Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method and device, relates to the technical field of communication, and can improve the throughput rate of a communication system so as to improve the communication performance. The method comprises the following steps: a second device obtains first information; sending the first information; wherein the first information comprises first indication information, second indication information and a plurality of user information fields corresponding to the plurality of first devices; the first indication information is used for indicating the user number; the second indication information is used for indicating the symbolic number of the training sequence.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to a communication method and apparatus. Background Art

[0002] In a power line communication (PLC) system, a central coordinator (CCO) can perform point-to-point communication with stations. Exemplarily, the central coordinator can carry payload data on a physical protocol data unit (PPDU) and send it to a station.

[0003] Among them, the PPDU can include a preamble symbol, a frame control (FC) field, and a payload data field. Since the sizes of the preamble symbol and the FC field are fixed, when the payload data in the PPDU is less, the proportion of the payload data will decrease. Correspondingly, the proportion of the preamble symbol and the FC field increases, which will cause the throughput of the communication system to decrease, and further reduce the communication performance. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of this application provide a communication method and apparatus, which can improve the throughput of a communication system, and thus can improve the communication performance.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a second device. Unless otherwise specified, the "second device" in this application can refer to the second device itself, a component in the second device (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second device. The method includes: the second device obtains first information; the second device sends the first information; where the first information includes first indication information, second indication information, and a plurality of user information fields corresponding to a plurality of first devices; the first indication information is used to indicate the number of users; the second indication information is used to indicate the number of symbols of a training sequence.

[0006] Based on the first aspect, the second device can communicate with a plurality of first devices simultaneously according to the first information. In addition, the second device can carry the payload data associated with the plurality of first devices in the first information, which can increase the proportion of the payload data in the first information, and thus can improve the throughput of the communication system and the communication performance.

[0007] Second aspect, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a first device. Without special indication, the "first device" in this application can refer to the first device itself, a component in the first device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or can also be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first device. The method includes: the first device obtains first information; parses the first information; where the first information includes first indication information, second indication information, and multiple user information fields corresponding to multiple first devices; the first indication information is used to indicate the number of users; the second indication information is used to indicate the number of symbols of the training sequence.

[0008] Based on the second aspect, the first device can communicate with the second device without competing for the communication channel according to the first information, which can improve the communication efficiency; in addition, the second device can carry the payload data associated with multiple first devices in the first information, which can increase the proportion of the payload data, and thus can improve the throughput rate of the communication system and improve the communication performance.

[0009] In a possible implementation, an uplink frame is sent to the second device according to the first information.

[0010] Based on this possible implementation, multiple first devices can simultaneously send uplink frames to the second device on different resource units according to the first information, which can increase the proportion of the payload data, can improve the throughput rate of the communication system, and thus can improve the communication performance.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the uplink frame includes a first training sequence; where the first training sequence is determined according to the index of the resource unit associated with the first device and the second indication information.

[0012] Based on this possible implementation, the second device can perform channel estimation on the uplink channel according to the first training sequence, determine the channel characteristics of the uplink channel, and thus can parse the payload data in the uplink frame according to the channel characteristics, which can improve the communication reliability.

[0013] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the first frame control field includes the first indication information.

[0014] Based on this possible implementation, a feasible solution is provided for the implementation of the first indication information.

[0015] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the first information further includes third indication information; where the third indication information is used to indicate whether there is at least one index of the resource unit associated with the first device that is greater than a first value; the first value is a positive integer.

[0016] Based on this possible implementation, when the third indication information indicates that there is at least one index of the resource unit (RU) associated with the first device greater than the first value, it can be determined that the index of the resource unit is greater than the first value. Furthermore, the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field can be made larger, which can ensure that the resource unit field can indicate the indices of all resource units as much as possible. When the third indication information indicates that there is no index of the resource unit associated with the first device greater than the first value, it can be determined that the index of the resource unit is less than or equal to the first value. Furthermore, the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field can be made smaller, which can reduce the transmission overhead.

[0017] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the first control frame includes the third indication information.

[0018] Based on this possible implementation, a feasible solution is provided for the implementation of the third indication information.

[0019] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, when the number of users is equal to 4, the first information further includes a physical block (PB) field, and the number of physical blocks occupied by different first devices is the same; or, when the number of users is less than 4, each user information field among the multiple user information fields includes a physical block field; wherein, the physical block field is used to indicate the number of physical blocks occupied by each first device.

[0020] Based on this possible implementation, the position of the physical block field can be determined according to the number of users, providing a feasible solution for determining the position of the physical block field; when the first information includes a physical block field, the number of physical blocks occupied by different first devices is the same, which can reduce the number of bits occupied by the physical block field and reduce the transmission overhead; when each user information field includes a physical block field, the number of physical blocks occupied by different first devices can be the same or different, and the number of physical blocks occupied by each first device can be determined according to the actual communication situation of each first device, which can improve the flexibility of determining the number of physical blocks occupied by each first device.

[0021] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is determined according to the first indication information; or, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is determined according to the first indication information and the third indication information; wherein, the third indication information is used to indicate whether there is at least one index of the resource unit associated with the first device greater than the first value; the first value is a positive integer.

[0022] Based on this possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field can be determined according to the above two methods. At the same time, by determining the number of bits occupied by the physical block according to the above method, when the number of users is large, the number of bits occupied by the first information can be limited to a certain range as much as possible, thereby reducing transmission overhead.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, when the number of users indicated by the first indication information is less than 4, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is 4; or, when the number of users indicated by the first indication information is equal to 4, and the third indication information indicates that there is no index of a resource unit associated with at least one first device greater than the first numerical value, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is 4; or, when the number of users indicated by the first indication information is equal to 4, and the third indication information indicates that there is an index of a resource unit associated with at least one first device greater than the first numerical value, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is 2.

[0024] Based on this possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the physical block can be explicitly determined according to the above three methods, providing three feasible solutions for determining the number of bits occupied by the physical block field.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, each user information field in the multiple user information fields includes a power control (PC) field; wherein the power control field is used to indicate the transmission power of the first device.

[0026] Based on this possible implementation, the transmission power of the first device can be attenuated according to the power control field to avoid excessive differences in signal power spectral density (PSD) from different first devices to the second device. This can avoid interference when different first devices communicate with the second device due to excessively high transmission power, and can avoid poor communication quality due to excessively low transmission power, thereby improving the reliability of communication.

[0027] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, each user information field in the multiple user information fields also includes a resource unit field; wherein the resource unit field is used to indicate an index of a resource unit associated with the first device.

[0028] Based on this possible implementation, the first device can determine the index of the resource unit associated with the first device according to the resource unit field. Since different first devices are associated with different resource units, the second device can communicate with multiple first devices simultaneously on different resource units, that is, the second device can carry the load data associated with multiple first devices in the first information, which can increase the proportion of load data, and thereby improve the throughput of the communication system and improve communication performance.

[0029] In a possible implementation by combining the first aspect and the second aspect, the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field is determined according to third indication information; wherein, the third indication information is used to indicate whether there is at least one index of a resource unit associated with a first device that is greater than a first value; the first value is a positive integer.

[0030] Based on this possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field can be determined according to the third indication information, which can ensure as much as possible that the resource unit field indicates the index of each resource unit associated with the first device, and provides a feasible solution for determining the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field.

[0031] In a possible implementation by combining the first aspect and the second aspect, when the third indication information indicates that there is no index of at least one resource unit associated with the first device that is greater than the first value, the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field is 4; or, when the third indication information indicates that there is at least one index of a resource unit associated with the first device that is greater than the first value, the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field is 5.

[0032] Based on this possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field can be explicitly determined according to the third indication information, which provides a feasible solution for determining the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field.

[0033] In a possible implementation by combining the first aspect and the second aspect, each user information field among multiple user information fields further includes a copy field; wherein, the copy field is used to indicate the number of copies; the number of copies is used to indicate the number of times the payload data is repeated.

[0034] Based on this possible implementation, the number of times of simultaneously transmitting the payload data can be determined according to the copy field, which can reduce the bit error rate of the payload data and improve the reliability of communication.

[0035] In a possible implementation by combining the first aspect and the second aspect, the number of bits occupied by the copy field is determined according to the first indication information.

[0036] Based on this possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the copy field can be determined according to the first indication information, which can limit the number of bits occupied by the first information within a certain range as much as possible and reduce the transmission overhead.

[0037] In a possible implementation by combining the first aspect and the second aspect, when the number of users indicated by the first indication information is less than 4, the number of bits occupied by the copy field is 2; or, when the number of users indicated by the first indication information is equal to 4, the number of bits occupied by the copy field is 1.

[0038] Based on this possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the copy field can be explicitly determined according to the first indication information, providing a feasible solution for determining the number of bits occupied by the copy field.

[0039] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the first information is a trigger frame.

[0040] Based on this possible implementation, the first information can be a trigger frame, providing a feasible solution for the implementation of the first information.

[0041] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the user information field of the first device includes a physical block field; wherein, the physical block field is used to indicate the number of physical blocks occupied by the first device.

[0042] Based on this possible implementation, the number of physical blocks occupied by the first device can be determined according to the physical block field, providing a feasible solution for determining the number of physical blocks occupied by the first device.

[0043] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is determined according to the first indication information.

[0044] Based on this possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field can be determined according to the first indication information. When the number of users is large, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field in each user information field can be reduced, the number of bits occupied by each user information field can be limited within a certain range, and the transmission overhead can be reduced.

[0045] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, when the number of users indicated by the first indication information is less than 4, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is 4; or, when the number of users indicated by the first indication information is equal to 4, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is 1.

[0046] Based on this possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field can be explicitly determined according to the above method, providing a feasible solution for determining the number of bits occupied by the physical block field.

[0047] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, each user information field in multiple user information fields further includes one or more of the following: a copy field, a resource unit field; wherein, the copy field is used to indicate the number of copies; the number of copies is used to indicate the number of times the payload data is repeated; the resource unit field is used to indicate the index of the resource unit associated with the first device.

[0048] Based on this possible implementation, on the one hand, the number of times of transmitting payload data can be determined according to the copy field, the bit error rate of the payload data can be reduced, and the reliability of communication can be improved; on the other hand, the first device can determine the index of the resource unit associated with the first device according to the resource unit field. Since different first devices are associated with different resource units, the second device can communicate with multiple first devices simultaneously on different resource units. That is, the second device can carry the payload data associated with multiple first devices in the first information, which can increase the proportion of the payload data, and thus can improve the throughput rate of the communication system and the communication performance.

[0049] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the first information further includes a second training sequence; wherein, the second training sequence is determined according to the second indication information.

[0050] Based on this possible implementation, the first device can perform channel estimation on the downlink channel according to the second training sequence, determine the channel characteristics of the downlink channel, and then can parse the payload data according to the channel characteristics, which can improve the reliability of communication.

[0051] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the first information is a downlink frame.

[0052] Based on this possible implementation, the first information can be a downlink frame, providing a feasible solution for the implementation of the first information.

[0053] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the user information field of the first device further includes one or more of the following: an identification information field, a first field; wherein, the identification information field is used to indicate the identification information of the first device; the first field is used to indicate one or more of the following: modulation and coding scheme (MCS), code rate, or the size of a physical block.

[0054] Based on this possible implementation, the identification information of the first device can be determined according to the identification information field, and then the user information field associated with the first device can be determined. At the same time, the position of the payload data can be determined according to the size of the physical block in the first field, and the payload data can be parsed according to the modulation and coding scheme and the code rate in the first field, which can improve the effectiveness of communication.

[0055] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the number of copies is determined according to the channel quality.

[0056] Based on this possible implementation, when the channel quality is good, the payload data can be transmitted according to a smaller number of copies, which can reduce the transmission overhead; when the channel quality is poor, the payload data can be transmitted according to a larger number of copies, which can improve the reliability of communication.

[0057] Combining the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, when the number of users is X, the number of second frame control fields is where the second frame control field is a newly added frame control field, is rounded up, and X is a positive integer.

[0058] Based on this possible implementation, the number of second control fields can be determined according to the number of users, enabling the second device to communicate with more first devices simultaneously, increasing the payload data, and thus improving the throughput rate of the communication system and enhancing the communication performance.

[0059] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the method of the first aspect above. The communication device can be the second device in the first aspect, or a device or component included in the second device, such as a chip.

[0060] The communication device includes corresponding modules, units, or means for implementing the above method. The modules, units, or means can be implemented by hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes multiple modules or units corresponding to the above functions.

[0061] In some possible implementations, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The transceiver module can include a sending module and a receiving module, respectively used to implement the sending and receiving functions in the first aspect and any of its possible implementations above. The processing module can be used to implement the processing function in the first aspect and any of its possible implementations above. Exemplarily, the processing module is used to obtain first information; where the first information includes first indication information, second indication information, and multiple user information fields corresponding to multiple first devices; the first indication information is used to indicate the number of users; the second indication information is used to indicate the number of symbols of the training sequence; the transceiver module is used to send the first information.

[0062] Optionally, the transceiver module and the processing module of the communication device in the third aspect can also execute the corresponding functions in the first aspect or any of the possible implementations of the first aspect. For specific details, refer to the detailed description in the method examples, and the beneficial effects that can be achieved can also be referred to the foregoing relevant content.

[0063] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the method of the second aspect above. The communication device can be the first device in the second aspect, or a device or component included in the first device, such as a chip.

[0064] The communication device includes corresponding modules, units, or means for implementing the above method. The modules, units, or means can be implemented by hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes multiple modules or units corresponding to the above functions.

[0065] In some possible implementations, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The transceiver module may include a transmitting module and a receiving module, which are respectively used to implement the functions of the transmitting class and the receiving class in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof. The processing module may be used to implement the processing function in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof. An exemplary processing module is used to obtain first information; wherein, the first information includes first indication information, second indication information, and multiple user information fields corresponding to multiple first devices; the first indication information is used to indicate the number of users; the second indication information is used to indicate the number of symbols of the training sequence; the processing module is further used to parse the first information.

[0066] Optionally, the transceiver module and the processing module of the communication device in the fourth aspect may also execute the corresponding functions in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. For specific details, refer to the detailed description in the method examples. The beneficial effects that can be achieved can also be referred to in the foregoing relevant content.

[0067] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, including: at least one processor, which is used to cause the communication device to execute the method described in any of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any of the above aspects by executing computer instructions stored in a memory or through a logic circuit. The communication device may be the second device in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or a device or component included in the second device, such as a chip; or, the communication device may be the first device in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or a device or component included in the first device, such as a chip.

[0068] In some possible implementations, the communication device further includes a memory for storing computer instructions and / or configuration files of the logic circuit. Optionally, the memory and the processor are integrated together, or the memory is independent of the processor.

[0069] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, including: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is used for inputting and / or outputting signals; the processor is used for executing a computer program or instruction, so that the communication device executes the method described in any of the above aspects. The communication device may be the second device in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or a device or component included in the second device, such as a chip; or, the communication device may be the first device in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or a device or component included in the first device, such as a chip.

[0070] In some possible implementations, the communication interface is an interface circuit for reading and writing computer instructions. For example, the interface circuit is used for receiving computer execution instructions (the computer execution instructions are stored in a memory, and may be directly read from the memory or may pass through other devices) and transmitting them to the processor.

[0071] In some possible implementations, the communication interface is used for communicating with a module outside the communication device.

[0072] In some possible implementations, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system. When the device is a chip system, the chip system may include a chip or may contain a chip and other discrete devices.

[0073] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, including: a logic circuit and an interface circuit; the interface circuit is used for inputting information and / or outputting information; the logic circuit is used for executing the method described in any of the above aspects and processing and / or generating output information according to the input information. The communication device may be the second device in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or a device or component included in the second device, such as a chip; or, the communication device may be the first device in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or a device or component included in the first device, such as a chip.

[0074] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method described in any of the above aspects is executed.

[0075] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided. When the computer program product is executed by a processor, the method described in any of the above aspects is executed.

[0076] It can be understood that when the communication device provided in any of the third aspect to the seventh aspect is a chip, the above-mentioned sending action / function can be understood as outputting information, and the above-mentioned receiving action / function can be understood as inputting information.

[0077] Among them, for the technical effects brought by any of the implementation manners from the third aspect to the ninth aspect, reference may be made to the technical effects brought by the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect above, or reference may be made to the technical effects brought by the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect above, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0078] The tenth aspect provides a communication system, which includes the second device described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect above and the first device described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0079] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of single-user communication provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0080] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of single-user communication provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an SU frame provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0082] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of an SU frame provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0083] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0084] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0085] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the interaction of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0086] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a first piece of information provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0087] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of a first piece of information provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0088] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of a first piece of information provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0089] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of a first piece of information provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0090] Figure 12 A schematic diagram of the interaction of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0091] Figure 13Schematic diagram of a second device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0092] Figure 14 Schematic diagram of a first device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0093] Figure 15 Schematic diagram of another communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0094] The implementation manners of the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the specification.

[0095] In the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B may represent A or B; "and / or" in the present application is merely a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Among them, A and B may be singular or plural.

[0096] In the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "a plurality of" means two or more than two. "At least one (item)" or its similar expression below refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single item (item) or plural items (items). For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c may represent: a, b, c, a - b, a - c, b - c, or a - b - c, where a, b, and c may be single or multiple.

[0097] In addition, in order to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish the same items or similar items with basically the same functions and roles. Those skilled in the art can understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit being different.

[0098] In the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to represent examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design solution described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be construed as being more preferred or having more advantages than other embodiments or design solutions. Exactly, using words such as "exemplary" or "for example" aims to present relevant concepts in a specific manner for easy understanding.

[0099] It will be appreciated that the "embodiments" mentioned throughout the specification mean that specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics may be combined in multiple embodiments in any suitable manner. It will be appreciated that in various embodiments of the present application, the magnitude of the serial numbers of the various processes does not mean the order of execution, and the order of execution of the various processes should be determined according to their functions and internal logics, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0100] It will be appreciated that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application, in certain scenarios, may be implemented independently without relying on other features, such as the current solution they are based on, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. In some scenarios, they may also be combined with other features according to requirements. Accordingly, the devices given in the embodiments of the present application can also implement these features or functions correspondingly, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0101] In the present application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments may be referred to each other. In each embodiment of the present application, if there is no special description and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referred to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their internal logical relationships. The embodiments of the present application described below do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present application.

[0102] For the convenience of understanding the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the related technologies of the present application is given as follows.

[0103] 1) Power line communication (PLC)

[0104] Among them, the power line communication system can also be referred to as a power line carrier communication system or a power line network, and is collectively referred to as a power line communication system in the present application.

[0105] Among them, the power line communication technology is a technology that uses existing power lines to transmit analog signals or digital signals in a carrier mode, and is a unique communication method for power systems. The greatest advantage of the power line communication technology is that there is no need to re-erect a network, and devices in the power line communication system (such as a CCO and a site in the power line communication system) can transmit data through the power lines.

[0106] Among them, the international standards for power line communication technology may include international standards such as Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 1901, IEEE Homeplug AV, and International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) G.hn.

[0107] Exemplarily, taking the application scenario of power line communication as power grid meter reading as an example, the stations in this communication scenario can be electric meters. After the CCO issues a collection signaling, the electric meters can collect data and report data within a certain time period according to the collection signaling.

[0108] 2) Single-user communication

[0109] Among them, power line communication is single-user communication, that is, point-to-point communication is carried out between the CCO and the stations. When the CCO communicates with multiple stations, as follows Figure 1 shown, the CCO can communicate with different stations respectively, and can compete for the channel before each communication.

[0110] Specifically, the CCO can communicate with different stations in different time slots.

[0111] For example, as follows Figure 2 shown, in time slot 1, the CCO can send transmission frame 1 to station 1. Further, station 1 can send an acknowledge (ACK) 1 to the CCO; in time slot 2, the CCO can send transmission frame 2 to station 2. Further, station 2 can send ACK2 to the CCO; in time slot 3, the CCO can send transmission frame 3 to station 3. Further, station 3 can send ACK3 to the CCO; in time slot 4, the CCO can send transmission frame 4 to station 4. Further, station 4 can send ACK4 to the CCO.

[0112] Among them, there is an internal field separator (IFS) (which can also be understood as a frame interval) between the frames.

[0113] It can be understood that the characteristics of single-user communication are many stations, small traffic volume, and relatively frequent transmission of transmission frames between the CCO and the stations.

[0114] 3) Single-user (SU) frame

[0115] Among them, the above Figure 2The transmission frame in can be an SU frame.

[0116] Exemplarily, the SU frame can be as follows Figure 3 As shown, the SU frame can include a preamble, an FC field (the FC field can be composed of M FC symbols, and the information transmitted in the M FC symbols is the same, that is, this information can be diversity-copied to different carriers of each FC symbol), and one or more payload data fields (such as K payload data fields).

[0117] Among them, M and K are positive integers.

[0118] Among them, the SU frame can be carried and transmitted on a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) sent at the physical layer.

[0119] Among them, the preamble sequence in the preamble is a periodic sequence and can be used for synchronization.

[0120] Among them, the payload data in the K payload fields can be the same or different.

[0121] It can be understood that the station can parse the payload data according to the FC field.

[0122] Exemplarily, the size of the FC field can be 128 bits (bit), and the Turbo coding block of the FC field is PB16.

[0123] For example, the FC field can include a delimiter type subfield, a network type subfield, a network identification subfield, a variable region subfield, a standard version number subfield, and a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) subfield. The number of bits occupied by the subfields in the FC field and their meanings can be specifically as shown in Table 1 below:

[0124] Table 1 FC Field

[0125]

[0126] Specifically, the structure of the SU frame above Figure 3 can be as follows Figure 4 as shown.

[0127] Among them, Figure 4 the fields in the SU frame shown can occupy multiple orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. The relationship between the OFDM symbols and the SU frame can be as shown in Table 2 below:

[0128] Table 2 Characteristics of OFDM Symbols

[0129]

[0130] Among them, the preamble symbol can occupy 13 OFDM symbols. The duration of each OFDM symbol is 40.96 μs, and the number of time-domain points of each OFDM is 1024.

[0131] Among them, the FC field can occupy 4 or 12 OFDM symbols, and the FC field is followed by a payload data field.

[0132] It can be understood that since the sizes of the preamble symbol and the FC field are fixed, when the payload data in the PPDU is less, the proportion of the payload data will decrease. Correspondingly, the proportion of the preamble symbol and the FC field increases, which will lead to a decrease in the throughput rate and further reduce the communication performance.

[0133] To solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a communication method, which includes: a second device obtains first information; the second device sends the first information; wherein, the first information includes first indication information, second indication information, and multiple user information fields corresponding to multiple first devices; the first indication information is used to indicate the number of users; the second indication information is used to indicate the number of symbols of the training sequence.

[0134] In an embodiment of the present application, the second device can communicate with multiple first devices simultaneously according to the first information. In addition, the second device can carry the payload data associated with the multiple first devices in the first information, which can increase the proportion of the payload data in the first information, and further improve the throughput rate of the communication system and the communication performance.

[0135] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can be used in a power line communication system.

[0136] Exemplarily, as follows Figure 5 As shown, it is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system provided by the present application. The communication system may include one or more first devices (the first device can be understood as the above-mentioned station) and one or more second devices (the second device can be understood as the above-mentioned CCO).

[0137] Among them, the communication system can complete certain functions, such as power grid meter reading, etc.

[0138] It can be understood that Figure 5 the first device in does not require special explanation, and can refer to the first device itself, or a component in the first device (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or can also be a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first device.

[0139] It can be understood that Figure 5Unless otherwise specified, the second device in this context can refer to the second device itself, a component within the second device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.), or a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the site functions.

[0140] Among them, the first device in the embodiments of this application can be within the management scope of the second device, and the second device can provide communication services for the first device.

[0141] Among them, the first device in the embodiments of this application can be a device with transceiver functions or a chip or chip system that can be set in the device, which can allow users to access the network and is a device used to provide data connectivity to users.

[0142] Exemplarily, the first device can be a meter in the power grid, a terminal device in a smart lighting system, a terminal device in a smart photovoltaic system, or a terminal device in a fire alarm, etc.

[0143] Among them, the second device in the embodiments of this application can be any device deployed in a power line communication system that can communicate with the first device, or a chip or chip system that can be set in the above device, or a logical node or logical module or a function implemented in software, which can be used to implement functions such as physical control, resource scheduling and resource management, and access control.

[0144] Exemplarily, the second device can be a CCO, a headend in a smart lighting system, a headend in a smart photovoltaic system, or a headend in a fire alarm system, etc.

[0145] It should be noted that the communication system described in the embodiments of this application is to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application. Those of ordinary skill in the art know that with the evolution of the network architecture and the emergence of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application are equally applicable to similar technical problems.

[0146] When specifically implemented, Figure 5 as shown, each of the first device and the second device can adopt Figure 6 the shown composition structure, or include Figure 6 the shown components. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 60 provided by the embodiments of this application. The communication device 60 can be the first device or a chip or system-on-chip in the first device; it can also be the second device or a chip or system-on-chip in the second device.

[0147] Such as Figure 6As shown, the communication device 60 includes one or more processors 601. Further, the communication device 60 may also include a communication bus 602 and at least one communication interface ( Figure 6 which is only exemplary in Figure 6 . Taking the communication device 60 including a communication interface 604 and one processor 601 as an example for illustration). Optionally, the communication device 60 may further include a memory 603.

[0148] The processor 601 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the present application solution, or a processing core for processing data (such as computer program instructions). The processor may be a single-CPU processor or a multi-CPU processor.

[0149] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 601 may include one or more CPUs, such as Figure 6 the CPU0 and CPU1 in Figure 6 .

[0150] The communication bus 602 may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. This bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For the sake of easy representation, Figure 6 only a thick line is shown in Figure 6 , but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus. The communication bus 602 is used to connect different components in the communication device 60, so that different components in the communication device 60 can communicate with each other.

[0151] The communication interface 604 may be a transceiver module for communicating with other devices or communication networks. The communication network may be, for example, Ethernet, a radio access network (RAN), or a wireless local area network (WLAN), etc. Exemplarily, the communication interface 604 may be a device such as a transceiver or a transceiver. Alternatively, the communication interface 604 may also be a transceiver circuit located within the processor 601 to implement signal input and signal output of the processor.

[0152] The memory 603 can be a device with storage functions. For example, it can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or it can also be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory can exist independently and be connected to the processor through the communication bus 602. The memory can also be integrated with the processor.

[0153] Exemplarily, the memory 603 is used to store computer execution instructions for executing the solution of this application, and is controlled by the processor 601 for execution. The processor 601 is used to execute the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 603, thereby implementing the method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0154] Alternatively, optionally, in the embodiments of this application, it can also be that the processor 601 executes the functions related to processing in the methods provided in the following embodiments of this application, and the communication interface 604 is responsible for communicating with other devices or communication networks. The embodiments of this application do not make specific limitations in this regard.

[0155] Optionally, the computer execution instructions in the embodiments of this application can also be referred to as application code. The embodiments of this application do not make specific limitations in this regard.

[0156] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 60 can further include an output device 605 and an input device 606. The output device 605 communicates with the processor 601 and can display information in various ways. For example, the output device 605 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector, etc. The input device 606 communicates with the processor 601 and can receive user input in various ways. For example, the input device 606 can be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensing device, etc.

[0157] It should be noted that Figure 6 the component structure shown in Figure 6 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. In addition to the components shown, the communication device may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0158] Next, the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the first device or the second device may execute some or all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application. These steps or operations are only examples, and the embodiments of the present application may also execute other operations or various deformations of the operations. In addition, the various steps may be executed in a different order presented in the embodiments of the present application, and it is possible that not all of the operations in the embodiments of the present application need to be executed.

[0159] As follows Figure 7 shown, is an interaction diagram of a communication method provided by the present application. This communication method is described by taking the interaction between the first device and the second device as an example. Of course, the entity that executes the actions of the first device in this method may also be a device / module in the first device, such as a chip, a processor, a processing unit, etc. in the first device; the entity that executes the actions of the second device in this method may also be a device / module in the second device, such as a chip, a processor, a processing unit, etc. in the second device. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations in this regard. In the embodiments of the present application, the processing executed by a single execution entity (for example, the first device or the second device) may also be divided into being executed by multiple execution entities, and these execution entities may be logically and / or physically separated. Exemplarily, referring to Figure 7 , this communication method includes the following steps:

[0160] S701. The second device obtains first information.

[0161] Among them, the first information includes first indication information, second indication information, and multiple user information fields corresponding to multiple first devices.

[0162] 1). First indication information

[0163] Among them, the first indication information is used to indicate the number of users.

[0164] Exemplarily, taking the first indication information as 2 bits as an example, when the bit value is 00, it may indicate that the number of users is 1; when the bit value is 01, it may indicate that the number of users is 2; when the bit value is 10, it may indicate that the number of users is 3; when the bit value is 11, it may indicate that the number of users is 4.

[0165] Optionally, the first FC field includes the first indication information.

[0166] Among them, the first FC field is located on the first piece of information, and the first FC field can be the above-mentioned Figure 3 or Figure 4 FC field shown.

[0167] It can be understood that the first FC field includes first indication information and can be compatible with single-user communication and multi-user communication.

[0168] 2) Second indication information

[0169] Among them, the second indication information is used to indicate the number of symbols of the training sequence (training field, TF).

[0170] In a possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the second indication information can be 2 bits.

[0171] Exemplarily, assume that the number of symbols of the training sequence can satisfy the following formula: (TF_Num + 1) * 2 (the value of TF_Num is the bit value of the second indication information). When the bit value is 00, it can represent that the number of symbols of the training sequence is (0 + 1) * 2 = 2; when the bit value is 01, the number of symbols of the training sequence is (1 + 1) * 2 = 4; when the bit value is 10, the number of symbols of the training sequence is (2 + 1) * 2 = 6; when the bit value is 11, the number of symbols of the training sequence is (3 + 1) * 2 = 8.

[0172] In another example, assume that the number of symbols of the training sequence can satisfy the following formula: TF_Num * 2 (the value of TF_Num is the bit value of the second indication information). When the bit value is 00, the number of symbols of the training sequence is 0 * 2 = 0; when the bit value is 01, the number of symbols of the training sequence is 1 * 2 = 2; when the bit value is 10, the number of symbols of the training sequence is 2 * 2 = 4; when the bit value is 11, the number of symbols of the training sequence is 3 * 2 = 6.

[0173] It can be understood that the training sequence is pre-defined. In the time domain, the training sequences associated with multiple first devices are the same; in the frequency domain, each resource unit corresponds to a training sequence (the sum of the training sequences corresponding to all resource units is the training sequence corresponding to the entire frequency band), and the training sequence associated with the first device can be determined according to the resource unit associated with the first device.

[0174] Exemplarily, taking the number of resource units as 4 as an example, the training sequence corresponding to resource unit 1 can be training sequence 1, the training sequence corresponding to resource unit 2 can be training sequence 2, the training sequence corresponding to resource unit 3 can be training sequence 3, and the training sequence corresponding to resource unit 4 can be training sequence 4.

[0175] Among them, training sequence 1, training sequence 2, training sequence 3, and training sequence 4 can form a training sequence corresponding to the full frequency band.

[0176] For example, when the first device and the second device communicate on resource unit 1, the first device can perform channel estimation on the downlink channel (i.e., the downlink channel between the first device and the second device) according to training sequence 1; correspondingly, the second device can perform channel estimation on the uplink channel (i.e., the uplink channel between the first device and the second device) according to training sequence 1.

[0177] Optionally, the second FC field may include second indication information.

[0178] Among them, the second FC field is located on the first information, and the second FC field is an added FC field.

[0179] Among them, the number of bits occupied by the second FC field is the same as the number of bits occupied by the first FC field, and in the presence of the first FC field, communication between the second device and multiple first devices can be achieved simultaneously.

[0180] It can be understood that the number of bits occupied by the second FC field can be 128 bits, and the Turbo coding block of the second FC field is PB16, which can ensure that the number of OFDM symbols occupied by the second FC field remains within a certain range and is compatible with the size of PB in the power line communication system.

[0181] 3) User information field

[0182] Exemplarily, when the first indication information indicates that the number of users is 4, there may be a user information field 0 associated with the first device 0, a user information field 1 associated with the first device 1, a user information field 2 associated with the first device 2, and a user information field 3 associated with the first device 3 in the first information.

[0183] It can be understood that the types of sub-fields included in the user information fields associated with different first devices are the same, and the values of the sub-fields can be the same or different. The second device can flexibly indicate the user information of each first device through the user information fields associated with different first devices, and thus can communicate with multiple first devices simultaneously.

[0184] Optionally, the user information field may include one or more of the following: an identification information field, a first field.

[0185] Among them, the identification information field is used to indicate the identification information of the first device.

[0186] Exemplarily, the identification information of the first device may be the unique identification code of the first device, or the identification information of the first device may be the media access control (MAC) address of the first device, or the identification information of the first device may be the internet protocol (IP) address of the first device, or the identification information of the first device may be a reallocated identification code (for example, if there are 4 first devices, the identification code of the first device 0 is 00, the identification code of the first device 1 is 01, the identification code of the first device 2 is 10, and the identification code of the first device 3 is 11).

[0187] In a possible implementation, the identification information field may occupy 11 bits.

[0188] It can be understood that the first device can determine the identification information of the first device according to the identification information field, and further can determine the user information field associated with the first device.

[0189] Among them, the first field is used to indicate one or more of the following: modulation and coding scheme, code rate, or the size of each physical block.

[0190] Among them, the size of each physical block may be any one of the following: 16 bytes, 40 bytes, 72 bytes, 136 bytes, 264 bytes, or 520 bytes.

[0191] Exemplarily, the first device can determine the specific position of the physical block according to the size of each physical block and the number of physical blocks, and further can parse the payload data on the physical block.

[0192] Among them, the number of physical blocks can refer to the description of the physical block field below and will not be elaborated here.

[0193] In a possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the first field may be 6.

[0194] It can be understood that the first device can determine the position of the payload data according to the size of the physical block in the first field, and parse the payload data according to the modulation and coding scheme and code rate in the first field, which can improve the effectiveness of communication.

[0195] Based on the above description of the user information field, it can be understood that the second device can arrange the user information sub-fields associated with the first device in sequence.

[0196] Optionally, the second FC field may include multiple user information fields.

[0197] In a possible implementation, the second FC field may include at most four user information fields.

[0198] Exemplarily, when the number of users is 4, the second FC field may include the user information field associated with the first device 0 (such as user information field 0), the user information field associated with the first device 1 (such as user information field 1), the user information field associated with the first device 2 (such as user information field 2), and the user information field associated with the first device 3 (such as user information field 3).

[0199] Optionally, the number of second FC fields may be determined according to the number of users, that is, when the number of users is X, the number of second FC fields may be

[0200] wherein, is the ceiling function, and X is a positive integer.

[0201] Exemplarily, when the number of users is 7, the number of second FC fields may be 2; or, when the number of users is 15, the number of second FC fields may be 4.

[0202] For example, taking the number of users as 7 as an example, the second FC field 1 may include the user information field associated with the first device 0 (such as user information field 0), the user information field associated with the first device 1 (such as user information field 1), the user information field associated with the first device 2 (such as user information field 2), and the user information field associated with the first device 3 (such as user information field 3), and the second FC field 2 may include the user information field associated with the first device 5 (such as user information field 5), the user information field associated with the first device 6 (such as user information field 6), and the user information field associated with the first device 7 (such as user information field 7).

[0203] It should be noted that for multiple second FC fields in the same first information, the number of symbols of the training sequence indicated by the second indication information in each second FC field is the same.

[0204] S702. The second device sends the first information to multiple first devices; correspondingly, the first device receives the first information from the second device.

[0205] Among them, the second device may map the first information to the time domain or the frequency domain to form a signal and send the signal to the first device; correspondingly, the first device may receive the signal from the second device and obtain the first information in the signal.

[0206] S703. The first device parses the first information.

[0207] Based on Figure 7In the communication method shown, the second device can communicate with multiple first devices simultaneously according to the first information. Additionally, the second device can carry the payload data associated with the multiple first devices in the first information, which can increase the proportion of the payload data in the first information, thereby improving the throughput rate of the communication system and enhancing the communication performance.

[0208] Based on the above Figure 7 description of the first information, the present application proposes two possible designs:

[0209] In the first possible design, the first information can be a downlink frame.

[0210] Among them, when the first information is a downlink frame, the first information can include payload data, and the payload data associated with different first devices can be transmitted on different resource units.

[0211] Among them, this downlink frame can be regarded as a downlink data frame.

[0212] Optionally, each user information field can include a physical block field.

[0213] Among them, the physical block field is used to indicate the number of physical blocks occupied by the first device.

[0214] In a possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field can be determined according to the first indication information.

[0215] Exemplarily, when the number of users indicated by the first indication information is less than 4, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is 4; when the number of users indicated by the first indication information is equal to 4, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is 1.

[0216] For example, taking the number of bits occupied by the physical block field as 4 as an example, when the bit value is 0000, it can represent that the number of physical blocks is 1; when the bit value is 0001, it can represent that the number of physical blocks is 2; and so on, when the bit value is 1111, it can represent that the number of physical blocks is 16.

[0217] For another example, taking the number of bits occupied by the physical block as 1 as an example, when the bit value is 0, it can represent that the number of physical blocks is 1; when the bit value is 1, it can represent that the number of physical blocks is 2.

[0218] It can be understood that the first device can determine the number of bits occupied by the physical block field according to the first indication information, providing a feasible solution for determining the number of bits occupied by the physical block field. When the number of users is large, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field in each user information field can be reduced, which can limit the number of bits occupied by each user information field within a certain range and reduce the transmission overhead.

[0219] Optionally, each user information field may further include one or more of the following: a copy field, or a resource unit field.

[0220] Among them, the copy field is used to indicate the number of copies, and the number of copies is used to indicate the number of times the payload data is repeated.

[0221] In a possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the copy field may be 2.

[0222] Exemplarily, when the bit value is 00, it may indicate that the number of copies is 1 (i.e., the payload data can be transmitted once); when the bit value is 01, it may indicate that the number of copies is 2 (i.e., the payload data can be transmitted simultaneously on two different subcarriers); when the bit value is 10, it may indicate that the number of copies is 4 (i.e., the payload data can be transmitted simultaneously on four different subcarriers); when the bit value is 11, it may indicate that the number of copies is 7 (i.e., the payload data can be transmitted simultaneously on seven different subcarriers).

[0223] Another exemplarily, when the bit value is 00, it may indicate that the number of copies is 1; when the bit value is 01, it may indicate that the number of copies is 2; when the bit value is 10, it may indicate that the number of copies is 3; when the bit value is 11, it may indicate that the number of copies is 4.

[0224] It can be understood that the first device can determine the number of times of simultaneously transmitting the payload data according to the copy field, can superimpose the received payload data, can reduce the bit error rate of the payload data, and thus can improve the reliability of communication.

[0225] Optionally, the number of copies may be determined according to the channel quality.

[0226] Among them, the channel quality can be determined according to the reference signal, that is, the first device can send a reference signal to the second device, and the second device can perform channel estimation according to the reference signal to determine the channel quality.

[0227] It can be understood that the first device can periodically send a reference signal to the second device.

[0228] Exemplarily, taking the first device sending a reference signal to the second device at time 1 and time 2 as an example, the second device can receive the reference signal from the first device at time 1, determine the channel quality according to the reference signal, and then determine the number of copies (such as 4) according to the channel quality. The number of copies between time 1 and time 2 is 4.

[0229] It can be understood that when the channel quality is good, the payload data can be transmitted according to a smaller number of copies, which can reduce the transmission overhead; when the channel quality is poor, the payload data can be transmitted according to a larger number of copies, which can improve the reliability of communication.

[0230] Among them, the resource unit field is used to indicate the index of the resource unit associated with the first device.

[0231] In a possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field may be 5.

[0232] Exemplarily, when the bit value is 00000, it may indicate that the index of the resource unit is 0, and then the resource unit corresponding to index 0 (such as resource unit 0) can be determined; when the bit value is 00001, it may indicate that the index of the resource unit is 1, and then the resource unit corresponding to index 1 (such as resource unit 1) can be determined; and so on. When the bit value is 11111, it may indicate that the index of the resource unit is 31, and then the resource unit corresponding to index 31 (such as resource unit 31) can be determined.

[0233] It can be understood that the first device can determine the index of the resource unit associated with the first device according to the resource unit field. Since the resource units associated with different first devices are different, the second device can communicate with multiple first devices simultaneously on different resource units. That is, the second device can carry the payload data associated with multiple first devices in the first information, which can increase the proportion of the payload data, and then can improve the throughput rate of the communication system and enhance the communication performance.

[0234] Optionally, the first information may further include a second training sequence.

[0235] Exemplarily, taking the number of users as 4 as an example, assume that the second device communicates with the first device 0 on resource unit 0, the second device communicates with the first device 1 on resource unit 1, the second device communicates with the first device 2 on resource unit 2, and the second device communicates with the first device 3 on resource unit 3. Then, the second training sequence corresponding to the first device 0 may be the training sequence associated with resource unit 0, the second training sequence corresponding to the first device 1 may be the training sequence associated with resource unit 1, the second training sequence corresponding to the first device 2 may be the training sequence associated with resource unit 2, and the second training sequence corresponding to the first device 3 may be the training sequence associated with resource unit 3.

[0236] Among them, the second training sequence can be determined according to the second indication information.

[0237] Exemplarily, when the second indication information indicates that the number of symbols of the training sequence is 4, the second training sequence may include 4 training sequences.

[0238] For example, based on the example of the second training sequence corresponding to the above-mentioned first device, the second training sequence corresponding to the first device 0 can be 4 training sequences associated with resource unit 0, the second training sequence corresponding to the first device 1 can be 4 training sequences associated with resource unit 1, the second training sequence corresponding to the first device 2 can be 4 training sequences associated with resource unit 2, and the second training sequence corresponding to the first device 3 can be 4 training sequences associated with resource unit 3.

[0239] It can be understood that the first device can perform channel estimation on the downlink channel according to the second training sequence, determine the channel characteristics of the downlink channel, and then can parse the payload data according to the channel characteristics, which can improve the reliability of communication.

[0240] Based on the above description of the first information being a downlink frame, the present application proposes a possible embodiment as follows Figure 8 As shown, the first information may include a preamble symbol, a first FC field (the first FC field may be composed of M first FC symbols, and the information transmitted in the M first FC symbols is the same, that is, this information can be diversely copied to different carriers of each first FC symbol), a second FC field (the second FC field may be composed of N second FC symbols, and the information transmitted in the N second FC symbols is the same, that is, this information can be diversely copied to different carriers of each second FC symbol), a training sequence field (such as the training sequence field includes Z training sequences), and one or more payload data fields (such as K payload data fields, and the payload data in the K payload data fields may be the same or different).

[0241] Among them, M, N, Z, and K are all positive integers.

[0242] Among them, each first FC field includes first indication information, and each second FC field includes second indication information and a user information field.

[0243] Exemplarily, when the number of users is 4, the meanings of each field in the first information, the number of bits of each field, and the occupied number of bits can be as shown in Table 3 below:

[0244] Table 3 First Information

[0245]

[0246]

[0247] Based on the above Table 3 and Figure 8It can be understood that when the number of users is 4, [26:2] (a total of 25 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 0; [51:27] (a total of 25 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 1; [76:52] (a total of 25 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 2; [101:77] (a total of 25 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 3; [103:102] in the second FC field is a reserved field; [127:104] in the second FC field is CRC check bits.

[0248] When the number of users is 3, [29:2] (a total of 28 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 0; [56:30] (a total of 28 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 1; [83:57] (a total of 28 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 2; [103:84] in the second FC field is a reserved field; [127:104] in the second FC field is CRC check bits.

[0249] When the number of users is 2, [29:2] (a total of 28 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 0; [56:30] (a total of 28 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 1; [103:57] in the second FC field is a reserved field; [127:104] in the second FC field is CRC check bits.

[0250] Among them, the above [b:a] (a < b) means that the bits occupied by the field are from a to b.

[0251] It can be understood that compared with the number of bits occupied by the physical block field being 1 when the number of users is 4, when the number of users is less than 4, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field can be 4, and then, the number of bits occupied by the user information field is 28.

[0252] It can be understood that when the number of users is greater than 4, the number of second FC fields is greater than 1, and the first information can be as follows Figure 9As shown, taking the number of users as 7 for example, the first information may include a preamble symbol, a first FC field (the first FC field may be composed of M first FC symbols, and the information transmitted in the M first FC symbols is the same, that is, this information can be diversely copied onto different carriers of each first FC symbol), a second FC field 1 (the second FC field 1 may be composed of N second FC symbols 1, and the information transmitted in the N second FC symbols 1 is the same, that is, this information can be diversely copied onto different carriers of each second FC symbol 1), a second FC field 2 (the second FC field 2 may be composed of N second FC symbols 2, and the information transmitted in the N second FC symbols 2 is the same, that is, this information can be diversely copied onto different carriers of each second FC symbol 2), a training sequence field (such as the training sequence field includes Z training sequences), and one or more payload data fields (such as K payload data fields, and the payload data in the K payload data fields may be the same or different).

[0253] Wherein, M, N, Z, and K are all positive integers.

[0254] Wherein, the second FC field 1 is the same as the second FC field in the above Figure 8 .

[0255] Wherein, a second FC field 2 can be newly added after the second FC field 1, the second indication information in the second FC field 2 is consistent with the second indication information in the second FC field 1 (that is, the number of training sequences indicated by the second indication information is the same), and the user information field in the second FC field 2 is the user information field associated with the first device 4 (such as the user information field 4), the user information field associated with the first device 5 (such as the user information field 5), and the user information field associated with the first device 6 (such as the user information field 6).

[0256] Wherein, the content in the user information field 4, the user information field 5, and the user information field 6 is similar to the content of the user information field in Table 3 above, and will not be elaborated here.

[0257] In the second possible design, the first information may be a trigger frame.

[0258] Wherein, this trigger frame can also be regarded as a kind of downlink frame.

[0259] Optionally, based on the first information shown above Figure 7 the first information may further include third indication information.

[0260] Wherein, the third indication information is used to indicate whether there is at least one index of a resource unit associated with the first device that is greater than the first value.

[0261] Wherein, the first value is a positive integer (such as the first value can be 14).

[0262] Exemplarily, taking the third indication information as one bit as an example, when the bit value is 1, it may indicate that there is at least one index of the resource unit associated with the first device greater than the first value; when the bit value is 0, it may indicate that there is no at least one index of the resource unit associated with the first device greater than the first value. Alternatively, when the bit value is 0, it may indicate that there is at least one index of the resource unit associated with the first device greater than the first value; when the bit value is 1, it may indicate that there is no at least one index of the resource unit associated with the first device greater than the first value.

[0263] It can be understood that when the third indication information indicates that there is at least one index of the resource unit associated with the first device greater than the first value, it can be determined that the maximum value of the index of the resource unit is greater than the first value, and further, the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field can be made larger, which can ensure that the resource unit field can indicate the indexes of all resource units as much as possible; when the third indication information indicates that there is no at least one index of the resource unit associated with the first device greater than the first value, it can be determined that the maximum value of the index of the resource unit is less than or equal to the first value, and further, the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field can be made smaller, which can reduce the transmission overhead.

[0264] Optionally, the first FC frame may include the third indication information.

[0265] Optionally, when the number of users is equal to 4, the first information may further include a physical block field (the number of physical blocks occupied by different first devices is the same); or, when the number of users is less than 4, each user information field may further include a physical block field (the number of physical blocks occupied by different first devices may be the same or different).

[0266] It can be understood that the position of the physical block field can be determined according to the number of users, providing a feasible solution for determining the position of the physical block field; when the first information includes a physical block field, the number of physical blocks occupied by different first devices is the same, which can reduce the number of bits occupied by the physical block field and reduce the transmission overhead; when each user information field includes a physical block field, the number of physical blocks occupied by different first devices may be the same or different, and the number of physical blocks occupied by each first device can be determined according to the actual communication situation of each first device, which can improve the flexibility of determining the number of physical blocks occupied by each first device.

[0267] It can be understood that when the first information includes a physical block field, the physical block field may be located on the second FC frame.

[0268] In a possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field can be determined according to the first indication information; or, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field can be determined according to the first indication information and the third indication information.

[0269] Exemplarily, when the number of users indicated by the first indication information is less than 4, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is 4; or, when the number of users indicated by the first indication information is equal to 4 and the third indication information indicates that there is no index of at least one resource unit associated with the first device greater than the first value, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is 4; or, when the number of users indicated by the first indication information is equal to 4 and the third indication information indicates that there is at least one index of a resource unit associated with the first device greater than the first value, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is 2.

[0270] For example, taking the number of bits occupied by the physical block field as 2, when the bit value is 00, it can represent that the number of physical blocks is 1; when the bit value is 01, it can represent that the number of physical blocks is 2; when the bit value is 10, it can represent that the number of physical blocks is 3; when the bit value is 11, it can represent that the number of physical blocks is 4.

[0271] Based on this possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field can be determined according to the above two methods. At the same time, by determining the number of bits occupied by the physical block according to the above method, when the number of users is large, it is possible to ensure that the number of bits occupied by the first information is limited within a certain range as much as possible, which can reduce the transmission overhead.

[0272] Optionally, each user information field may include a power control field.

[0273] Among them, the power control field is used to indicate the transmission power of the first device.

[0274] In a possible implementation, the power control field can be 3 bits.

[0275] Exemplarily, taking the index of the transmission power of the first device indicated by the power control field as an example, when the bit value is 000, it can represent that the index of the transmission power of the first device is 0, and the transmission power of the first device can be determined as transmission power 0 according to index 0; when the bit value is 001, it can represent that the index of the transmission power of the first device is 1, and the transmission power of the first device can be determined as transmission power 1 according to index 1; and so on, when the bit value is 111, it can represent that the index of the transmission power of the first device is 7, and the transmission power of the first device can be determined as transmission power 7 according to index 7.

[0276] It can be understood that the transmission power of the first device can be attenuated according to the power control field to avoid too large a difference in the PSD of the signals from different first devices to the second device. This can avoid as much as possible the interference caused by excessively high transmission power when different first devices communicate with the second device. It can also avoid as much as possible the poor communication quality caused by too low transmission power, thereby improving the reliability of communication.

[0277] Optionally, each user information field may also include a resource unit field.

[0278] The resource unit field is used to indicate the index of the resource unit associated with the first device.

[0279] It can be understood that the first device can determine the index of the resource unit associated with the first device based on the resource unit field. Since different first devices are associated with different resource units, the second device can communicate with multiple first devices at the same time on different resource units, that is, the second device can carry the load data associated with multiple first devices in the first information, which can increase the proportion of load data, and thereby improve the throughput of the communication system and improve communication performance.

[0280] In a possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field is determined according to the third indication information.

[0281] Exemplarily, when the third indication information indicates that there is no resource unit associated with at least one first device and the index of which is greater than the first numerical value, the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field is 4; or, when the third indication information indicates that there is at least one resource unit associated with the first device and the index of which is greater than the first numerical value, the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field is 5.

[0282] For example, taking the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field as 4, when the bit value is 0000, it can indicate that the index of the resource unit is 0, and then the resource unit corresponding to the index 0 (such as resource unit 0) can be determined; when the bit value is 0001, it can indicate that the index of the resource unit is 1, and then the resource unit corresponding to the index 1 (such as resource unit 1) can be determined; and so on, when the bit value is 1111, it can indicate that the index of the resource unit is 15, and then the resource unit corresponding to the index 15 (such as resource unit 15) can be determined.

[0283] Based on this possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field can be determined according to the third indication information, and the resource unit field can be guaranteed to indicate the index of the resource unit associated with each first device as much as possible, providing a feasible solution for determining the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field.

[0284] Optionally, each user information field may also include a copy field.

[0285] It can be understood that the number of times of simultaneously transmitting payload data can be determined according to the copy field, the bit error rate of the payload data can be reduced, and the reliability of communication can be improved.

[0286] In a possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the copy field can be determined according to the first indication information.

[0287] Exemplarily, when the number of users indicated by the first indication information is less than 4, the number of bits occupied by the copy field is 2; or, when the number of users indicated by the first indication information is equal to 4, the number of bits occupied by the copy field is 1.

[0288] For example, taking the copy field as 2 bits, when the bit value is 00, it can represent that the copy times is 1; when the bit value is 01, it can represent that the copy times is 2; when the bit value is 10, it can represent that the copy times is 4; when the bit value is 11, it can represent that the copy times is 7.

[0289] For another example, taking the copy times as 1 bit, when the bit value is 0, it can represent that the copy times is 1; when the bit value is 1, it can represent that the copy times is 2.

[0290] Based on this possible implementation, the number of bits occupied by the copy field can be determined according to the first indication information. When the number of users is large, the number of bits occupied by the first information can be limited within a certain range as much as possible, and the transmission overhead can be reduced.

[0291] Based on the above description of the first information as the trigger frame, the present application proposes a possible embodiment as follows Figure 10 As shown, the first information may include a preamble symbol, a first FC field (the first FC field may be composed of M first FC symbols, and the information transmitted in the M first FC symbols is the same, that is, this information can be diversely copied to different carriers of each first FC symbol), a second FC field (the second FC field may be composed of N second FC symbols, and the information transmitted in the N second FC symbols is the same, that is, this information can be diversely copied to different carriers of each second FC symbol), a training sequence field (such as the training sequence field includes Z training sequences), and one or more payload data fields (such as K payload data fields, and the payload data in the K payload data fields may be the same or different).

[0292] Among them, the first FC field may include the first indication information and the third indication information, and the second FC field may include the second indication information and the user information field.

[0293] Exemplarily, when the number of users is 4 and the third indication information indicates that the index of at least one resource unit associated with the first device is greater than 14, the meanings of each field, the number of bits of each field, and the occupied number of bits in the first information can be as shown in Table 4 below:

[0294] Table 4 First Information

[0295]

[0296]

[0297] Based on the above Figure 10 and the description in Table 4, it can be understood that when the third indication information indicates that there is no index of at least one resource unit associated with the first device greater than 14 and the number of users is 4, [5:2] (a total of 4 bits) in the second FC field is the number of physical blocks; [29:6] (a total of 24 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 0, [53:30] (a total of 24 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 1; [77:54] (a total of 24 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 2; [101:78] (a total of 24 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 3; [103:102] in the second FC field is a reserved field; [127:104] in the second FC field is CRC check bits.

[0298] Among them, compared with the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field in Table 4 being 5, when the third indication information indicates that there is no index of at least one resource unit associated with the first device greater than 14, the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field is 4, then the number of bits occupied by the user information field is 24.

[0299] When the third indication information indicates that there is no index of at least one resource unit associated with the first device greater than 14 and the number of users is 3, [5:2] (a total of 4 bits) in the second FC field is the number of physical blocks; [30:6] (a total of 25 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 0, [55:31] (a total of 25 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 1; [80:56] (a total of 25 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 2; [103:81] in the second FC field is a reserved field; [127:104] in the second FC field is CRC check bits.

[0300] When the third indication information indicates that the index of at least one resource unit associated with the first device is greater than 14 and the number of users is 2, [5:2] (a total of 4 bits) in the second FC field is the number of physical blocks; [30:6] (a total of 25 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 0, [55:31] (a total of 25 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 1; [103:56] in the second FC field is a reserved field; [127:104] in the second FC field is CRC check bits.

[0301] Among them, compared with the copy field occupying 1 bit and the resource unit occupying 5 bits in Table 4, when the number of users is less than 4, the copy field occupies 2 bits, and when the third indication information indicates that the index of at least one resource unit associated with the first device is greater than 14, the resource unit field occupies 4 bits. Then, the user information field occupies 25 bits.

[0302] It can be understood that when the third indication information indicates that there is at least one resource unit associated with the first device whose index is greater than 14 and the number of users is 4, [3:2] (a total of 2 bits) in the second FC field is the number of physical blocks; [28:4] (a total of 25 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 0, [53:30] in the second FC field is the user information field 1 of STA1; [77:54] in the second FC field is user information field 2; [101:78] in the second FC field is user information field 3; [103:102] in the second FC field is a reserved field; [127:104] in the second FC field is CRC check bits.

[0303] When the third indication information indicates that there is at least one resource unit associated with the first device whose index is greater than 14 and the number of users is 3, [5:2] (a total of 4 bits) in the second FC field is the number of physical blocks; [31:6] (a total of 26 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 0, [57:32] (a total of 26 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 1; [82:57] (a total of 26 bits) in the second FC field is user information field 2; [103:83] in the second FC field is a reserved field; [127:104] in the second FC field is CRC check bits.

[0304] When the third indication information indicates that the index of at least one resource unit associated with the first device is greater than 14 and the number of users is 2, the [5:2] (a total of 4 bits) in the second FC field is the number of physical blocks; the [31:6] (a total of 26 bits) in the second FC field is the user information field 0, and the [57:32] (a total of 26 bits) in the second FC field is the user information field 1; the [103:58] in the second FC field is the reserved field; the [127:104] in the second FC field is the CRC check bit.

[0305] Among them, compared with the number of bits occupied by the copy field in Table 4 being 1, when the number of users is less than 4, the number of bits occupied by the copy field is 2. Then, the number of bits occupied by the user information field is 26.

[0306] Among them, the above [b:a] (a < b) means that the bits occupied by the field are from a to b.

[0307] Among them, in the above several cases, the bits occupied by the sub-fields in the user information field can be specifically as shown in Table 5 below:

[0308] Table 5 Sub-fields of the user information field

[0309]

[0310]

[0311] Among them, the TEI in Table 5 is the identification information field, the TMI is the first field, the TPC is the power control field, the RUI is the resource unit field, the NCopy is the copy field, and the FC2 is the second FC field (the above FC2[b:a] (a < b) means that the bits occupied by the field in the second FC field are from a to b).

[0312] It can be understood that when the number of users is greater than 4, the number of the second FC fields is greater than 1, as follows Figure 11As shown, the first information may include a preamble, a first FC field (the first FC field may be composed of M first FC symbols, and the information transmitted in the M first FC symbols is the same, that is, this information may be diversely copied onto different carriers of each first FC symbol), a second FC field 1 (the second FC field 1 may be composed of N second FC symbols 1, and the information transmitted in the N second FC symbols 1 is the same, that is, this information may be diversely copied onto different carriers of each second FC symbol 1), a second FC field 2 (the second FC field 2 may be composed of N second FC symbols 2, and the information transmitted in the N second FC symbols 2 is the same, that is, this information may be diversely copied onto different carriers of each second FC symbol 2), a training sequence field (such as the training sequence field includes Z training sequences), and one or more payload data fields (such as K payload data fields, and the payload data in the K payload data fields may be the same or different).

[0313] Among them, the second FC field 1 is the same as the second FC field in the above Figure 10 one.

[0314] Among them, a second FC field 2 may be newly added after the second FC field 1. The second indication information in the second FC field 2 is consistent with the second indication information in the second FC field 1 (that is, the number of training sequences indicated by the second indication information is the same). The user information field in the second FC field 2 is the user information field associated with the first device 4 (such as the user information field 4), the user information field associated with the first device 5 (such as the user information field 5), and the user information field associated with the first device 6 (such as the user information field 6).

[0315] Among them, the contents of the user information field 4, the user information field 5, and the user information field 6 are similar to the contents of the user information field in Table 3 above and will not be elaborated here.

[0316] Based on the above Figures 7 - 11 shown communication method, when the first information is a trigger frame, the first device may send an uplink frame to the second device according to the trigger frame. The specific steps may be as follows Figure 12 shown:

[0317] S704. The first device sends an uplink frame to the second device; correspondingly, the second device receives the uplink frame from the first device.

[0318] Among them, the first device may send an uplink frame to the second device according to the first information.

[0319] Optionally, the uplink frame may include a first training sequence.

[0320] Among them, the first training sequence is determined according to the second indication information.

[0321] Exemplarily, taking the number of symbols of the training sequence indicated by the second indication information as 4 as an example, the first training sequence may include 4 training sequences.

[0322] Among them, the determination of the second training sequence associated with the first device is similar to the determination of the first training sequence associated with the first device described above, and will not be elaborated here.

[0323] It can be understood that the second device can perform channel estimation on the uplink channel according to the first training sequence, determine the channel characteristics of the uplink channel, and then can parse the payload data in the uplink frame according to the channel characteristics, which can improve the reliability of communication.

[0324] Based on the above Figure 12 As shown in the communication method, multiple first devices can simultaneously send uplink frames to the second device on different resource units according to the first information, which can increase the proportion of payload data, improve the throughput of the communication system, and thus improve the communication performance.

[0325] Based on the above Figures 7 - 12 As shown in the communication method, when the number of users is 1, the first device can parse the first FC field and communicate with the second device according to the first FC field; when the number of users is greater than 1, the first device can also parse the second FC field and communicate with the second device according to the second FC field.

[0326] It should be noted that the various embodiments of the present application can be implemented independently or in combination without limitation. If there is no special description and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments provided in the present application 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.

[0327] It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the execution subject can execute some or all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application. These steps or operations are only examples, and the embodiments of the present application can also execute other operations or various deformations of the operations. In addition, each step can be executed in a different order presented in the embodiments of the present application, and it is possible not to execute all the operations in the embodiments of the present application.

[0328] The above mainly introduces the solution provided by the present application from the perspective of the interaction between various devices. Correspondingly, the present application also provides a communication device, which is used to implement the above various methods. The communication device can be the first device in the above method embodiments, or a device including the above first device, or a component available for the first device; or, the communication device can be the second device involved in the above method embodiments, or a device including the second device, or a component available for the second device.

[0329] It can be understood that, in order to implement the above functions, the communication device includes the corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, for the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed in this article, this application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is executed in the way of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of this application.

[0330] The embodiments of this application can divide the functional modules of the communication device according to the above method embodiments. For example, each functional module can be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional module. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiments of this application is illustrative, only a logical function division, and there can be other division methods in actual implementation.

[0331] In one implementation scenario, taking the communication device as the second device in the above method embodiment as an example, Figure 13 FIG. 130 shows a schematic structural diagram of a second device 130. Among them, the second device 130 includes a processing module 1301 and a transceiver module 1302.

[0332] In some embodiments, the second device 130 may further include a storage module ( Figure 13 not shown in FIG. 130), which is used to store program instructions and data.

[0333] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1302, which can also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement the sending and / or receiving functions. The transceiver module 1302 can be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0334] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1302 may include a receiving module and a sending module, which are respectively used to execute the receiving and sending steps executed by the second device in the above method embodiments, and / or for other processes supporting the technologies described in this article; the processing module 1301 can be used to execute the processing steps (such as determination, generation, etc.) executed by the second device in the above method embodiments, and / or for other processes supporting the technologies described in this article.

[0335] Exemplarily, the processing module 1301 is configured to obtain first information; wherein, the first information includes first indication information, second indication information, and one or more user information fields corresponding to one or more first devices; the first indication information is used to indicate the number of users; the second indication information is used to indicate the number of symbols of the training sequence; the transceiver module 1302 is configured to send the first information.

[0336] In this application, the second device 130 is presented in the form of dividing each functional module in an integrated manner. Here, a "module" may refer to a specific application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and a memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0337] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art can conceive that the second device 130 can adopt Figure 6 the form of the communication device 60 shown.

[0338] As an example, Figure 13 the function / implementation process of the processing module 1301 in Figure 6 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 60 shown calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603. Figure 13 the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1302 in Figure 6 can be implemented by the communication interface 604 in the communication device 60 shown.

[0339] In some embodiments, when Figure 13 the second device 130 in

[0340] is a chip or a chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1302 can be implemented through the input / output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 1301 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0341] In another implementation scenario, taking the communication device as the first device in the above method embodiment as an example, Figure 14 a schematic structural diagram of a first device 140 is shown. Among them, the first device 140 includes a processing module 1401 and a transceiver module 1402.

[0342] In some embodiments, the first device 140 may further include a storage module ( Figure 14(not shown in the figure) for storing program instructions and data.

[0343] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1402, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement the sending and / or receiving functions. The transceiver module 1402 may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0344] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1402 may include a receiving module and a sending module, which are respectively used to execute the receiving and sending steps performed by the first device in the above method embodiments, and / or other processes supporting the technologies described herein; the processing module 1401 may be used to execute the processing steps (such as determination, generation, etc.) performed by the first device in the above method embodiments, and / or other processes supporting the technologies described herein.

[0345] Exemplarily, the processing module 1401 is used to obtain first information; wherein, the first information includes first indication information, second indication information, and multiple user information fields corresponding to multiple first devices; the first indication information is used to indicate the number of users; the second indication information is used to indicate the number of symbols of the training sequence; the processing module 1401 is further used to parse the first information.

[0346] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 1402 is used to send an uplink frame to a second device according to the first information.

[0347] In a possible implementation, the uplink frame includes a first training sequence; wherein, the first training sequence is determined according to the index of the resource unit associated with the first device and the second indication information.

[0348] In this application, the first device 140 is presented in the form of integrating and dividing each functional module. Here, the "module" may refer to a specific application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and a memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0349] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art can think that the first device 140 can adopt Figure 6 the form of the communication device 60 shown.

[0350] As an example, Figure 14 the function / implementation process of the processing module 1401 in Figure 6 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 60 shown calling the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 603. Figure 14The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1402 in can be implemented through Figure 6 the communication interface 604 in the communication device 60 shown.

[0351] In some embodiments, when Figure 14 the first device 140 in is a chip or a chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1402 can be implemented through the input / output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 1401 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0352] Since the first device 140 provided in this embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects it can obtain can refer to the above method embodiments and will not be elaborated here.

[0353] As a possible product form, the first device or the second device described in the embodiments of the present application can also be implemented using the following: one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuits, or any combination of circuits capable of performing the various functions described throughout the present application.

[0354] As another possible product form, the first device or the second device described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by a general bus architecture. For ease of explanation, refer to Figure 15 , Figure 15 is a schematic structural diagram of the communication device 150 provided in the embodiments of the present application. The communication device 150 includes a processor 1501 and a transceiver 1502. The communication device 150 can be the first device, or a chip or module therein; or, the communication device 150 can be the second device, or a chip or module therein. Figure 15 Only the main components of the communication device 150 are shown. In addition to the processor 1501 and the transceiver 1502, the communication device may further include a memory 1503.

[0355] Optionally, the processor 1501 is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process the data of software programs. The memory 1503 is mainly used to store software programs and data. The transceiver 1502 may include an analog circuit and a coupler. The analog circuit is mainly used for the conversion between baseband signals and power line signals and the processing of power line signals. The coupler is mainly used for receiving and transmitting power line signals in the form of electromagnetic waves.

[0356] Optionally, the processor 1501, the transceiver 1502, and the memory 1503 may be connected via a communication bus.

[0357] After the communication device is powered on, the processor 1501 can read the software program in the memory 1503, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be wirelessly transmitted, after the processor 1501 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted, it outputs a baseband signal to the analog circuit, and the analog circuit sends the baseband signal through a coupler for transmission in the power line. When data is sent to the communication device, the analog circuit receives the power line signal through the coupler, converts the power line signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1501. The processor 1501 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0358] In another implementation, the analog circuit and the coupler may be provided independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the analog circuit and the coupler may be independent of the communication device and arranged in a remote manner.

[0359] In some embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide a communication device, which includes a processor for implementing the method in any of the above method embodiments. The communication device may be the first device or the second device in the above method embodiments.

[0360] As a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory. The memory is used to store necessary computer programs and data. The computer program may include instructions, and the processor may call the instructions stored in the memory in the computer program to instruct the communication device to execute the method in any of the above method embodiments. Of course, the memory may not be in the communication device either.

[0361] As another possible implementation, the communication device further includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read / write interface circuit. The interface circuit is used to receive computer execution instructions (the computer execution instructions are stored in the memory, and may be directly read from the memory or may pass through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0362] As yet another possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface, which is used to communicate with modules outside the communication device.

[0363] It can be understood that the communication device may be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, it may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0364] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program or instruction is stored, and when the computer program or instruction is executed by a computer, the functions of any one of the above method embodiments are implemented.

[0365] The present application also provides a computer program product, and when the computer program product is executed by a computer, the functions of any one of the above method embodiments are implemented.

[0366] Those of ordinary skill in the art can 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 foregoing method embodiments, and will not be elaborated herein.

[0367] It can be understood that the systems, devices, and methods described in the present application can also be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, 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 displayed or discussed couplings or direct couplings or communication connections to each other can be through some interfaces, and the indirect couplings or communication connections of the devices or units can be in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0368] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, that is, they may be located in one place, or may be distributed to multiple network units. The components displayed as units may or may not be physical units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0369] In addition, each functional unit in various embodiments of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0370] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes (or functions) described in the embodiments of the present application are implemented. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by wire (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wirelessly (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that the computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that contains one or more media integrated therein. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (such as a floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (such as a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (such as a solid state drive (SSD)), etc. In the embodiments of the present application, the computer can include the devices described above.

[0371] Although the present application has been described in connection with various embodiments herein, however, in the process of implementing the claimed present application, those skilled in the art can understand and realize other variations of the disclosed embodiments by viewing the accompanying drawings, the disclosure content, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "one" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions recited in the claims. Certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0372] Although the present application has been described in connection with specific features and their embodiments, it will be apparent that various modifications and combinations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, the present specification and the drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the present application as defined by the appended claims, and are considered to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalent technologies, the present application is also intended to include these changes and modifications.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, applied to a power line communication scenario, including: obtaining first information; wherein, the first information includes first indication information, second indication information, and multiple user information fields corresponding to multiple first devices; the first indication information is used to indicate the number of users; the second indication information is used to indicate the number of symbols of a training sequence; sending the first information.

2. A communication method, characterized in that, applied to a power line communication scenario, including: obtaining first information; wherein, the first information includes first indication information, second indication information, and multiple user information fields corresponding to multiple first devices; the first indication information is used to indicate the number of users; the second indication information is used to indicate the number of symbols of a training sequence; parsing the first information.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, the method further includes: sending an uplink frame to a second device according to the first information.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, the uplink frame includes a first training sequence; wherein, the first training sequence is determined according to the index of a resource unit associated with the first device and the second indication information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, the first information further includes third indication information; wherein, the third indication information is used to indicate whether there is at least one index of a resource unit associated with a first device greater than a first value; the first value is a positive integer.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, when the number of users is equal to 4, the first information further includes a physical block field; or, when the number of users is less than 4, each user information field among the multiple user information fields includes a physical block field; wherein, the physical block field is used to indicate the number of physical blocks occupied by each first device.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is determined according to the first indication information; or, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is determined according to the first indication information and the third indication information; wherein, the third indication information is used to indicate whether there is at least one index of a resource unit associated with a first device greater than a first value; the first value is a positive integer.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, when the number of users indicated by the first indication information is less than 4, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is 4; or, when the number of users indicated by the first indication information is equal to 4, and the third indication information indicates that there is no at least one index of a resource unit associated with a first device greater than a first value, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is 4; or, when the number of users indicated by the first indication information is equal to 4, and the third indication information indicates that there is at least one index of a resource unit associated with a first device greater than a first value, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is 2.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Each user information field among the multiple user information fields further includes a power control field; wherein, the power control field is used to indicate the transmission power of the first device.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein, Each user information field among the multiple user information fields further includes a resource unit field; wherein, the resource unit field is used to indicate the index of the resource unit associated with the first device.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The number of bits occupied by the resource unit field is determined according to the third indication information; wherein, the third indication information is used to indicate whether there is at least one index of the resource unit associated with the first device that is greater than a first value; the first value is a positive integer.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, When the third indication information indicates that there is no index of the resource unit associated with the first device that is greater than the first value, the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field is 4; or, When the third indication information indicates that there is at least one index of the resource unit associated with the first device that is greater than the first value, the number of bits occupied by the resource unit field is 5.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-12, wherein, Each user information field among the multiple user information fields further includes a copy field; wherein, the copy field is used to indicate the number of copies; the number of copies is used to indicate the number of times the payload data is repeated.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The number of bits occupied by the copy field is determined according to the first indication information.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, When the number of users indicated by the first indication information is less than 4, the number of bits occupied by the copy field is 2; or, When the number of users indicated by the first indication information is equal to 4, the number of bits occupied by the copy field is 1.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1-15, wherein, The first information is a trigger frame.

17. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, Each user information field among the multiple user information fields includes a physical block field; wherein, the physical block field is used to indicate the number of physical blocks occupied by the first device.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein, The number of bits occupied by the physical block field is determined according to the first indication information.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein, When the number of users indicated by the first indication information is less than 4, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is 4; or, When the number of users indicated by the first indication information is equal to 4, the number of bits occupied by the physical block field is 1.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, 17-19, wherein, Each user information field among the multiple user information fields further includes one or more of the following: a copy field, a resource unit field; Among them, the copy field is used to indicate the number of copies; the number of copies is used to indicate the number of times the payload data is repeated; the resource unit field is used to indicate the index of the resource unit associated with the first device.

21. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, 17-20, characterized in that the first information further includes a second training sequence; wherein, the second training sequence is determined according to the second indication information.

22. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, 17-21, characterized in that the first information is a downlink frame.

23. The method according to any one of claims 1-22, characterized in that the user information field of the first device further includes one or more of the following: an identification information field, a first field; wherein, the identification information field is used to indicate the identification information of the first device; the first field is used to indicate one or more of the following: a modulation and coding scheme, a code rate, or the size of a physical block.

24. A communication device, characterized in that comprising: a processing module, configured to obtain first information; wherein, the first information includes first indication information, second indication information, and a plurality of user information fields corresponding to a plurality of first devices; the first indication information is used to indicate the number of users; the second indication information is used to indicate the number of symbols of a training sequence; a transceiver module, configured to send the first information.

25. A communication device, characterized in that comprising: a processing module, configured to obtain first information; wherein, the first information includes first indication information, second indication information, and a plurality of user information fields corresponding to a plurality of first devices; the first indication information is used to indicate the number of users; the second indication information is used to indicate the number of symbols of a training sequence; the processing module is further configured to parse the first information.

26. A communication device, characterized in that the communication device includes a processor; the processor is configured to run a computer program or instruction, or to use a logic circuit to enable the communication device to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1, 3-23, or to enable the communication device to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 2-23.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer instruction or program, and when the computer instruction or program runs on a computer, it enables the communication method according to any one of claims 1, 3-23, or enables the communication device to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 2-23.

28. A communication system, characterized in that the communication system includes a first device and a second device; wherein, the second device is configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1, 3-23, and the first device is configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 2-23.

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