Wireless communication method and device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a wireless communication method and device, the method is suitable for a first device, and the method comprises the following steps: obtaining a first time domain resource through channel access; wherein the first time domain resource comprises a second time domain resource corresponding to a second device, and the second device is a device communicating with a third device through the first device. In the embodiment of the application, a first time domain resource acquired by a first device through channel access comprises a second time domain resource corresponding to a second device, and the second device is a device communicating with a third device through the first device; in other words, when the second device communicates with the third device, on one hand, the second device communicates with the third device through the time domain resource acquired by the first device, and on the other hand, the first device communicates with the third device in a relay mode, so that the second device can communicate with the third device on the unlicensed spectrum. And conflicts and interferences with other devices are reduced.

Description

Wireless communication method and device Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and more specifically, to wireless communication methods and devices. Background Art

[0002] Zero-power devices are low-complexity and low-cost, maintenance-free, and battery-free. They can support energy harvesting and / or backscatter communications, enabling high-density and large-scale deployment at a low cost. The use of unlicensed frequency bands is also an important deployment scenario in cellular communication systems. However, since zero-power devices lack channel access capabilities, how to achieve communication in unlicensed spectrum while reducing conflicts and interference with other devices is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in this field.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a wireless communication method and device that can implement communication on an unlicensed spectrum and reduce conflicts and interference with other devices.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a wireless communication method, which is applicable to a first device and includes:

[0006] Acquiring a first time domain resource through channel access;

[0007] The first time domain resource includes a second time domain resource corresponding to a second device, and the second device is a device that communicates with a third device through the first device.

[0008] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a wireless communication method, which is applicable to a second device and includes:

[0009] communicating with a third device through the first device;

[0010] The first time domain resources acquired by the first device through channel access include the second time domain resources corresponding to the second device.

[0011] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a wireless communication method, which is applicable to a third device and includes:

[0012] communicating with the second device through the first device;

[0013] The first time domain resources acquired by the first device through channel access include the second time domain resources corresponding to the second device.

[0014] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a first device for executing the method in the first aspect or its respective implementations mentioned above. Specifically, the first device includes a functional module for executing the method in the first aspect or its respective implementations mentioned above.

[0015] In one implementation, the first device may include a processing unit configured to execute functions related to information processing. For example, the processing unit may be a processor.

[0016] In one implementation, the first device may include a transmitting unit and / or a receiving unit. The transmitting unit is configured to perform functions related to transmission, and the receiving unit is configured to perform functions related to reception. For example, the transmitting unit may be a transmitter, and the receiving unit may be a receiver. For another example, if the first device is a communication chip, the transmitting unit may be an input circuit or interface of the communication chip, and the transmitting unit may be an output circuit or interface of the communication chip.

[0017] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a second device for executing the method in the second aspect or its respective implementations mentioned above. Specifically, the second device includes a functional module for executing the method in the second aspect or its respective implementations mentioned above.

[0018] In one implementation, the second device may include a processing unit configured to execute functions related to information processing. For example, the processing unit may be a processor.

[0019] In one implementation, the second device may include a transmitting unit and / or a receiving unit. The transmitting unit is configured to perform functions related to transmission, and the receiving unit is configured to perform functions related to reception. For example, the transmitting unit may be a transmitter, and the receiving unit may be a receiver. For another example, if the second device is a communication chip, the receiving unit may be an input circuit or interface of the communication chip, and the transmitting unit may be an output circuit or interface of the communication chip.

[0020] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a third device for executing the method in the second aspect or its respective implementations mentioned above. Specifically, the third device includes a functional module for executing the method in the second aspect or its respective implementations mentioned above.

[0021] In one implementation, the third device may include a processing unit configured to execute functions related to information processing. For example, the processing unit may be a processor.

[0022] In one implementation, the third device may include a transmitting unit and / or a receiving unit. The transmitting unit is configured to perform functions related to transmission, and the receiving unit is configured to perform functions related to reception. For example, the transmitting unit may be a transmitter, and the receiving unit may be a receiver. For another example, the third device may be a communication chip, the receiving unit may be an input circuit or interface of the communication chip, and the transmitting unit may be an output circuit or interface of the communication chip.

[0023] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a first device, comprising a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. The memory is configured to store a computer program, and the processor is configured to call and execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the transceiver performs the method of the first aspect or its implementations mentioned above.

[0024] In one implementation, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0025] In one implementation, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0026] In one implementation, the first device further includes a transmitter (transmitter) and a receiver (receiver).

[0027] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a second device, comprising a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. The memory is configured to store a computer program, and the processor is configured to call and execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the transceiver performs the method of the second aspect or its respective implementations mentioned above.

[0028] In one implementation, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0029] In one implementation, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0030] In one implementation, the second device further includes a transmitter (transmitter) and a receiver (receiver).

[0031] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a third device, comprising a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. The memory is configured to store a computer program, and the processor is configured to call and execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the transceiver performs the method of the second aspect or its respective implementations mentioned above.

[0032] In one implementation, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0033] In one implementation, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0034] In one implementation, the third device further includes a transmitter (transmitter) and a receiver (receiver).

[0035] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a chip for implementing the method described in any one of the first to third aspects or their respective implementations as described above. Specifically, the chip includes a processor for calling and executing a computer program from a memory, causing a device equipped with the chip to execute the method described in any one of the first to third aspects or their respective implementations as described above.

[0036] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program. When the computer program is run on a computer, the computer executes the method of any one of the first to third aspects mentioned above or its various implementation methods.

[0037] In the twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, comprising computer program instructions, which enable a computer to execute the method of any one of the first to third aspects mentioned above or its various implementation methods.

[0038] In the thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method in any one of the first to third aspects mentioned above or in each of its implementations.

[0039] Based on the above technical solution, since the first time domain resources obtained by the first device through channel access include the second time domain resources corresponding to the second device, and the second device is a device that communicates with the third device through the first device; that is, when the second device communicates with the third device, on the one hand, it communicates with the third device through the time domain resources obtained by the first device, and on the other hand, it communicates with the third device in a relay manner through the first device, which enables the second device to communicate with the third device on the unlicensed spectrum and reduce conflicts and interference with other devices. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0041] FIG2 is an example of a PPDU provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0042] FIG3 is an example of the frame format of a MAC frame provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0043] FIG4 is an example of relay communication provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0044] FIG5 is a schematic flowchart of a wireless communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0045] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between the first device, the second device, and the third device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0046] FIG7 is an example of a channel access process provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0047] FIG8 is another example of a channel access process provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0048] FIG9 is an example of a first signal provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0049] FIG10 is an example of a first device sending an RTS provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0050] FIG11 is another example of a first device sending an RTS provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0051] FIG12 is an example of an NDP CMAC frame provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0052] FIG13 is an example of a SIGNAL field in an NDP CMAC frame provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0053] FIG14 is a schematic block diagram of a first device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0054] FIG15 is a schematic block diagram of a second device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0055] FIG16 is a schematic block diagram of a third device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0056] FIG17 is a schematic block diagram of a fourth device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0057] FIG18 is a schematic block diagram of a chip provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0059] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems. For example, applicable communication systems include, but are not limited to, Global System of Mobile communication (GSM) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, Advanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A) system, New Radio (NR) system, NR system evolution system, LTE-based access to unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) system on unlicensed spectrum, NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) system on unlicensed spectrum, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), next generation communication system, zero power communication system, cellular Internet of Things, cellular passive Internet of Things or other communication systems.

[0060] Among them, the cellular Internet of Things is the development product of the combination of cellular mobile communication network and Internet of Things. It is also called passive cellular Internet of Things. It is composed of network equipment and passive terminals. In the cellular passive Internet of Things, passive terminals can communicate with other passive terminals through network equipment, or passive terminals can communicate using device to device (D2D) communication, and the network equipment only needs to send a carrier signal, that is, a power supply signal, to supply energy to the passive terminal.

[0061] Generally speaking, traditional communication systems support a limited number of connections and are easy to implement. However, with the development of communication technology, mobile communication systems will not only support traditional communications, but will also support, for example, D2D communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, etc. The embodiments of the present application can also be applied to these communication systems.

[0062] It should be understood that the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, a dual connectivity (DC) scenario, and a standalone (SA) networking scenario. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the spectrum to which it is applied. For example, the embodiment of the present application can be applied to a licensed spectrum or an unlicensed spectrum.

[0063] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0064] As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 may include a network device 110, which may be a device that communicates with a terminal device 120 (or a communication terminal or terminal). The network device 110 may provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area and may communicate with terminal devices within the coverage area.

[0065] Exemplarily, the network device 110 may be a device for communicating with a mobile device. The network device 110 may be an access point (AP) in WLAN, a base station (BTS) in GSM or CDMA, a base station (NodeB, NB) in WCDMA, an evolved base station (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, or a relay station or access point, or a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a network device (gNB) in an NR network, or a network device in a future evolved PLMN network, etc.

[0066] Among them, the network device 110 provides services for the cell, and the terminal device 120 communicates with the network device through the transmission resources used by the cell (for example, frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources). The cell can be the cell corresponding to the network device 110 (for example, a base station). The cell can belong to a macro base station or a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cells here may include: urban cells (Metro cell), micro cells (Micro cell), pico cells (Pico cell), femto cells (Femto cell), etc. These small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0067] Exemplarily, the terminal device 120 may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent or a user device, etc. The terminal device may be a station (STAION, ST) in a WLAN, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, and a next-generation communication system, for example, a terminal device in an NR network or a terminal device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) network, or a zero-power device, etc.

[0068] For example, the terminal device 120 can be a wearable device. Wearable devices can also be called wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that use wearable technology to intelligently design and develop wearable devices for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include full-featured, large-sized, and independent of smartphones to achieve complete or partial functions, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0069] For another example, the terminal device 120 may be a zero-power device. A zero-power device may be understood as a device whose power consumption is lower than a preset power consumption, including, for example, a passive terminal or even a semi-passive terminal.

[0070] It should be understood that FIG1 is merely an example of the present application and should not be construed as limiting the present application.

[0071] For example, in other alternative embodiments, the communication system 100 may include multiple network devices and each network device may include other numbers of terminal devices within its coverage area. For another example, a device having a communication function in a network / system in an embodiment of the present application may be referred to as a communication device. Taking the communication system 100 shown in FIG1 as an example, the communication device may include a network device 110 and a terminal device 120 having a communication function. The network device 110 and the terminal device 120 may be the specific devices described above and will not be described in detail here. The communication system 100 may also include other communication devices, such as a network controller and other network entities such as a mobility management entity, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0072] Furthermore, it should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably herein. The term "and / or" in this document simply describes an association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship. The term "correspond" in this document can indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between two objects, an association relationship between two objects, or a relationship between an indicator and the indicated, a configuration and the configured, and so on. The term "indicate" in this document can mean a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an association relationship. For example, "A indicates B" can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can obtain information through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can obtain information through C; or it can mean that A and B have an association relationship. The term "predefined" in this document can be implemented by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in a device (for example, including a terminal device and a network device), and this application does not limit its specific implementation method. For example, pre-configuration can refer to what is defined in the protocol. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the "protocol" can refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, such as the LTE protocol, the NR protocol, and related protocols used in future communication systems, and this application does not limit this.

[0073] Taking an example to facilitate understanding of the technical solution provided by this application, zero-power consumption devices and related technologies are described below.

[0074] (1) Classification of zero-power terminals.

[0075] Based on the energy source and usage of zero-power terminals, zero-power terminals can be divided into the following types:

[0076] 1. Passive zero-power terminal.

[0077] Zero-power devices do not require internal batteries. When they approach network devices (such as the reader / writer of a radio frequency identification (RFID) system), they are within the near field formed by the radiation from the network device's antenna. Therefore, the zero-power device antenna generates an induced current through electromagnetic induction, which drives the low-power chip circuit of the zero-power device. This implements tasks such as demodulating the forward link signal (downlink, the link from the network device to the zero-power device) and modulating the backward link signal (uplink, the link from the zero-power device to the network device). For backscatter links, the zero-power device uses backscattering to transmit signals.

[0078] It can be seen that the passive zero-power device does not require a built-in battery to drive either the forward link or the reverse link, and is a truly zero-power device.

[0079] Passive zero-power devices do not require batteries, and their RF and baseband circuits are very simple. For example, they do not require a low-noise amplifier (LNA), a power amplifier (PA), a crystal oscillator, or an analog-to-digital conversion (ADC). Therefore, they have many advantages such as small size, light weight, very low price, and long service life.

[0080] Passive zero-power terminals can also support other energy collection methods. By collecting energy from the environment (such as light energy, thermal energy, kinetic energy, mechanical energy, etc.), they can obtain energy for driving circuits and support terminal devices to communicate.

[0081] 2. Semi-passive zero-power terminal.

[0082] Semi-passive zero-power devices do not have conventional batteries installed themselves, but can use radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting modules to harvest radio wave energy or use energy harvesting modules to harvest energy from the environment (such as solar energy, thermal energy, mechanical vibration energy, etc.), and store the harvested energy in an energy storage unit (such as a capacitor). After the energy storage unit obtains energy, it can drive the low-power chip circuit of the zero-power device. It can realize tasks such as demodulation of forward link signals and modulation of backward link signals. For backscatter links, zero-power devices use backscatter implementation to transmit signals.

[0083] It can be seen that the semi-passive zero-power device does not require a built-in battery to drive either the forward link or the reverse link. Although it uses energy stored in capacitors during operation, the energy comes from the radio energy collected by the energy harvesting module. Therefore, it is also a truly zero-power device.

[0084] Semi-passive zero-power devices inherit many advantages of passive zero-power devices, so they have many advantages such as small size, light weight, very low price, and long service life.

[0085] 3. Active zero-power terminal.

[0086] The zero-power devices used in some scenarios can also be active zero-power devices. Such terminals can have built-in batteries (conventional batteries, such as dry batteries, rechargeable lithium batteries, etc.). The battery is used to drive the low-power chip circuit of the zero-power device. It realizes the demodulation of the forward link signal and the modulation of the reverse link signal. However, for the backscatter link, the zero-power device uses the backscatter implementation method to transmit the signal. Therefore, the zero power consumption of this type of terminal is mainly reflected in the fact that the signal transmission of the reverse link does not require the terminal's own power, but uses the backscatter method. Although the active zero-power device uses a battery, due to the sampling of ultra-low power communication technology, the power consumption is very low, so compared with the existing technology, the battery life can be greatly improved.

[0087] Active zero-power devices, with built-in batteries to power the RFID chip, increase the tag's read and write distance and improve communication reliability. Therefore, they are suitable for scenarios with relatively high requirements for communication distance and read latency.

[0088] It is worth noting that some zero-power terminals, such as semi-passive zero-power terminals or active zero-power terminals, can also have the ability to actively transmit, that is, in addition to communicating through backscattering, the backward link can also use active transmission to communicate.

[0089] (2) Cellular passive Internet of Things.

[0090] As 5G industry applications expand, the types of connected objects and application scenarios will increase, placing higher demands on the price and power consumption of communication terminals. The application of battery-free, low-cost passive IoT devices has become a key technology for cellular IoT, expanding the types and number of terminals connected to 5G networks and truly realizing the interconnection of everything. Passive IoT devices can be based on existing zero-power devices and expanded upon them for use in cellular IoT.

[0091] (3) Equipment based on ambient energy.

[0092] In NR and Wi-Fi systems, the battery-free and low-cost nature of devices can support low-cost, large-scale deployment and maintenance-free IoT devices. IoT devices that support ambient energy in NR and Wi-Fi systems are called Ambient IoT or Ambient Powered IoT (AMP IoT) devices. Ambient IoT refers to IoT devices that use various ambient energies, such as radio frequency energy, light energy, solar energy, thermal energy, and mechanical energy. Ambient IoT devices can have no energy storage capabilities or very limited energy storage capabilities (such as using capacitors with a capacity of tens of microfarads). These devices are similar to passive or semi-passive devices in zero-power communications.

[0093] (4) Physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) in WIFI technology.

[0094] The information of WIFI devices is transmitted based on PPDU frames.

[0095] FIG2 is an example of a PPDU provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0096] As shown in Figure 2, the PPDU frame consists of a physical layer header and a data portion. The physical layer header consists of three parts: a short training field (STF), a long training field (LTF), and a data portion with some specific settings, named SIGNAL. The STF consists primarily of 10 short symbols (t1-t10), each 0.8µs long. It includes many functions, primarily implementing frame synchronization and coarse frequency synchronization. T1-t7 primarily include functions such as signal detection, automatic gain control (AGC), and diversity selection, while T8-t10 primarily include functions such as coarse frequency, offset estimation, and timing synchronization. The LTF implements fine frequency synchronization and channel estimation. The SIGNAL portion carries information related to the data portion, including the data rate, packet length, reserved bits, and tail bits.

[0097] The data portion of the PPDU carries the MAC frame.

[0098] FIG3 is an example of the frame format of a MAC frame provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0099] As shown in FIG3 , the frame format of a MAC frame includes the following parts: a MAC header, a frame body, and a frame check sequence (FCS).

[0100] (5) Unlicensed spectrum.

[0101] Unlicensed spectrum is a spectrum designated by countries and regions for use by radio equipment. This spectrum is generally considered shared spectrum, meaning that communication devices in different communication systems can use it as long as they meet the regulatory requirements set by the country or region for that spectrum, without having to apply for exclusive spectrum authorization from the government. To ensure the harmonious coexistence of various communication systems using unlicensed spectrum for wireless communications, some countries or regions have established regulatory requirements that must be met for the use of unlicensed spectrum. For example, in Europe, communication devices adhere to the "listen-before-talk" (LBT) principle. This means that before transmitting on a channel in unlicensed spectrum, a communication device must first sense the channel. Only when the channel sense result indicates that the channel is idle can the communication device transmit. If the channel sense result indicates that the channel is busy, the communication device cannot transmit. Furthermore, to ensure fairness, the duration of a communication device's signal transmission on an unlicensed spectrum channel cannot exceed the Maximum Channel Occupation Time (MCOT) during a transmission.

[0102] Standardized technologies for using unlicensed spectrum in cellular communication systems, such as NR-U technology in 3GPP Rel-16, utilize unlicensed frequency bands below 7 GHz. Subsequent technological evolution will also consider the use of unlicensed spectrum in higher frequency bands, as well as related technologies, such as the 52.6 GHz to 71 GHz band discussed in Rel-17. Widely used Wi-Fi technology also utilizes unlicensed frequency bands.

[0103] (6) Channel access mechanism.

[0104] In the 802.11 protocol, the basic channel access protocol is the Distributed Coordination Function (DCF). Through the Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) mechanism, it enables different compatible stations (STAs) to share the channel, thereby reducing the probability of conflicts.

[0105] DCF mainly consists of four core mechanisms:

[0106] 1. Carrier sense mechanism.

[0107] The carrier sense mechanism is divided into physical carrier sense and virtual carrier sense. If the result of either sense indicates that the channel is busy, then the channel is busy.

[0108] Physical carrier sensing uses three channel idle detection methods: energy detection, carrier detection, and energy-carrier hybrid detection, collectively referred to as CCA. Energy detection determines the energy level of the received signal. When the received power exceeds the physical layer threshold ED_threshold, the channel is considered occupied. Carrier detection detects the preamble portion of the channel signal and determines whether the channel is occupied based on the detection result.

[0109] The virtual carrier sensing mechanism is provided by the MAC, and the 802.11 standard uses the Network Allocation Vector (NAV) to implement virtual sensing. The Dur / ID field in the MAC frame stores the "duration". For the STA that receives this information, it determines how long the channel will be occupied and how long its own transmission needs to be delayed. NAV is a timer that is used to define how long the current channel will be occupied. The starting value is the duration of the last received frame and the countdown ends when it reaches 0. Each monitoring STA uses this NAV timer. During data communication, the STA occupying the channel will inform other STAs how long it will take through the duration field in the frame, and the STA that has not acquired the channel will update its own NAV value by comparing the duration value in the received packet. The current channel is considered to be idle only when the NAV value is 0 and the physical carrier sensing indicates that the channel is idle.

[0110] 2. Interframe space (IFS) mechanism.

[0111] To minimize collisions, 802.11 stipulates that after completing a transmission, all stations must wait for a short period (continue listening) before sending the next frame. This period is commonly known as the IFS. The length of the IFS depends on the type of frame the station is sending. High-priority frames require a shorter wait time and therefore receive priority, while low-priority frames must wait longer. If a low-priority frame has not yet been sent while other high-priority frames have already been sent to the media, the media becomes busy and the low-priority frame must be postponed. This reduces the chance of collisions.

[0112] IFS provides different priorities for wireless medium access. Different priorities are divided according to the length of the IFS time. The shorter the time, the higher the corresponding priority. The interframe interval time is listed from small to large as follows:

[0113] 1. Short interframe space (SIFS).

[0114] SIFS is the shortest time interval used to separate frames that require an immediate response, such as control frames (RTS / CTS / ACK). Using the shortest interval between two transmissions in a frame exchange sequence prevents other stations waiting for the medium from attempting to use the medium.

[0115] 2. Point Coordination function interframe space (PIFS).

[0116] PIFS can only be used by stations operating in Point Coordination Function (PCF) mode.

[0117] 3. Distributed Coordination Function interframe space (DIFS).

[0118] Can only be used by sites operating in Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) mode.

[0119] 4. Extended Interframe Space (EIFS): If the previous frame is erroneous, the sending node has to delay the next frame for EIFS instead of DIFS.

[0120] 3. Random backoff mechanism.

[0121] 802.11 uses a binary exponential backoff method to address the time a node needs to back off when a transmission fails or a collision occurs. When the Media Access Control (MAC) layer has a frame to transmit, after both physical and virtual carrier sense signals indicate the channel is idle, if the backoff window count is not zero, the count continues to decrease by slot time. Otherwise, a randomly generated backoff window is used for backoff. Within the contention window, the node selects a random backoff count based on a random number. Once the backoff time is selected, it effectively sets a backoff timer. The contention window value is a parameter between the minimum contention window (CWmin) and the maximum contention window (CWmax) of the physical characteristic values, allowing the node to select the range of the random backoff count. A station continuously monitors the channel within the slot time. If the channel is idle, the backoff timer continues to count down by 1. If the channel is busy, the remaining backoff timer is frozen, and the node waits for the channel to become idle again and for another DIFS to elapse before resuming the countdown from the remaining time. When the backoff timer reaches zero, the entire data frame begins to be sent.

[0122] 4. RTS / CTS handshake mechanism.

[0123] IEEE 802.11 RTS / CTS stands for Request To Send / Clear To Send (RTS / CTS) protocol, a mechanism adopted by the 802.11 protocol to reduce conflicts caused by hidden node problems. The basic idea of ​​the RTS / CTS mechanism is to reserve a channel through short control packets. If a sending station wants to send a message to a receiving station, it must first send an RTS control frame. After receiving the RTS, the stations around the sending station set their own network allocation vector (NAV) values ​​according to the duration field. After receiving the RTS, the receiving station replies with a CTS control frame. After receiving the CTS, the stations around the receiving station set their own NAV values ​​according to the duration field. Stations with NAV values ​​not equal to 0 cannot monitor the channel for idleness, thereby avoiding conflicts with the transmission between the sending station and the receiving station.

[0124] (7) Relay.

[0125] 802.11ah technology is primarily designed to support IoT devices, with AP coverage requirements reaching 1km. In some IoT scenarios, wide-area coverage is essential. To extend coverage, 802.11ah supports relays. A relay in 802.11ah is a functional entity that logically includes two functions: a relay AP and a relay STA. A relay device connects to STAs, primarily acting as an AP. It connects to APs, acting as an end node. Relay devices relay data packets to achieve wider coverage for the AP.

[0126] FIG4 is an example of relay communication provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0127] As shown in Figure 4, relay devices can be used to relay communications between APs and STAs. For example, relay device 2 is connected downward to STA1 and STA2, primarily acting as an AP; it is connected upward to the root AP, acting as a terminal node. Relay devices can also relay communications between APs and other relay devices (or STAs). Relay device 1 is connected downward to STA3, primarily acting as an AP; it is connected upward to the root AP, acting as a terminal node. Relay devices can also communicate with STAs through relay devices. For example, relay device 3 is connected downward to STA4 and STA5, primarily acting as an AP; it is connected upward to relay device 1, primarily acting as a terminal node.

[0128] As can be seen from the above, zero-power devices offer low complexity and cost, are maintenance-free, and require no batteries. They can support energy harvesting and / or backscatter communications, enabling high-density and large-scale deployment at a low cost. The use of unlicensed frequency bands is also an important deployment scenario in cellular communication systems.

[0129] Due to the limitation of its power consumption, the zero-power terminal has low complexity requirements; for example, the receiver only supports simple modulation and demodulation methods, such as ASK and FSK, but not OFDM. However, for the use of unlicensed spectrum, in order to ensure the fairness of channel use, if the zero-power terminal needs to occupy the channel to send data, it also needs to perform corresponding CCA to determine whether the channel is idle; it also needs to support the CSMA / CA mechanism to be compatible and coexist with existing devices. Taking the WiFi system as an example, the channel occupancy of the zero-power terminal needs to support the DCF protocol, which requires the zero-power terminal to detect the existing PPDU frame sent based on OFDM to meet the physical and virtual carrier sensing, as well as the support of the RTS / CTS mechanism, but this is not possible for the zero-power terminal. In view of this, the present application provides a wireless communication method, which can enable the zero-power terminal to share the channel with the existing equipment to communicate while using the unlicensed spectrum, thereby reducing conflicts and interference.

[0130] FIG5 is a schematic flowchart of a wireless communication method 200 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The wireless communication method 200 may be interactively executed by a first device, a second device, and a third device.

[0131] As shown in FIG5 , the method 200 may include:

[0132] S210: A first device obtains a first time domain resource through channel access.

[0133] The first time domain resources include second time domain resources corresponding to a second device, and the second device is a device that communicates with a third device through the first device.

[0134] In other words, the second device can achieve communication between the second device and the third device through the first device. The first device can be any device with a relay function (i.e., having both Relay AP and Relay STA functions), including but not limited to: an AP device or STA in a WiFi system, a base station or UE in a cellular system, a power supply device, a control node in a communication network, etc.

[0135] In some embodiments, the second time domain resource includes at least one of the following: a transmission opportunity (TXOP), a target wake time (TWT), a service period (SP), a restricted access window (RAW), and a time period in a RAW.

[0136] Exemplarily, the second time domain resource may be a resource used by the second device to send information and / or receive information.

[0137] In this embodiment, since the first time domain resources obtained by the first device through channel access include the second time domain resources corresponding to the second device, and the second device is a device that communicates with the third device through the first device; that is, when the second device communicates with the third device, on the one hand, it communicates with the third device through the time domain resources obtained by the first device, and on the other hand, it communicates with the third device in a relay manner through the first device, which enables the second device to communicate with the third device on the unlicensed spectrum and reduce conflicts and interference with other devices.

[0138] In some embodiments, when the second device is a device that does not have channel access capability, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

[0139] In this embodiment, the first device may occupy a channel for the second device that does not have the channel access capability, so that the second device can obtain a TXOP or channel occupation time.

[0140] In some embodiments, the device without channel access capability comprises a zero-power device.

[0141] From the perspective of power supply, zero-power devices can include devices based on ambient energy, such as ambient power enabled IoT devices (AMP IoT) or ambient energy IoT devices, battery-free terminals, maintenance-free terminals, etc. AMP IoT refers to IoT devices that use various ambient energies, such as wireless radio frequency energy, light energy, solar energy, thermal energy, mechanical energy, and other ambient energies. Ambient IoT devices can have no energy storage capabilities or very limited energy storage capabilities (such as using capacitors with a capacity of tens of microfarads (uF)). Zero-power devices can serve as communication terminals in WiFi or cellular networks.

[0142] In this embodiment, the first device occupies a channel for a zero-power device that does not have channel access capability, allowing the zero-power device to obtain a transmission opportunity. This method ensures the compatibility of the zero-power device with the channel access mechanism of existing devices, and realizes wireless communication of the zero-power terminal on the unlicensed spectrum. At the same time, when the third device is an AP, since the first device provides a relay function for communication between the AP and the zero-power device, it not only improves the coverage of the AP but also reduces the impact on the existing AP. The AP does not need to support a new physical layer air interface, and communication with the zero-power device can be supported only through software upgrades. The deployment cost is low and compatibility with the existing system is guaranteed.

[0143] In some embodiments, when the second device is associated with the first device, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

[0144] Exemplarily, the second device is associated with the first device, that is, the second device is connected to the first device upward, or the first device is connected to the second device downward.

[0145] Of course, in other alternative embodiments, the first device may also be connected downward to other devices. For example, the device connected downward to the first device may be a device of the same type or a different type as the second device. This application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0146] In some embodiments, the first device is associated to the third device.

[0147] Exemplarily, the first device is associated with the third device, that is, the first device is connected to the third device upward, or the third device is connected to the first device downward.

[0148] Of course, in other alternative embodiments, the third device may also be connected downward to other devices. For example, the device to which the third device is connected downward may be a device of the same type or a different type as the first device. This application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0149] In some embodiments, when the second device is a child node device of the first device, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

[0150] Exemplarily, when the second device is a child node device of the first device, the first device may also be referred to as a parent node device of the second device.

[0151] In some embodiments, the sub-node device includes at least one of the following:

[0152] Devices included in a Basic Service Set (BSS) provided by the first device;

[0153] A device associated with the first device.

[0154] Exemplarily, when the BSS association provided by the first device includes the second device, it indicates that the second device is a device associated with the first device. Alternatively, when the second device is associated with the first device, the BSS association provided by the first device includes the second device.

[0155] Exemplarily, when the BSS association provided by the first device includes the second device, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources; or, when the second device is a device associated with the first device, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

[0156] It is worth noting that BSS is the basic service unit of a wireless network and the basic structure of an 802.11 network. Due to the shared nature of the wireless medium, the BSS provided by the first device can be understood as a service set consisting of multiple devices (e.g., STAs) associated with the first device. Within the BSS provided by the first device, multiple devices associated with the first device are connected to the first device, and the multiple devices associated with the first device can communicate or access other devices through the first device.

[0157] In some embodiments, the first device has a first physical layer air interface and a second physical layer air interface, the first device communicates with the second device via the first physical layer air interface, and the first device communicates with the third device via the second physical layer air interface.

[0158] Exemplarily, the first physical layer air interface may be a physical layer air interface related to zero-power communication. For example, for the first physical layer air interface, its modulation mode adopts a simple modulation and demodulation mode, such as ASK, FSK, etc., and its coding adopts a simple coding scheme, such as repetition coding, Manchester coding, block coding, group coding, etc.

[0159] Exemplarily, the second physical layer air interface may be a physical layer air interface related to AP or STA communication. For example, the modulation mode of the second physical layer air interface may be OFDM modulation mode, and the coding mode may be FEC coding.

[0160] Exemplarily, the second device may be a zero-power device, and the third device may be an AP, STA, or other relay node. In other words, the first device may communicate with the zero-power device via the first physical layer air interface, and communicate with the AP, STA, or other relay node via the second physical layer air interface.

[0161] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between the first device, the second device, and the third device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0162] As shown in Figure 6, relay devices can be used to relay communications between APs and STAs. For example, relay device 2 is connected downward to STA1 and STA2, primarily acting as an AP; relay device 2 is connected upward to the root AP, acting as a terminal node. Relay devices can also relay communications between APs and other relay devices (or STAs). Relay device 1 is connected downward to STA3, primarily acting as an AP; relay device 1 is connected upward to the root AP, acting as a terminal node. Relay devices can also communicate with STAs through relay devices. For example, relay device 3 is connected downward to STA4 and STA5, primarily acting as an AP; relay device 3 is connected upward to relay device 1, primarily acting as a terminal node.

[0163] In conjunction with the solution of the present application, when the first device is relay device 2, the second device is ZP STA1 or ZP STA2, and the third device is a root AP; when the first device is relay device 1, the second device is ZP STA3 or relay device 3, and the third device is a root AP; when the first device is relay device 3, the second device is STA4 or STA5, and the third device is relay device 1. The first physical air interface between the first device and the second device is air interface 2 as shown in the figure, and the second physical air interface between the first device and the third device is air interface 1 as shown in the figure.

[0164] In some embodiments, the S210 may include:

[0165] Determining a first parameter set used by the first device when performing channel access;

[0166] Based on the first parameter set, the first time domain resource is acquired through channel access.

[0167] Since the zero-power terminal cannot support the existing channel access mechanism, it needs to use the channel to send data with the help of the relay device serving it, that is, the first device to access the channel and obtain TXOP for the zero-power terminal. Therefore, in addition to providing the relay function, the first device also has the important function of obtaining, protecting and allocating TXOPs used by the zero-power terminal. To this end, the first device can perform channel access in the same way as the 802.11 STA, such as the CSMA / CA mechanism specified in the 802.11 protocol, and can maintain compatibility with existing 802.11 devices. Therefore, in a Basic Service Set (BSS), the first device belongs to the BSS provided by the third device like the STA, and the communication method of the first device under the BSS is the same as the communication method of the AP and other STAs. However, the purpose of the first device performing channel access is not entirely to obtain TXOP for its own transmission, but also to obtain TXOP for the zero-power device associated with it.

[0168] In some embodiments, the first parameter set includes at least one of the following: a contention window (CW) parameter and a waiting time.

[0169] In other words, relevant parameters for the first device to obtain channel access, such as CW parameters and waiting time, can be defined. The waiting time is the IFS, and the IFS and the length of the CW window determine the priority and success probability of the first device's access. For example, among the parameters used for the first device's channel access, the waiting time can be PIFS or DIFS, and the CW parameter can be a configurable or preset value less than or equal to a certain value, such as CW = 0 or 1.

[0170] FIG7 is an example of a channel access process provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0171] As shown in Figure 7, the first device, called a relay STA, competes for a channel with an STA. The relay STA and the STA have the same waiting time (DIFS). Because they set different random backoff counts in their respective contention windows, the relay STA with a random backoff count of 3 successfully contends for the channel before the STA's backoff timer reaches zero. This difference is due to the different contention window sizes set by the relay STA and the other STAs. A relay STA with a smaller CW has a greater probability of randomly selecting a smaller random backoff count.

[0172] FIG8 is another example of a channel access process provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0173] As shown in Figure 8, the first device, called a relay STA, competes for a channel with a STA. The relay STA's waiting time is PIFS, while the STA's waiting time is DIFS. The relay STA's waiting time is shorter than the STA's. The relay STA starts the backoff timer before the STA. Although they both choose the same random backoff count value of 4, the relay STA successfully competes for the channel because it has a shorter waiting time.

[0174] In some embodiments, the first device may determine the first parameter set based on at least one of the following:

[0175] The type of the first time domain resource, the type of the second device, the device group to which the second device belongs, the type of the physical layer protocol data unit PPDU frame of the second device, and the time when the first device accesses the channel.

[0176] Exemplarily, the first parameter set is determined according to the type of the first time domain resource. Optionally, the type of the first time domain resource includes at least one of the following: a time domain resource used solely by the first device, a time domain resource used solely by the second device, or a time domain resource used by both the first device and the second device.

[0177] For example, the parameters used by the first device for channel access are related to the type of TXOP obtained. For example, the parameters used when the first device is a zero-power device that obtains TXOP for channel access and the parameters used when the first device obtains TXOP for channel access for its own transmission may be different.

[0178] Exemplarily, the first parameter set is determined according to the type of the second device. Optionally, the type of the second device includes a type classified according to at least one of the following: data priority, data type, access priority, access probability, and a parameter used to characterize real-time requirements.

[0179] For example, the parameters used by the first device for channel access as a zero-power device may be related to the type of zero-power device. For example, for a zero-power device with a higher data transmission priority, the parameters used by the first device for channel access can ensure high access priority and probability. Zero-power devices with higher data transmission priority include sensor devices for dangerous situation monitoring, or zero-power devices with higher real-time requirements for data transmission. Conversely, the parameters used by the first device for channel access do not require guaranteeing high access priority and probability, such as the same parameters used for channel access when the first device transmits as a STA.

[0180] For another example, the parameters used by the first device for channel access as a zero-power device may be related to a zero-power device group. Transmissions from different zero-power device groups correspond to different channel access parameters used by the first device. A zero-power device group may be identified by a device group ID.

[0181] Exemplarily, the first parameter set is determined according to a type of the PPDU frame. Optionally, the type of the PPDU frame includes at least one of the following: a management frame, a control frame, and a data frame.

[0182] For example, the parameters used by the first device for channel access on behalf of the zero-power device may be related to the type of the PPDU frame used by the zero-power device. Different types correspond to different channel access parameters used by the first device. Specifically, PPDU frame types include management frames, control frames, and data frames. For example, control frames have a higher priority, while data frames have a lower priority. The first device uses different channel access parameters for different frame types. The type of the PPDU frame can be identified by a type ID.

[0183] Exemplarily, the first parameter is determined according to the time when the first device performs channel access. Optionally, the time when the first device performs channel access includes at least one of the following: the TWT when the first device performs channel access, the RAW when the first device performs channel access, and the time period when the first device performs channel access within the RAW. Optionally, the TWT includes at least one of the following: single-user TWT, broadcast TWT, and opportunistic power saving PS.

[0184] To save power for STA devices, this application introduces the following two windows:

[0185] 1. Target Wake Time (TWT)

[0186] The AP and STA will agree on a periodic TWT. When the TWT arrives, the STA will wake up to receive the trigger frame sent by the AP and perform a data exchange. When the transmission is completed, the STA returns to sleep.

[0187] TWT can include three types: individual TWT, broadcast TWT and opportunistic PS. Under individual TWT, STA will negotiate a specific TWT with AP, and the specific TWT will be stored in the AP's schedule. STA will wake up at the specific TWT to receive the trigger frame sent by AP and perform a data exchange. Each STA only knows the TWT negotiated between itself and AP and does not need to know the TWT of other STAs. Individual TWT also has multiple working modes, such as explicit working mode and implicit working mode. Broadcast TWT is a working mechanism managed by AP. STA can only execute broadcast TWT after applying to AP. Opportunistic PS does not have a negotiation process between AP and node. AP will publicly announce a TWT. Any STA can choose to wake up in this public TWT and perform data frame exchange with AP. This exchange can be a single node or it can be exchanged using OFDMA mechanism.

[0188] 2. Restricted access window (RAW).

[0189] Each RAW only allows a certain number of STAs to access it. Each RAW can be divided into one or more RAW slots. STAs access the channel in the assigned RAW slot and do not access the channel in other RAW slots, thus reducing channel access conflicts.

[0190] In this embodiment, the transmission of the zero-power device can also be configured within a time window, for example, it can be TWT or RAW. When the TWT or RAW arrives, the first device needs to perform channel access to ensure that the channel is available during the TWT or RAW period corresponding to the STA. The parameters used by the first device for channel access for the zero-power device may be related to the time of channel access. For example, the first device may use different channel access parameters for different times. The first device may use different channel access parameters when three types of TWT arrive. For RAW, the first device may use different channel access parameters for RAWs of different times or periods, that is, at different RAWs, the chance or probability of the zero-power device obtaining the channel seized by the first device for transmission is different.

[0191] In some embodiments, the communication between the first device and the second device through the first physical layer air interface includes at least one of the following:

[0192] Send a first signal to the second device, and receive a second signal sent by the second device.

[0193] The first device is an AP device for the second device (e.g., a zero-power device), which can be called a zero-power (Zero Power, ZP) AP. The zero-power device can belong to the ZP BSS provided by the ZP AP device. The first device can send a first signal to the zero-power device through the first physical layer air interface related to zero-power communication (such as air interface 2 in Figure 6). The first device can receive the second signal sent by the zero-power device through the first physical layer air interface related to zero-power communication (such as air interface 2 in Figure 6). For the first physical layer air interface, its modulation method adopts a simple modulation and demodulation method, such as ASK, FSK, etc., and its coding adopts a simple coding scheme, such as repetition coding, Manchester coding, block coding, group coding, etc.

[0194] In some embodiments, the information carried by the first signal includes first information, and the first information is used to indicate that the first time domain resource includes the second time domain resource, or the first information is used to indicate the second time domain resource in the first time domain resource.

[0195] Exemplarily, when the first information is used to indicate that the first time domain resource includes the second time domain resource, the second device may determine the second time domain resource according to a preset rule after receiving the first signal. For example, when the first information is used to indicate that the first time domain resource includes the second time domain resource, the second device may determine the second time domain resource based on the identifier of the second device; for example, the second device may perform a modulo calculation on the identifier of the second device, and then determine the time domain resource at the position corresponding to the calculation result in the first time domain resource as the second time domain resource based on the calculation result. For another example, when the first information is used to indicate that the first time domain resource includes the second time domain resource, the second device may determine the resource at a predefined position in the first time domain resource as the second time domain resource.

[0196] It is worth noting that this application does not limit the specific implementation method of the first information.

[0197] For example, the first information may include at least one of the following:

[0198] TXOP information: indicating the duration and / or end time of the TXOP (e.g., the first time domain resource or the second time domain resource mentioned above);

[0199] Device ID or device group ID: indicates a zero-power device or device group using a TXOP (such as the first time domain resource or the second time domain resource mentioned above);

[0200] Service Period parameter: indicates the available time period or time window information of the zero-power device within the TXOP (eg, the first time domain resource or the second time domain resource mentioned above), such as the service period (SP).

[0201] Grant information: used to allocate a TXOP or service period for the zero-power device to use;

[0202] Trigger information: used to start a SP.

[0203] Exemplarily, when the first information is used to indicate the second time domain resource, the second device may directly determine the second time domain resource through the first information.

[0204] In some embodiments, the information carried by the first signal further includes at least one of the following:

[0205] Information used to indicate the first time domain resource;

[0206] an identifier of the first device;

[0207] an identifier of the third device;

[0208] an identifier of the second device;

[0209] an identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs;

[0210] Information sent by the third device to the second device.

[0211] Exemplarily, the information carried by the first signal includes information sent by the third device to the second device, indicating that the first device can be used to relay information sent by the third device to the second device. That is, the first device can not only be used to seize a channel for the second device, but can also serve as a relay device between the third device and the second device, and forward information sent by the third device to the second device.

[0212] Specifically, the first device can act as a relay device between the third device and the second device. For example, the first device is the relay device 2 shown in Figure 6, the second device is STA1 or STA2 shown in Figure 6, and the third device is the root AP shown in Figure 6. The first device can send a first signal to the zero-power device, and the information carried by the first signal may include control information for controlling the zero-power device to send a signal. For example, for a sensor network, the first device sends sensor data reporting control information to control the zero-power device associated with it to transmit sensor information. Specifically, the control information in the first signal can be related to the information carried by the signal sent by the Root AP to the first device, such as the Root AP can send control information to the first device, and the first device then sends corresponding control information to the zero-power device.

[0213] Of course, in other alternative embodiments, the information carried by the first signal may include any information that can be sent by the AP to the STA.

[0214] For example, the information sent by the AP to the STA includes but is not limited to:

[0215] Beacon information: including ZP BSS-related parameters and / or configurations;

[0216] BSS ID, compressed SSID or STA ID: indicates the ID information of the first device;

[0217] Acknowledgement (ACK) information: used to acknowledge the transmission of the second device (e.g., the zero-power device);

[0218] Paging information: used to indicate to the first device that there is cached data of the second device (e.g., a zero-power device) that needs to be sent;

[0219] Data: data sent by the first device to the zero-power device;

[0220] Synchronization information: such as timing synchronization function (TSF) information, used for time synchronization of the second device (such as the zero-power device).

[0221] Traffic indication map (TIM) information: used to indicate a second device (eg, a zero-power device) that has cached data on a first device.

[0222] In some embodiments, the first signal is a power supply signal for powering the second device, or the first signal is a carrier signal for backscattering by the second device, or the first signal includes a carrier signal for backscattering by the second device.

[0223] Exemplarily, the first signal is both a power supply signal for powering the second device and a carrier signal for backscattering by the second device; or, the first signal is both a power supply signal for powering the second device and a carrier signal for backscattering by the second device.

[0224] Exemplarily, the zero-power terminal may perform backscatter communication based on a received trigger signal.

[0225] Exemplarily, the trigger signal may be used to schedule or trigger backscatter communication of the zero-power terminal. The trigger signal carries scheduling information of the network device, or the trigger signal is a scheduling signaling or scheduling signal sent by the network device.

[0226] It should be noted that the energy supply signal and the trigger signal can be one signal or two independent signals, and this application does not make any specific limitation on this.

[0227] For example, in a cellular network, since zero-power devices are not battery-powered, a power supply signal needs to be provided by the network device for the zero-power device to obtain energy, thereby performing the corresponding communication process. Among them, the signal for power supply (i.e., the power supply signal) and the signal for information transmission (i.e., the trigger signal) can be two signals or one signal. For another example, in RFID technology, the power supply signal and the trigger signal can be one signal, and in cellular passive Internet of Things technology, the power supply signal and the trigger signal can be two independent signals. These two signals may not be sent in the same frequency band. For example, the network device continuously or intermittently sends a power supply signal in a certain frequency band, and the zero-power device performs energy collection. After the zero-power device obtains energy, it can perform the corresponding communication process, such as measurement, channel / signal reception, channel / signal transmission, etc.

[0228] FIG9 is an example of a first signal provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0229] As shown in Figure 9, the first signal may include a preamble and a payload, wherein the preamble is used by the zero-power device to identify the first signal and synchronize, and the payload may carry various information required by the first signal. Of course, the first signal may also include other content, which is not limited in this application.

[0230] In some embodiments, the information carried by the second signal includes information sent by the second device to the third device.

[0231] Exemplarily, the information carried by the second signal includes information sent by the second device to the third device, indicating that the first device can be used to relay information sent by the second device to the third device. That is, the first device can not only be used to seize a channel for the second device, but can also serve as a relay device between the third device and the second device, forwarding information sent by the second device to the third device.

[0232] Specifically, the first device can act as a relay device between the third device and the second device. For example, the first device is relay device 2 shown in Figure 6, the second device is STA1 or STA2 shown in Figure 6, and the third device is the root AP shown in Figure 6. The first device can receive a second signal from a zero-power device. For example, in a sensor network, the first device receives sensor information transmitted by its associated zero-power device.

[0233] In some embodiments, the information carried by the second signal further includes at least one of the following:

[0234] an identifier of the first device;

[0235] an identifier of the third device;

[0236] an identifier of the second device;

[0237] An identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs.

[0238] Of course, in other alternative embodiments, the information carried by the second signal may include any information that can be sent by a STA to an AP.

[0239] For example, the information sent by the STA to the AP includes but is not limited to:

[0240] Acknowledgement (ACK) information: used for transmission by the first device;

[0241] Data: data sent by the zero-power device to the first device;

[0242] Trigger information: used to trigger the SP to start a zero-power device;

[0243] Grant Ack: Grant's response.

[0244] Poll information: used to request the first device to send cached data.

[0245] It is worth noting that, in addition to being sent to the first device, the second signal can also be sent to other devices communicating with it, such as other zero-power devices or other relay devices. In this case, the first device is not the device communicating with the zero-power device, but is merely the device that obtains the TXOP for the zero-power device. In this case, the second signal can carry the address information of the receiving device, indicating the device ID of the device receiving the second signal.

[0246] In some embodiments, the communication between the first device and the third device through the second physical layer air interface includes at least one of the following:

[0247] Send a third signal to the third device and receive a fourth signal sent by the third device.

[0248] The first device is a STA device to the Root AP. The first device belongs to the BSS provided by the Root AP. The first device sends a third signal to the Root AP or other STA via a second physical layer air interface (such as air interface 1 in Figure 6) related to communication with the AP or STA. The first device receives a fourth signal sent by the Root AP via a second physical layer air interface (such as air interface 1 in Figure 6) related to communication with the AP or STA. The modulation scheme of the second physical layer air interface can be OFDM modulation, and the coding scheme can be FEC coding, etc. Furthermore, the information carried by the third signal can include any type of information sent by the STA to the AP, such as part of the information carried by the first signal, information related to channel access results (such as RTS frames), and other types of NAV-setting frames sent by the first device. The information carried by the fourth signal can include any type of information sent by the AP to the STA, such as the information carried by the first signal and information related to channel access results (such as CTS frames).

[0249] In some embodiments, the information carried by the third signal includes information sent by the second device to the third device.

[0250] Exemplarily, the information carried by the third signal includes information sent by the second device to the third device, indicating that the first device can be used to relay information sent by the second device to the third device. That is, the first device can not only be used to seize a channel for the second device, but can also serve as a relay device between the third device and the second device, forwarding information sent by the second device to the third device.

[0251] Specifically, the first device can act as a relay device between the third device and the second device. For example, the first device is the relay device 2 shown in Figure 6, the second device is STA1 or STA2 shown in Figure 6, and the third device is the root AP shown in Figure 6. After the first device receives the second signal from the zero-power device, it can send a third signal to the Root AP, wherein the information carried by the third signal may include the zero-power device ID (or device group ID) and the information sent by the zero-power device to the Root AP. Such as data or control information. This information may be related to the information carried by the second signal received by the first device from the zero-power device. For example, for a sensor network, the zero-power device acts as a sensor to send sensing information (carried in the second signal) to the first device, and the first device forwards this sensing information (carried in the third signal) to the Root AP.

[0252] In some embodiments, the information carried by the third signal further includes at least one of the following:

[0253] an identifier of the first device;

[0254] an identifier of the third device;

[0255] an identifier of the second device;

[0256] an identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs;

[0257] Information indicating the channel occupancy duration.

[0258] Exemplarily, the information indicating the channel occupancy duration is used to set a NAV in devices other than the third device among the receiving devices of the third signal. The information indicating the channel occupancy duration may be a frame carrying a field indicating the first channel occupancy time reserved for the second device; this includes, but is not limited to, a data frame, a management frame, a control frame, and a frame related to a channel access result. The frame related to the channel access result may be an RTS frame. The channel occupancy time includes the time reserved for the second device, which includes at least one of the following: a RAW, a time period or time window within a RAW, a TWT, and a TXOP.

[0259] FIG10 is an example of a first device sending an RTS provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0260] As shown in Figure 10, STA2 sends an RTS frame to send data to the AP. This RTS frame is received by both the AP and STA3. Since STA3 is not the intended recipient, it updates its NAV based on the duration field in the RTS frame (e.g., it carries information indicating the channel occupancy duration). After receiving the RTS, the AP responds with a CTS frame. Since STA1 is not the intended recipient, it updates its NAV based on the duration field in the CTS frame. The NAV values ​​of STA1 and STA3 ensure that channel idleness monitoring begins only after the ACK is transmitted between the AP and STA2.

[0261] FIG11 is another example of a first device sending an RTS provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0262] As shown in Figure 11, the first device, called a relay STA, competes for the channel with the STA. After the relay STA successfully accesses the channel, it sends an RTS frame. The duration field in the RTS frame indicates the channel occupancy time. After receiving the RTS frame, the STA updates its NAV. Until the NAV counter reaches zero, the STA considers the channel busy and does not attempt to access the channel. The channel occupancy time indicated in the RTS frame includes the TXOP time of the zero-power device.

[0263] The first device can initiate channel access and obtain channel occupancy, and the occupied channel can be provided to the second device (such as a zero-power device) for transmission. To this end, after the first device successfully accesses the channel, it sends an RTS frame for other devices to update the NAV according to the duration field in the RTS frame. Since the zero-power device cannot send a CTS frame, and there may be multiple zero-power devices using the channel, their locations may be different, and the problem of hidden nodes is more difficult to solve. To this end, in this application, the transmission coverage of RTS can be enhanced so that as many other devices as possible can receive RTS, thereby setting NAV and avoiding channel access conflicts.

[0264] Exemplarily, the third signal may include at least one RTS frame, the transmission power of the at least one RTS frame being greater than the transmission power of other information carried by the third signal; or the transmission rate of the at least one RTS frame being less than the transmission rate of the other information; or, when the at least one RTS frame is a plurality of repeated RTS frames, the devices receiving the plurality of RTS frames, excluding the third device, set the network allocation vector NAV according to the first received RTS frame. In other words, the first device may send RTS at a higher power or a lower data rate, or may send RTS repeatedly, wherein the RTS sent later in the repeatedly sent RTS does not affect the setting of the NAV value of the previously sent RTS for other devices, that is, the time when the NAV timer of the RTS for other devices is reset to zero is the same.

[0265] It is worth noting that the information carried by the third signal for indicating the channel occupancy duration may be not only an RTS frame, but also other types of frames sent by the STA, such as data frames, other types of management frames or control frames.

[0266] For example, the duration field in the data frame sets the time for transmission of the ACK frame plus one or three SIFS, as well as the channel usage time required for communication of the zero-power device.

[0267] For another example, other types of management frames or control frames also include a duration field, including but not limited to trigger frames, such as Quality of service Null (QoS Null) frames, QoS data (data) frames, ACK frames, poll frames, Grant Service period request frames (Grant AckSPR frames), Sector Sweep Feedback Frames (SSW Feedback Frames), Sector Sweep Ack frames (SSW-Ack frames), etc. For frames sent by STAs, they can be used by the first device to reserve channel occupancy time for the channel required for communication by the zero-power device.

[0268] FIG12 is an example of an NDP CMAC frame provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0269] As shown in FIG12 , a null data PPDU (NDP) carrying medium access control information (CMAC) frame may include only a physical layer preamble and a physical layer header, that is, it may not have a data portion.

[0270] FIG13 is an example of a SIGNAL field in an NDP CMAC frame provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0271] As shown in Figure 13, the SIGNAL field includes the following control information: NDP CMAC PPDU body, NDP indication, CRC, and tail. Among them, the NDP CMAC PPDU body includes NDP CMAC PPDU Type information and related control information. For example, if the NDP CMAC PPDU Type information indicates that the NDP is CTS, the control information carried by the NDP frame is CTS information, the NDP frame is an NDP CTS frame, and the NDP CMAC PPDU body may include a duration field. For the NDP frame sent by the STA, the duration field contained therein can be used to reserve the channel occupancy time for the channel required for zero-power device communication.

[0272] That is to say, the frame containing the duration field can be called a NAV-setting frame. The transmission of this type of frame allows a third-party STA to set NAV, thereby reserving channel occupancy time for zero-power devices and protecting the transmission time of zero-power device communications. The transmission time may include RAW, a time slot in RAW, the time interval corresponding to TWT, TXOP, etc. The above-mentioned PPDU frame is a PPDU frame compatible with existing devices, and its receiving device can be a Root AP, STA or relay device. Furthermore, if zero-power communication is supported on a new frequency band, a frame with reserved channel occupancy time for zero-power devices can be defined accordingly, and this application does not limit this.

[0273] In some embodiments, the information carried by the fourth signal includes information sent by the third device to the second device.

[0274] Exemplarily, the information carried by the fourth signal includes information sent by the third device to the second device, indicating that the first device can be used to relay information sent by the third device to the second device. That is, the first device can not only be used to seize a channel for the second device, but can also serve as a relay device between the third device and the second device, forwarding information sent by the third device to the second device.

[0275] Specifically, the first device can act as a relay device between the third device and the second device. For example, the first device is the relay device 2 shown in Figure 6, the second device is STA1 or STA2 shown in Figure 6, and the third device is the root AP shown in Figure 6. The first device can receive control information (carried on the third signal) sent by the Root AP from the Root AP device, which is used to control the zero-power device to send signals. For example, for a sensor network, the first device sends sensor data reporting control information to control the zero-power device associated with it to transmit sensor information. The information carried by the third signal can also include the zero-power device ID (or device group ID) or the broadcast information sent by the Root AP device to the zero-power device.

[0276] In addition, for the association process between the zero-power device and the first device, the relay-related capability reporting of the first device or the negotiation process of the relay mode and parameters can be added, and this application does not make specific restrictions on this.

[0277] In some embodiments, the information carried by the fourth signal includes at least one of the following:

[0278] an identifier of the first device;

[0279] an identifier of the third device;

[0280] an identifier of the second device;

[0281] an identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs;

[0282] Information indicating the channel occupancy duration.

[0283] The preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present application is not limited to the specific details in the embodiments mentioned above. Within the technical concept of the present application, the technical solution of the present application can be subjected to a variety of simple modifications, and these simple modifications all fall within the scope of protection of the present application. For example, the various specific technical features described in the specific embodiments mentioned above can be combined in any suitable manner unless there is any contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present application will not further explain various possible combinations. For another example, the various different embodiments of the present application can also be arbitrarily combined, and as long as they do not violate the ideas of the present application, they should also be regarded as the contents disclosed in the present application.

[0284] It should also be understood that in the various method embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the processes involved above does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0285] The above describes in detail the method embodiment of the present application in conjunction with Figures 1 to 13, and the following describes in detail the device embodiment of the present application in conjunction with Figures 14 to 18.

[0286] FIG14 is a schematic block diagram of a first device 400 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0287] As shown in FIG14 , the first device 400 may include:

[0288] The communication unit 410 is configured to obtain a first time domain resource through channel access;

[0289] The first time domain resources include second time domain resources corresponding to a second device, and the second device is a device that communicates with a third device through the first device.

[0290] In some embodiments, when the second device is a device that does not have channel access capability, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

[0291] In some embodiments, the device without channel access capability comprises a zero-power device.

[0292] In some embodiments, when the second device is associated with the first device, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

[0293] In some embodiments, the first device is associated to the third device.

[0294] In some embodiments, when the second device is a child node device of the first device, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

[0295] In some embodiments, the sub-node device includes at least one of the following:

[0296] Devices included in the basic service set BSS provided by the first device;

[0297] A device associated with the first device.

[0298] In some embodiments, the first device has a first physical layer air interface and a second physical layer air interface, the first device communicates with the second device via the first physical layer air interface, and the first device communicates with the third device via the second physical layer air interface.

[0299] In some embodiments, the communication between the first device and the second device through the first physical layer air interface includes at least one of the following:

[0300] Send a first signal to the second device, and receive a second signal sent by the second device.

[0301] In some embodiments, the information carried by the first signal includes first information, and the first information is used to indicate that the first time domain resource includes the second time domain resource, or the first information is used to indicate the second time domain resource in the first time domain resource.

[0302] In some embodiments, the information carried by the first signal further includes at least one of the following:

[0303] Information used to indicate the first time domain resource;

[0304] an identifier of the first device;

[0305] an identifier of the third device;

[0306] an identifier of the second device;

[0307] an identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs;

[0308] Information sent by the third device to the second device.

[0309] In some embodiments, the first signal is a power supply signal for powering the second device, or the first signal is a carrier signal for backscattering by the second device, or the first signal includes a carrier signal for backscattering by the second device.

[0310] In some embodiments, the information carried by the second signal includes information sent by the second device to the third device.

[0311] In some embodiments, the information carried by the second signal further includes at least one of the following:

[0312] an identifier of the first device;

[0313] an identifier of the third device;

[0314] an identifier of the second device;

[0315] An identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs.

[0316] In some embodiments, the communication between the first device and the third device through the second physical layer air interface includes at least one of the following:

[0317] Send a third signal to the third device and receive a fourth signal sent by the third device.

[0318] In some embodiments, the information carried by the third signal includes information sent by the second device to the third device.

[0319] In some embodiments, the information carried by the third signal further includes at least one of the following:

[0320] an identifier of the first device;

[0321] an identifier of the third device;

[0322] an identifier of the second device;

[0323] an identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs;

[0324] Information indicating the channel occupancy duration.

[0325] In some embodiments, the information carried by the fourth signal includes information sent by the third device to the second device.

[0326] In some embodiments, the information carried by the fourth signal includes at least one of the following:

[0327] an identifier of the first device;

[0328] an identifier of the third device;

[0329] an identifier of the second device;

[0330] an identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs;

[0331] Information indicating the channel occupancy duration.

[0332] In some embodiments, the communication unit 410 is specifically configured to:

[0333] Determining a first parameter set used by the first device when performing channel access;

[0334] Based on the first parameter set, the first time domain resource is acquired through channel access.

[0335] In some embodiments, the first parameter set includes at least one of the following:

[0336] Contention window CW parameters and waiting time.

[0337] In some embodiments, the communication unit 410 is specifically configured to:

[0338] The first parameter set is determined based on at least one of the following:

[0339] The type of the first time domain resource, the type of the second device, the device group to which the second device belongs, the type of the physical layer protocol data unit PPDU frame of the second device, and the time when the first device accesses the channel.

[0340] In some embodiments, the first device is an access point device or a relay device.

[0341] In some embodiments, the second time domain resource includes at least one of the following: a transmission opportunity TXOP, a target wake-up time TWT, a service time SP, a restricted access window RAW, and a time period in the RAW.

[0342] It should be understood that the device embodiments and the method embodiments may correspond to each other, and similar descriptions may refer to the method embodiments. Specifically, the first device 400 shown in Figure 14 may correspond to the corresponding subject in the method 200 or 300 of the embodiment of the present application, and the aforementioned and other operations and / or functions of the various units in the first device 400 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the various methods provided in the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0343] FIG15 is a schematic block diagram of a second device 500 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0344] As shown in FIG15 , the second device 500 may include:

[0345] a communication unit 510, configured to communicate with a third device via the first device;

[0346] The first time domain resources acquired by the first device through channel access include the second time domain resources corresponding to the second device.

[0347] In some embodiments, when the second device is a device that does not have channel access capability, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

[0348] In some embodiments, the device without channel access capability comprises a zero-power device.

[0349] In some embodiments, when the second device is associated with the first device, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

[0350] In some embodiments, the first device is associated to the third device.

[0351] In some embodiments, when the second device is a child node device of the first device, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

[0352] In some embodiments, the sub-node device includes at least one of the following:

[0353] Devices included in the basic service set BSS provided by the first device;

[0354] A device associated with the first device.

[0355] In some embodiments, the first device has a first physical layer air interface and a second physical layer air interface, the first device communicates with the second device via the first physical layer air interface, and the first device communicates with the third device via the second physical layer air interface.

[0356] In some embodiments, the communication unit 510 is specifically configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0357] Receive a first signal sent by the first device, and send a second signal to the first device.

[0358] In some embodiments, the information carried by the first signal includes first information, and the first information is used to indicate that the first time domain resource includes the second time domain resource, or the first information is used to indicate the second time domain resource in the first time domain resource.

[0359] In some embodiments, the information carried by the first signal further includes at least one of the following:

[0360] Information used to indicate the first time domain resource;

[0361] an identifier of the first device;

[0362] an identifier of the third device;

[0363] an identifier of the second device;

[0364] an identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs;

[0365] Information sent by the third device to the second device.

[0366] In some embodiments, the first signal is a power supply signal for powering the second device, or the first signal is a carrier signal for backscattering by the second device, or the first signal includes a carrier signal for backscattering by the second device.

[0367] In some embodiments, the information carried by the second signal includes information sent by the second device to the third device.

[0368] In some embodiments, the information carried by the second signal further includes at least one of the following:

[0369] an identifier of the first device;

[0370] an identifier of the third device;

[0371] an identifier of the second device;

[0372] An identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs.

[0373] In some embodiments, the first device is an access point device or a relay device.

[0374] In some embodiments, the second time domain resource includes at least one of the following: a transmission opportunity TXOP, a target wake-up time TWT, a service time SP, a restricted access window RAW, and a time period in the RAW.

[0375] It should be understood that the device embodiments and the method embodiments may correspond to each other, and similar descriptions may refer to the method embodiments. Specifically, the second device 500 shown in Figure 15 may correspond to the corresponding subject in executing the method 200 or 300 of the embodiment of the present application, and the aforementioned and other operations and / or functions of the various units in the second device 500 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the various methods provided in the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0376] FIG16 is a schematic block diagram of a third device 600 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0377] As shown in FIG16 , the third device 600 may include:

[0378] a communication unit 610, configured to communicate with a second device via the first device;

[0379] The first time domain resources acquired by the first device through channel access include the second time domain resources corresponding to the second device.

[0380] In some embodiments, when the second device is a device that does not have channel access capability, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

[0381] In some embodiments, the device without channel access capability comprises a zero-power device.

[0382] In some embodiments, when the second device is associated with the first device, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

[0383] In some embodiments, the first device is associated to the third device.

[0384] In some embodiments, when the second device is a child node device of the first device, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

[0385] In some embodiments, the sub-node device includes at least one of the following:

[0386] Devices included in the basic service set BSS provided by the first device;

[0387] A device associated with the first device.

[0388] In some embodiments, the first device has a first physical layer air interface and a second physical layer air interface, the first device communicates with the second device via the first physical layer air interface, and the first device communicates with the third device via the second physical layer air interface.

[0389] In some embodiments, the communication unit 610 is specifically configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0390] Receive a third signal sent by the first device, and send a fourth signal to the first device.

[0391] In some embodiments, the information carried by the third signal includes information sent by the second device to the third device.

[0392] In some embodiments, the information carried by the third signal further includes at least one of the following:

[0393] an identifier of the first device;

[0394] an identifier of the third device;

[0395] an identifier of the second device;

[0396] an identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs;

[0397] Information indicating the channel occupancy duration.

[0398] In some embodiments, the information carried by the fourth signal includes information sent by the third device to the second device.

[0399] In some embodiments, the information carried by the fourth signal includes at least one of the following:

[0400] an identifier of the first device;

[0401] an identifier of the third device;

[0402] an identifier of the second device;

[0403] an identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs;

[0404] Information indicating the channel occupancy duration.

[0405] In some embodiments, the first device is an access point device or a relay device.

[0406] In some embodiments, the second time domain resource includes at least one of the following: a transmission opportunity TXOP, a target wake-up time TWT, a service time SP, a restricted access window RAW, and a time period in the RAW.

[0407] It should be understood that the device embodiments and the method embodiments may correspond to each other, and similar descriptions may refer to the method embodiments. Specifically, the third device 600 shown in Figure 16 may correspond to the corresponding subject in executing the method 200 or 300 of the embodiment of the present application, and the aforementioned and other operations and / or functions of the various units in the second device 500 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the various methods provided in the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0408] The communication device of the embodiment of the present application is described above from the perspective of functional modules in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the functional module can be implemented in hardware form, can be implemented by instructions in software form, or can be implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules. Specifically, the steps of the method embodiment in the embodiment of the present application can be completed by the hardware integrated logic circuit and / or software form instructions in the processor, and the steps of the method disclosed in the embodiment of the present application can be directly embodied as a hardware decoding processor for execution, or can be completed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. Optionally, the software module can be located in a mature storage medium in the art such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps in the method embodiment mentioned above in conjunction with its hardware.

[0409] For example, the communication unit mentioned above may be implemented by a transceiver.

[0410] FIG17 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 700 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0411] As shown in FIG. 17 , the communication device 700 may include a processor 710 .

[0412] The processor 710 may call and execute a computer program from the memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0413] As shown in FIG. 17 , the communication device 700 may further include a memory 720 .

[0414] The memory 720 can be used to store information and can also be used to store code, instructions, etc. executed by the processor 710. The processor 710 can call and run computer programs from the memory 720 to implement the methods in the embodiments of the present application. The memory 720 can be a separate device independent of the processor 710 or integrated into the processor 710.

[0415] As shown in FIG. 17 , the communication device 700 may further include a transceiver 730 .

[0416] The processor 710 may control the transceiver 730 to communicate with other devices. Specifically, the processor 710 may send information or data to other devices or receive information or data sent by other devices. The transceiver 730 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 730 may further include one or more antennas.

[0417] It should be understood that the various components in the communication device 700 are connected via a bus system, wherein the bus system includes, in addition to a data bus, a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. It should also be understood that the communication device 700 can be the first device, the second device, or the third device in the embodiments of the present application, and that the communication device 700 can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first device, the second device, or the third device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, these processes are not further described here.

[0418] In addition, a chip is also provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0419] For example, the chip may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities that can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The chip may also be referred to as a system-on-chip, a system-on-chip, a system-on-chip, or a system-on-chip chip. Optionally, the chip can be applied to various communication devices, so that the communication devices equipped with the chip can execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application.

[0420] FIG18 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip 800 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0421] As shown in FIG. 18 , the chip 800 includes a processor 810 .

[0422] The processor 810 may call and execute a computer program from the memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0423] As shown in FIG. 18 , the chip 800 may further include a memory 820 .

[0424] The processor 810 can call and execute a computer program from the memory 820 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application. The memory 820 can be used to store instruction information and can also be used to store code, instructions, etc. executed by the processor 810. The memory 820 can be a separate device independent of the processor 810 or integrated into the processor 810.

[0425] As shown in FIG. 18 , the chip 800 may further include an input interface 830 .

[0426] The processor 810 may control the input interface 830 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0427] As shown in FIG. 18 , the chip 800 may further include an output interface 840 .

[0428] The processor 810 may control the output interface 840 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0429] It should be understood that the various components in the chip 800 are connected via a bus system, wherein the bus system includes, in addition to a data bus, a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. It should also be understood that the chip 800 can be applied to the first device, the second device, or the third device in the embodiments of the present application, and that the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first device, the second device, or the third device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, these details are not repeated here.

[0430] The processors mentioned above may include but are not limited to:

[0431] General-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc.

[0432] The processor can be used to implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, or an erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the method involved above in combination with its hardware.

[0433] The memories mentioned above include but are not limited to:

[0434] Volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus random access memory (DR RAM).

[0435] It should be noted that the memory described herein is intended to encompass these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0436] A computer-readable storage medium is also provided in an embodiment of the present application for storing a computer program. The computer-readable storage medium stores one or more programs, and the one or more programs include instructions that, when executed by a portable electronic device including multiple application programs, enable the portable electronic device to perform the wireless communication method provided in the present application. The computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the first device in the embodiment of the present application, and the computer program causes the computer to execute the corresponding process implemented by the first device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. The computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the second device in the embodiment of the present application, and the computer program causes the computer to execute the corresponding process implemented by the second device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. The computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the third device in the embodiment of the present application, and the computer program causes the computer to execute the corresponding process implemented by the third device in each method of the embodiment of the present application.

[0437] The present application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program. The computer program product can be applied to the first device in the present application, and the computer program causes a computer to execute the corresponding process implemented by the first device in the various methods of the present application. The computer program product can be applied to the second device in the present application, and the computer program causes a computer to execute the corresponding process implemented by the second device in the various methods of the present application. The computer program product can be applied to the third device in the present application, and the computer program causes a computer to execute the corresponding process implemented by the third device in the various methods of the present application.

[0438] A computer program is also provided in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can perform the wireless communication method provided in the present application. The computer program can be applied to the first device in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program is run on the computer, the computer can perform the corresponding process implemented by the first device in each method of the embodiments of the present application. The computer program can be applied to the second device in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program is run on the computer, the computer can perform the corresponding process implemented by the second device in each method of the embodiments of the present application. The computer program can be applied to the third device in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program is run on the computer, the computer can perform the corresponding process implemented by the third device in each method of the embodiments of the present application.

[0439] The present application also provides a communication system, which may include the first device, the second device, and the third device mentioned above. For the sake of brevity, they are not described here. It should be noted that the term "system" in this article may also be referred to as "network management architecture" or "network system".

[0440] It is worth noting that the terms used in the embodiments of the present application and the appended claims are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present application. For example, the singular forms "a," "the," "above," and "the" used in the embodiments of the present application and the appended claims are intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0441] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of the embodiments of the present application. If implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application is essentially or in other words, the part that contributes to the prior art or the part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in the embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory, a random access memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0442] Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that, for ease of description and brevity, the specific operating processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here. In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the division of units, modules, or components in the device embodiments described above is merely a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, other division methods may be used. For example, multiple units, modules, or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some units, modules, or components may be ignored or not executed. For another example, the units, modules, or components described above as separate / displayed components may or may not be physically separate, i.e., they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units, modules, or components may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the objectives of the embodiments of this application. Finally, it should be noted that the mutual coupling, direct coupling, or communication connection shown or discussed above may be through some interface, indirect coupling, or communication connection of devices or units, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0443] The above content is only a specific implementation of the embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the embodiment of the present application, and they should be included in the scope of protection of the embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the embodiment of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, characterized in that: The method is applicable to a first device, and the method includes: Acquiring a first time domain resource through channel access; The first time domain resources include second time domain resources corresponding to a second device, and the second device is a device that communicates with a third device through the first device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that When the second device is a device that does not have a channel access capability, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The device without channel access capability includes a zero-power consumption device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that When the second device is associated with the first device, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The first device is associated to the third device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that When the second device is a child node device of the first device, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The subnode device includes at least one of the following: Devices included in the basic service set BSS provided by the first device; A device associated to the first device.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The first device has a first physical layer air interface and a second physical layer air interface. The first device communicates with the second device via the first physical layer air interface, and the first device communicates with the third device via the second physical layer air interface.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The communication between the first device and the second device through the first physical layer air interface includes at least one of the following: A first signal is sent to the second device, and a second signal sent by the second device is received.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The information carried by the first signal includes first information, where the first information is used to indicate that the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources, or the first information is used to indicate the second time domain resources in the first time domain resources.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The information carried by the first signal also includes at least one of the following: Information used to indicate the first time domain resource; an identifier of the first device; an identifier of the third device; an identifier of the second device; an identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs; Information sent by the third device to the second device.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that The first signal is a power supply signal for powering the second device, or the first signal is a carrier signal for backscattering by the second device, or the first signal includes a carrier signal for backscattering by the second device.

13. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The information carried by the second signal includes information sent by the second device to the third device.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The information carried by the second signal also includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the first device; an identifier of the third device; an identifier of the second device; An identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs.

15. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 14, characterized in that The communication between the first device and the third device through the second physical layer air interface includes at least one of the following: Send a third signal to the third device, and receive a fourth signal sent by the third device.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The information carried by the third signal includes information sent by the second device to the third device.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The information carried by the third signal also includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the first device; an identifier of the third device; an identifier of the second device; an identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs; Information indicating the channel occupancy time.

18. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The information carried by the fourth signal includes information sent by the third device to the second device.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The information carried by the fourth signal includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the first device; an identifier of the third device; an identifier of the second device; an identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs; Information indicating the channel occupancy time.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that The acquiring the first time domain resource through channel access includes: Determining a first parameter set used by the first device when performing channel access; Based on the first parameter set, the first time domain resource is acquired through channel access.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The first parameter set includes at least one of the following: Contention window CW parameters and waiting time.

22. The method according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that The determining a parameter set used by the first device when performing channel access includes: The first parameter set is determined based on at least one of the following: The type of the first time domain resource, the type of the second device, the device group to which the second device belongs, the type of the physical layer protocol data unit PPDU frame of the second device, and the time when the first device accesses the channel.

23. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that The first device is an access point device or a relay device.

24. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 23, characterized in that The second time domain resources include at least one of the following: a transmission opportunity TXOP, a target wake-up time TWT, a service time SP, a restricted access window RAW, and a time period in the RAW.

25. A wireless communication method, characterized in that: The method is applicable to a second device, and the method includes: communicating with a third device through the first device; The first time domain resources acquired by the first device through channel access include the second time domain resources corresponding to the second device.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that When the second device is a device that does not have a channel access capability, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that The device without channel access capability includes a zero-power consumption device.

28. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 27, characterized in that When the second device is associated with the first device, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

29. The method according to claim 28, characterized in that The first device is associated to the third device.

30. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 29, characterized in that When the second device is a child node device of the first device, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

31. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that The subnode device includes at least one of the following: Devices included in the basic service set BSS provided by the first device; A device associated to the first device.

32. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 31, characterized in that The first device has a first physical layer air interface and a second physical layer air interface. The first device communicates with the second device via the first physical layer air interface, and the first device communicates with the third device via the second physical layer air interface.

33. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 32, characterized in that The communicating with the third device through the first device includes at least one of the following: Receive a first signal sent by the first device, and send a second signal to the first device.

34. The method according to claim 33, characterized in that The information carried by the first signal includes first information, where the first information is used to indicate that the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources, or the first information is used to indicate the second time domain resources in the first time domain resources.

35. The method according to claim 34, characterized in that The information carried by the first signal also includes at least one of the following: Information used to indicate the first time domain resource; an identifier of the first device; an identifier of the third device; an identifier of the second device; an identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs; Information sent by the third device to the second device.

36. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 35, characterized in that The first signal is a power supply signal for powering the second device, or the first signal is a carrier signal for backscattering by the second device, or the first signal includes a carrier signal for backscattering by the second device.

37. The method according to claim 33, characterized in that The information carried by the second signal includes information sent by the second device to the third device.

38. The method according to claim 37, characterized in that The information carried by the second signal also includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the first device; an identifier of the third device; an identifier of the second device; An identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs.

39. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 38, characterized in that The first device is an access point device or a relay device.

40. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 39, characterized in that The second time domain resources include at least one of the following: a transmission opportunity TXOP, a target wake-up time TWT, a service time SP, a restricted access window RAW, and a time period in the RAW.

41. A wireless communication method, characterized in that: The method is applicable to a third device, and the method includes: communicating with a second device via the first device; The first time domain resources acquired by the first device through channel access include the second time domain resources corresponding to the second device.

42. The method according to claim 41, characterized in that When the second device is a device that does not have a channel access capability, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

43. The method according to claim 42, characterized in that The device without channel access capability includes a zero-power consumption device.

44. The method according to any one of claims 41 to 43, characterized in that When the second device is associated with the first device, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

45. The method according to claim 44, characterized in that The first device is associated to the third device.

46. ​​The method according to any one of claims 41 to 45, characterized in that When the second device is a child node device of the first device, the first time domain resources include the second time domain resources.

47. The method according to claim 46, characterized in that The subnode device includes at least one of the following: Devices included in the basic service set BSS provided by the first device; A device associated to the first device.

48. The method according to any one of claims 41 to 47, characterized in that The first device has a first physical layer air interface and a second physical layer air interface. The first device communicates with the second device via the first physical layer air interface, and the first device communicates with the third device via the second physical layer air interface.

49. The method according to any one of claims 41 to 48, characterized in that The communicating with the second device through the first device includes at least one of the following: Receive a third signal sent by the first device, and send a fourth signal to the first device.

50. The method according to claim 49, characterized in that The information carried by the third signal includes information sent by the second device to the third device.

51. The method according to claim 50, characterized in that The information carried by the third signal also includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the first device; an identifier of the third device; an identifier of the second device; an identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs; Information indicating the channel occupancy time.

52. The method according to claim 49, characterized in that The information carried by the fourth signal includes information sent by the third device to the second device.

53. The method according to claim 52, characterized in that The information carried by the fourth signal includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the first device; an identifier of the third device; an identifier of the second device; an identifier of the device group to which the second device belongs; Information indicating the channel occupancy time.

54. The method according to any one of claims 41 to 53, characterized in that The first device is an access point device or a relay device.

55. The method according to any one of claims 41 to 54, characterized in that The second time domain resources include at least one of the following: a transmission opportunity TXOP, a target wake-up time TWT, a service time SP, a restricted access window RAW, and a time period in the RAW.

56. A first device, characterized in that: include: A communication unit, configured to acquire a first time domain resource through channel access; The first time domain resources include second time domain resources corresponding to a second device, and the second device is a device that communicates with a third device through the first device.

57. A second device, characterized in that: include: a communication unit, configured to communicate with a third device via the first device; The first time domain resources acquired by the first device through channel access include the second time domain resources corresponding to the second device.

58. A third device, characterized in that: include: a communication unit, configured to communicate with a second device via the first device; The first time domain resources acquired by the first device through channel access include the second time domain resources corresponding to the second device.

59. A first device, characterized in that: include: A transceiver, a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the transceiver performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

60. A second device, characterized in that: include: A transceiver, a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the transceiver executes the method according to any one of claims 25 to 40.

61. A third device, characterized in that: include: A transceiver, a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the transceiver executes the method according to any one of claims 41 to 55.

62. A chip, characterized in that: include: A processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory so that a device equipped with the chip executes a method according to any one of claims 1 to 24, a method according to any one of claims 25 to 40, or a method according to any one of claims 41 to 55.

63. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that Used to store a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24, the method according to any one of claims 25 to 40, or the method according to any one of claims 41 to 55.

64. A computer program product, characterized in that Comprising computer program instructions which cause a computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24, the method according to any one of claims 25 to 40, or the method according to any one of claims 41 to 55.

65. A computer program, characterized in that The computer program causes a computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24, the method according to any one of claims 25 to 40, or the method according to any one of claims 41 to 55.

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