in the perception reporting stage t2-3.

[0210] It should also be understood that Figure 4 (a) and Figure 4 (b) of FIG. 1 does not fully show the number of specific first channels in the frequency domain, and only one first channel is used as an example for explanation. Figure 4 This is only an example in the UBW narrowband transmission scenario. In other scenarios, such as Bluetooth transmission mode or low-power Bluetooth transmission mode, the transmission period may have other forms, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0211] It should be understood that the transmission period can be Figure 4 The ranging period shown in (a) or the transmission period can also be Figure 4 The type of transmission period can also be other, which will be explained below. Figures 15 to 17 The types of transmission cycles include but are not limited to those provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0212] Fig.15 It is a schematic diagram of a transmission cycle provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0213] The transmission period may be a total interval, which may include a ranging round and a non-ranging round.

[0214] For example, Fig.15 As shown, the transmission period can be a total period K#1 or a total period K#2. The total period K#1 includes a ranging period T#1 and a non-ranging period Q#1. The total period K#2 includes a ranging period T#2 and a non-ranging period Q#2. The duration of the total period K#1 and the duration of the total period K#2 can be the same or different.

[0215] The exemplary description of the ranging cycle T#1 can be referred to Figure 4 The ranging period T1 of (a) will not be described in detail here.

[0216] It should be understood that the ranging period may be the duration during which the first device performs ranging, and the non-ranging period may be the duration during which the first device does not perform ranging. Alternatively, the ranging period is relative to the user. For example, Fig.15 As shown, the ranging period T#1 is the ranging period of user #1, and the non-ranging period Q#1 may be the ranging period of non-user #1. Fig.15As for the transmission period shown, the duration corresponding to the transmission period is the duration between the starting time points of the ranging period T#1 and the ranging period T#2 of user #1.

[0217] Optionally, the transmission period may also be a total period applied to a sensing scenario, wherein the total period applied to a sensing scenario includes a sensing round and a non-sensing round.

[0218] It should be understood that the sensing period may be the duration of the first device sensing, and the non-sensing period may be the duration of the first device not sensing. The sensing period is relative to the user. For example, sensing period #1 is the sensing period of user #1, and non-sensing period #1 may be the sensing period of non-user #1.

[0219] It should also be understood that the duration of the total period applied to different sensing scenes can be the same or different. Sensing period #1 is the same as sensing period T2. For detailed description, please refer to Figure 4 (b) will not be elaborated here.

[0220] Fig.16 It is a schematic diagram of another transmission cycle provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0221] The transmission period may be the duration of a ranging block. The duration of a ranging block may include a ranging period and other durations. Among them, other durations may be the duration during which the first device does not perform ranging, or may also be the ranging period of other users. The duration of a ranging block may also be referred to as a ranging block duration.

[0222] For example, Fig.16 As shown, the transmission period can be the duration of ranging block K#1 or the duration of ranging block K#2. The duration of ranging block K#1 includes ranging period T#1 and other Q#1. The duration of ranging block K#2 includes ranging period T#2 and other Q#2. Among them, the duration of ranging block K#1 and the duration of ranging block K#2 can be the same or different.

[0223] The ranging cycle T#1 is the same as the ranging cycle T1. The ranging cycle T#1 is another name for the ranging cycle T1. For details, please refer to Figure 4 (a) is not described in detail here.

[0224] Optionally, the transmission period may also be the duration of a sensing block applied to a sensing scene. The duration of a sensing block may include a sensing round and other durations. Among them, other durations are the durations during which the first device does not sense, or may also be sensing periods of other users. The duration of a sensing block may also be referred to as a sensing block duration.

[0225] The sensing period is the same as the sensing period T2. For detailed description, please refer to Figure 4 (b) of FIG. 1 is not described in detail here.

[0226] Fig.17 It is a schematic diagram of another transmission cycle provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0227] The transmission period may be the duration of a hyper block. The duration of a hyper block may include the duration of one or more ranging blocks, and the duration of a ranging block may include one or more ranging rounds.

[0228] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of super blocks and the duration of each super block.

[0229] It should also be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of ranging blocks included in a super block and the duration of each ranging block. In addition, the embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of ranging cycles included in the duration of a ranging block and the duration of each ranging cycle.

[0230] For example, Fig.17 As shown, the duration of super block #K includes the duration of ranging block #0, the duration of ranging block #1 and the duration of ranging block #2, the duration of ranging block #0 includes ranging cycle #0-0 and ranging cycle #0-1; the duration of ranging block #1 includes ranging cycle #1-0, ranging cycle #1-1, ranging cycle #1-2, ranging cycle #1-3, ranging cycle #1-4 and ranging cycle #1-5; the duration of ranging block #2 includes ranging cycle #2-0. The durations of different ranging blocks may be the same or different, and different ranging cycles may be the same or different.

[0231] It should be understood that ranging cycle #0-0 in the duration of ranging block #0 is the ranging cycle of user #1, and ranging cycle #0-1 is the ranging cycle of other users. Therefore, ranging cycle #0-1 can also be called the non-ranging cycle of user #1.

[0232] in, Fig.17 The ranging cycle is the same as the ranging cycle T1. For details, please refer to Figure 4 (a) is not described in detail here.

[0233] Optionally, the super block may also include the duration of one or more sensing blocks, and the duration of a sensing block may include one or more sensing rounds.

[0234] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of super blocks and the duration of each super block.

[0235] It should also be understood that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of perception blocks included in a super block and the duration of each perception block. In addition, the embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of perception cycles included in the duration of a perception block and the duration of each perception cycle.

[0236] As a possible implementation manner, different transmission periods may correspond to first threshold values ​​of the same scale, or different transmission periods may correspond to second threshold values ​​of the same scale.

[0237] As a possible implementation manner, different transmission periods correspond to first threshold values ​​of different scales, or different transmission periods correspond to second threshold values ​​of different scales.

[0238] In some implementations, the first transmission period corresponds to a first threshold value of a first scale, and the second transmission period corresponds to a first threshold value of a second scale. If the duration of the first transmission period is less than the duration of the second transmission period, then the first threshold value of the first scale is greater than the first threshold value of the second scale.

[0239] Exemplarily, if the first transmission cycle is a ranging cycle, a first threshold value of a first scale is adopted; if the second transmission cycle is a total cycle, a first threshold value of a second scale is adopted, and the first threshold value of the first scale may be greater than the first threshold value of the second scale.

[0240] Exemplarily, if the transmission period adopts a fixed duration, the first transmission period is 100 ms, the first threshold value of the first scale is adopted, the second transmission period is 1 s, the first threshold value of the second scale is adopted, and the first threshold value of the first scale is greater than the first threshold value of the second scale.

[0241] In some implementations, the first transmission period corresponds to the second threshold value of the third scale, and the second transmission period corresponds to the second threshold value of the fourth scale. If the duration of the first transmission period is less than the duration of the second transmission period, then the second threshold value of the third scale is greater than the second threshold value of the fourth scale.

[0242] Exemplarily, if the first transmission cycle is a ranging cycle, the second threshold value of the third scale is used; if the second transmission cycle is a total cycle, the second threshold value of the fourth scale is used, and the second threshold value of the third scale may be greater than the second threshold value of the fourth scale. For example, the second threshold value of the third scale may be 10%, and the second threshold value of the fourth scale may be 5%.

[0243] Exemplarily, if the transmission cycle adopts a fixed duration, the first transmission cycle is 100 ms, the second threshold value of the third scale is adopted, the second transmission cycle is 1 s, the second threshold value of the fourth scale is adopted, and the second threshold value of the third scale is greater than the second threshold value of the fourth scale.

[0244] In this way, if the transmission cycle is short, some narrowband signals without LBT can be allowed to be transmitted in the short transmission cycle; if the transmission cycle is long, the overall narrowband transmission ratio can be guaranteed to be low in the long transmission cycle, thereby reducing the overall interference to WLAN signal transmission.

[0245] As a possible implementation, when the first transmission time is the average, median or mode of the N second transmission times, if the first transmission time is greater than or equal to the first threshold, LBT is initiated for the N first channels. If the first transmission time is less than the first threshold, LBT is not initiated for the N first channels.

[0246] For example, in Figure 4 In (a), the first transmission time may include an average result of N second transmission times corresponding to N first channels in the frequency domain during the ranging control phase and the ranging report phase.

[0247] For example, in Figure 4 In (b), the first transmission time may include an average result of N second transmission times corresponding to N first channels in the frequency domain during the perception control phase and the perception reporting phase.

[0248] In this way, in the frequency hopping scenario, since the first transmission time indicates the average of the N second transmission times of the N first channels, it is only necessary to compare the first transmission time with the first threshold value to determine whether to perform LBT on the N first channels. This method can reduce the number of LBT performed by the first device with narrowband communication capability while achieving the coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission without increasing interference, thereby reducing the delay of narrowband signal transmission. In addition, the first transmission time can be the average value of the transmission time corresponding to the N first channels. The unified judgment method can reduce the calculation complexity and is easier to implement.

[0249] As a possible implementation manner, when the first transmission time includes the transmission time of the narrowband signal on the nth first channel when the first device frequency hops to the nth first channel, if the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, LBT is initiated for the nth first channel. If the first transmission time is less than the first threshold value, LBT is not initiated for the nth first channel, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer.

[0250] For example, in Figure 4 In (a), the first transmission time may include the transmission time corresponding to the nth first channel in the frequency domain during the ranging control phase t1-1 and the ranging report phase t1-3.

[0251] For example, in Figure 4 In (b), the first transmission time may include the transmission time corresponding to the nth first channel in the frequency domain during the perception control phase t2-1 and the perception reporting phase t2-3.

[0252] In this way, in the frequency hopping scenario, the transmission time of any one of the N first channels that transmit narrowband signals is used to determine whether to perform LBT on the first channel. While achieving coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission, the number of times the first device with narrowband communication capability performs LBT is reduced without increasing interference, thereby more specifically and accurately improving the throughput of the narrowband signal transmission on the first channel and reducing the delay of the narrowband signal transmission on the first channel.

[0253] As a possible implementation manner, in a case where the first transmission time includes the transmission time of the narrowband signal in the N first channels on some or all of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operation bandwidth, if the first transmission time is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, LBT is initiated for some or all of the first channels. If the first transmission time is less than the first threshold value, LBT is not initiated for some or all of the first channels.

[0254] For example, in Figure 4 In (a), the first transmission time includes part or all of the transmission time of the first channel, which may be the first channel in the frequency domain for the ranging control phase t1-1 and the ranging report phase t1-3.

[0255] For example, in Figure 4 In (b), the first transmission time includes the transmission time of part or all of the first channel, which can be the first channel in the frequency domain for the perception control phase t2-1 and the perception reporting phase t2-3.

[0256] In this way, in the frequency hopping scenario, when the first device can sense the first BSS operating bandwidth of the BSS in which it is located, the transmission time of the narrowband signal transmitted on part or all of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth is compared with the first threshold value to determine whether to start LBT. This can more specifically determine the interference caused by the narrowband signal transmission to the BSS, and then reduce the number of LBT performed by the first device with narrowband communication capability without increasing interference while achieving the coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission, thereby more accurately improving the throughput of narrowband signal transmission on channels with overlapping frequency domain resources and reducing the delay of narrowband signal transmission.

[0257] As a possible implementation manner, when the nth first transmission time is determined according to the transmission time of the nth first channel corresponding to the nth second BSS operating bandwidth, if the nth first transmission time is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, LBT is initiated for the nth first channel. If the nth first transmission time is less than the first threshold value, LBT is not initiated for the nth first channel.

[0258] For example, in Figure 4 In (a), the nth first transmission time may be the nth first channel in the frequency domain for the ranging control phase t1-1 and the ranging report phase t1-3.

[0259] For example, in Figure 4 In (b), the nth first transmission time may be the nth first channel in the frequency domain for the perception control phase t2-1 and the perception reporting phase t2-3.

[0260] In this way, in the frequency hopping scenario, by sensing the BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to different BSSs of different first channels, the different transmission times of different first channels are compared with the first threshold value to determine whether to start LBT. This can more accurately know in advance the interference that narrowband signal transmission may cause to different BSSs in WLAN transmission in the full frequency band, and then reduce the number of LBT performed by the first device with narrowband communication capability without increasing interference while achieving the coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission, and further improve the throughput of narrowband signal transmission and reduce the delay of narrowband signal transmission in a more targeted and accurate manner.

[0261] In the above technical solution, in the frequency hopping scenario, the residence time of the narrowband signal in different channels becomes shorter, and the interference to the WLAN transmission is reduced. Compared with continuing to use the total transmission time of sending the narrowband signal in the transmission cycle to determine whether to perform LBT, that is, the transmission time at the device level granularity to determine whether to perform LBT, the first transmission time involved in the solution of this application is related to the transmission time of at least one of the N first channels. It can achieve the coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission, and reduce the number of times the first device with narrowband communication capability performs LBT without increasing interference, thereby reducing the delay of narrowband signal transmission and improving the throughput of narrowband signal transmission.

[0262] Figure 5 It is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. It can be understood that the first device or the second device can execute the communication method, but the present application does not limit the execution subject. For a detailed explanation of the execution subject, please refer to Figure 3 The relevant description is not repeated here.

[0263] S510, obtaining a first duty cycle, where the first duty cycle indicates a proportion of a first transmission time in a transmission period, and the first transmission time is related to a transmission time of at least one of N first channels, where the N first channels are used for frequency hopping transmission of narrowband signals, and N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0264] It should be understood that the first duty cycle can be obtained directly or according to the first transmission time and transmission period, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0265] It should be understood that the explanation of the first transmission time can refer to the relevant explanation in S310, which will not be repeated here. The explanation of the transmission period can refer to the relevant explanation in S320, which will not be repeated here.

[0266] As a possible implementation method, N second duty cycles corresponding to N first channels are obtained, the nth second duty cycle indicates the proportion of the nth second transmission time in the transmission period, and the first duty cycle is the average value of the N second duty cycles.

[0267] Optionally, the first duty cycle may also be the median or mode of N second duty cycles.

[0268] It should be understood that the first duty cycle weakens the differences between the N second duty cycles corresponding to the N first channels. Specifically, the average, median or mode of the N second duty cycles is selected as the first duty cycle, and the present application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0269] As a possible implementation manner, the first duty cycle includes a duty cycle corresponding to when the narrowband signal is transmitted on the nth first channel when the first device frequency hops to the nth first channel, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer.

[0270] It should be understood that the relevant explanation of the first duty cycle in the scenario where the first device frequency hops to the nth first channel is similar to the first transmission time in the scenario where the first device frequency hops to the nth first channel in S310, and is not elaborated here.

[0271] Optionally, the bandwidth corresponding to each of the N first channels may be one of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 240 MHz, 320 MHz, 480 MHz, or 640 MHz, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0272] As a possible implementation method, a first BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to a basic service set BSS where the first device is located is obtained, and the first duty cycle includes a corresponding duty cycle when a narrowband signal in N first channels is transmitted on part or all of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth.

[0273] It should be understood that the explanation related to part or all of the first channel corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth can refer to the corresponding part of S310, which will not be repeated here.

[0274] In other words, the first duty cycle includes a duty cycle corresponding to a transmission time of part or all of the first channel where WLAN transmission and narrowband signal transmission overlap.

[0275] As a possible implementation method, the nth second BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to the nth first channel is obtained, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer; based on the nth second BSS operating bandwidth, the nth first duty cycle corresponding to the transmission time of the narrowband signal transmitted on the nth first channel is obtained.

[0276] It should be understood that the first device has both WLAN communication capability and narrowband transmission communication capability, and the first device has the capability of BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to different BSSs of different first channels on a certain frequency band.

[0277] It should also be understood that the relevant explanation about the second BSS operating bandwidth can be referred to the relevant part of S310, which will not be elaborated here.

[0278] Optionally, a first transmission time is obtained according to a first duty cycle.

[0279] S520, if the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, start the LBT; if the first duty cycle is less than the second threshold value, do not start the LBT.

[0280] Optionally, if the first duty cycle is greater than the second threshold value, the LBT is started. If the first duty cycle is less than or equal to the second threshold value, the LBT is not started.

[0281] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are not limited to starting the LBT or not starting the LBT when the first duty cycle is equal to the second threshold value.

[0282] Optionally, when determining whether to perform LBT based on the first transmission time, if the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold, LBT is started, and if the first transmission time is less than the first threshold, LBT is not started.

[0283] Alternatively, if the first transmission time is greater than the first threshold value, LBT is started. If the first transmission time is less than or equal to the first threshold value, LBT is not started. The embodiment of the present application does not limit whether LBT is started or not started when the first transmission time is equal to the first threshold value.

[0284] It should be understood that for the relevant explanations about the first threshold, the second threshold value and the transmission period, reference may be made to the relevant parts of S320 and will not be elaborated here.

[0285] As a possible implementation, when the first duty cycle is the average, median or mode of N second duty cycles, if the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, LBT is enabled for the N first channels. If the first duty cycle is less than the second threshold value, LBT is not enabled for the N first channels.

[0286] In this way, in the frequency hopping scenario, since the first duty cycle indicates the average of the N second duty cycles of the N first channels, it is only necessary to compare the first duty cycle with the second threshold value to determine whether to perform LBT on the N first channels. This method not only reduces the number of LBT performed by the first device with narrowband communication capability without increasing interference while achieving the coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission, thereby reducing the transmission delay of narrowband signals. The unified judgment method can reduce the computational complexity and is easier to implement. Moreover, based on different transmission cycles, a unified second threshold value can be used to reduce the number of configurations of the second threshold value, further reducing the implementation complexity.

[0287] As a possible implementation manner, when the first duty cycle includes a duty cycle corresponding to when the narrowband signal is transmitted on the nth first channel when the first device frequency hops to the nth first channel, if the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, LBT is initiated for the nth first channel. If the first duty cycle is less than the second threshold value, LBT is not initiated for the nth first channel, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer.

[0288] In this way, in the frequency hopping scenario, the duty cycle of any one of the N first channels transmitting narrowband signals is used to determine whether to perform LBT on the first channel. This method not only reduces the number of LBTs performed by the first device with narrowband communication capability while achieving coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission without increasing interference, but also improves the throughput of narrowband signal transmission on the first channel and reduces the delay of narrowband signal transmission on the first channel in a more targeted and accurate manner. Moreover, based on different transmission cycles, a unified second threshold value can be used to reduce the number of configurations of the second threshold value, further reducing the implementation complexity.

[0289] As a possible implementation manner, when the first duty cycle includes a duty cycle corresponding to when narrowband signals in N first channels are transmitted on some or all first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth, if the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, LBT is initiated for some or all first channels. If the first duty cycle is less than the second threshold value, LBT is not initiated for some or all first channels.

[0290] In this way, in a frequency hopping scenario, when the first device can sense the first BSS operating bandwidth of the BSS in which it is located, the first duty cycle of the narrowband signal transmitted on part or all of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth is compared with the first threshold value to determine whether to start LBT. This method can not only more specifically determine the interference caused by narrowband signal transmission to the BSS, and then reduce the number of LBT performed by the first device with narrowband communication capability while achieving coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission without increasing interference, but also more accurately improve the throughput of narrowband signal transmission on channels with overlapping frequency domain resources and reduce the delay of narrowband signal transmission, and based on different transmission cycles, a unified second threshold value can be used to reduce the number of configurations of the second threshold value, further reducing the implementation complexity.

[0291] As a possible implementation manner, when the nth first duty cycle is determined according to the duty cycle of the nth first channel corresponding to the nth second BSS operating bandwidth, if the nth first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, LBT is initiated for the nth first channel. If the nth first duty cycle is less than the second threshold value, LBT is not initiated for the nth first channel.

[0292] In this way, in the frequency hopping scenario, by sensing the BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to different BSSs of different first channels, the different duty cycles of different first channels are compared with the first threshold value to determine whether to start LBT. This can more accurately know in advance the interference that narrowband signal transmission may cause to different BSSs in WLAN transmission in the entire frequency band. This method can not only reduce the number of LBT performed by the first device with narrowband communication capability while achieving the coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission without increasing interference, but also further improve the throughput of narrowband signal transmission and reduce the delay of narrowband signal transmission in a more targeted and accurate manner. Moreover, based on different transmission cycles, a unified second threshold value can be used to reduce the number of configurations of the second threshold value, further reducing the implementation complexity.

[0293] In the above technical solution, in the frequency hopping scenario, the residence time of the narrowband signal in different channels becomes shorter, and the interference to the WLAN transmission is reduced. Compared with continuing to use the total duty cycle of sending the narrowband signal in the transmission period to determine whether to perform LBT, that is, the duty cycle of the device-level granularity to determine whether to perform LBT, the first duty cycle involved in the solution of the present application is related to the duty cycle of at least one of the N first channels. It can not only achieve the coexistence of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission, but also reduce the number of times the first device with narrowband communication capability performs LBT without increasing interference, reduce the delay of narrowband signal transmission and improve the throughput of narrowband signal transmission, and based on different transmission periods, a unified second threshold value can be used to reduce the number of configurations of the second threshold value, further reducing the implementation complexity.

[0294] Figure 6 It is an interactive diagram of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. It can be understood that the execution subject of the interactive diagram of the communication method is the first device and the second device as an example. The relevant explanation of the first device and the second device as the execution subject can be referred to Figure 3 , I will not go into details here.

[0295] S601: A first device obtains a first transmission time, or a first device obtains a first duty cycle.

[0296] It should be understood that the detailed explanation of the first transmission time and the first duty cycle can be referred to S310 and S410 respectively, and will not be repeated here.

[0297] S602: The first device determines whether the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, or whether the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to a second threshold value.

[0298] Optionally, the first device determines whether the first transmission time is greater than a first threshold value, or whether the first duty cycle is greater than a second threshold value.

[0299] It should be understood that the relevant explanations about the first threshold value and the second threshold value can be referred to S320 and will not be elaborated here.

[0300] If the first transmission time is less than the first threshold value, or the first duty cycle is less than the second threshold value, LBT is not started, S603, the first device transmits narrowband signals on N first channels by frequency hopping.

[0301] If the first transmission time is greater than or equal to the first threshold, or the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold, S604, the first device starts LBT to determine whether at least one first channel among the N first channels is idle.

[0302] Optionally, if the first transmission time is less than or equal to the first threshold value, or the first duty cycle is less than or equal to the second threshold value, LBT is not started, S603, the first device frequency hopping transmits narrowband signals on N first channels.

[0303] Optionally, if the first transmission time is greater than a first threshold value, or the first duty cycle is greater than a second threshold value, S604, the first device starts LBT to determine whether at least one first channel among the N first channels is idle.

[0304] If at least one of the N first channels is idle, S605 , the first device transmits a narrowband signal by frequency hopping on at least one of the N first channels.

[0305] As a possible implementation method, when the first transmission time is the average, median or mode of N second transmission times, or when the first duty cycle is the average, median or mode of N second duty cycles, the first device frequency hops to transmit a narrowband signal on N first channels.

[0306] As a possible implementation method, when the first transmission time includes the transmission time of the narrowband signal on the nth first channel when the first device frequency hops to the nth first channel, or when the first duty cycle includes the duty cycle corresponding to the transmission of the narrowband signal on the nth first channel when the first device frequency hops to the nth first channel, the first device frequency hops to transmit the narrowband signal on the nth first channel.

[0307] As a possible implementation method, when the first transmission time includes the transmission time of the narrowband signal in N first channels on part or all of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth, or when the first duty cycle includes the corresponding duty cycle when the narrowband signal in N first channels is transmitted on part or all of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth, the first device frequency hops to transmit the narrowband signal on the part or all of the first channels.

[0308] As a possible implementation method, when the nth first transmission time is determined according to the transmission time of the nth first channel corresponding to the nth second BSS operating bandwidth, or when the nth first duty cycle is determined according to the duty cycle of the nth first channel corresponding to the nth second BSS operating bandwidth, the first device frequency hops to transmit a narrowband signal on the nth first channel.

[0309] Optionally, if at least one of the N first channels is busy, the first device does not transmit the narrowband signal.

[0310] The following will be combined Figures 7 to 10 The specific forms of the first transmission time and the first duty cycle are described in detail.

[0311] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a first transmission time provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 The first device corresponding to the first transmission time shown has narrowband communication capability. The first transmission time indicates an average value, median or mode of N second transmission times. The first duty cycle indicates an average value, median or mode of N second duty cycles.

[0312] Figure 7 (a) shows a total spectrum of 125 MHz in the UNII-3 frequency band. If the narrowband signal is carried in the entire UNII-3 frequency band, assuming that the bandwidth of each of the N first channels is 20 MHz, the first transmission time can be the average, median or mode of the six second transmission times corresponding to the six 20 MHz first channels.

[0313] That is, assuming that the BSS operating bandwidth of WLAN transmission is 20 MHz, the averaged first transmission time corresponding to the six 20 MHz first channels is obtained and compared with the first threshold value to determine whether to perform LBT on the six 20 MHz first channels.

[0314] For another example, if the narrowband signal is carried on the entire UNII-3 frequency band, assuming that the bandwidth of each of the N first channels is 40 MHz, the first transmission time can be the average, median or mode of the three second transmission times corresponding to the three 40 MHz first channels.

[0315] That is, assuming that the BSS operating bandwidth of WLAN transmission is 40 MHz, the averaged first transmission time corresponding to the three 20 MHz first channels is obtained and compared with the first threshold value to determine whether to perform LBT on the three 20 MHz first channels.

[0316] It should be understood that the second duty cycle indicates the proportion of the second transmission time in the transmission cycle, and the first duty cycle indicates the proportion of the first transmission time in the transmission cycle. Therefore, the first duty cycle can be determined based on the first transmission time and the transmission cycle, and the second duty cycle can be determined based on the second transmission time and the transmission cycle. Figure 7 Shown in.

[0317] Figure 7 (b) shows a total spectrum of 500 MHz in the UNII-5 frequency band. If the narrowband signal is carried in the entire UNII-5 frequency band, assuming that the bandwidth of each of the N first channels is 80 MHz, the first transmission time can be the average, median or mode of the six second transmission times corresponding to the six 80 MHz first channels.

[0318] It should be understood that in the UNII-5 frequency band, because the bandwidth is sufficient and 80 MHz is a common BSS operating bandwidth, the first transmission time or the first duty cycle for the 80 MHz first channel is obtained. For the first channel exceeding 20 MHz, for example, 80 MHz, the first transmission time or the first duty cycle is obtained, considering that when a narrowband signal hops in different 20 MHz channels corresponding to a BSS operating bandwidth, it will interfere with the WLAN transmission on the first channel corresponding to the BSS operating bandwidth, which helps to reduce the interference of the narrowband signal in the BSS operation and reduce the transmission delay of the narrowband signal.

[0319] That is, assuming that the BSS operating bandwidth of WLAN transmission is 80 MHz, the averaged first transmission time corresponding to the six 80 MHz first channels is obtained and compared with the first threshold value to determine whether to perform LBT on the six 80 MHz first channels.

[0320] For another example, if the narrowband signal is carried on the entire UNII-5 frequency band, assuming that the bandwidth of each of the N first channels is 40 MHz, the first transmission time may be the average, median or mode of the 12 second transmission times corresponding to the 12 40 MHz first channels.

[0321] For another example, if the narrowband signal is carried on the entire UNII-5 frequency band, assuming that the bandwidth of each of the N first channels is 20 MHz, the first transmission time can be the average, median or mode of 25 second transmission times corresponding to the 25 20 MHz first channels.

[0322] For another example, if the narrowband signal is carried on the entire UNII-5 frequency band, assuming that the bandwidth of each of the N first channels is 160 MHz, the first transmission time can be the average, median or mode of the three second transmission times corresponding to the three 160 MHz first channels.

[0323] For another example, if the narrowband signal is carried on the entire UNII-5 frequency band, assuming that the bandwidth of each of the N first channels is 320 MHz, the first transmission time can be the average, median or mode of the two second transmission times corresponding to the two 320 MHz first channels.

[0324] It should be understood that the method of determining whether to perform LBT by the first transmission time or the first duty cycle can be performed in the UNII-3 band and the UNII-5 band respectively. These two bands can use the same or different bandwidth sizes. Alternatively, the method of determining whether to perform LBT by the first transmission time or the first duty cycle can be performed by using the same bandwidth size in the UNII-3 band and the UNII-5 band. Alternatively, the method of determining whether to perform LBT by the first transmission time or the first duty cycle in the embodiment of the present application can also be applicable only to one of the UNII-3 band and the UNII-5 band. For example, the method of determining whether to perform LBT by the first transmission time or the first duty cycle in the embodiment of the present application is only applicable to the UNII-3 band, and the UNII-5 band adopts other aspects, for example, the UNII-5 band adopts the device-level duty cycle or transmission time to determine whether to perform LBT, and for example, NUII-5 always performs LBT.

[0325] Optionally, assuming that the probability of narrowband signal frequency hopping in different channels is approximately the same, the first transmission time corresponding to each first channel can be determined based on the transmission time of the narrowband signal transmitted by the first device, the bandwidth of the first channel and the total bandwidth of the narrowband signal transmitted.

[0326] Specifically, the first transmission time of each first channel may be 1 / m times the transmission time of the narrowband signal transmitted by the first device, where m is determined according to the bandwidth of the first channel and the total bandwidth of the narrowband signal transmitted. Exemplarily, m may be the result of rounding the total bandwidth / the bandwidth of the first channel to an integer, or m may be the result of rounding the total bandwidth / the bandwidth of the first channel upward, or m may be the result of rounding the total bandwidth / the bandwidth of the first channel downward.

[0327] In this way, when the probability of narrowband signal frequency hopping in different channels is approximately the same, the calculation complexity can be further reduced and the transmission delay of the narrowband signal can be reduced.

[0328] Optionally, assuming that the probability of narrowband signal frequency hopping in different channels is approximately the same, a third transmission time is obtained, and the third transmission time is the transmission time of the narrowband signal transmitted by the first device, that is, the transmission time at the device level. If the third transmission time is greater than or equal to the third threshold value, LBT is started for the N first channels; if the third transmission time is less than the third threshold value, LBT is not started for the N first channels. Alternatively, if the third transmission time is greater than the third threshold value, LBT is started for the N first channels; if the third transmission time is less than or equal to the third threshold value, LBT is not started for the N first channels.

[0329] The third threshold value may be m times the threshold value in the non-frequency hopping scenario. Exemplarily, m may be an integer result after rounding off the total bandwidth / the bandwidth of the first channel, or m may be an integer result after rounding up the total bandwidth / the bandwidth of the first channel, or m may be an integer result after rounding down the total bandwidth / the bandwidth of the first channel.

[0330] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of another first transmission time provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 The first device corresponding to the first transmission time shown has narrowband communication capability. The first transmission time includes the transmission time of the narrowband signal on the nth first channel when the first device frequency hops to the nth first channel. The first duty cycle includes the duty cycle corresponding to the transmission of the narrowband signal on the nth first channel when the first device frequency hops to the nth first channel, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer.

[0331] Figure 8 (a) shows a total of 125 MHz spectrum in the UNII-3 frequency band. Assuming that the bandwidth of each of the N first channels is 20 MHz, if the first device hops to the second 20 MHz first channel, the first transmission time includes the second first transmission time of the narrowband signal on the second 20 MHz first channel.

[0332] That is, assuming that the BSS operating bandwidth of the WLAN transmission is 20MHz, the first device hops to the second 20MHz first channel, and determines whether to perform LBT on the second 20MHz first channel by obtaining the second first transmission time of the narrowband signal on the second 20MHz first channel and comparing it with the first threshold value. It should be understood that the bandwidth size of each first channel is 40MHz, and the first transmission time and the first threshold value are 40MHz. Figure 8 Similar to that shown in (a).

[0333] It should be understood that the second duty cycle indicates the proportion of the second transmission time in the transmission cycle, and the first duty cycle indicates the proportion of the first transmission time in the transmission cycle. Therefore, the first duty cycle can be determined based on the first transmission time and the transmission cycle, and the second duty cycle can be determined based on the second transmission time and the transmission cycle. Figure 8 Shown in.

[0334] Figure 8 In the UNII-5 frequency band shown in (b), there is a total of 500MHz spectrum. Assuming that the bandwidth of each of the N first channels is 80MHz, if the first device hops to the third 80MHz first channel, the first transmission time includes the third first transmission time of the narrowband signal on the third 20MHz first channel.

[0335] That is, assuming that the BSS operating bandwidth of the WLAN transmission is 80MHz, the first device hops to the third 80MHz first channel, and determines whether to perform LBT on the third 80MHz first channel by obtaining the third first transmission time of the narrowband signal on the third 80MHz first channel and comparing it with the first threshold value. It should be understood that the first transmission time and bandwidth of each first channel are 20MHz, 40MHz, 160MHz, and 320MHz. Figure 8 Similar to that shown in (b).

[0336] Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of another first transmission time provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig. 9 The first device corresponding to the first transmission time shown has narrowband communication capability and WLAN communication capability, and the first device can perceive a first BSS operating bandwidth of the BSS where the first device is located.

[0337] It should be understood that Fig. 9 (a) and Fig. 9 The frequency band shown in (b) is illustrated by taking UNII-3 as an example. The first transmission time includes the transmission time of the narrowband signal in the N first channels on part or all of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth. The first duty cycle includes the corresponding duty cycle when the narrowband signal in the N first channels is transmitted on part or all of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth.

[0338] Fig. 9 The first BSS operation bandwidth shown in (a) is 40 MHz, and the first 40 MHz first channel is the channel of the overlapping part of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission. The bandwidth of other first channels can be the same as the first BSS operation bandwidth, such as Figure 8 That is, the bandwidths of all first channels are the same.

[0339] Exemplarily, the bandwidth of all first channels transmitting narrowband signals on UNII-3 is the same as the first BSS operating bandwidth, and the first transmission time corresponding to the nth first channel is compared with the first threshold value to determine whether to start LBT on the nth first channel.

[0340] Fig. 9 The first BSS operation bandwidth shown in (b) is 80 MHz, and the first 80 MHz first channel is the channel of the overlapping part of narrowband transmission and WLAN transmission. The bandwidth of other first channels can be different from the first BSS operation bandwidth, such as Fig. 9 As shown in (a), the bandwidth of the second first channel and the third first channel can be 20 MHz.

[0341] Exemplarily, the first transmission time on part of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth is compared with the first threshold value to determine whether to start LBT on part of the first channels. Fig. 9 As shown in (b), the first 80MHz first channel is compared with the first threshold value to determine whether to start LBT in the first 80MHz first channel. Fig. 9 The second and third first channel determination methods in (b) can be adopted Figure 7 or Figure 8 The judgment method corresponding to the form of the related first transmission time is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0342] It should be understood that the second duty cycle indicates the proportion of the second transmission time in the transmission cycle, and the first duty cycle indicates the proportion of the first transmission time in the transmission cycle. Therefore, the first duty cycle can be determined based on the first transmission time and the transmission cycle, and the second duty cycle can be determined based on the second transmission time and the transmission cycle. Fig. 9 Shown in.

[0343] It should be understood that, assuming that the probability of narrowband signal frequency hopping in different channels is approximately the same, Fig. 9 The first transmission time in may also be determined according to the transmission time of the narrowband signal transmitted by the first device, the operating bandwidth of the first BSS, and the total bandwidth for transmitting the narrowband signal.

[0344] Fig.10 This is a schematic diagram of another first transmission time provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.10 The first device corresponding to the first transmission time shown has narrowband communication capability and WLAN communication capability, and the first device has the capability of BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to different BSSs of different first channels on a certain frequency band.

[0345] It should be understood that Fig.10 (a) and Fig.10The frequency band shown in (b) is illustrated by taking UNII-3 as an example. The nth first transmission time corresponding to the transmission of the narrowband signal on the nth first channel is determined according to the nth second BSS operating bandwidth. The nth first duty cycle corresponding to the transmission of the narrowband signal on the nth first channel is determined according to the nth second BSS operating bandwidth.

[0346] Fig.10 The first device shown in (a) senses that the first second BSS operating bandwidth is 40MHz, which may be the first first channel composed of the first 20MHz and the second 20MHz, and the first first channel corresponds to the first first transmission time. The second second BSS operating bandwidth is 40MHz, which may be the second first channel composed of the third 20MHz and the fourth 20MHz, and the second first channel corresponds to the second first transmission time. The third second BSS operating bandwidth is 40MHz, which may be the third first channel composed of the fifth 20MHz and the sixth 20MHz, and the third first channel corresponds to the third first transmission time.

[0347] Exemplarily, whether to start LBT for the nth first channel is determined by comparing the nth first transmission time and the first threshold value.

[0348] Fig.10 The first device shown in (b) perceives that the first second BSS operating bandwidth is 80MHz, which may be the first first channel composed of the first 20MHz, the second 20MHz, the third 20MHz and the fourth 20MHz, and the first first channel corresponds to the first first transmission time. The second second BSS operating bandwidth is 40MHz, which may be the second first channel composed of the fifth 20MHz and the sixth 20MHz, and the second first channel corresponds to the second first transmission time.

[0349] For example, Fig.10 The first first transmission time shown in (b) may be an average result of the transmission time corresponding to four 20MHz channels, and the second first transmission time may be an average result of the transmission time corresponding to two 20MHz channels. By comparing the nth first transmission time with the first threshold value, it is determined whether to start LBT for the nth first channel.

[0350] It should be understood that the second duty cycle indicates the proportion of the second transmission time in the transmission cycle, and the first duty cycle indicates the proportion of the first transmission time in the transmission cycle. Therefore, the first duty cycle can be determined based on the first transmission time and the transmission cycle, and the second duty cycle can be determined based on the second transmission time and the transmission cycle. Fig.10 Shown in.

[0351] It should be understood that, assuming that the probability of narrowband signal frequency hopping in different channels is approximately the same, Fig.10 The nth first transmission time may also be determined according to the transmission time of the narrowband signal transmitted by the first device, the nth second BSS operating bandwidth, and the total bandwidth for transmitting the narrowband signal.

[0352] Optionally, if the first device senses that there is no WLAN transmission on a first channel among the N first channels, LBT is not started for the first channel, and a narrowband signal is directly transmitted.

[0353] Optionally, when there is no WLAN signal on a channel, the first device directly does not perform LBT.

[0354] In other words, when a WLAN signal is present on a channel, the first device determines whether to perform LBT by comparing the first transmission time and the first threshold value. Alternatively, when a WLAN signal is present on a channel, the first device determines whether to perform LBT by comparing the first duty cycle and the second threshold value.

[0355] Fig.14 It is a schematic diagram of another UNII-3 frequency band and UNII-5 frequency band provided in the embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that Fig.14 This is a specific example of whether there is a channel with a WLAN signal.

[0356] The UNII-3 frequency band ranges from 5.725 GHz to 5.850 GHz, a total of 125 MHz spectrum. Fig.14 As shown in (a), the channel frequency band without WLAN signals may be 5730 MHz to 5735 MHz. It should be understood that Fig.14 The UNII-3 frequency band shown in (a) includes 6 20 MHz channels, and the frequency band range of the 6th 20 MHz channel can be 5825 MHz to 5855 MHz. It should be understood that although the upper limit of the frequency band range of the UNII-3 example in this application is 5.850 GHz, the upper limit of the UNII-3 frequency band can be extended to Fig.14 5855MHz as shown in (a).

[0357] Exemplarily, there is no WLAN signal in the 5 MHz channel corresponding to 5730 MHz to 5735 MHz in the UNII-3 frequency band, and the first device may not perform LBT on the 5 MHz channel and directly transmit the narrowband signal.

[0358] Exemplarily, there is a WLAN signal in a 5MHz channel corresponding to 5730MHz to 5735MHz in the UNII-3 frequency band, and the first device determines whether to perform LBT by comparing the first transmission time and the first threshold value. Alternatively, there is a WLAN signal in a 5MHz channel corresponding to 5730MHz to 5735MHz in the UNII-3 frequency band, and the first device determines whether to perform LBT by comparing the first duty cycle and the second threshold value.

[0359] The UNII-5 frequency band ranges from 5.925 GHz to 6.425 GHz, with a total of 500 MHz spectrum, which can include 25 20 MHz channels. Fig.14 As shown in (b), the channel frequency band in which no WLAN signal exists may range from 5925 MHz to 5945 MHz.

[0360] For example, there is no WLAN signal in a 20 MHz channel corresponding to 5925 MHz to 5945 MHz in the UNII-5 frequency band, and the first device may not perform LBT on the 20 MHz channel and directly transmit a narrowband signal.

[0361] Exemplarily, there is a WLAN signal in a 20MHz channel corresponding to 5925MHz to 5945MHz in the UNII-5 frequency band, and the first device determines whether to perform LBT by comparing the first transmission time and the first threshold value. Alternatively, there is a WLAN signal in a 20MHz channel corresponding to 5925MHz to 5945MHz in the UNII-5 frequency band, and the first device determines whether to perform LBT by comparing the first duty cycle and the second threshold value.

[0362] Above, combined Figures 3 to 10 as well as Figures 14 to 17 The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail. It can be understood that in order to realize the above functions, it includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to executing each function.

[0363] Those skilled in the art should be aware that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for specific applications, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0364] The following, combined Figures 11 to 13The communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment, so the contents not described in detail can be referred to the method embodiment above, and some contents will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0365] Fig.11 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication device 1100 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 1100 may include a processing unit 1120, which is used to perform data processing. The device 1100 may also include a transceiver unit 1110, which may implement corresponding communication functions, and the transceiver unit 1110 may also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit or an interface unit. It should be understood that for the operations such as sending and receiving involved in this application, if there is no special explanation, or if it does not conflict with its actual role or internal logic in the relevant description, it can be more generally understood as operations such as output and input, rather than sending and receiving operations directly performed by the radio frequency circuit and the antenna.

[0366] Optionally, the device 1100 may further include a storage unit, which may be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing unit 1120 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the device implements the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0367] The device 1100 can be used to execute the actions performed by the first device in the above method embodiment. In this case, the device 1100 can be a communication device or a component that can be configured in a communication device. The transceiver unit 1110 is used to execute the transceiver-related operations on the communication device side in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 1120 is used to execute the processing-related operations of the first device in the above method embodiment.

[0368] As a design, the device 1100 is used to perform the above Figure 3 or Figure 5 The actions performed by the first device in the communication in the method embodiment shown may be performed by a chip, a chip system or a processor that supports the first device to implement the corresponding method, or may be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first device.

[0369] Specifically, the transceiver unit 1110 is used to obtain a first transmission time, where the first transmission time is related to the transmission time of at least one of N first channels, where the N first channels are used for frequency hopping transmission of narrowband signals, and N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0370] The processing unit 1120 is configured to start the listen-before-talk LBT if the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold value; and not start the LBT if the first transmission time is less than the first threshold value.

[0371] For matters not described in detail, reference may be made to the above method embodiments.

[0372] As a design, the communication device 1100 is used to execute the above Figure 4 or Figure 5 The actions performed by the receiving end in the communication in the method embodiment shown may be performed by a chip, a chip system or a processor that supports the receiving end to implement the corresponding method, or may be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the receiving end.

[0373] Specifically, the transceiver unit 1110 is used to obtain a first duty cycle, where the first duty cycle indicates a proportion of a first transmission time in a transmission period, and the first transmission time is related to a transmission time of at least one of N first channels, where the N first channels are used for frequency hopping transmission of narrowband signals, and N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2. The processing unit 1120 is used to start the LBT if the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, and not start the LBT if the first duty cycle is less than the second threshold value.

[0374] For matters not described in detail, reference may be made to the above method embodiments.

[0375] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0376] The processing unit 1120 in the above embodiment may be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuits. The transceiver unit 1110 may be implemented by a transceiver or a transceiver-related circuit. The storage unit may be implemented by at least one memory.

[0377] Fig.12 It is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1200 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0378] like Fig.12 As shown, the embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device 1200. The device 1200 includes a processor 1212. Optionally, the device also includes a memory 1220. The processor 1212 is coupled to the memory 1220, and the memory 1220 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 1212 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions and / or data stored in the memory 1220, so that the method in the above method embodiment is executed.

[0379] Optionally, the device 1200 includes one or more processors 1212.

[0380] Optional, such as Fig.12 As shown, the device 1200 may further include a memory 1220 .

[0381] Optionally, the memory 1220 included in the device 1200 may be one or more.

[0382] Optionally, the memory 1220 may be integrated with the processor 1212 or provided separately.

[0383] Optional, such as Fig.12 As shown, the device 1200 may further include a transceiver 1230, and the transceiver 1230 is used for receiving and / or sending signals. For example, the processor 1212 is used to control the transceiver 1230 to receive and / or send signals.

[0384] As a solution, the apparatus 1200 is used to implement the operations performed by the first device or the second device in the above method embodiment.

[0385] For example, the processor 1212 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the first device or the second device in the above method embodiment, and the transceiver 1230 is used to implement the transceiver-related operations performed by the first device or the second device in the above method embodiment.

[0386] Fig.13 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 1300 provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Fig.13 As shown. The chip system 1300 (or it may also be referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 1310 and an input / output interface (input / output interface) 1320, the logic circuit is used to couple with the input interface, and transmit data parameters through the input / output interface to execute the method in the above method embodiment. The device installed with the chip system 1300 can implement the method and function of the embodiment of the present application. For example, the logic circuit 1310 can be a processing circuit in the chip system 1300, which realizes the control of the device installed with the chip system 1300, and can also be coupled to a storage unit to call the instructions in the storage unit so that the device can implement the method and function of the embodiment of the present application, and the input / output interface 1320 can be an input and output circuit in the chip system 1300, which outputs the information processed by the chip system 1300, or inputs the data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 1300 for processing.

[0387] As a solution, the chip system 1300 is used to implement the operations performed by the communication device (such as the first device or the second device) in the above method embodiments.

[0388] For example, the logic circuit 1310 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the first device or the second device in the above method embodiment, and the input / output interface 1320 is used to implement the sending and receiving-related operations performed by the first device or the second device in the above method embodiment.

[0389] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, which includes one or more first devices and one or more second devices that implement the communication method in the above method embodiment.

[0390] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium on which computer instructions for implementing the method executed by a communication device (such as a first device or a second device) in the above method embodiment are stored.

[0391] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the method performed by the communication device (such as the first device or the second device) in the above method embodiment.

[0392] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product including instructions, which, when executed by a computer, enables the computer to implement the method performed by a communication device (such as the first device or the second device) in the above method embodiment.

[0393] The explanation of the relevant contents and beneficial effects of any of the above-mentioned devices can be referred to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, which will not be repeated here.

[0394] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0395] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM may include the following forms: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0396] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0397] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0398] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0399] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0400] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0401] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0402] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0403] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application can be essentially or partly embodied in the form of a software product that contributes to the prior art. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage media include: various media that can store program codes, such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memories ROM, random access memories RAM, magnetic disks or optical disks.

[0404] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Acquire a first transmission time, where the first transmission time is related to a transmission time of at least one first channel among N first channels, where the N first channels are used for frequency hopping transmission of narrowband signals, and N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2; If the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the listen-before-talk LBT is started; if the first transmission time is less than the first threshold, the LBT is not started.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: Obtain N second transmission times corresponding to the N first channels, wherein the nth second transmission time includes the transmission time of the narrowband signal on the nth first channel, and the first transmission time is an average value of the N second transmission times, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that If the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, starting the listen-before-talk LBT includes: If the first transmission time is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, the LBT is enabled for the N first channels.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first transmission time includes the transmission time of the narrowband signal on the nth first channel when the first device frequency hops to the nth first channel, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that If the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, starting the listen-before-talk LBT includes: If the first transmission time is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, the LBT is initiated for the nth first channel.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that The bandwidth corresponding to each of the first channels is one of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 240 MHz, 320 MHz, 480 MHz or 640 MHz.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: A first BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to a basic service set BSS where the first device is located is obtained, where the first transmission time includes a transmission time of the narrowband signal in the N first channels on some or all of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that If the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, starting the listen-before-talk LBT includes: If the first transmission time is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, the LBT is initiated for part or all of the first channels.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Obtain the nth second BSS operation bandwidth corresponding to the nth first channel, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer; The obtaining of the first transmission time comprises: According to the nth second BSS operating bandwidth, an nth first transmission time corresponding to transmitting the narrowband signal on the nth first channel is acquired.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that If the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, starting the listen-before-talk LBT includes: If the nth first transmission time is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, the LBT is initiated for the nth first channel.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that The first transmission time is related to the transmission time of the narrowband signal transmitted by the first device, the bandwidth of the first channel, and the total bandwidth for transmitting the narrowband signal.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that The method further comprises: Obtaining a first duty cycle according to the first transmission time, where the first duty cycle indicates a proportion of the first transmission time in a transmission period; If the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, starting the listen-before-talk LBT; if the first transmission time is less than the first threshold value, not starting the LBT includes: If the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, the LBT is started; if the first duty cycle is less than the second threshold value, the LBT is not started.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The type of the transmission period includes any one of the following: Ranging period, sensing period, total period applied to ranging scenario, total period applied to sensing scenario, duration of ranging block, duration of sensing block or duration of super block; The total period applied to the ranging scenario includes the ranging period and the non-ranging period; the total period applied to the sensing scenario includes the sensing period and the non-sensing period; The duration of the ranging block includes the ranging period of the first user and the ranging period of the non-first user; the duration of the sensing block includes the sensing period of the first user and the sensing period of the non-first user; The duration of the super block includes the duration of one or more ranging blocks, or the duration of the super block includes the duration of one or more perception blocks.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that Different types of transmission cycles correspond to first threshold values ​​of different scales, or the different types of transmission cycles correspond to second threshold values ​​of different scales.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The first transmission cycle corresponds to a first threshold value of a first scale, and the second transmission cycle corresponds to a first threshold value of a second scale. If the duration of the first transmission cycle is shorter than the duration of the second transmission cycle, then the first threshold value of the first scale is greater than the first threshold value of the second scale.

16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The first transmission cycle corresponds to the second threshold value of the third scale, and the second transmission cycle corresponds to the second threshold value of the fourth scale. If the duration of the first transmission cycle is shorter than the duration of the second transmission cycle, the second threshold value of the third scale is greater than the second threshold value of the fourth scale.

17. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Acquire a first duty cycle, where the first duty cycle indicates a proportion of a first transmission time in a transmission period, where the first transmission time is related to a transmission time of at least one first channel among N first channels, where the N first channels are used for frequency hopping transmission of the narrowband signal, and N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2; If the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, starting the LBT; If the first duty cycle is less than the second threshold value, the LBT is not started.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The method further comprises: Obtaining N second duty cycles corresponding to the N first channels, The nth second duty cycle indicates the proportion of the nth second transmission time in the transmission period, the first duty cycle is the average value of the N second duty cycles, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that If the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, starting the LBT includes: If the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, the LBT is enabled for the N first channels.

20. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The first duty cycle includes a duty cycle corresponding to when the narrowband signal is transmitted on the nth first channel when the first device frequency hops to the nth first channel, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that If the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, starting the LBT includes: If the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, the LBT is enabled for the nth first channel.

22. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 21, characterized in that The bandwidth corresponding to each of the first channels is one of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz, 240 MHz, 320 MHz, 480 MHz or 640 MHz.

23. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The method further comprises: A first BSS operating bandwidth corresponding to a basic service set BSS where the first device is located is obtained, wherein the first duty cycle includes a duty cycle corresponding to when the narrowband signal in the N first channels is transmitted on part or all of the first channels corresponding to the first BSS operating bandwidth.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that If the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, starting the LBT includes: If the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, the LBT is enabled for part or all of the first channels.

25. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The method further comprises: Obtain the nth second BSS operation bandwidth corresponding to the nth first channel, 1≤n≤N, and n is a positive integer; The obtaining of the first duty cycle comprises: According to the nth second BSS operating bandwidth, an nth first duty cycle corresponding to the transmission time of transmitting the narrowband signal on the nth first channel is acquired.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that If the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, starting the LBT includes: If the nth first duty cycle is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, the LBT is enabled for the nth first channel.

27. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 26, characterized in that The first transmission time is related to the transmission time of the narrowband signal transmitted by the first device, the bandwidth of the first channel, and the total bandwidth for transmitting the narrowband signal.

28. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 27, characterized in that The method further comprises: Obtaining the first transmission time according to the first duty cycle; If the first duty cycle is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, starting the listen-before-talk LBT; if the first duty cycle is less than the second threshold value, not starting the LBT includes: If the first transmission time is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, the LBT is started; if the first transmission time is less than the first threshold value, the LBT is not started.

29. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 28, characterized in that The type of the transmission period includes any one of the following: Ranging period, sensing period, total period applied to ranging scenario, total period applied to sensing scenario, duration of ranging block, duration of sensing block or duration of super block; The total period applied to the ranging scenario includes the ranging period and the non-ranging period; the total period applied to the sensing scenario includes the sensing period and the non-sensing period; The duration of the ranging block includes the ranging period of the first user and the ranging period of the non-first user; the duration of the sensing block includes the sensing period of the first user and the sensing period of the non-first user; The duration of the super block includes the duration of one or more ranging blocks, or the duration of the super block includes the duration of one or more perception blocks.

30. The method according to claim 29, characterized in that Different types of transmission cycles correspond to first threshold values ​​of different scales, or the different types of transmission cycles correspond to second threshold values ​​of different scales.

31. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that The first transmission cycle corresponds to a first threshold value of a first scale, and the second transmission cycle corresponds to a first threshold value of a second scale. If the duration of the first transmission cycle is shorter than the duration of the second transmission cycle, then the first threshold value of the first scale is greater than the first threshold value of the second scale.

32. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that The first transmission cycle corresponds to the second threshold value of the third scale, and the second transmission cycle corresponds to the second threshold value of the fourth scale. If the duration of the first transmission cycle is shorter than the duration of the second transmission cycle, the second threshold value of the third scale is greater than the second threshold value of the fourth scale.

33. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16, or comprises a unit for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 32.

34. A communication device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a processor coupled to a memory, wherein the processor is used to execute a computer program or instruction stored in the memory so that the communication device performs the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16, or the communication device performs the method as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 32.

35. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instruction, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16, or enables the computer to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 32.

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