Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention relates to a communication method and device, which can be used for improving the accuracy of a target distance measurement result and improving the sensing precision by sending a first signal for sensing and a second signal for measuring a reference diameter in double-station sensing. The method comprises the following steps: a first communication device sends first configuration information to a second communication device for configuring transmission of a first signal and a second signal in a first time period, and sends a first signal for sensing and a second signal for reference diameter measurement, the second communication device can receive the echo signal of the first signal and the second signal according to the first configuration information, can obtain the time delay (reflecting the distance of the target) corresponding to the reflection path according to the echo signal of the first signal, and can obtain the time delay corresponding to the reference path according to the second signal. And the adverse effect of the time synchronization error between the receiving end and the transmitting end on the time delay corresponding to the reflection path is eliminated according to the two time delays, so that the accuracy of a target ranging result is improved, and the sensing precision is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and in particular, to a communication method and apparatus. Background Art

[0002] Communication-sensing integration is a key technology in the next-generation wireless communication network, aiming to integrate wireless communication functions and sensing functions in the same system. Communication-sensing integration can utilize various propagation characteristics of wireless signals to achieve sensing functions such as positioning, detection, imaging, and recognition of targets, obtain information about the surrounding physical environment, explore communication capabilities, and enhance the user experience.

[0003] According to whether the device that sends the sensing signal and the device that receives the echo signal generated by the sensing signal are the same, the sensing mode can be divided into single-site sensing and double-site sensing. Among them, in the double-site sensing mode, the device that sends the sensing signal and the device that receives the echo signal are two different devices. However, since there is generally a time synchronization error between two different devices, the sensing performance will be affected. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus, which can improve the accuracy of the target ranging result and enhance the sensing accuracy.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a first communication device, or by components of the first communication device, such as the processor, chip, or chip system of the first communication device, etc., and can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first communication device. The method includes: sending first configuration information, where the first configuration information includes first information and second information, the first information is used to configure the transmission of a first signal for sensing within a first time period, and the second information is used to configure the transmission of a second signal for the measurement of the reference path within the first time period; sending the first signal within the first time period; and sending the second signal within the first time period.

[0006] Based on this solution, the first communication device sends first configuration information to the second communication device, which is used to configure the transmission of the first signal and the second signal within the first time period, and also sends the first signal for sensing and the second signal for reference path measurement, so that the receiving end can receive the echo signal of the first signal and the second signal according to the first configuration information. Thus, the time delay corresponding to the reflection path (reflecting the target distance) can be obtained according to the echo signal of the first signal, and the time delay corresponding to the reference path can be obtained according to the second signal. Furthermore, based on these two time delays, the adverse effect of the time synchronization error between the transceiver on the time delay corresponding to the reflection path can be eliminated, thereby improving the accuracy of the target ranging result and enhancing the sensing accuracy. In addition, the first configuration information carries the configuration information of the first signal for sensing and the configuration information of the second signal for reference path measurement at the same time, thus saving air interface resources.

[0007] In a possible design, sending the first signal within the first time period includes: sending the first signal using a first spatial domain filter within the first time period, where the first spatial domain filter is used for sensing.

[0008] In a possible design, sending the second signal within the first time period includes: sending the second signal using a second spatial domain filter within the first time period, where the second spatial domain filter is used for the measurement of the reference path.

[0009] Based on this possible design, within the first time period, when the first communication device sends the first signal using the first spatial domain filter for sensing, the energy of the first signal can be concentrated within a relatively small spatial range, that is, the area to be sensed (detected), improving the quality and reliability of the first signal, reducing interference and energy consumption, and thus enhancing the sensing accuracy; when the first communication device sends the second signal using the second spatial domain filter for reference path measurement, the energy of the second signal can be concentrated within a relatively small spatial range, that is, the antenna panel area of the second communication device, thereby improving the quality and reliability of the second signal, reducing interference and energy consumption, and thus enhancing the accuracy of the reference path measurement.

[0010] In a possible design, this communication method further includes: sending at least one of the following: the fourth information, or the fifth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate the starting time unit of the first time period, and the fifth information is used to trigger the sending of the second signal.

[0011] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a second communication device, or by components of the second communication device, such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system of the second communication device, etc., and can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second communication device. The method includes: receiving first configuration information, where the first configuration information includes first information and second information, the first information is used to configure the transmission of a first signal for sensing within a first time period, and the second information is used to configure the transmission of a second signal for reference path measurement within the first time period; receiving a third signal within the first time period, where the third signal is an echo signal of the first signal; and receiving the second signal within the first time period.

[0012] Based on this solution, within the first time period, the second communication device receives first configuration information from the first communication device, which is used to configure the transmission of the first signal and the second signal within the first time period, and receives, according to the first configuration information, an echo signal of the first signal for sensing and a second signal for reference path measurement from the first communication device. Thus, the time delay corresponding to the reflection path (reflecting the distance of the target) can be obtained based on the echo signal of the first signal, and the time delay corresponding to the reference path can be obtained based on the second signal. Furthermore, the adverse impact of the time synchronization error between the transceiver on the time delay corresponding to the reflection path can be eliminated based on these two time delays, thereby improving the accuracy of the target ranging result and enhancing the sensing accuracy. In addition, the first configuration information carries the configuration information of the first signal for sensing and the configuration information of the second signal for reference path measurement at the same time, thus saving air interface resources.

[0013] In a possible design, receiving the third signal within the first time period includes: receiving the third signal within the first time period by using a third spatial filter, where the third spatial filter is used for sensing.

[0014] In a possible design, receiving the second signal within the first time period includes: receiving the second signal within the first time period by using a fourth spatial filter, where the fourth spatial filter is used for reference path measurement.

[0015] Based on this possible design, when the second communication device receives the third signal by using the third spatial filter for sensing, the energy of the third signal can be concentrated within a relatively small spatial range, that is, the area that needs to be sensed (detected), improving the quality and reliability of the third signal, reducing interference and energy consumption, thereby enhancing the sensing accuracy; when the second communication device receives the second signal by using the fourth spatial filter for reference path measurement, the energy of the second signal can be concentrated within a relatively small spatial range, that is, the antenna panel area of the second communication device, thereby improving the quality and reliability of the second signal, reducing interference and energy consumption, and thus enhancing the accuracy of reference path measurement.

[0016] In a possible design, the communication method further includes: receiving at least one of the following: fourth information or fifth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate the starting time unit of the first time period, and the fifth information is used to trigger the transmission of a second signal.

[0017] Combined with the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible design, the first spatial domain filter belongs to a first set of spatial domain filters, the first set of spatial domain filters is used for sensing, the first spatial domain filter is the spatial domain filter in the first set of spatial domain filters that maximizes the power of a third signal, and the first spatial domain filter is associated with a third spatial domain filter.

[0018] Based on this possible design, the first communication device uses the first spatial domain filter that maximizes the power of the third signal to transmit the first signal, and the second communication device uses the third spatial domain filter associated with the first spatial domain filter to receive the third signal, thereby improving the signal quality of the third signal and enhancing the sensing accuracy.

[0019] Combined with the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible design, the second spatial domain filter belongs to a second set of spatial domain filters, the second set of spatial domain filters is used for the measurement of reference paths, the second spatial domain filter is the spatial domain filter in the second set of spatial domain filters that maximizes the power of a reference path, and the second spatial domain filter is associated with a fourth spatial domain filter.

[0020] Based on this possible design, the first communication device uses the second spatial domain filter that maximizes the power of the reference path to transmit the second signal, and the second communication device uses the fourth spatial domain filter associated with the second spatial domain filter to receive the second signal, improving the signal quality of the second signal, thereby enhancing the accuracy of reference path measurement.

[0021] Combined with the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible design, the first information indicates at least one of the following: the first spatial domain filter for transmitting the first signal, the time domain resources occupied by the first signal, the frequency domain resources occupied by the first signal, or the sequence for generating the first signal, the first spatial domain filter is associated with a third spatial domain filter, and the third spatial domain filter is used for receiving the third signal.

[0022] Combined with the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible design, the second information indicates at least one of the following: the second spatial domain filter for transmitting the second signal, the time domain resources occupied by the second signal, the frequency domain resources occupied by the second signal, or the sequence for generating the second signal, the second spatial domain filter is associated with a fourth spatial domain filter, and the fourth spatial domain filter is used for receiving the second signal.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible design, the first information indicates a first spatial domain filter, including: the first information includes an index of the first spatial domain filter in a first set of spatial domain filters, or includes an identifier of the first spatial domain filter.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible design, the second information indicates a second spatial domain filter, including: the second information includes an index of the second spatial domain filter in a second set of spatial domain filters; or includes an identifier of the second spatial domain filter.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible design, the first information indicates time domain resources occupied by a first signal, including: the first information includes a first bit map, where the bits in the first bit map correspond one by one to time domain symbols within each time unit in a first time period, and the bits in the first bit map indicate whether the time domain symbols corresponding to the bits in each time unit in the first time period are used to carry the first signal.

[0026] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the first information indicates time domain resources occupied by a first signal, including: the first information indicates at least one of the following for the time domain resources: period, number of consecutive time domain symbols occupied, time domain start position, or time domain end position.

[0027] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the second information indicates time domain resources occupied by a second signal, including: the second information indicates at least one of the following for the time domain resources: number of consecutive time domain symbols occupied, time domain start position, or time domain end position.

[0028] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible design, the first information indicates frequency domain resources occupied by a first signal, including: the first information indicates the frequency domain start position and / or comb size of the frequency domain resources.

[0029] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the second information indicates frequency domain resources occupied by a second signal, including: the second information indicates the frequency domain start position and / or comb size of the frequency domain resources.

[0030] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible design, the first information indicates a sequence used to generate a first signal, including: the first information indicates at least one of the following for the sequence: sequence initial value, root value, or cyclic shift value.

[0031] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the second information indicates a sequence used to generate a second signal, including: the second information indicates at least one of the following for the sequence: sequence initial value, root value, or cyclic shift value.

[0032] Combined with the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible design, the first configuration information further includes third information, and the third information indicates the time length of the first time period.

[0033] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing various methods. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the implementation of the methods, and the modules, units, or means can be implemented by hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0034] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation manners thereof. The transceiver module may include a receiving module and a transmitting module, which are respectively used to implement the receiving function and the transmitting function in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation manners thereof.

[0035] In some possible designs, the transceiver module may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0036] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, including: a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store computer instructions, and when the processor executes the instructions, the communication device is caused to execute the method described in any of the above aspects.

[0037] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, including: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is used to communicate with modules outside the communication device; the processor is used to execute computer programs or instructions, so that the communication device executes the method described in any of the above aspects.

[0038] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, including: at least one processor; the processor is used to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, so that the communication device executes the method described in any of the above aspects. The memory may be coupled to the processor or, alternatively, may be independent of the processor.

[0039] In a seventh aspect, a communication device (for example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system) is provided, and the communication device includes a processor for implementing the functions involved in any of the first aspect to the second aspect.

[0040] In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory, and the memory is used to store necessary program instructions and data.

[0041] In some possible designs, when the device is a chip system, it may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0042] It can be understood that the communication device provided in the third to seventh aspects can be the first communication device of the first aspect, or a module or unit (such as a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) that corresponds one by one to the method / operation / step / action described in the first aspect in the first communication device, or a module or unit that can be used in combination with the first communication device, or may also be a logical node, logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first communication device; or, the communication device can be the second communication device in the second aspect, or a module or unit (such as a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) that corresponds one by one to the method / operation / step / action described in the second aspect in the second communication device, or a module or unit that can be used in combination with the second communication device, or may also be a logical node, logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second communication device.

[0043] It can be understood that when the communication device provided in any one of the third to seventh aspects is a chip, the transmission action / function of the communication device can be understood as outputting information, and the reception action / function of the communication device can be understood as inputting information.

[0044] In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instruction, which, when running on a communication device, enables the communication device to execute the method described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0045] In a ninth aspect, there is provided a computer program product containing instructions, which, when running on a communication device, enables the communication device to execute the method described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0046] In a tenth aspect, there is provided a communication system including a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device is configured to execute the method described in the first aspect and any possible design thereof above, and the second communication device is configured to execute the method described in the second aspect and any possible design thereof above.

[0047] Among them, for the technical effects brought by any one of the design manners in the third to tenth aspects, reference can be made to the technical effects brought by different design manners in the first to second aspects, which will not be elaborated herein. Description of the Drawings

[0048] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a single-station sensing scenario provided by this application;

[0049] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a double-station sensing scenario provided by this application;

[0050] Figure 3Schematic diagram of a synchronization error suppression method based on a reference path provided by this application;

[0051] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided by this application;

[0052] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a scenario where a reference path signal cannot be received provided by this application;

[0053] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the structure of yet another communication system provided by this application;

[0054] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of another communication system provided by this application;

[0055] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the process of a communication method provided by this application;

[0056] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the collaborative perception of two network devices provided by this application;

[0057] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the collaborative transmission and reception of a second signal by two network devices provided by this application;

[0058] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the process of another communication method provided by this application;

[0059] Figure 12 Schematic diagram of the transmission of a first signal and a second signal provided by this application;

[0060] Figure 13 Schematic diagram of the comb teeth of a frequency domain resource provided by this application;

[0061] Figure 14 Schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by this application;

[0062] Figure 15 Schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided by this application;

[0063] Figure 16 Schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided by this application. Detailed implementation manners

[0064] 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 relationship describing the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Here, A and B can be singular or plural.

[0065] 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 expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single item(s) or plural item(s). For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, a - b, a - c, b - c, or a - b - c, where a, b, and c can be single or plural.

[0066] In addition, for the convenience of clearly describing 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 identical or similar items with basically the same functions and roles. Those skilled in the art can understand that terms such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and "first", "second", etc. do not necessarily mean different.

[0067] 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 interpreted as being more preferred or having more advantages than other embodiments or design solutions. Exactly speaking, using words such as "exemplary" or "for example" aims to present relevant concepts in a specific way for easy understanding.

[0068] It can be understood 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 various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments. In addition, these specific features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It can be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the magnitude of the sequence number of each process does not mean the sequence of execution order. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0069] It can be understood that in the present application, both "when..." and "if" refer to corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances, not limited to time, and do not require a judgment action when implemented, nor does it mean there are other limitations.

[0070] It can be understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application can, in certain scenarios, be implemented independently without relying on other features, such as the current solution they are based on, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. In some scenarios, they can also be combined with other features according to requirements. Correspondingly, the devices given in the embodiments of the present application can also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0071] In the present application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between various embodiments can be referred to each other. In various embodiments of the present application, if there is no special specification and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be cited mutually. The technical features in different embodiments and in each embodiment can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships. The embodiments of the present application described below do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present application.

[0072] To facilitate the understanding of 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.

[0073] 1) Sensing:

[0074] Sensing, also known as detection, is used to detect information about a target in a physical environment, such as the position of the target, the speed of the target, etc. Exemplarily, the transmitting end can emit electromagnetic waves, and the receiving end can receive the echo signal generated by the reflection of the electromagnetic waves by the target to detect the target.

[0075] 2) Sensing signal:

[0076] The sensing signal is used to sense (or detect) information about the sensed target (or called the target object). The sensing signal can also be called a detection signal, a chirp signal, a radar signal, a radar sensing signal, a radar detection signal, or an environmental sensing signal, etc.

[0077] The sensing signal can be a pulse signal or a signal in a wireless communication system. For example, the sensing signal can be an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal obtained by modulating a specific sequence on a subcarrier. The specific sequence can be any one of the following sequences: ZC (zadoff-chu) sequence, pseudo-random sequence, predefined sequence, etc.

[0078] Exemplarily, the pseudo-random sequence can be a maximum length linear feedback shift register sequence (abbreviated as m-sequence), or a Gold sequence, etc. The predefined sequence can be random data symbols. For example, the predefined sequence can be random data symbols modulated by means such as quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), 16-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), etc.

[0079] 3) Communication signal:

[0080] The communication signal is used for communication between communication devices. For example, the communication signal can be the signal carried on the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmitted between a network device and a terminal device, or it can also be the signal carried on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmitted between a network device and a terminal device, or it can further be the signal carried on the physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) transmitted between terminal devices.

[0081] 4) Echo signal:

[0082] The echo signal refers to the signal generated by the reflection of the sensing signal by the target. The time delay of the echo signal relative to the sensing signal can reflect the distance of the target relative to the transmitting end of the sensing signal, and the Doppler frequency shift of the echo signal relative to the sensing signal can reflect the speed of the target.

[0083] 5) Communication-sensing integration:

[0084] Communication-sensing integration (also known as communication-sensing fusion) is a key technology in next-generation wireless communication networks, aiming to integrate wireless communication functions and sensing functions in the same system. Communication-sensing integration can utilize various propagation characteristics of wireless signals to achieve sensing functions such as target positioning, detection, imaging, and recognition, obtain information about the surrounding physical environment, explore communication capabilities, and enhance the user experience.

[0085] According to whether the device that sends the sensing signal and the device that receives the echo signal generated by the sensing signal are the same, the sensing mode can be divided into single-site sensing and dual-site sensing. In the single-site sensing mode, the device that sends the sensing signal and the device that receives the echo signal are the same device; in the dual-site sensing mode, the device that sends the sensing signal and the device that receives the echo signal are different devices.

[0086] Exemplarily, in the integrated sensing and communication system, typical single - station sensing scenarios include: as shown in Figure 1 , the network device in (a) of Figure 1 spontaneously transmits and receives sensing signals, and as shown in (b) of Figure 2 , the terminal device spontaneously transmits and receives sensing signals. Typical dual - station sensing scenarios include: as shown in (a) of Figure 2 , network device #1 transmits a sensing signal and network device #2 receives the echo signal; as shown in (b) of Figure 2 , terminal device #1 transmits a sensing signal and terminal device #2 receives the echo signal; as shown in (c) of Figure 2 , network device #l transmits a sensing signal and terminal device #1 receives the echo signal; as shown in (d) of

[0087] However, in the dual - station sensing mode, there may be a time synchronization error between the transceiver devices, which reduces the sensing performance. Therefore, in the process of processing the echo signal using signal processing algorithms, a synchronization error suppression method based on the reference path may be used to suppress the time synchronization error between the transceiver devices.

[0088] Exemplarily, as shown in Figure 3 , network device #1 transmits a sensing signal, which is denoted as s(t). Network device #2 receives the signal scattered by the environment from the sensing signal transmitted by network device #1, and this signal is denoted as r(t). Among them, r(t) can be considered as the superposition of the direct - path signal (denoted as r1(t)) and the reflected - path signal (i.e., the echo signal, denoted as r2(t)). Taking the time synchronization error between network device #1 and network device #2 as τ e , the transmission delay of the direct - path signal as τ1, and the transmission delay of the reflected - path signal as τ2 as an example, then the direct - path signal r1(t)=s(t - τ1 - τ e ), and the reflected - path signal r2(t)=s(t - τ2 - τ e ). Network device #2 can detect through signal processing algorithms that the delay of the direct - path signal is τ1 + τ e , and the delay of the reflected - path signal is τ2 + τ e . Subtracting the two (i.e., (τ2 + τ e )-(τ1 + τ e )) can eliminate the transceiver synchronization error and obtain the value of τ2 - τ1. Among them, τ1 can be calculated according to the distance between network device #1 and network device #2 (for example, τ1 is equal to the distance between network device #1 and network device #2 divided by the speed of light), so that the delay τ2 corresponding to the target distance can be calculated.

[0089] In the fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) system, in the scenario where two network devices cooperate for sensing, such as Figure 4 shown, the transceiver device uses beamforming. Network device #1 sends a sensing signal with a transmit beam, and network device #2 receives the echo signal generated by the reflection of the sensing signal by the target with a receive beam. Generally, the transmit beam and the receive beam need to point to the area where the target is located to maximize the power of the echo signal, thereby improving the sensing performance of the target. Usually, the synchronization error between two network devices in the 5G network is generally in the order of dozens to hundreds of nanoseconds, and the synchronization error between a network device and a terminal device is generally in the order of microseconds, which will cause a significant decrease in the ranging accuracy of the target. However, as Figure 5 shown, in the case where the transceiver device uses beamforming, network device #2 may not receive the reference path signal, or the received reference path signal is very weak, resulting in network device #2 being unable to accurately obtain the delay information of the reference path, nor being able to suppress the adverse impact of the synchronization error between the transceiver devices on the sensing performance, thereby affecting the accuracy of the target ranging result.

[0090] Based on this, this paper proposes a communication method. In the bistatic sensing mode, the first communication device sends first configuration information to the second communication device, which is used to configure the transmission of the first signal and the second signal within the first time period, and sends the first signal for sensing and the second signal for reference path measurement, so that the second communication device can receive the echo signal of the first signal and the second signal according to the first configuration information, thereby obtaining the delay corresponding to the reflection path (reflecting the distance of the target) according to the echo signal of the first signal, and obtaining the delay corresponding to the reference path according to the second signal, and then eliminating the adverse impact of the time synchronization error between the transceiver on the delay corresponding to the reflection path according to these two delays, thereby improving the accuracy of the target ranging result and enhancing the sensing accuracy. In addition, the first configuration information carries the configuration information of the first signal for sensing and the configuration information of the second signal for reference path measurement at the same time, thereby saving air interface resources.

[0091] The technical solution provided by this application can be used in various communication systems, which can be a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) communication system. For example, a 4th generation (4G) long term evolution (LTE) system, a 5G NR system, a 6th generation (6G) communication system, a vehicle to everything (V2X) system, a system that combines LTE and NR for network deployment, or a sidelink (SL) communication system, a device-to-device (D2D) system, a machine to machine (M2M) communication system, an internet of things (IoT), a Bluetooth system, a wireless fidelity (Wifi) system, a long range radio (LoRa) system, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system, and other next-generation communication systems. Alternatively, the communication system can also be a non-3GPP communication system, without limitation.

[0092] Among them, the above-mentioned communication systems applicable to this application are only illustrative examples. The communication systems applicable to this application are not limited to this, and are hereby uniformly explained and will not be elaborated further below.

[0093] This application provides an exemplary communication system. The communication system includes a first communication device and a second communication device. Among them, the first communication device and the second communication device have a sensing function, or rather, the first communication device and the second communication device support sensing.

[0094] Among them, the first communication device can be used as the sending end of the sensing signal, and the second communication device can be used as the receiving end of the echo signal. The echo signal is a signal generated by the reflection of the sensing signal by the target. Exemplarily, the first communication device can be a network device, and the second communication device can be a network device; or, the first communication device can be a terminal device, and the second communication device can be a network device; or, the first communication device can be a network device, and the second communication device can be a terminal device.

[0095] Taking the example that both the first communication device and the second communication device are network devices, as shown in (a) of Figure 6 Network device #1 can send a sensing signal. The sensing signal can be reflected by a target in the environment to form an echo signal. Network device #2 can receive the echo signal.

[0096] Furthermore, the first communication device and / or the second communication device also has a communication function. For example, as shown in (b) of Figure 6 , while the network device #1 sends a sensing signal, it also sends a communication signal to communicate with communication device A.

[0097] Taking the first communication device as a network device and the second communication device as a terminal device as an example, as shown in (a) of Figure 7 , the network device #1 can send a sensing signal. The sensing signal can be reflected by a target in the environment to form an echo signal. The terminal device #1 can receive the echo signal.

[0098] Furthermore, the first communication device and / or the second communication device also has a communication function. For example, as shown in (b) of Figure 7 , while the network device #1 sends a sensing signal, it also sends a communication signal to communicate with communication device B.

[0099] Optionally, the first communication device can perform sensing and communication in a time-division multiplexing manner. Alternatively, other multiplexing methods such as frequency-division, space-division, and code-division can be used for sensing and communication.

[0100] Among them, the target can be various tangible objects in the environment that can reflect electromagnetic waves. Exemplarily, the target can be immovable objects such as mountains, forests, or buildings, and can also be movable objects such as vehicles, drones, pedestrians, and terminal devices. The target can also be referred to as a sensed target, a detected target, a sensed object, a detected object, or a sensed device, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations in this regard.

[0101] Optionally, the first communication device and the second communication device communicate through an interface protocol between the communication devices. As an example, taking the first communication device and the second communication device both being network devices as an example, the first communication device and the second communication device communicate through an interface between the network devices. For example, in a 5G communication system, this interface is the Xn interface. The Xn interface is an interface between a next generation node B (gNodeB or gNB) or an evolutional Node B (eNB or eNodeB) connected to a 5G Core (5GC). As another example, the network device #1 and the terminal device #1 communicate through an interface between the network device and the terminal device. For example, in a 5G communication system, this interface is the Uu interface (air interface).

[0102] Optionally, the terminal device may refer to a user-side device with wireless transceiver capabilities. The terminal device may also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), terminal, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile terminal (MT), user terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device, etc. The terminal device may be, for example, a terminal device in an SL communication system, IoT, V2X, D2D, M2M, 5G network, or a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN).

[0103] Exemplarily, the terminal device may be an IoT device (e.g., sensors, electricity meters, water meters, etc.), a V2X device, a station (ST) in wireless local area networks (WLANs), a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device (which may also be referred to as a wearable intelligent device), a tablet computer or a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical, a wireless terminal device in smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in smart furniture, a wireless terminal device in smart office, a wireless terminal device in smart transportation, a wireless terminal device in smart city, a wireless terminal device in smart home, a robot, a vehicle-mounted terminal device, a vehicle with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication capabilities, a connected intelligent vehicle, a drone with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to UAV (U2U) communication capabilities, and so on. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by the terminal device.

[0104] Optionally, the network device is a network-side device with wireless transceiver functions and is also a device for connecting a terminal device to a wireless network. It can be an eNB in an LTE or evolved LTE system (LTE-Advanced, LTE-A), such as a traditional macro eNB and a micro eNB in a heterogeneous network scenario; or it can be a gNB in a 5G system; or it can be one or more transmission reception points (TRPs), and multiple TRPs can share the same site or not; or it can be a base station in a future evolved PLMN; or it can be a broadband network gateway (BNG), an aggregation switch, or a non-3GPP access device; or it can be a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN); or it can be an access point (AP) in a WiFi system; or it can be a wireless relay node or a wireless backhaul node; or it can be a road side unit (RSU) in a V2X system; or it can be a device that implements base station functions in IoT, D2D, or M2M. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations in this regard. Exemplarily, the network device in the embodiments of the present application can include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small stations), relay stations, access points, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations in this regard.

[0105] In some possible scenarios, the network device can also be a module or unit that can implement some or all of the functions of a base station. For example, the network device can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU and a DU, a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be set separately, or they can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as included in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0106] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, the network device may be a network device or a module of a network device in an open radio access network (ORAN) system. In the ORAN system, the CU may also be referred to as an open (O)-CU, the DU may also be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP may also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP may also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU may also be referred to as an O-RU. Any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0107] The network device and the terminal device may be fixed in position or movable. The network device and the terminal device may be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they may also be deployed on water (such as on a ship, etc.); they may also be deployed in the air (such as on an airplane, a balloon, a satellite, etc.). The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the network device and the terminal device.

[0108] Optionally, in the embodiments of this application, when the first communication device and the second communication device are both network devices, the first communication device and the second communication device may be of the same type of network device or different types of network devices.

[0109] The functions of the network device may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a chip system) in the network device, or may be performed by a control subsystem that includes the functions of the network device. Exemplarily, the control subsystem that includes the functions of the network device here may be a control center in the above application scenarios such as a smart grid, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal device may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a chip system or a modem) in the terminal device, or may be performed by a device that includes the functions of the terminal device.

[0110] It should be noted that the communication system described in the embodiments of this application is for more clearly explaining 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.

[0111] Next, the communication method provided by the embodiments of this application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the following embodiments of this application, the method steps executed by the execution entity or each device may be implemented by at least one chip in the execution entity or each device in specific implementations.

[0112] It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the execution entity or each 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, each step may be executed in a different order presented in the embodiments of the present application, and it is possible that not all the operations in the embodiments of the present application need to be executed.

[0113] It should be noted that the message names between devices or the names of each parameter in the message in the following embodiments of the present application are only examples. In specific implementations, other names may also be used, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations in this regard.

[0114] As Figure 8 shown, a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application includes the following steps:

[0115] S801. The first communication device sends first configuration information to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the first configuration information from the first communication device.

[0116] Among them, the first configuration information includes first information and second information. The first information is used to configure the transmission of the first signal within the first time period, and the first signal is used for sensing. The second information is used to configure the transmission of the second signal within the first time period, and the second signal is used for the measurement of the reference path. Exemplarily, the measurement of the reference path may include the measurement of the reference path delay. The reference path may be referred to as the direct path or the line-of-sight path, and the reference path signal is not reflected by the objects in the environment. The reference path signal may refer to the second signal.

[0117] Optionally, the first information is used to configure the transmission of the first signal within the first time period, which can be understood as: the first information is used to configure the transmission of the first signal within the first time period, that is, the second communication device can determine how the first communication device transmits the first signal within the first time period (such as the time-frequency resources occupied by the first signal, etc.), or the manner of transmitting / sending the first signal (such as the spatial domain filter for sending the first signal, etc.) according to the received first information.

[0118] Optionally, the second information is used to configure the transmission of the second signal within the first time period, which can be understood as: the second information is used to configure the transmission of the second signal within the first time period, that is, the second communication device can determine how the first communication device transmits the second signal within the first time period (such as the time-frequency resources occupied by the second signal, etc.), or the manner of transmitting / sending the second signal (such as the spatial domain filter for sending the second signal, etc.) according to the received second information.

[0119] It can be understood that the first time period represents a period of time occupied in the time domain. For example, the first time period may include multiple time domain symbols (such as OFDM symbols), one or more mini-slots, one or more time slots, one or more sub-frames, one or more frames, or a period of time predetermined by the protocol, etc. In addition, the first time period may have other names, such as the first duration, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific name of the first time period.

[0120] S802. The first communication device sends a first signal to the second communication device within the first time period. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives a third signal within the first time period. Wherein, the third signal is an echo signal of the first signal.

[0121] Optionally, the first communication device sending the first signal to the second communication device within the first time period includes: the first communication device sending the first signal to the second communication device using a first spatial domain filter within the first time period, and the first spatial domain filter is used for sensing.

[0122] Exemplarily, the spatial domain filter in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as a beam or a spatial domain transmission filter, and the three can be replaced with each other without limitation.

[0123] Optionally, the first spatial domain filter belongs to a first set of spatial domain filters for sensing, and the first spatial domain filter is the spatial domain filter in the first set of spatial domain filters that maximizes the power of the third signal. Exemplarily, the power of the third signal may refer to the received power of the third signal.

[0124] As a possible implementation, the first set of spatial domain filters includes multiple spatial domain filters, and the regions pointed to by the multiple spatial domain filters are different, or in other words, the directions of the multiple spatial domain filters are different. The first communication device can determine which spatial domain filter in the first set of spatial domain filters to use as the first spatial domain filter according to the specific region to be sensed. At this time, when the first communication device sends the first signal using the first spatial domain filter, the power of the third signal received by the second communication device is the largest.

[0125] Exemplarily, taking the identifiers of the spatial domain filters included in the first set of spatial domain filters as {SF#1, SF#2, SF#3}, the spatial domain filter SF#1 points to region F, the spatial domain filter SF#2 points to region G, and the spatial domain filter SF#3 points to region H as an example, if it is necessary to sense the target in region G, then the spatial domain filter SF#2 is selected as the first spatial domain filter, and the first communication device sends the first signal to the second communication device using the spatial domain filter SF#2 within the first time period. At this time, the second communication device can receive the third signal with the maximum power within the first time period.

[0126] Optionally, the second communication device receives a third signal within a first time period, including: the second communication device receives the third signal by using a third spatial filter within the first time period, where the third spatial filter is used for sensing, and the first spatial filter is associated with the third spatial filter. Exemplarily, when the first communication device sends a first signal by using the first spatial filter within the first time period, the power of the third signal received by the second communication device is the maximum. It can be understood that when the first communication device sends a first signal by using the first spatial filter within the first time period and the second communication device receives the third signal by using the third spatial filter within the first time period, the power of the received third signal is the maximum.

[0127] As a possible implementation, the association relationship between the first spatial filter and the third spatial filter is predefined by a protocol, or configured by a higher-layer signaling, or agreed upon by the first communication device and the second communication device, so that the first communication device and the second communication device cooperate to sense a certain area in space.

[0128] Exemplarily, the first spatial filter and the third spatial filter point to the same area. For example, the first spatial filter points to area G, and the third spatial filter also points to area G. As a possible implementation form, the first spatial filter and the third spatial filter are associated by protocol predefinition. As Figure 9 shown, taking the first communication device as network device #1 and the second communication device as network device #2 as an example, network device #1 sends a first signal to the second communication device by using the first spatial filter within the first time period, and network device #2 correspondingly receives the third signal by using the third spatial filter within the first time period, so as to maximize the received power of the third signal.

[0129] Optionally, the third spatial filter belongs to a set of third spatial filters, and the set of third spatial filters is used for sensing. Any spatial filter in the set of first spatial filters is associated with a certain spatial filter in the set of third spatial filters.

[0130] As a possible implementation, the association relationship between any spatial filter in the set of first spatial filters and a certain spatial filter in the set of third spatial filters is predefined by a protocol, or configured by a higher-layer signaling, or agreed upon by the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0131] Exemplarily, taking the identification of the spatial filters included in the first set of spatial filters as {SF#1, SF#2, SF#3}, where the spatial filter SF#1 points to region F, the spatial filter SF#2 points to region G, and the spatial filter SF#3 points to region H, and taking the identification of the spatial filters included in the third set of spatial filters as {SF#31, SF#32, SF#33}, where the spatial filter SF#31 points to region F, the spatial filter SF#32 points to region G, and the spatial filter SF#33 points to region H as an example, as a possible implementation form, the protocol pre - defines that the spatial filter SF#1 is associated with the spatial filter SF#31, the spatial filter SF#2 is associated with the spatial filter SF#32, and the spatial filter SF#3 is associated with the spatial filter SF#33.

[0132] Optionally, the first communication device periodically sends a first signal to the second communication device using a first spatial filter within a first time period. Correspondingly, the second communication device periodically receives a third signal using a third spatial filter within the first time period.

[0133] S803. The first communication device sends a second signal to the second communication device within a first time period. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the second signal from the first communication device within the first time period.

[0134] Optionally, the first communication device sending a second signal to the second communication device within a first time period includes: the first communication device sending the second signal to the second communication device using a second spatial filter within the first time period, and the second spatial filter is used for the measurement of the reference path. Exemplarily, the first spatial filter is different from the second spatial filter.

[0135] Optionally, the second spatial filter belongs to a second set of spatial filters, and the second set of spatial filters is used for the measurement of the reference path. The second spatial filter is the spatial filter in the second set of spatial filters that maximizes the reference path power. Exemplarily, the reference path power may refer to the received power of the second signal, and maximizing the reference path power can be understood as maximizing the reference path signal power or the second signal power.

[0136] As a possible implementation, the second set of spatial filters includes multiple spatial filters, and the regions pointed to by the multiple spatial filters are different, or rather, the directions of the multiple spatial filters are different. The first communication device may select the spatial filter pointing to the antenna panel region of the second communication device as the second spatial filter. In this case, when the first communication device sends the second signal using this second spatial filter, the power of the second signal received by the second communication device is the maximum.

[0137] Optionally, the second communication device receives a second signal from the first communication device within a first time period, including: the second communication device receives the second signal from the first communication device within the first time period by using a fourth spatial domain filter for reference path measurement, and the second spatial domain filter is associated with the fourth spatial domain filter. Exemplarily, when the first communication device sends the second signal by using the second spatial domain filter within the first time period, the power of the second signal received by the second communication device is the maximum. It can be understood that when the first communication device sends the second signal by using the second spatial domain filter within the first time period and the second communication device receives the second signal by using the fourth spatial domain filter within the first time period, the power of the second signal received is the maximum.

[0138] Exemplarily, the second spatial domain filter points to the antenna panel area of the second communication device, the fourth spatial domain filter points to the antenna panel area of the first communication device, and the second spatial domain filter is associated with the fourth spatial domain filter and is used for reference path measurement. Exemplarily, the third spatial domain filter is different from the fourth spatial domain filter.

[0139] As a possible implementation, the association relationship between the second spatial domain filter and the fourth spatial domain filter is predefined by a protocol, or configured by a higher layer signaling, or agreed upon by the first communication device and the second communication device, so that the first communication device and the second communication device cooperate to measure the reference path.

[0140] As a possible implementation form, the protocol predefines the association between the second spatial domain filter and the fourth spatial domain filter. As Figure 10 shown, taking the first communication device as network device #1 and the second communication device as network device #2 as an example, network device #1 sends a second signal to the second communication device by using the second spatial domain filter within the first time period, and network device #2 receives the second signal by using the fourth spatial domain filter within the first time period, so as to maximize the received power of the second signal.

[0141] Optionally, the fourth spatial domain filter belongs to a set of fourth spatial domain filters for reference path measurement.

[0142] As a possible implementation, the association relationship between any spatial domain filter in the second set of spatial domain filters and a certain spatial domain filter in the fourth set of spatial domain filters is predefined by a protocol, or configured by a higher layer signaling, or agreed upon by the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0143] Exemplarily, taking the identifier of the spatial domain filter included in the second set of spatial domain filters as {SF#21} and the identifier of the spatial domain filter included in the fourth set of spatial domain filters as {SF#41} as an example, as a possible implementation form, the protocol predefines the association between the spatial domain filter SF#21 and the spatial domain filter SF#41.

[0144] Exemplarily, taking the identification of the spatial domain filters included in the second set of spatial domain filters as {SF#21, SF#22} and the identification of the spatial domain filters included in the fourth set of spatial domain filters as {SF#41, SF#42} as an example, as a possible implementation form, the protocol predefines that the spatial domain filter SF#21 is associated with the spatial domain filter SF#41, and the spatial domain filter SF#22 is associated with the spatial domain filter SF#42. Taking SF#21 pointing to the antenna panel area of the second communication device and SF#41 pointing to the antenna panel area of the first communication device as an example, during the transmission of the second signal, the first communication device uses the spatial domain filter SF#21 to send the second signal, and the second communication device uses the spatial domain filter SF#41 to receive the second signal with the maximum signal strength.

[0145] Optionally, the first set of spatial domain filters and the second set of spatial domain filters may be the same or different, and the third set of spatial domain filters and the fourth set of spatial domain filters may be the same or different.

[0146] Optionally, the first communication device non-periodically sends the second signal to the second communication device using the second set of spatial domain filters within the first time period. Correspondingly, the second communication device non-periodically receives the second signal from the first communication device using the fourth set of spatial domain filters within the first time period. It should be noted that there is no strict sequence between the above steps S802 and S803. Step S803 may be executed first, and then step S802; or, step S802 may be executed first and then step S803; or, steps S803 and S802 may be executed simultaneously. This application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0147] Optionally, the second communication device may sense a target in the environment based on the third signal, and combine the third signal and the second signal to suppress the time synchronization error between the first communication device and the second communication device, and eliminate the adverse impact of the time synchronization error on the sensing result, so as to obtain the sensing information of the target in the environment, such as the position and speed of the target.

[0148] Exemplarily, taking the time synchronization error between the first communication device and the second communication device as τ e , and the transmission delay of the reference path as τ1 and the transmission delay of the reflected path signal as τ2 as an example, the second communication device may sense the target based on the third signal to obtain the delay corresponding to the reflected path, that is, τ2 + τ e , and the second communication device may also measure the reference path based on the second signal to obtain the delay corresponding to the reference path, that is, τ1 + τ e, then subtracting the time delay corresponding to the reflected path from the time delay corresponding to the reference path can eliminate the time synchronization error between the first communication device and the second communication device, and obtain the value of τ2 - τ1, where τ1 is equal to the distance between the first communication device and the second communication device divided by the speed of light, so that the time delay τ2 corresponding to the target distance can be calculated.

[0149] Based on this solution, in the bistatic sensing mode, the first communication device sends the first configuration information to the second communication device, which is used to configure the transmission of the first signal and the second signal within the first time period, and sends the first signal for sensing and the second signal for reference path measurement, so that the second communication device can receive the echo signal of the first signal and the second signal according to the first configuration information, and can also obtain the time delay corresponding to the reflected path (reflecting the target distance) according to the echo signal of the first signal, and obtain the time delay corresponding to the reference path according to the second signal. Furthermore, according to these two time delays, the adverse effect of the time synchronization error between the transceiver and the reflected path corresponding to the time delay can be eliminated, thereby improving the accuracy of the target ranging result and enhancing the sensing accuracy. In addition, the first configuration information carries the configuration information of the first signal for sensing and the configuration information of the second signal for reference path measurement at the same time, thereby saving air interface resources.

[0150] In a possible implementation manner, the first configuration information further includes third information, and the third information indicates the time length of the first time period. Exemplarily, the third information indicates the number of time units included in the first time period.

[0151] Exemplarily, the time unit in the present application may be a mini-slot, an aggregated slot, a sub-frame, a time unit agreed by the protocol, etc. A radio frame may include multiple sub-frames, each sub-frame includes multiple time slots, and each time slot includes multiple time domain symbols. The specific name of the time unit in the embodiments of the present application is not limited.

[0152] As a possible implementation, the third information includes at least one bit, and the number of time units included in the first time period is the number corresponding to the value of at least one bit.

[0153] Exemplarily, taking the time unit as a time slot, the third information includes 4 bits, and the value of the 4 bits has a corresponding relationship with the number of time slots included in the first time period. Taking the corresponding relationship between the two as shown in Table 1 as an example, when the value of the 4 bits included in the third information is 1001, the third information indicates that the first time period includes 80 time slots.

[0154] Table 1

[0155] Value of 4 bits Number of time slots 0001 1 0010 2 … … 1001 80 … … 1110 2560

[0156] Optionally, the third information may not be carried in the first configuration information, but carried in other information and sent separately.

[0157] In a possible implementation, as Figure 11 shown, after step S801 and before step S802, the communication method further includes steps S800a and S800b:

[0158] S800a. The first communication device sends fourth information to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the fourth information from the first communication device.

[0159] Optionally, the fourth information is used to indicate the starting time unit of the first time period, or is used to indicate the starting time domain position of the first time period.

[0160] As a possible implementation form, the fourth information indicates that the offset between the starting time unit of the first time period and the time unit where the fourth information is located is P time units, and P is a positive integer.

[0161] Exemplarily, taking the time unit as a time slot and the time slot where the fourth information is located as time slot 1, if P is 1, the offset of the starting time slot of the first time period relative to the time slot where the fourth information is located is 1, that is, the starting time slot of the first time period is the next time slot of the time slot where the fourth information is located, that is, time slot 2; if P is 2, the offset of the starting time slot of the first time period relative to the time slot where the fourth information is located is 2, that is, the starting time slot of the first time period is the next 2 time slots of the time slot where the fourth information is located, that is, time slot 3.

[0162] Optionally, the first communication device may also not send the fourth information. At this time, the starting time unit of the first time period may be the next time unit of the time unit where the first configuration information is located, or the offset between the starting time unit of the first time period and the time unit where the first configuration information is located is P' time units, and P' is a value predefined by the protocol, and P' is a positive integer.

[0163] S800b. The first communication device sends fifth information to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the fifth information from the first communication device.

[0164] Optionally, the fifth information is used to trigger the sending of the second signal, or the fifth information is used to indicate the time unit where the second signal is located.

[0165] As a possible implementation form, the fifth information indicates that the offset between the time unit where the second signal is located and the time unit where the fifth information is located is Q time units, and Q is a positive integer.

[0166] Exemplarily, assuming that the time unit is a time slot, the time slot in which the fifth information is located is time slot 3, and Q is 2. Then, the offset of the time slot in which the second signal is located relative to the time slot in which the fifth information is located is 2, that is, the time slot in which the second signal is located is the second time slot after the time slot in which the fifth information is located, namely time slot 5. At this time, on time slot 5, the first communication device sends the second signal, and the second communication device receives the second signal from the first communication device.

[0167] Optionally, the fourth information and / or the fifth information may also be carried in the first configuration information, or the fourth information and / or the fifth information may be carried in other information outside the first configuration information, without limitation.

[0168] It should be noted that there is no strict order between the above step S800a and step S800b. Step S800a may be executed first, and then step S800b; or, step S800b may be executed first and then step S800a; or, step S800a and step S800b may be executed simultaneously. This application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0169] The overall process of the communication method provided in this application has been described above. Next, the specific implementation of the first information and the second information included in the first configuration information will be introduced in detail.

[0170] In a possible implementation manner, the first information indicates at least one of the following: the time domain resources occupied by the first signal (denoted as the first time domain resources), the frequency domain resources occupied by the first signal (denoted as the first frequency domain resources), the sequence used to generate the first signal (denoted as the first sequence), or the first spatial domain filter.

[0171] As a possible implementation, the first information indicates the first time domain resources, including: the first information includes a first bit map, the number of bits included in the first bit map is the same as the number of time domain symbols in each time unit within the first time period, the bits in the first bit map correspond one-to-one with the time domain symbols in each time unit within the first time period, and the bits in the first bit map indicate whether the time domain symbol corresponding to the bit within each time unit within the first time period is used to carry the first signal.

[0172] Exemplarily, assuming that the time unit is a time slot, each time slot includes 14 time domain symbols, and the 14 time domain symbols are respectively denoted as symbol #1, symbol #2, symbol #3, symbol #4, symbol #5, symbol #6, symbol #7, symbol #8, symbol #9, symbol #10, symbol #11, symbol #12, symbol #13, symbol #14. The first bit map includes 14 bits, and the 14 bits correspond one-to-one with the 14 time domain symbols in each time slot.

[0173] If the value of a certain bit is the first numerical value, the time-domain symbol corresponding to this bit in each time unit within the first time period is used to carry the first signal. If the value of a certain bit is the second numerical value, the time-domain symbol corresponding to this bit in each time unit within the first time period is not used to carry the first signal. Exemplarily, the first numerical value is 1, and correspondingly, the second numerical value is 0; or, the first numerical value is 0, and correspondingly, the second numerical value is 1.

[0174] Taking the time unit as a time slot, the first numerical value as 1, and the second numerical value as 0 as an example, if the first bit map value is 00000010000001, that is, the 7th bit and the 14th bit in the first bit map have a value of 1, and the rest of the bits have a value of 0, as Figure 12 shown, the 7th symbol (i.e., symbol #7, corresponding to the 7th bit in the first bit map) and the 14th symbol (i.e., symbol #14, corresponding to the 14th bit in the first bit map) in each time slot within the first time period are used to carry the first signal. If the first bit map value is 00000110000011, that is, the 6th bit, the 7th bit, the 13th bit, and the 14th bit in the first bit map have a value of 1, and the rest of the bits have a value of 0, the 6th symbol (i.e., symbol #6, corresponding to the 6th bit in the first bit map), the 7th symbol (i.e., symbol #7, corresponding to the 7th bit in the first bit map), the 13th symbol (i.e., symbol #13, corresponding to the 13th bit in the first bit map), and the 14th symbol (i.e., symbol #14, corresponding to the 14th bit in the first bit map) in each time slot within the first time period are used to carry the first signal.

[0175] As another possible implementation, the first information indicates the first time-domain resource, including: the first information indicates at least one of the following for the first time-domain resource: period, the number of consecutive time-domain symbols occupied, the time-domain start position, or the time-domain end position.

[0176] Optionally, the period of the first time-domain resource is multiple time-domain symbols. When the first information indicates the period of the first time-domain resource, the first signal is transmitted periodically within the first time period.

[0177] Optionally, the number of consecutive time-domain symbols occupied by the first time-domain resource can be understood as the number of consecutive time-domain symbols used to carry the first signal.

[0178] As a possible implementation form, the offset between the time domain start position or the time domain end position of the first time domain resource and the first time domain symbol within the period of the first time domain resource is W time domain symbols, that is, W represents the offset between the time domain start position or the time domain end position of the first time domain resource and the first time domain symbol within the period of the first time domain resource, and W is a positive integer. Alternatively, the offset between the time domain start position or the time domain end position of the first time domain resource and the last time domain symbol within the period of the first time domain resource is W' time domain symbols, that is, W' represents the offset between the time domain start position or the time domain end position of the first time domain resource and the last time domain symbol within the period of the first time domain resource, and W' is a positive integer.

[0179] As another possible implementation, the offset between the time domain start position or the time domain end position of the first first time domain resource within a time unit and the first time domain symbol within the time unit is Z time domain symbols, that is, Z represents the offset between the time domain start position or the time domain end position of the first first time domain resource within a time unit and the first time domain symbol within the time unit, and Z is a positive integer. Alternatively, the offset between the time domain start position or the time domain end position of the first first time domain resource within a time unit and the last time domain symbol within the time unit is Z' time domain symbols, that is, Z' represents the offset between the time domain start position or the time domain end position of the first first time domain resource within a time unit and the last time domain symbol within the time unit, and Z' is a positive integer.

[0180] As a possible example, the first information may include at least one of a first field, a second field, or a third field. Among them, the first field indicates the number of time domain symbols included within the period of the first time domain resource. For example, the value of the first field is the number of time domain symbols included in this period, or the value of the first field has a corresponding relationship with the number of time domain symbols included in this period, and this corresponding relationship may be predefined by the protocol or configured by the first communication device.

[0181] The second field indicates the number of consecutive time domain symbols occupied by the first time domain resource. For example, the value of the second field is the number of consecutive time domain symbols occupied by the first time domain resource, or the value of the second field has a corresponding relationship with the number of consecutive time domain symbols occupied by the first time domain resource, and this corresponding relationship may be predefined by the protocol or configured by the first communication device.

[0182] The third field indicates the offset of the start or end position of the first time-domain resource in the time domain from the first time-domain symbol within a period. For example, if the value of the third field is the offset of the start or end position of the first time-domain resource in the time domain from the first time-domain symbol within a period, or there is a corresponding relationship between the value of the third field and the offset of the start or end position of the first time-domain resource in the time domain from the first time-domain symbol within a period. Alternatively, the third field indicates the offset between the start or end position of the first time-domain resource within a time unit and the first time-domain symbol within the time unit. For example, if the value of the third field is the offset between the start or end position of the first time-domain resource within a time unit and the first time-domain symbol within the time unit, or there is a corresponding relationship between the value of the third field and the offset between the start or end position of the first time-domain resource within a time unit and the first time-domain symbol within the time unit, and this corresponding relationship can be predefined by the protocol or configured by the first communication device.

[0183] Exemplarily, taking the time unit as a time slot, and each time slot includes 14 time-domain symbols, which are respectively denoted as symbol #1, symbol #2, symbol #3, symbol #4, symbol #5, symbol #6, symbol #7, symbol #8, symbol #9, symbol #10, symbol #11, symbol #12, symbol #13, and symbol #14 as an example:

[0184] Taking the value of the first field as the number of time-domain symbols included in the period of the first time-domain resource as an example, if the value of the first field is 7, then the period of the first time-domain resource is 7 time-domain symbols, that is, symbol #1, symbol #2, symbol #3, symbol #4, symbol #5, symbol #6, and symbol #7 within the time slot are one period, and symbol #8, symbol #9, symbol #10, symbol #11, symbol #12, symbol #13, and symbol #14 within the time slot are one period, that is, there are 2 periods within the time slot.

[0185] Taking the value of the second field as the number of consecutive time-domain symbols occupied by the first time-domain resource as an example, if the value of the second field is 1, then the number of consecutive time-domain symbols occupied by the first time-domain resource is 1.

[0186] Taking the value of the third field as the offset of the start position of the first time-domain resource in the time domain from the first time-domain symbol within the period as an example, if the value of the third field is 6, then the offset of the start position of the first time-domain resource in the time domain from the first time-domain symbol within the period is 6 (i.e., W takes the value of 6), that is, the start position of the first time-domain resource in the time domain is the seventh time-domain symbol within the period.

[0187] Taking the value of the third field as the offset between the time domain start position of the first first time domain resource within a time slot and the first time domain symbol within the time slot as an example, if the value of the third field is 6, then the offset between the time domain start position of the first first time domain resource within the time slot and the first time domain symbol within the time slot is 6 (i.e., Z takes the value of 6).

[0188] At this time, as Figure 12 shown, the time domain symbols occupied by the first time domain resource within a time slot are symbol #7 and time domain symbol #14, that is, symbol #7 and time domain symbol #14 of each time slot in the first time period are used to carry the first signal.

[0189] In a possible implementation manner, the first information indicates the first frequency domain resource, including: the first information indicates the comb size and / or the frequency domain start position of the first frequency domain resource.

[0190] As a possible implementation, the first information includes a fourth field, and the fourth field indicates the comb size of the first frequency domain resource. For example, the value of the fourth field is the comb size of the first frequency domain resource, or there is a corresponding relationship between the value of the fourth field and the comb size of the first frequency domain resource, and this corresponding relationship can be predefined by the protocol or configured by the first communication device.

[0191] Exemplarily, taking the value of the fourth field as the comb size of the first frequency domain resource as an example, if the value of the fourth field is 2, as Figure 13 shown, the shaded part in the figure is the resource element (RE) carrying the first signal. At this time, the comb size of the first frequency domain resource is 2, that is, one RE out of every 2 REs is used to carry the first signal, or the difference in the numbers of any two adjacent REs occupied by the first signal in the frequency domain is 2.

[0192] Optionally, the frequency domain start position of the first frequency domain resource is the position of the first RE occupied by the first signal, and the first information indicates the offset (or frequency shift) between the first RE occupied by the first signal and the first RE within the resource block (RB) within each time unit or each period.

[0193] As a possible implementation, the first information includes a fifth field, and the fifth field indicates the offset between the first RE occupied by the first signal and the first RE within the RB within each time unit or each period. For example, the value of the fifth field is the offset between the first RE occupied by the first signal and the first RE within the RB within each time unit or each period, or there is a corresponding relationship between the value of the fifth field and the offset between the first RE occupied by the first signal and the first RE within the RB within each time unit or each period, and this corresponding relationship can be predefined by the protocol or configured by the first communication device.

[0194] As a possible implementation form, taking the value of the fifth field as the offset between the first RE occupied by the first signal in each time unit and the first RE in the RB as an example, the fifth field includes X characters, where X is the number of first signals included in each time unit; the X characters correspond one-to-one with the X first signals, and the value of the character is the offset of the first RE occupied by the first signal corresponding to the character in each time unit relative to the first RE in the RB, and X is a positive integer.

[0195] Exemplarily, taking the time unit as a time slot, the number of first signals included in each time slot is 2, that is, X is 2, the fifth field includes 2 characters, the first character corresponds to the first first signal in each time slot, and the second character corresponds to the second first signal in each time slot. For example, if the 2 characters are "01", as Figure 13 shown, the first character "0" indicates that the offset of the first RE occupied by the first first signal in each time slot relative to the first RE in the RB is 0, and the second character "1" indicates that the offset of the first RE occupied by the second first signal in each time slot relative to the first RE in the RB is 1.

[0196] In a possible implementation manner, the first information indicates a first sequence, including: the first information indicates at least one of the following for the first sequence: sequence initial value, root value, or cyclic shift value.

[0197] As a possible implementation form, when the first signal is generated based on a Gold sequence, the first sequence is a Gold sequence, and the first information indicates the initial value of the Gold sequence used to generate the first signal.

[0198] As another possible implementation form, when the first signal is generated based on a Zadoff-Chu sequence (abbreviated as ZC sequence), the first information indicates the root value of the ZC sequence used by the first signal and / or the cyclic shift value of the ZC sequence.

[0199] In a possible implementation manner, the first information indicates a first spatial domain filter, including: the first information includes the index of the first spatial domain filter in the first spatial domain filter set; or, includes the identifier of the first spatial domain filter.

[0200] As a possible implementation, the first information includes a sixth field, and the sixth field indicates the index of the first spatial domain filter in the set of first spatial domain filters. For example, the value of the sixth field is the index of the first spatial domain filter in the set of first spatial domain filters, or there is a corresponding relationship between the value of the sixth field and the index of the first spatial domain filter in the set of first spatial domain filters. This corresponding relationship can be predefined by the protocol or configured by the first communication device. Taking the value of the sixth field as the index of the first spatial domain filter in the set of first spatial domain filters as an example, for example, the set of first spatial domain filters includes 8 spatial domain filters, and the indexes are integers from 0 to 7. If the value of the sixth field is 1, the index of the first spatial domain filter is 1. At this time, the first communication device uses the spatial domain filter with index 1 to send the first signal.

[0201] Alternatively, the sixth field indicates the identifier of the first spatial domain filter. For example, the value of the sixth field is the identifier of the first spatial domain filter, or there is a corresponding relationship between the value of the sixth field and the identifier of the first spatial domain filter. This corresponding relationship can be predefined by the protocol or configured by the first communication device. Taking the value of the sixth field as the identifier of the first spatial domain filter as an example, if the value of the sixth field is 8, the identifier of the first spatial domain filter is 8. At this time, the first communication device uses the spatial domain filter with identifier 8 to send the first signal.

[0202] The implementation of the first information is introduced in detail above. Next, the implementation of the second information will be introduced in detail.

[0203] Exemplarily, the second information indicates at least one of the following: the time domain resources occupied by the second signal (denoted as the second time domain resources), the frequency domain resources occupied by the second signal (the second frequency domain resources), the sequence used to generate the second signal (denoted as the second sequence), or the second spatial domain filter.

[0204] As a possible implementation form, the second information indicates the second time domain resources, including: the second information indicates at least one of the following of the second time domain resources: the number of consecutive time domain symbols occupied, the time domain start position, or the time domain end position.

[0205] Optionally, the number of consecutive time domain symbols occupied by the second time domain resources can refer to the relevant description of the number of consecutive time domain symbols occupied by the first time domain resources, and the time domain start position or the time domain end position of the second time domain resources can refer to the relevant description of the time domain start position or the time domain end position of the first time domain resources, which will not be elaborated here.

[0206] As a possible example, the second information includes a seventh field and / or an eighth field. The seventh field indicates the number of consecutive time domain symbols occupied by the second time domain resource. For example, the value of the seventh field is the number of consecutive time domain symbols occupied by the second time domain resource, or there is a corresponding relationship between the value of the seventh field and the number of consecutive time domain symbols occupied by the second time domain resource. This corresponding relationship can be predefined by the protocol or configured by the first communication device.

[0207] The eighth field indicates the offset between the time domain start position or the time domain end position of the second time domain resource within a time unit and the first time domain symbol within the time unit. For example, the value of the eighth field is the offset between the time domain start position or the time domain end position of the second time domain resource within a time unit and the first time domain symbol within the time unit, or there is a corresponding relationship between the value of the eighth field and the offset between the time domain start position or the time domain end position of the second time domain resource within a time unit and the first time domain symbol within the time unit. This corresponding relationship can be predefined by the protocol or configured by the first communication device. Exemplarily, taking the time unit as a time slot, and the 14 time domain symbols included in the time slot are respectively denoted as symbol #1, symbol #2, symbol #3, symbol #4, symbol #5, symbol #6, symbol #7, symbol #8, symbol #9, symbol #10, symbol #11, symbol #12, symbol #13, symbol #14 as an example:

[0208] Taking the value of the seventh field as the number of consecutive time domain symbols occupied by the second time domain resource as an example, if the value of the seventh field is 2, the number of consecutive time domain symbols occupied by the second time domain resource is 2.

[0209] Taking the value of the eighth field as the offset between the time domain start position of the second time domain resource within the time slot and the first time domain symbol within the time slot as an example, if the value of the eighth field is 10, the offset between the time domain start position of the second time domain resource and the first time domain symbol (i.e., symbol #1) within the time slot is 10, that is, the time domain start position of the second time domain resource is symbol #11.

[0210] At this time, as Figure 12 shown, the time domain symbols occupied by the second time domain resource are symbol #11 and symbol #12, that is, symbol #11 and time domain symbol #12 in a certain time slot of the first time period are used to carry the second signal.

[0211] Optionally, by combining the fifth information and the second time domain resource indicated by the second information, the second communication device can determine the specific time domain position where the second signal is located. In addition, the second signal can be sent aperiodically or periodically within the first time period, and this application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0212] Optionally, the second information indicates a second frequency domain resource, including: the second information indicates the comb size and / or the frequency domain start position of the second frequency domain resource.

[0213] Optionally, the comb size of the second frequency-domain resource may refer to the relevant description of the comb size of the first frequency-domain resource, and the starting position in the frequency domain of the second frequency-domain resource may refer to the relevant description of the starting position in the frequency domain of the first frequency-domain resource, which will not be elaborated here.

[0214] As a possible implementation, the second information includes a ninth field, and the ninth field indicates the comb size of the second frequency-domain resource. For example, the value of the ninth field is the comb size of the second frequency-domain resource, or there is a correspondence between the value of the ninth field and the comb size of the second frequency-domain resource, and this correspondence may be predefined by the protocol or configured by the first communication device.

[0215] Exemplarily, taking the value of the ninth field as the comb size of the second frequency-domain resource as an example, if the value of the ninth field is 4, then the comb size of the second frequency-domain resource is 4, that is, one RE out of every 4 REs is used to carry the second signal, or the difference in the numbers of any two adjacent REs occupied by the second signal in the frequency domain is 4.

[0216] As a possible implementation, the second information includes a tenth field, and the tenth field indicates the offset between the first RE occupied by the second signal in a certain time unit in the first time period and the first RE in the RB. For example, the value of the tenth field is the offset between the first RE occupied by the second signal in a certain time unit in the first time period and the first RE in the RB, or there is a correspondence between the value of the tenth field and the offset between the first RE occupied by the second signal in a certain time unit in the first time period and the first RE in the RB, and this correspondence may be predefined by the protocol or configured by the first communication device.

[0217] As a possible implementation form, taking the value of the tenth field as the offset between the first RE occupied by the second signal in a certain time unit in the first time period and the first RE in the RB as an example, the tenth field includes Y characters, where Y is the number of second signals included in a certain time unit in the first time period; the Y characters correspond to the Y second signals one by one, and the value of the character is the offset of the first RE occupied by the second signal corresponding to this character in a certain time unit in the first time period relative to the first RE in the RB, and Y is a positive integer.

[0218] Exemplarily, taking the time unit as a time slot, the number of second signals included in a certain time slot in the first time period is 1, that is, Y is 1, and the tenth field includes 1 character. Taking the first character corresponding to the first second signal in a certain time slot in the first time period as an example, if the first character is "1", it means that the offset of the first RE occupied by the first second signal in a certain time slot in the first time period relative to the first RE in the RB is 1.

[0219] Optionally, the second information indicates the second sequence, including: the second information indicates at least one of the following items used for the second sequence: a sequence initial value, a root value, or a cyclic shift value.

[0220] As a possible implementation form, when the second signal is generated based on a Gold sequence, the second sequence is a Gold sequence, and the second information indicates an initial value of the Gold sequence used to generate the second signal.

[0221] As another possible implementation form, when the second signal is generated based on a Zadoff-Chu sequence (ZC sequence for short), the second information indicates a root value of the ZC sequence and / or a cyclic shift value of the ZC sequence used by the second signal.

[0222] Optionally, the second sequence and the first sequence may be the same or different.

[0223] Optionally, the second information indicates the second spatial domain filter, including: the second information includes an index of the second spatial domain filter in the second spatial domain filter set; or includes an identifier of the second spatial domain filter.

[0224] As a possible implementation, the second information includes an eleventh field, and the eleventh field indicates the index of the second spatial domain filter in the second spatial domain filter set. If the value of the eleventh field is the index of the second spatial domain filter in the second spatial domain filter set, or there is a correspondence between the value of the eleventh field and the index of the second spatial domain filter in the second spatial domain filter set, the correspondence may be predefined by the protocol or configured by the first communication device. Taking the value of the eleventh field as the index of the second spatial domain filter in the second spatial domain filter set as an example, illustratively, the second spatial domain filter set includes 10 spatial domain filters, and the indexes are integers from 0 to 9 respectively. If the value of the eleventh field is 6, the index of the second spatial domain filter is 6. At this time, the first communication device uses the spatial domain filter with an index of 6 to send the second signal.

[0225] Alternatively, the eleventh field indicates the identifier of the second spatial domain filter. If the value of the eleventh field is the identifier of the second spatial domain filter, or there is a correspondence between the value of the eleventh field and the identifier of the second spatial domain filter, the correspondence may be predefined by the protocol or configured by the first communication device. Taking the value of the eleventh field as the identifier of the second spatial domain filter as an example, if the value of the eleventh field is 9, the identifier of the second spatial domain filter is 9, and the first communication device uses the spatial domain filter with the identifier 9 to send the second signal.

[0226] The above is described by taking two network devices collaborating for sensing, or a network device and a terminal device collaborating for sensing as examples. The above solution can also be appropriately modified for use in scenarios where two terminal devices collaborate for sensing. For example:

[0227] The above step S801 can be replaced with: The network device sends first configuration information to the first communication device and the second communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device and the second communication device receive the first configuration information from the network device.

[0228] In the above step S802, the first communication device sends a first signal according to the received first configuration information. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives a third signal according to the received first configuration information.

[0229] In the above step S803, the first communication device sends a second signal according to the received first configuration information. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the second signal according to the received first configuration information.

[0230] Optionally, the above step S800a can be replaced with: The network device sends fourth information to the first communication device and the second communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device and the second communication device receive the fourth information from the network device. Optionally, the above step S800b can be replaced with: The network device sends fifth information to the first communication device and the second communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device and the second communication device receive the fifth information from the network device.

[0231] Optionally, when both the first communication device and the second communication device are terminal devices, the first communication device and the second communication device can be of the same type of terminal device or different types of terminal devices.

[0232] The above describes the method provided by this application. In addition, this application also provides a communication device for implementing the functions described in the above method embodiments.

[0233] It can be understood that, in order to implement the above functions, the communication device includes the corresponding hardware structure and / or software module for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, combining the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, 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.

[0234] Embodiments of the present application can divide functional modules of a 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 the present application is illustrative, only a logical function division, and there can be other division methods in actual implementation.

[0235] Communication device Figure 14 FIG. shows a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 140. The communication device 140 includes a processing module 1401 and a transceiver module 1402. The communication device 140 can be used to implement the functions of the above first communication device or second communication device.

[0236] In some embodiments, the communication device 140 may further include a storage module ( Figure 14 not shown in the figure) for storing program instructions and data.

[0237] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1402, which can also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement the sending and / or receiving functions. The transceiver module 1402 can be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0238] 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 communication device or the second communication device in the above method embodiments, and / or to support other processes described in this document; the processing module 1401 can be used to execute the processing steps performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above method embodiments, and / or to support other processes described in this document.

[0239] When the communication device 140 is used to implement the functions of the first communication device, in a possible implementation manner:

[0240] The transceiver module 1402 is used to send first configuration information, where the first configuration information includes first information and second information. The first information is used to configure the transmission of a first signal for sensing within a first time period, and the second information is used to configure the transmission of a second signal for reference path measurement within the first time period; the transceiver module 1402 is further used to send the first signal within the first time period; the transceiver module 1402 is further used to send the second signal within the first time period.

[0241] Optionally, the transceiver module 1402 is further used to send at least one of the following: fourth information, or fifth information. The fourth information is used to indicate the start time unit of the first time period, and the fifth information is used to trigger the sending of the second signal.

[0242] When the communication device 140 is used to implement the functions of the second communication device, in a possible implementation:

[0243] A transceiver module 1402, configured to receive first configuration information, where the first configuration information includes first information and second information, the first information is used to configure the transmission of a first signal for sensing within a first time period, and the second information is used to configure the transmission of a second signal for the measurement of a reference path within the first time period; the transceiver module 1402 is further configured to receive a third signal within the first time period; the transceiver module 1402 is further configured to receive the second signal within the first time period.

[0244] Optionally, the transceiver module 1402 is further configured to receive at least one of the following: fourth information or fifth information, the fourth information is used to indicate the start time unit of the first time period, and the fifth information is used to trigger the transmission of the second signal.

[0245] Wherein, all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be cited in the function descriptions of the corresponding functional modules, and will not be elaborated here.

[0246] In this application, the communication device 140 may be presented in the form of integrating and dividing each functional module. Here, a "module" may refer to an 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.

[0247] In some embodiments, when Figure 14 the communication device 140 in is a chip or a chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1402 may 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 may be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0248] Since the communication device 140 provided in this embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects that can be obtained thereby can refer to the above method embodiments and will not be elaborated here.

[0249] As a possible product form, the first communication device or the second communication device described in the embodiments of the present application can 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.

[0250] As another possible product form, the first communication device or the second communication 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 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1500 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1500 includes a processor 1501 and a transceiver 1502. The communication device 1500 can be the first communication device, or a chip or chip system therein; or, the communication device 1500 can be the second communication device, or a chip or module therein. Figure 15 Only the main components of the communication device 1500 are shown. In addition to the processor 1501 and the transceiver 1502, the communication device may further include a memory 1503 and an input / output device (not shown in the figure).

[0251] Optionally, the processor 1501 is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process data of the software programs, so as to implement the methods provided in the above method embodiments. The memory 1503 is mainly used to store software programs and data. The transceiver 1502 may include a radio frequency circuit and an antenna. The radio frequency circuit is mainly used for the conversion between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and the processing of radio frequency signals. The antenna is mainly used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. The input / output device, such as a touch screen, a display screen, a keyboard, etc., is mainly used to receive data input by the user and output data to the user.

[0252] Optionally, the processor 1501, the transceiver 1502, and the memory 1503 can be connected through a communication bus.

[0253] 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 radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then transmits the radio frequency signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency 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.

[0254] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna can be set independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna can be independent of the communication device and arranged in a remote form.

[0255] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art can think that the above communication device 140 can adopt Figure 15 the form of the communication device 1500 shown.

[0256] As an example, Figure 14 the function / implementation process of the processing module 1401 in Figure 15 can be implemented by the processor 1501 in the communication device 1500 shown calling the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1503. Figure 14 the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1402 in Figure 15 can be implemented by the transceiver 1502 in the communication device 1500 shown.

[0257] As another possible product form, the first communication device or the second communication device in this application can adopt Figure 16 the composition structure shown, or include Figure 16 the components shown. Figure 16 FIG. is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 1600 provided by this application. The communication device 1600 can be the first communication device or a chip or system on a chip in the first communication device; or, it can be the second communication device or a module or chip or system on a chip in the second communication device.

[0258] As shown in Figure 16 , the communication device 1600 includes at least one processor 1601 and at least one communication interface ( Figure 16 only one communication interface 1604 and one processor 1601 are taken as examples for illustration). Optionally, the communication device 1600 may further include a communication bus 1602 and a memory 1603.

[0259] The processor 1601 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a PLD, or any combination thereof. The processor 1601 may also be other devices with processing capabilities, such as circuits, devices, or software modules, without limitation.

[0260] The communication bus 1602 is used to connect different components in the communication device 1600, enabling different components to communicate. The communication bus 1602 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 representation, Figure 16 only a thick line is used to represent it in the figure, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0261] The communication interface 1604 is used to communicate with other devices or communication networks. Exemplarily, the communication interface 1604 may be a module, a circuit, a transceiver, or any device capable of implementing communication. Optionally, the communication interface 1604 may also be an input / output interface located within the processor 1601 to implement signal input and signal output of the processor.

[0262] The memory 1603 may be a device with storage capabilities, used to store instructions and / or data. Among them, the instructions may be computer programs.

[0263] Exemplarily, the memory 1603 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and / or instructions. It can also be a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and / or instructions. Additionally, it can 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, without limitation.

[0264] It should be noted that the memory 1603 can exist independently of the processor 1601 or be integrated with the processor 1601. The memory 1603 can be located inside the communication device 1600 or outside the communication device 1600, without limitation. The processor 1601 can be used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 1603 to implement the methods provided in the following embodiments of the present application.

[0265] As an alternative implementation, the communication device 1600 can further include an output device 1605 and an input device 1606. The output device 1605 communicates with the processor 1601 and can display information in various ways. For example, the output device 1605 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 1606 communicates with the processor 1601 and can receive user input in various ways. For example, the input device 1606 can be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensing device, etc.

[0266] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art can envision that the Figure 14 shown communication device 140 can adopt the Figure 16 form of the shown communication device 1600.

[0267] As an example, Figure 14 the function / implementation process of the processing module 1401 in Figure 16 can be achieved by the processor 1601 in the shown communication device 1600 calling the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 1603.Figure 14 The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1402 in Figure 16 can be implemented by the communication interface 1604 in the communication device 1600 shown in

[0268] It should be noted that Figure 16 the structure shown does not constitute a specific limitation on the first communication device or the second communication device. For example, in some other embodiments of the present application, the first communication device or the second communication device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or split certain components, or have different component arrangements. The components shown in the figure can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0269] 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.

[0270] 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 computer program in the memory 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.

[0271] As another possible implementation, the communication device further includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read / write interface circuit for receiving 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 transmitting them to the processor.

[0272] As yet another possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface for communicating with modules outside the communication device.

[0273] 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.

[0274] The present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program or instructions are stored, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by a computer, the functions in any of the above method embodiments are implemented.

[0275] The present application further provides a computer program product, and when the computer program product is executed by a computer, the functions in any of the above method embodiments are implemented.

[0276] 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.

[0277] It can be understood that the systems, devices, and methods described in this 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. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. 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. The indirect couplings or communication connections of the devices or units can be in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0278] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed to multiple network units. The components shown 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.

[0279] In addition, the functional units in each embodiment of this application can be integrated in a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0280] 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, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center in a wired manner (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.

[0281] Although the present application has been described in connection with various embodiments, however, in the process of implementing the claimed present application, those skilled in the art can understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments by viewing the accompanying drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" 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.

[0282] Although the present application has been described in connection with specific features and their embodiments, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations can be made without departing from the scope of the present application. Accordingly, the present specification and the drawings are merely exemplary descriptions of the present application defined by the appended claims, and are considered to have covered 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 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, The method includes: Sending first configuration information, where the first configuration information includes first information and second information. The first information is used to configure the transmission of a first signal within a first time period, the first signal being for sensing, and the second information is used to configure the transmission of a second signal within the first time period, the second signal being for the measurement of a reference path; Sending the first signal within the first time period; Sending the second signal within the first time period.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein Sending the first signal within the first time period includes: sending the first signal using a first spatial domain filter within the first time period, the first spatial domain filter being for sensing; and / or, Sending the second signal within the first time period includes: sending the second signal using a second spatial domain filter within the first time period, the second spatial domain filter being for the measurement of the reference path.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The first spatial domain filter belongs to a first set of spatial domain filters for sensing. The first spatial domain filter is the spatial domain filter in the first set of spatial domain filters that maximizes the power of a third signal, where the third signal is the echo signal of the first signal; and / or, The second spatial domain filter belongs to a second set of spatial domain filters for the measurement of the reference path. The second spatial domain filter is the spatial domain filter in the second set of spatial domain filters that maximizes the power of the reference path.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The first information indicates at least one of the following: the first spatial domain filter for sending the first signal, the time domain resources occupied by the first signal, the frequency domain resources occupied by the first signal, or the sequence for generating the first signal; and / or, The second information indicates at least one of the following: the second spatial domain filter for sending the second signal, the time domain resources occupied by the second signal, the frequency domain resources occupied by the second signal, or the sequence for generating the second signal.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The first information indicating the first spatial domain filter includes: the first information includes the index of the first spatial domain filter in the first set of spatial domain filters, or includes the identifier of the first spatial domain filter.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, wherein The second information indicating the second spatial domain filter includes: the second information includes the index of the second spatial domain filter in the second set of spatial domain filters; or includes the identifier of the second spatial domain filter.

7. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that The first information indicating the time domain resources occupied by the first signal includes: the first information includes a first bit map, where the bits in the first bit map correspond one-to-one with the time domain symbols in each time unit within the first time period, and the bits in the first bit map indicate whether the time domain symbols corresponding to the bits in each time unit within the first time period are used to carry the first signal; or, The first information indicates the time-domain resources occupied by the first signal, including: the first information indicates at least one of the following for the time-domain resources: period, number of consecutive time-domain symbols occupied, time-domain start position, or time-domain end position; and / or, The second information indicates the time-domain resources occupied by the second signal, including: the second information indicates at least one of the following for the time-domain resources: number of consecutive time-domain symbols occupied, time-domain start position, or time-domain end position.

8. The method according to any one of claims 4-7, characterized in that, The first information indicates the frequency-domain resources occupied by the first signal, including: the first information indicates the frequency-domain start position and / or comb size of the frequency-domain resources; and / or, The second information indicates the frequency-domain resources occupied by the second signal, including: the second information indicates the frequency-domain start position and / or comb size of the frequency-domain resources.

9. The method according to any one of claims 4-8, characterized in that The first information indicates the sequence for generating the first signal, including: the first information indicates at least one of the following for the sequence: sequence initial value, root value, or cyclic shift value; and / or, The second information indicates the sequence for generating the second signal, including: the second information indicates at least one of the following for the sequence: sequence initial value, root value, or cyclic shift value.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The first configuration information further includes third information, and the third information indicates the time length of the first time period; and / or, The method further includes: transmitting at least one of the following: fourth information, or fifth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate the start time unit of the first time period, and the fifth information is used to trigger the transmission of the second signal.

11. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Receiving first configuration information, where the first configuration information includes first information and second information, the first information is used to configure the transmission of a first signal within a first time period, the first signal is used for sensing, and the second information is used to configure the transmission of a second signal within the first time period, the second signal is used for the measurement of the reference path; Receiving a third signal within the first time period, where the third signal is an echo signal of the first signal; Receiving the second signal within the first time period.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein Receiving the third signal within the first time period includes: receiving the third signal within the first time period by using a third spatial-domain filter, where the third spatial-domain filter is used for sensing; and / or, Receiving the second signal within the first time period includes: receiving the second signal within the first time period by using a fourth spatial-domain filter, where the fourth spatial-domain filter is used for the measurement of the reference path.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The first spatial-domain filter belongs to a first set of spatial-domain filters, the first set of spatial-domain filters is used for sensing, the first spatial-domain filter is the spatial-domain filter in the first set of spatial-domain filters that maximizes the power of the third signal, and the first spatial-domain filter is associated with the third spatial-domain filter; and / or, The second spatial domain filter belongs to a set of second spatial domain filters for measuring the reference path. The second spatial domain filter is the spatial domain filter in the set of second spatial domain filters that maximizes the power of the reference path. The second spatial domain filter is associated with the fourth spatial domain filter.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 - 13, characterized in that, The first information indicates at least one of the following: the first spatial domain filter for transmitting the first signal, the time domain resources occupied by the first signal, the frequency domain resources occupied by the first signal, or the sequence for generating the first signal. The first spatial domain filter is associated with a third spatial domain filter for receiving the third signal; and / or, The second information indicates at least one of the following: the second spatial domain filter for transmitting the second signal, the time domain resources occupied by the second signal, the frequency domain resources occupied by the second signal, or the sequence for generating the second signal. The second spatial domain filter is associated with a fourth spatial domain filter for receiving the second signal.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The first information indicating the first spatial domain filter includes: the first information includes the index of the first spatial domain filter in the set of first spatial domain filters, or includes the identifier of the first spatial domain filter.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The second information indicating the second spatial domain filter includes: the second information includes the index of the second spatial domain filter in the set of second spatial domain filters; or includes the identifier of the second spatial domain filter.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 - 16, characterized in that, The first information indicating the time domain resources occupied by the first signal includes: the first information includes a first bit map, where the bits in the first bit map correspond one-to-one with the time domain symbols in each time unit within the first time period, and the bits in the first bit map indicate whether the time domain symbols corresponding to the bits in each time unit within the first time period are used to carry the first signal; or, The first information indicating the time domain resources occupied by the first signal includes: the first information indicates at least one of the following for the time domain resources: period, number of consecutive time domain symbols occupied, time domain start position, or time domain end position; and / or, The second information indicating the time domain resources occupied by the second signal includes: the second information indicates at least one of the following for the time domain resources: number of consecutive time domain symbols occupied, time domain start position, or time domain end position.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14-17, characterized in that, The first information indicating the frequency domain resources occupied by the first signal includes: the first information indicates the frequency domain start position and / or the comb size of the frequency domain resources; and / or, The second information indicating the frequency domain resources occupied by the second signal includes: the second information indicates the frequency domain start position and / or the comb size of the frequency domain resources.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14 - 18, characterized in that The first information indicating the sequence for generating the first signal includes: the first information indicates at least one of the following for the sequence: sequence initial value, root value, or cyclic shift value; and / or, The second information indicates a sequence for generating the second signal, including: the second information indicates at least one of the following for the sequence: a sequence initial value, a root value, or a cyclic shift value.

20. The method according to any one of claims 11-19, characterized in that, The first configuration information further includes third information, and the third information indicates the time length of the first time period; and / or, The method further includes: receiving at least one of the following: fourth information or fifth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate the starting time unit of the first time period, and the fifth information is used to trigger the transmission of the second signal.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a module for performing the method according to any one of claims 1-10, or includes a module for performing the method according to any one of claims 11-20.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor; the processor is configured to run a computer program or instruction to cause the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-10, or to cause the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 11-20.

23. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes a first communication device and a second communication device; The first communication device is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-10, and the second communication device is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 11-20.

24. A chip or chip system, characterized in that, The chip or chip system includes a processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, and the memory is used to store a program or instruction. When the program or instruction is executed by the processor, the method according to any one of claims 1-10 is caused to be executed, or the method according to any one of claims 11-20 is caused to be executed.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions or a program. When the computer instructions or the program run on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1-10 is caused to be executed, or the method according to any one of claims 11-20 is caused to be executed.

26. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes computer instructions; when part or all of the computer instructions run on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1-10 is caused to be executed, or the method according to any one of claims 11-20 is caused to be executed.

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