Communication method and device, computer readable storage medium and program product

Abstract

The disclosed embodiment provides a communication method, device and system, a computer readable storage medium and a program product. In the method, a first device sends a pilot signal for sensing interference management in a time slot for sensing. In addition, the first device also transmits a sensing signal for sensing in the time slot. In this manner, interference between communication and perception can be accurately measured either in a neighboring communication device or in a remote communication device. In addition, high complexity of centralized measurement interference can be avoided.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of communications, and more particularly to a method of communication, device, computer-readable storage medium, and program product. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of technology, the radio operating frequency band or operating band for communication has been expanded to, for example, millimeter wave (mmWave), terahertz (THz), and even visible light band for different communication needs and communication scenarios, which has intersected with the traditional operating frequency band of radar. Further, the communication and sensing integrated (or referred to as “Integrated Sensing and Communication-ISAC”) technology is proposed. With this technology, a communication network can be regarded as a huge sensor. Participants (e.g., network devices, terminal devices, or network elements, etc.) in the communication network send and receive wireless signals, and utilize the transmission, reflection, and scattering of radio waves to better perceive and understand the surrounding environment. By obtaining distance, speed, and angle information from wireless signals, a wide range of new services such as high-precision positioning, gesture capture, motion recognition, detection and tracking of passive objects, imaging, and environmental reconstruction can be provided, realizing “Network as a Sensor”.

[0003] On the other hand, the high-precision positioning, imaging, and environmental reconstruction capabilities provided by sensing can help improve communication performance, such as more accurate beamforming, more rapid beam failure recovery, lower overhead for terminal channel state information (CSI) tracking, realizing “sensing-aided communication”. However, in some cases, when concurrent communication and sensing occur, mutual interference problems can occur. SUMMARY

[0004] The present disclosure provides a communication method, device, computer-readable storage medium, and program product, which can effectively reduce or avoid interference between a communication base station and a communication and sensing base station.

[0005] In a first aspect, a method of communication is provided. The method can be performed by a communication and sensing device (also referred to as a first device in some embodiments), such as a network device, which is capable of performing both communication tasks and sensing tasks. The method can also be performed by a chip or chip system in the communication and sensing device. In the method, a pilot signal for sensing interference management is transmitted in a time slot for sensing. In addition, a sensing signal for sensing is also transmitted in the time slot. In this way, other communication devices can measure on the pilot signal and then estimate the interference caused by the communication signals of the other communication devices on the sensing signal of the communication and sensing device using reciprocity. In this way, the other communication devices can decide whether to perform an operation to reduce or avoid interference, such as adjusting the power or beam direction of their communication signals, based on the pilot signal from the communication and sensing device. In addition, this can avoid centralized processing of all interference measurements and management at the same device and enable accurate measurement of near-end interference.

[0006] In some implementations, the pilot signal includes at least one of: identification information of the first device or identification information of a sensing cell of the first device. In this way, interference management can be performed for different devices or cells based on the identification information of the devices or cells.

[0007] In some implementations, the method further includes transmitting a communication signal for communication in the time slot. In some implementations, the pilot signal, the sensing signal, and the communication signal are transmitted in different symbols of the time slot. In this way, interference management between communication and sensing can be performed in the time slot for communication and sensing.

[0008] In some implementations, the time slot for sensing includes at least one of: a starting downlink time slot in a sensing frame period including a plurality of time slots; or a downlink time slot in the sensing frame period after an uplink time slot. In this way, interference from downlink signals of a far-end base station can be avoided when estimating the interference caused by the communication signals on the sensing signals using the pilot signal.

[0009] In some implementations, the pilot signal is transmitted via a first beam of the first device during a first sensing frame period and the pilot signal is transmitted via a second beam of the first device during a second sensing frame period. In this way, the interference caused by the communication signals on different beams can be further determined.

[0010] In some implementations, the pilot signal is transmitted in a portion of a plurality of sensing frame periods. In this way, the impact of the interference management operation on sensing traffic and / or communication traffic can be reduced.

[0011] In some implementations, the time slot is a first time slot, the pilot signal is a first pilot signal, and the method further includes detecting, in a second time slot for sensing, a second pilot signal for sensing interference management from a second device, determining, based on the detected second pilot signal, at least one of an interference strength and an interference direction of a communication signal of the second device on the sensing signal of the first device, and sending, based on the at least one of the interference strength and the interference direction, a request to the second device to avoid or reduce interference. In this way, interference caused by a communication signal of a communication base station on a sensing signal can also be determined at a communication-sensing base station side by receiving and measuring a pilot signal from the communication base station. In turn, the communication-sensing base station can request the communication base station to reduce or avoid interference. In this way, interference caused by a communication signal on a sensing signal can be estimated at a communication base station side, measured at a communication-sensing base station side, or estimated or measured at both sides to perform corresponding interference reduction or interference avoidance operations. In this way, better interference management can be achieved.

[0012] In some implementations, the second pilot signal includes at least one of identification information of the second device or identification information of a communication cell of the second device. In this way, a communication-sensing device can send corresponding interference management requests for different communication base stations.

[0013] In some implementations, sending the request to the second device to avoid or reduce interference includes at least one of sending the request based on a determination that the interference strength is greater than a first threshold or sending the request based on a determination that a difference between the interference direction and a transmission direction of the sensing signal is less than a second threshold. In this way, a communication party that causes real interference to sensing can be determined.

[0014] In some implementations, the method further includes switching a transceiver of the first device to a receiving state during the second time slot. In this way, a communication-sensing base station can measure interference caused by a communication signal on a sensing signal in a communication-sensing time slot.

[0015] In a second aspect, a method of communication is provided. The execution subject of the method can be a communication device (also referred to as a second device in some embodiments) capable of performing a communication task, e.g., another network device. The execution subject of the method can also be a chip or chip system in the communication device. In the method, a pilot signal for sensing interference management from a first device is detected in a time slot for sensing, and based on the detected pilot signal, at least one of an interference strength or an interference direction of interference caused by a communication signal of the second device to a sensing signal of the first device is determined. Further, the method also includes performing an operation to avoid or reduce the interference of the communication signal to the sensing signal based on the at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction. In this way, the communication device can measure the pilot signal from the communication sensing device in the communication sensing time slot, and then estimate the interference caused by the communication signal of the communication device to the sensing signal of the communication sensing device by exploiting reciprocity. In this way, the communication device can decide whether to perform an operation to reduce or avoid the interference, e.g., adjust the power or beam direction of the communication signal, based on the pilot signal from the communication sensing device. Moreover, this can avoid centralized processing of all interference measurements and management at the same device, and enable accurate measurement of near-end interference.

[0016] In some implementations, the pilot signal includes at least one of identification information of the first device or identification information of a sensing cell of the first device. In this way, the interference management can be performed for different devices or cells based on the identification information of the devices or cells.

[0017] In some implementations, the time slot also carries a sensing signal for sensing and a communication signal for communication transmitted by the first device. In some implementations, the pilot signal, the sensing signal, and the communication signal are transmitted in different symbols of the time slot. In this way, the interference management between communication and sensing can be performed in the time slot for communication and sensing.

[0018] In some implementations, the time slot for sensing includes at least one of a starting downlink time slot in a sensing frame period including a plurality of time slots, or a downlink time slot after an uplink time slot in the sensing frame period. In this way, the interference from downlink signals of a far-end base station can be avoided when estimating the interference caused by the communication signal to the sensing signal using the pilot signal.

[0019] In some implementations, the pilot signal is transmitted via a first beam of the first device during a first sensing frame period, and the pilot signal is transmitted via a second beam of the first device during a second sensing frame period. In this way, the interference caused by the communication signal to different beams can be further determined.

[0020] In some implementations, the pilot signal is transmitted in a portion of the plurality of sensing frame periods. In this way, the impact of the interference management operation on the sensing traffic and / or the communication traffic can be reduced.

[0021] In some implementations, determining the at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction includes: determining the interference strength and the interference direction for each of the portion of the sensing frame periods to obtain a plurality of interference strengths and interference directions; determining statistical information of the plurality of interference strengths or interference directions; and determining the at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction based on the statistical information. In some implementations, performing the operation based on the at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction includes: performing the operation based on a determination that the interference strength is greater than a first threshold; or performing the operation based on a determination that a difference between the interference direction and a transmission direction of the sensing signal is less than a second threshold. In this way, by statistically aggregating multiple interference measurements, more accurate interference measurement results can be obtained.

[0022] In some implementations, the operations include at least one of: refraining from transmitting the communication signal in one or more time slots for sensing; or adjusting a beam for the communication signal. In this way, the overlap of the communication signal and the sensing signal in different resource domains can be avoided.

[0023] In some implementations, the time slot is a first time slot, the pilot signal is a first pilot signal, and the method further includes: transmitting a second pilot signal for sensing interference management in a second time slot for sensing; receiving a request from the first device for avoiding or reducing interference; and based on the request, performing an operation including at least one of: refraining from transmitting the communication signal in one or more time slots for sensing or adjusting a beam for the communication signal. In this way, the interference caused by the communication signal of the communication base station to the sensing signal can also be determined at the communication-sensing base station side by receiving and measuring the pilot signal from the communication base station. Further, the communication-sensing base station can request the communication base station to reduce or avoid the interference. In this way, the interference caused by the communication signal to the sensing signal can be estimated at the communication base station side, measured at the communication-sensing base station side, or estimated or measured at both sides respectively, to perform the corresponding interference reduction or interference avoidance operation. In this way, better interference management effect can be achieved.

[0024] In some implementations, the second pilot signal includes identification information of the second device. In this way, the communication-sensing device can transmit a corresponding interference management request for different communication base stations.

[0025] In some implementations, the method further includes: switching a transceiver of the second device to a receiving state during the time slot for sensing. In this way, the communication base station can estimate the interference caused by the communication signal to the sensing signal in the communication time slot.

[0026] In a third aspect, a method of communication is provided. The method can be performed by a communication and sensing device (also referred to as a first device in some embodiments) that is capable of performing both communication tasks and sensing tasks, e.g., a network device. The method can also be performed by a chip or chip system in the communication and sensing device. In the method, a pilot signal for sensing interference management from a second device is detected in a time slot for sensing; and based on the detected pilot signal, at least one of an interference strength and an interference direction of a communication signal of the second device on a sensing signal of the first device is determined. The method further includes sending a request to the second device for avoiding or reducing the interference based on the at least one of the interference strength and the interference direction. In this way, the communication and sensing device can determine the interference that a communication signal of another communication device will cause on a sensing signal of the communication and sensing device by measuring a pilot signal from the other communication device in a communication and sensing time slot. In turn, the communication and sensing device can send a request to the corresponding communication base station to reduce or avoid the caused interference. In this way, the interference between communication and sensing can be avoided or reduced.

[0027] In some implementations, the pilot signal includes at least one of identification information of the second device or identification information of a sensing cell of the second device. In this way, the corresponding interference management can be performed for different devices or cells based on the identification information of the devices or cells. In this way, the interference management between communication and sensing can be performed in a time slot for communication and sensing.

[0028] In some implementations, the time slot also carries a communication signal for communication sent by the second device. In some implementations, the method further includes sending a sensing signal for sensing in the time slot for sensing. In some implementations, the pilot signal and the communication signal are sent in different symbols of the time slot. In this way, the interference management between communication and sensing can be performed in a time slot for communication and sensing.

[0029] In some implementations, the time slot for sensing includes at least one of a starting downlink time slot in a sensing frame period including a plurality of time slots; or a downlink time slot in the sensing frame period after an uplink time slot. In this way, the interference from downlink signals of a far-end base station can be avoided when estimating the interference that a communication signal causes on a sensing signal using a pilot signal.

[0030] In some implementations, the pilot signal is sent via a first beam of the second device during a first sensing frame period, and the pilot signal is sent via a second beam of the second device during a second sensing frame period. In this way, the interference from downlink signals of a far-end base station can be avoided when estimating the interference that a communication signal causes on a sensing signal using a pilot signal.

[0031] In some implementations, the pilot signal is transmitted in a portion of the plurality of sensing frame periods. In this way, the impact of the interference management operation on the sensing traffic and / or the communication traffic can be reduced.

[0032] In some implementations, determining at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction includes: determining the interference strength and the interference direction for each of the portion of the sensing frame periods to obtain a plurality of interference strengths and interference directions; and determining statistical information of the plurality of interference strengths or interference directions; and determining at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction based on the statistical information. In some implementations, transmitting the request to the second device to avoid or reduce the interference includes at least one of: transmitting the request based on determining that the interference strength is greater than a first threshold; or transmitting the request based on determining that a difference between the interference direction and a transmission direction of the sensing signal is less than a second threshold. In this way, by statistically measuring the interference multiple times, more accurate interference measurement results can be obtained.

[0033] In some implementations, the transceiver of the first device is switched to a receiving state during the second time slot. In this way, the communication-sensing base station can measure the interference caused by the communication signal to the sensing signal in the communication-sensing time slot.

[0034] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. The execution subject of the method can be a communication device (also referred to as a second device in some embodiments) capable of performing a communication task, such as another network device. The execution subject of the method can also be a chip or chip system in the communication device. In the method, a pilot signal for sensing interference management is transmitted at a second device in a time slot for sensing; and a communication signal for communication is transmitted in the time slot. In this way, a communication-sensing device can determine the interference caused by the communication signal of a communication device to the sensing signal of the communication-sensing device by measuring the pilot signal from the communication device in the communication-sensing time slot. In turn, the communication-sensing device can transmit a request to the corresponding communication base station to reduce or avoid the caused interference. In this way, the interference between communication and sensing can be avoided or reduced.

[0035] In some implementations, the pilot signal includes at least one of: identification information of the second device or identification information of a sensing cell of the second device. In this way, the interference management can be performed for different devices or cells based on the identification information of the devices or cells. In this way, the interference management between communication and sensing can be performed in the time slot for communication and sensing.

[0036] In some implementations, the pilot signal and the communication signal are transmitted in different symbols of the time slot. In this way, the interference management between communication and sensing can be performed in the time slot for communication and sensing.

[0037] In some implementations, the time slots for sensing include at least one of: a starting downlink time slot in a sensing frame period that includes multiple time slots; or a downlink time slot in the sensing frame period that is after an uplink time slot. In this way, interference from downlink signals of a remote base station can be avoided when estimating interference caused by a communication signal on a sensing signal using a pilot signal.

[0038] In some implementations, during a first sensing frame period, the pilot signal is transmitted via a first beam of the second device, and during a second sensing frame period, the pilot signal is transmitted via a second beam of the second device. In this way, interference from downlink signals of a remote base station can be avoided when estimating interference caused by a communication signal on a sensing signal using a pilot signal.

[0039] In some implementations, the pilot signal is transmitted in a portion of the multiple sensing frame periods. In this way, the impact of interference management operations on sensing traffic and / or communication traffic can be reduced.

[0040] In some implementations, the method further includes: receiving a request from the first device for avoiding or reducing interference; and based on the request, performing an operation including at least one of: avoiding transmitting the communication signal in one or more time slots for sensing or adjusting a beam for the communication signal. In this way, overlapping of the communication signal and the sensing signal on different resource domains can be avoided.

[0041] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, which has the function of implementing the behavior in the method instance of any of the above aspects. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. The beneficial effects can be referred to the description of any of the above aspects, which will not be repeated here. In one possible design, the communication device includes a unit for performing the method of any of the above aspects.

[0042] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes: a processor, and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to perform the method according to any of the above aspects.

[0043] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores instructions that, when executed by an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method of any of the above aspects.

[0044] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes instructions that, when executed by an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method of any of the above aspects.

[0045] In a ninth aspect, the present disclosure provides a chip system, which includes a processor for implementing the functions of the communication device in any of the above aspects. In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing program instructions and / or data. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0046] In a tenth aspect, the present disclosure further provides a communication system, which includes the communication device for performing the method in any of the above aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0047] FIG. 1A An example communication architecture scenario in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown.

[0048] FIG. 1B And FIG. 1C An example case of interference caused by a communication signal of a communication base station to a communication-aware base station is shown.

[0049] FIG. 1D An example configuration of a communication-aware time slot within one awareness frame period is shown.

[0050] FIG. 1E An impact of a normal awareness frame structure for avoiding interference on communication performance is shown.

[0051] FIG. 1F A time slot structure for remote communication interference management is shown.

[0052] FIG. 2 A signaling procedure for interference management between communication and awareness according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0053] FIG. 3 An example of interference management between a communication-aware base station and a communication base station according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0054] FIG. 4 An example of interference caused by awareness according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0055] FIG. 5A An example timing configuration of a pilot signal for transmitting interference management in a communication-aware time slot according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0056] FIG. 5B An example structure of a symbol for transmitting a pilot signal for interference management according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0057] FIG. 6 An example of a pilot signal transmitted in a partial awareness frame period according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0058] FIG. 7 FIG. 13 illustrates example operations performed by a communication base station for avoiding or reducing interference, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0059] FIG. 8 FIG. 14 shows another signaling procedure for interference management between communication and sensing, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0060] FIG. 9 FIG. 15 shows another example of pilot signals transmitted in a partial sensing frame period, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0061] FIG. 10 FIG. 16 shows a flowchart implemented at a communication sensing device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0062] FIG. 11 FIG. 17 shows a flowchart implemented at a communication device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0063] FIG. 12 FIG. 18 shows a flowchart implemented at a communication sensing device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0064] FIG. 13 FIG. 19 shows a flowchart implemented at a communication device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0065] FIG. 14 FIG. 20 is a block diagram of a device that can be used to implement a device according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0066] FIGS. 15-18 FIG. 21 is a structural diagram of an apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. While several embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it is understood that the present disclosure can be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments are only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0068] In the description of embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "includes" and its derivatives, are used in an open-ended sense and are not intended to be limiting. The term "based on" is used in the sense of "based, at least in part, on" unless otherwise indicated. The term "one embodiment" or "the embodiment" are used herein to refer to at least one embodiment. The terms "first," "second," etc. can refer to different or the same objects. Other explicitly and implicitly recited definitions can be found in the description.

[0069] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented according to any appropriate communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols such as fifth generation (5G) and future communication protocols (e.g., sixth generation (6G)), wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocol that is currently known or that is developed in the future.

[0070] The technical solutions of embodiments of the present disclosure are applied to a communication system that follows any appropriate communication protocol, for example, a frequency division duplex (FDD) system, a time division duplex (TDD), a fifth generation (5G) system (e.g., new radio (NR)), and a future communication system or a future communication network (e.g., a sixth generation (6G) system), and the like.

[0071] The term "terminal" or "terminal device" used in the present disclosure refers to any terminal device capable of wired or wireless communication between a network device or between each other. The terminal device can be a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a UE unit, a UE station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a UE terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a multimedia device, a streaming media device, a UE agent, or a UE apparatus, etc. The access terminal can be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal in a future 5G network, or a terminal in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN) network, etc. Embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit this.

[0072] The term "network node" or "network device" used in the present disclosure is an entity or node that can be used to communicate with terminal devices, for example, can be an access network device. The access network device is a device capable of communicating with terminal devices, which can be a base station, a relay station or an access point. The base station can be an evolved NB (eNB or eNodeB) in long term evolution (LTE), and can also be a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, and can also be a base station device in a future 5G network or an access network device in a future evolved PLMN network, and can also be a wearable device or a vehicle-mounted device. For the convenience of description, the above-mentioned devices providing wireless communication functions for mobile terminals are collectively referred to as network devices in the embodiments of the present disclosure. The device can also refer to a chip or module that implements related wireless communication functions in a mobile terminal or an access network device, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not specifically limited.

[0073] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, "sensing (function / service)" refers to a function of transmitting a sensing signal on a radio or visible light frequency band and receiving a target echo signal to realize positioning, tracking or identification of a target, etc.

[0074] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication sensing device refers to a device capable of performing both communication and sensing functions. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the communication sensing device can also be referred to as a "first device".

[0075] As described above, in some cases, when concurrent communication and sensing occurs, a mutual interference problem can occur. Specifically, a communication sensing base station (which can also be referred to as a communication-sensing integrated base station in some embodiments) can use part of the time to transmit / receive sensing signals in addition to the communication function performed, for example, to detect the position, speed, height, etc. of a flying object such as a drone / bird / balloon. At the same time, a neighboring or remote communication base station is also performing communication. For example, the neighboring or remote communication base station can perform communication on the same spectrum, same time slot as the transmission and / or reception of sensing signals. Therefore, the communication sensing base station can be interfered by the communication of the neighboring and / or remote communication base station, for example, cross-time slot interference.

[0076] However, the conventional interference management method is generally applied to measure the remote interference between communication base stations and needs to traverse the remote interference management (RIM) pilot signals of different communication cells, and cannot measure the interference of the neighboring communication cells. However, as to the interference between communication and sensing, the closer the distance between the base stations, the greater the interference between communication and sensing. Therefore, the conventional remote interference management method cannot be applied to manage the interference between the communication sensing base stations and the communication base stations, and the conventional interference management method also needs to traverse all the communication cells (for the sake of clarity of discussion, the above-mentioned example case of interference is further referred to FIGS. 1B-1F

[0077] In view of the above discussion, embodiments of the present disclosure propose a method of communication. The method designs a pilot signal dedicated for sensing interference detection. For example, the dedicated pilot signal can be periodically transmitted on a time slot for transmitting a sensing signal of a communication sensing cell. Accordingly, the surrounding communication base stations can detect the strength of the dedicated pilot signal from each sensing communication cell. Further, the communication cell can estimate the size and / or direction of the interference that the communication cell will cause to each sensing communication cell according to the pilot signal strength received from each sensing communication cell. In this way, the surrounding communication cells can adaptively take operations to avoid causing interference to sensing, such as coordinated beamforming (CBF), time division, etc., and can reduce the loss of communication resources.

[0078] Specifically, in the method, a communication sensing device (in some embodiments, the communication sensing device is also referred to as a first device) transmits a pilot signal for sensing interference management in a time slot for sensing. Accordingly, a communication device (in some embodiments, the communication device is also referred to as a second device) detects the above-mentioned pilot signal from the communication sensing device in the time slot for sensing. Then, the communication device determines at least one of an interference strength or an interference direction of the interference that a communication signal of the communication device will cause to a sensing signal of the communication sensing device based on the detected pilot signal. For example, the communication device can measure the interference of the pilot signal to the communication of the communication device, thereby determining the interference that the communication signal of the communication device will cause to the sensing signal of the communication sensing device by utilizing "reciprocity". Further, based on the determined at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction, the communication device can perform operations to avoid or reduce the interference of the communication signal to the sensing signal. In addition, the communication sensing device further transmits a sensing signal for sensing in the time slot for sensing.

[0079] ​In this way, other communication devices can determine whether to perform interference reduction or avoidance operations based on pilot signals from the communication sensing device during the sensing time slot. For example, they can adjust the power or beam direction of their communication signals. This avoids centralized processing of all interference measurements and management at a single device and enables accurate measurement of near-end interference.

[0080] In some embodiments, the interference cancellation / reduction method described above can also be performed "in reverse". Specifically, a pilot signal for interference management is transmitted by the communication device, and the interference that the communication signal of the communication device will cause to the sensing signal of the communication sensing device is determined at the communication sensing device by measuring the pilot signal. The communication sensing device can then request the communication device to perform operations to avoid or reduce interference.

[0081] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The specific operating methods and functional descriptions in the method embodiments can also be applied to the device embodiments or system embodiments.

[0082] FIG. 1A An example communication architecture scenario 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown. FIG. 1A As shown, the communication method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to communication architecture scenario 100. In communication architecture scenario 100, communication sensing device 110, communication device 120, communication device 130, communication device 140, and terminal devices (such as the drone and mobile communication device shown) are illustrated. As described above, communication sensing device 110 may be interfered with by communication signals transmitted by communication devices 120, 130, and 140 when performing sensing. For example, when communication sensing device 110 is sensing a drone (e.g., using sensing signal 180 and echo signal 190), communication sensing device 110 may be subject to communication interference 150 and 170 from nearby communication base stations 120 and 130, and interference 160 from communication signals from a remote base station 140.

[0083] In some embodiments, without any limitations, the embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to time-division multiplexing (TDD) integrated communication and sensing base stations. For example, the communication function can be used for communication with terminal devices, and the sensing function can be used for detection, location, and identification of any target, such as a drone. As mentioned above, communication cells typically need to avoid the time-frequency resources used for performing sensing. However, this results in significant resource waste, and some embodiments of this disclosure can reduce the loss of communication resources based on sensing interference detection.

[0084] FIG. 1B and FIG. 1CAn example case of interference caused by communication signals of a communication base station to a communication sensing base station is shown. As shown in FIG. 1B , the direction of a certain beam of the communication base station 120 can happen to be towards the communication sensing base station 110. In this case, the communication signals transmitted by the communication base station 120 can affect the echo signals of the sensing signals received by the communication sensing device 110. As shown in FIG. 1C , the communication sensing base station 110 performs sensing (Sensing-S) in a part of the communication sensing time slot (D). In the sensing, the communication sensing base station 110 transmits sensing signals and receives echoes of the sensing signals. At the same time, the communication device transmits downlink transmission in the communication sensing time slot (D). Therefore, the communication sensing device can be interfered by the downlink transmission from other communication devices when receiving the echo signals.

[0085] FIG. 1D An example configuration of the communication sensing time slot within one sensing frame period is shown. As shown in the example configuration in FIG. 1D , the communication sensing base station can select one or more downlink time slots (D) as the communication sensing time slot in one communication sensing period (shown as “Sense” in FIG. 1D ). For example, the communication sensing base station selects time slots 192 and 194 as the communication sensing time slots to perform both communication and sensing. Taking the communication sensing time slot 192 as an example, the communication sensing device performs sensing in symbol 0-symbol 6 and performs communication (e.g., transmits physical downlink control channel PDCCH and physical downlink shared channel PDSCH) in symbol 7-symbol 13. Regarding sensing, as shown in FIG. 1D , different communication sensing devices can be time-division multiplexed in the same sensing symbol. For example, a first communication sensing device performs transmission and reception of sensing signals in a first part of symbol 0. A second communication sensing device performs transmission and reception of sensing signals in a second part of symbol 0. A third communication sensing device performs transmission and reception of sensing signals in a third part of symbol 0. In addition, in the same sensing symbol, different communication sensing devices can also simultaneously perform sensing through other multiplexing technologies, such as code-division multiplexing or space-division multiplexing, etc. It should be understood that FIG. 1D , the sensing frame period in

[0086] In FIG. 1DIn the example, in order to avoid the communication interference to the perception, the perception performance is sharply reduced, and the communication and the perception also need to be time division multiplexed or frequency division multiplexed to reduce the cross interference, but the scheme causes the communication base stations within dozens of kilometers around the communication perception device to need to lose the air interface resources, and the resource overhead of the low-altitude perception is 10-20%, and the user experience rate is affected by 20-50%, such as FIG. 1E FIG. 1E The influence of the common perception frame structure for avoiding interference on the communication performance is shown. That is, the common technology for avoiding the interference between the communication and the perception has a great influence on the communication performance.

[0087] In addition, as described above, the common interference management scheme is used to manage the interference (crosstalk) between the remote communication base stations. In some cases, multiple communication base stations are designed as a synchronous system, for example, in a time division multiplexing (TDD) communication network, multiple communication base stations synchronously perform transmission or reception in the same time slot. That is, the same time slot is set as the same downlink time slot or uplink time slot at different communication base stations or communication base stations. In this way, different base stations synchronously perform transmission or reception, so as to avoid the interference between the transmission and the reception. However, for the base stations far away from each other (also referred to as remote base stations), the time of signal propagation in space may be greater than the time of one symbol or time slot, that is, when the signal transmitted by the remote communication base station reaches the local communication base station, the local communication base station may have been switched from the downlink transmission time slot / symbol to the uplink reception time slot / symbol. In this case, the interference from the remote communication base station may occur. In order to avoid or overcome the interference of the remote communication, a method of remote interference management (RIM) is proposed.

[0088] FIG. 1F The time slot structure for remote communication interference management is shown. In turn, for the communication perception interference management, as FIG. 1F ​As shown in FIG. 1, the peripheral communication base stations can send RIM pilot signals, and the communication sensing base station can detect the received signal strength of the downlink RIM pilot from the remote communication base station in the subsequent uplink symbol (e.g., uplink pilot time slot UpPTS), thereby obtaining the interference strength of the peripheral communication cell and the cell identity information (e.g., physical cell identity PCI), and then can inform the remote communication base station with large interference to stop sending communication signals in the corresponding time slot. Generally, the communication base station cannot detect RIM during the Gap, because this requires hardware support. In addition, even if the hardware supports detection during the Gap, the detection accuracy will be affected because the downlink signal strength of the Gap is too large. For example, the downlink signal power of a large number of communication cells is superimposed and even causes the receiver to be saturated and unable to detect. In summary, whether it is unable to perform detection during the Gap or the receiver can be pushed to saturation by the signal of the nearby communication base station, so the interference of the communication cell within 20 km to the sensing cannot be accurately detected.

[0089] However, for the interference between communication and sensing, the interference of communication to sensing mainly comes from the communication cells within 20 km. That is, the general technology cannot detect the interference source within 20 km, and has little effect on reducing the communication resource overhead. In addition, the distance between the base stations involved in the current communication networking is small (for example, the distance between the stations in the city is about 300 m) and the number of communication base stations is large. Therefore, it is difficult for the communication sensing base station to centrally detect, which needs to traverse the RIM pilot sent by different communication cells, and will consume a lot of detection, calculation and signaling resources. In view of the above analysis, the embodiments of the present disclosure propose an interference management scheme which can at least overcome the above defects.

[0090] FIG. 2 A signaling process 200 for interference management between communication and sensing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In order to make the discussion clear without any limitation, the following embodiments will also be discussed in combination with FIG. 1A Without any limitation, the following embodiments are mainly discussed with respect to the communication sensing device 110 and the communication device 120 in FIG. 1A It should be understood that the following embodiments can also be applied to other communication devices 130 to 150 or any other communication device, such as any other terminal device, wireless communication station or access point, etc.

[0091] In the signaling procedure 200, a communication-aware device 110 (hereinafter referred to as a first device 110) transmits 210 a pilot signal 215 for sensing interference management in a sensing time slot. In addition, the first device 110 also transmits 230 a sensing signal for sensing in the sensing time slot. In some embodiments, the first device 110 can further transmit 260 a communication signal for communication in the sensing time slot. In some embodiments, the above-mentioned pilot signal, sensing signal and communication signal can be transmitted in different symbols in the sensing time slot. For example, the sensing sequence and the pilot signal are time-division multiplexed, the sensing communication base station 110 transmits the pilot signal in the time-domain resource for the pilot signal. In this way, the sensing function, the communication function and the interference management between communication and sensing can be performed in the sensing time slot.

[0092] Additionally, in some embodiments, the above-mentioned sensing time slot can be a starting downlink time slot in a sensing frame period including a plurality of time slots. Additionally or alternatively, the above-mentioned sensing time slot can also be a downlink time slot after an uplink time slot in a sensing frame period. In this way, when estimating the interference caused by the communication signal to the sensing signal by using the pilot signal, the interference from the downlink signal of a remote base station (e.g., downlink-to-uplink crosstalk) can be avoided. For clarity, one example of the above-mentioned sensing time slot is described below with reference to FIG. 5A It is shown, without further elaboration here.

[0093] The communication device 120 (hereinafter referred to as a second device 120) detects 220 the pilot signal 215 for sensing interference management from the first device 110 in the sensing time slot. Based on the detected pilot signal, the second device 120 determines 240 at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction of the interference caused by the communication signal of the second device 120 to the sensing signal of the first device 110. In some embodiments, the second device 120 can measure the received power or the angle of arrival of the pilot signal 215. In turn, the second device 120 can determine at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction of the interference caused by the communication signal of the second device 120 to the sensing signal of the first device 110. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the second device 120 can measure at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction of the interference caused by the pilot signal 215 to the communication of the second device 120. In turn, by using the "reciprocity", the second device 120 can estimate at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction of the interference caused by the communication signal of the second device 120 to the sensing signal of the first device 110. Without any limitation, the second device 120 can also determine at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction of the interference caused by the communication signal of the second device 120 to the sensing signal of the first device 110 based on any other measurement for the pilot signal.

[0094] Additionally, in some embodiments, the communication device 120 can switch to a receive state for the entire time slot used for sensing as described above. In some embodiments, the second device 120 switches its transceiver to a receive state during the time slot used for sensing. As shown in FIG. 5 below, in some embodiments, even if a time slot is a downlink time slot in a TDD system, the second device 120 will switch to a receive state during the time slot if the time slot is configured as a sensing time slot. In this way, a communication-sensing interference cell within a range of 0-140 km can be theoretically detected.

[0095] Based on the determined at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction, the second device 120 performs 250 an operation to avoid or reduce interference of the communication signal to the sensing signal. In some embodiments, the operation can include coordinated beamforming (CBF), time division multiplexing, etc. For example, the second device 120 can adjust the transmission direction of the communication signal to avoid covering the communication-sensing device 110. In another example, the second device 120 can adjust the time-frequency location of the communication signal to avoid overlapping with the sensing signal that can cause sensing interference, e.g., avoid transmitting the communication signal in one or more time slots used for sensing.

[0096] In some embodiments, the second device 120 can determine the interference size according to the detected signal strength and / or signal direction, and determine whether to perform the operation according to the interference size. For example, the second device 120 can perform the above-mentioned interference avoidance operation based on determining that the above-mentioned interference strength is greater than a first threshold. Additionally or alternatively, the second device 120 can also perform the above-mentioned interference avoidance operation based on determining that the difference between the above-mentioned interference direction and the transmission direction of the sensing signal is less than a second threshold. In this way, it can avoid centralized processing of all interference measurements and management at the same device (i.e., the first device 110), and be able to accurately measure the near-end interference. In other words, since electromagnetic wave propagation is reciprocal, detecting strong interference of the pilot signal means that the communication cell also has strong interference to the sensing cell, so the communication cell can stop transmitting the communication signal, for example, in the sensing time slot. Conversely, if the interference of the pilot signal is small, the communication cell can continue to transmit the communication signal, thereby reducing the loss of communication resources.

[0097] In some embodiments, the above pilot signal 215 can comprise an identification signal of the first device 110 and / or identification information of a sensing cell of the first device 110. In this way, by means of the pilot signal with identification information, the second device 120 can determine the situation of interference caused by the communication signal of the second device 120 to the plurality of communication sensing devices including the first device 110 respectively. In some embodiments, the plurality of communication sensing devices including the communication sensing device 110 can send a plurality of pilot signals, each of the plurality of pilot signals carrying identification information of a corresponding communication sensing device (i.e. the pilot signal sender) or a corresponding cell. Correspondingly, all communication devices (e.g. communication devices 130 and 140, etc.) including the communication device (120) can uniformly detect the plurality of pilot signals at the same time point (which can reduce interference between communication devices), so that each communication device can determine the situation of interference caused to each communication sensing device respectively. Further, the communication devices can perform operations according to the interference situations to avoid or reduce interference. Additionally, in some embodiments, the above pilot signal can reuse a remote interference management (RIM) pilot sequence for atmospheric ducts. In this way, the complexity of the scheme can be reduced.

[0098] For the sake of clarity of discussion only, the above embodiments are further discussed with reference to FIGS. 3-5B . FIG. 3 Examples of interference management between a communication sensing base station and a communication base station according to embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. As FIG. 3 shown in FIG. 1 1, the first device 1 10 sends a pilot signal for interference management to the second device 120. Further, as described above, the second device 120 can perform adaptive interference avoidance, e.g. CRB adjustment time-frequency resources, etc., according to interference detection for the pilot signal.

[0099] FIG. 4 Examples of interference caused to sensing according to embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. As FIG. 4 shown in FIG. 12, a downlink signal sent by the second device 120 via a certain beam can be received by the first device 1 10 as an echo of a sensing signal, thereby causing interference 410 of downlink transmission to sensing. In this case, with the above interference detection, the second device 120 can adjust the beam direction to avoid or reduce interference.

[0100] FIG. 5A Example timing configurations for sending a pilot signal for interference management in a communication sensing time slot according to embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. As described above, the first device 1 10 can configure one or more downlink time slots as sensing time slots. For example, the starting downlink time slot of a sensing frame period and / or the downlink time slot after an uplink time slot in a sensing frame period (as FIG. 5AIn this way, since the base stations in the TDD communication network are designed to be synchronized, the crosstalk of other remote base stations can be avoided when detecting the interference.

[0101] In some embodiments, the first device 110 can transmit the pilot signal in symbol 0 and symbol 1, the sensing signal in symbol 2 to symbol 6 and the communication signal in symbol 7 to symbol 13 of the sensing slot. Without any limitation, in other examples, the pilot signal, the sensing signal and the communication signal can also be configured in different symbols.

[0102] FIG. 5B An example structure of symbols for transmitting the pilot signal for interference management is shown according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In FIG. 5B In an example, symbol m-1 can be FIG. 5A symbol 0 in the sensing slot and symbol m can be FIG. 5A symbol 1 in the sensing slot. As shown in FIG. 5A In some embodiments, the tail portion of the pilot signal transmitted in symbol m-1 can be copied as the cyclic prefix portion of symbol m-1. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the head portion of the pilot signal transmitted in symbol m can be copied as the tail portion of symbol m. It should be appreciated that the above-mentioned sensing period, sensing slot, configuration of symbols for the pilot signal are discussed as examples only, any other configuration can also be employed.

[0103] Back to FIG. 2 In some embodiments, in order to avoid the impact on the communication performance, the first device 110 can transmit the above-mentioned pilot signal in a part of the sensing frame periods. For example, since the pilot signal and the sensing signal can be transmitted on the same time-frequency resource, in order to reduce the impact on the sensing traffic, a part of time (such as 40 ms) of the sensing frame period (such as 640 ms) can be used for detection per cell per period of time (such as 10 min). This embodiment is further discussed with reference to FIG. 6 by way of example only.

[0104] FIG. 6 An example of the pilot signal transmitted in a part of the sensing frame period is shown according to embodiments of the present disclosure. It is assumed that the length of one sensing frame period is 640 milliseconds (ms). In some embodiments, the communication sensing cell 1 and the communication sensing cell 2 can also transmit the pilot signal on only a part of the sensing frame period of one sensing frame period, for example, in the sensing slot within 40 ms of 640 ms. In this way, the impact of the sensing interference management on the sensing and communication traffic can be avoided or reduced.

[0105] Alternatively, as FIG. 6As shown, in some embodiments, the pilot signal may not be transmitted in the sensing time slots of the entire sensing frame period (the relationship between the sensing frame period and the sensing time slots can be found in the above section on...). FIG. 1D (Discussion). For example, communication sensing cell 1 and communication sensing cell 2 can transmit pilot signals within the sensing time slot of a specific sensing frame period in multiple sensing frame periods. By way of example only, communication sensing device 110 can periodically transmit pilot signals within a sensing frame of 10 communication sensing frame periods (i.e., 6.4 s). In this way, communication devices (e.g., second device 120) can uniformly periodically detect once at the same time point every 6.4 s, for example, on the downlink time slot after the start time slot and / or uplink time slot of the sensing frame period (e.g., slot 0 and slot 5).

[0106] Back FIG. 2 In some embodiments, the second device 120 can determine the interference intensity and interference direction for each of the plurality of sensing frame periods to obtain a plurality of interference intensities and interference directions. Alternatively, the second device 120 can determine the interference intensity and interference direction for a portion of the plurality of sensing frame periods (e.g., 40ms) to obtain a plurality of interference intensities and interference directions. Furthermore, the second device 120 can use the plurality of interference intensities and interference directions to determine statistical information on the plurality of interference intensities or interference directions. In this way, the second device 120 can determine at least one of the interference intensities or interference directions based on the statistical information. In this manner, by statistically analyzing multiple interference measurements, more accurate interference measurement results can be obtained. For example, if the first device 110 transmits a pilot signal in a portion of each 640ms sensing frame period, the second device 120 can detect for 6.4s each time (e.g., detect the pilot signal 10 times) to obtain 10 measurement results. Furthermore, the second device 120 uses the 10 measurement results to obtain statistical information.

[0107] Still refer to FIG. 2 In some embodiments, interference detection can be associated with a corresponding beam. For example, if there are multiple beams for sensing, pilot signals on each beam can be detected. In some embodiments, the first device 110 can transmit the aforementioned pilot signals via a first beam of the first device 110 during a first sensing frame period. Furthermore, the first device 110 can transmit the aforementioned pilot signals via a second beam of the first device 110 during a second sensing frame period. In this way, the second device 120 can determine, beam by beam, the interference of the communication signal on the sensing signal.

[0108] Additionally, in some embodiments, the above scheme can also be reversed. For example, the communication cell can also transmit the above pilot signal. In this case, the sensing cell receives and detects the pilot signal. In this way, mutual detection can be achieved so that the interference detection is more accurate. In some embodiments, the second device 120 transmits another pilot signal (also referred to as a second pilot signal) for sensing interference management in another time slot (also referred to as a second time slot) for sensing. The first device 110 detects the second pilot signal from the second device in the second time slot. Similarly, in some embodiments, the first device 110 can switch its transceiver to a receiving state in the second time slot. In turn, the first device 110 determines at least one of the interference strength and the interference direction of the communication signal of the second device on the sensing signal of the first device based on the detected second pilot signal. Based on at least one of the interference strength and the interference direction, the first device 110 can transmit a request to the second device 120 for avoiding or reducing interference. In this way, the second device 120 can perform an operation for avoiding or reducing interference based on the request.

[0109] As described above, the conventional technology cannot detect the interference source at a close distance (e.g., within 20 km), and has little effect on reducing the communication resource overhead. For this case, with the embodiments of the present disclosure, the communication base station outside the 20 km periphery of the communication sensing base station (even the base station 130 km apart), and the communication base station within 20 km can detect the sensing RIM pilot signal strength transmitted by the sensing base station. In turn, the communication base station estimates the interference size and direction of the communication base station to each communication sensing base station according to the signal strength of each communication sensing cell it receives. In this way, the communication base station can adaptively use the CBF and / or time division multiplexing technology to avoid interference to the sensing service. In this way, the resource loss of the communication base station can be reduced. In addition, the sensing RIM can also be sent by the communication cell. In this case, the pilot signal is received and detected by the communication sensing cell. Then, the communication sensing cell can estimate the interference strength of the communication cell to the interference cell, and then request the communication base station causing the interference to perform the interference avoidance scheme to reduce the communication air interface resource loss.

[0110] In this way, the detection of communication interference at any distance can be supported. For example, due to the shielding of urban buildings, there is physical isolation between many communication base stations at a very close distance and the communication sensing base station (i.e., will not cause interference). In this case, the communication base station can still perform communication, which reduces the communication resource loss within 20 km periphery of the sensing station. In addition, the pilot signal can carry identification information of the communication sensing device, so that the communication device can perform operations accordingly for different communication sensing devices. Furthermore, the pilot signal can reuse the atmospheric duct RIM sequence to reduce complexity.

[0111] Additionally or alternatively, the above embodiments of transmitting pilot signals by the communication device 120 can also be implemented independently. FIG. 8 Another signaling procedure 800 for interference management between communication and sensing is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For the sake of clear discussion without any limitation, the following embodiments will also be discussed in conjunction with FIG. 1A . Without any limitation, the following embodiments are mainly discussed in relation to the communication sensing device 110 and the communication device 120 in FIG. 1A . It should be appreciated that the following embodiments can also be applied to other communication devices 130 to 150 or any other communication device, e.g., any other terminal device, wireless communication station or access point, etc.

[0112] In the signaling procedure 800, the second device 120 transmits 810 a pilot signal 815 for sensing interference management in a time slot for sensing. In addition, the second device 120 also transmits 840 a communication signal for communication in the time slot. The time slot for sensing and the pilot signal can be the same as the time slot and the pilot signal discussed with reference to FIG. 2 .

[0113] Correspondingly, the first device 110 detects 820 the pilot signal for sensing interference management from the second device 120 in the time slot for sensing. Based on the detected pilot signal, the first device 110 determines at least one of an interference strength and an interference direction of the communication signal of the second device 120 to the sensing signal of the first device 110. In some embodiments, the first device 110 can determine the at least one of the interference strength and the interference direction in the same way as discussed with reference to FIG. 2 . Then, based on the at least one of the interference strength and the interference direction, the first device 110 transmits a request to the second device 120 for avoiding or reducing interference. In this way, the second device 120 can perform an operation for avoiding or reducing interference according to the request. The operation can be the same as the operation for reducing or avoiding interference discussed with reference to FIG. 2 . For the sake of clear discussion only, the above embodiments are further discussed with reference to FIG. 9 .

[0114] FIG. 9 Another example of pilot signals transmitted in a partial sensing frame period is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 9 , the second device 120 as a transmitting base station transmits a pilot signal in a time slot for interference detection, e.g., a downlink time slot configured as a sensing time slot. In turn, the first device 110 determines whether to request the second device 120 to perform an operation for avoiding or reducing interference based on a measurement of the pilot signal.

[0115] FIG. 10A flowchart implemented at a communication-aware device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. As FIG. 10 shown, the flowchart 1000 is for ease of description. Exemplarily, the first device 110 is taken as the execution subject of the respective steps of the flowchart 1000. However, the respective steps in the flowchart 1000 of the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to being executed by the first device 110, and in other examples, can be other terminal devices and / or modules and / or chips in the first device 110 that have the function of executing the respective steps, or other apparatuses, devices, modules and / or chips.

[0116] At 1010, the first device 110 transmits a pilot signal for sensing interference management in a time slot for sensing. At 1020, the first device 110 transmits a sensing signal for sensing in the time slot.

[0117] In some embodiments, the above further includes other operations performed at the first device 110 described in combination with FIGS. 2-7 the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0118] FIG. 11 A flowchart implemented at a communication device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. As FIG. 11 shown, the flowchart 1100 is for ease of description. Exemplarily, the second device 120 is taken as the execution subject of the respective steps of the flowchart 1100. However, the respective steps in the flowchart 1100 of the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to being executed by the first device 110, and in other examples, can be other terminal devices and / or modules and / or chips in the first device 110 that have the function of executing the respective steps, or other apparatuses, devices, modules and / or chips.

[0119] At 1110, the second device 120 detects a pilot signal for sensing interference management from the first device in a time slot for sensing. At 1120, the second device 120 determines at least one of an interference strength or an interference direction of interference that a communication signal of the second device 120 will cause to a sensing signal of the first device 110 based on the detected pilot signal. At 1130, the second device 120 performs an operation to avoid or reduce interference of the communication signal to the sensing signal based on the at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction.

[0120] In some embodiments, the above further includes other operations performed at the second device 120 described in combination with FIGS. 2-7 the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0121] FIG. 12 A flowchart implemented at a communication-aware device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. As FIG. 12The flowchart 1200 is shown for the convenience of description. Exemplarily, the first device 110 is taken as the execution subject of the corresponding steps of the flowchart 1200. However, the corresponding steps in the flowchart 1200 of the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to being executed by the first device 110, and in other examples, can be other terminal devices and / or modules and / or chips in the first device 110 that have the function of executing the corresponding steps, or other apparatuses, devices, modules and / or chips.

[0122] At 1210, the first device 110 detects, in a time slot for sensing, a pilot signal for sensing interference management from the second device. At 1220, based on the detected pilot signal, the first device 110 determines at least one of an interference strength and an interference direction of a communication signal of the second device 120 on the sensing signal of the first device. At 1230, based on at least one of the interference strength and the interference direction, the first device 110 sends a request to the second device 120 for avoiding or reducing interference.

[0123] In some embodiments, the above further includes other operations described above in combination with the embodiments of the present disclosure. FIGS. 8-9 The other operations described above in combination with the embodiments of the present disclosure are executed at the first device 110.

[0124] FIG. 13 A flowchart implemented at a communication device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. As FIG. 13 The flowchart 1300 is shown for the convenience of description. Exemplarily, the second device 120 is taken as the execution subject of the corresponding steps of the flowchart 1300. However, the corresponding steps in the flowchart 1300 of the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to being executed by the first device 110, and in other examples, can be other terminal devices and / or modules and / or chips in the first device 110 that have the function of executing the corresponding steps, or other apparatuses, devices, modules and / or chips.

[0125] At 1310, the second device 120 sends, in a time slot for sensing, a pilot signal for sensing interference management. At 1320, the second device 120 sends, in the time slot, a communication signal for communication.

[0126] In some embodiments, the above further includes other operations described above in combination with the embodiments of the present disclosure. FIGS. 8-9 The other operations described above in combination with the embodiments of the present disclosure are executed at the second device 120.

[0127] FIG. 14is a block diagram that can be used to implement device 1400 in accordance with some embodiments of the present application. In some embodiments, device 1400 can be an element of a communication network infrastructure, such as a base station (e.g., a NodeB, an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a next generation NodeB (sometimes referred to as a gNodeB or gNB), a home subscriber server (HSS), a gateway (GW) such as a packet gateway (PGW) or a serving gateway (SGW), or various other nodes or functions within a core network (CN) or a Public Land Mobility Network (PLMN). In other embodiments, device 900 can be a device that connects to network infrastructure through a wireless interface, such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, or other such device that can be classified as User Equipment (UE). In some embodiments, device 900 can be a Machine Type Communications (MTC) device (also known as a machine-to-machine (M2M) device), or another such device that can be classified as a UE, although not providing direct services to a user. In some embodiments, device 1400 can be a road side unit (RSU), a vehicle UE (V-UE), a pedestrian UE (P-UE), or an infrastructure UE (I-UE). In some scenarios, device 1400 can also be referred to as a mobile device, a term intended to reflect a device that connects to a mobile network, regardless of whether the device itself is designed for or capable of mobility. Particular devices can utilize all or only a subset of the components shown, and the level of integration can vary from device to device. Furthermore, device 900 can contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transmitters, receivers, etc. Furthermore, device 1400 can be a master node and / or a slave node in any of the communication domains described above. For example, device 1400 can be a master node and / or a slave node in short-range wireless communications such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, near-field communication, SparkLink, etc. It should be understood that although the devices of some embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated in the form of device 900, it should be understood that some embodiments of the present disclosure can also be implemented through chips and / or chip systems.The aforementioned device 900 may also be a block diagram of a chip and / or a chip system, and this disclosure does not impose any restrictions on it.

[0128] Device 1400 typically includes a processor 1402, such as a central processing unit (CPU), and may further include a dedicated processor, such as a graphics processing unit (GPU) or other such processor, memory 1404, a network interface 1406, and a bus 1408 for connecting the components of device 1400. Optionally, device 1400 may also include components such as a mass storage device 1410, a video adapter 1412, and an I / O interface 1416 (shown in dashed lines).

[0129] Memory 1404 may include any type of non-transitory system memory readable by processor 1402, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), read-only memory (ROM), or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, memory 1404 may include more than one type of memory, such as ROM used at startup and DRAM used for program and data storage during program execution. Bus 908 may be one or more of a plurality of bus architectures of any type, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, or a video bus.

[0130] Device 1400 may also include one or more network interfaces 1406, which may include at least one of wired network interfaces and wireless network interfaces. For example... FIG. 14 As shown, network interface 1406 may include a wired network interface for connecting to network 1422, and may also include a wireless access network interface 1420 for connecting to other devices via a wireless link. When device 1400 is a network infrastructure element, the wireless access network interface 1420 may be omitted for nodes or functions that are elements of a PLMN rather than elements at the wireless edge. When device 1400 is infrastructure at the wireless edge of the network, both wired and wireless network interfaces may be included. When device 1400 is a wirelessly connected device, such as a user equipment, the wireless access network interface 1420 may be present and may be supplemented by other wireless interfaces such as a WiFi network interface. Network interface 1406 allows device 1400 to communicate with remote entities such as those connected to network 1422.

[0131] Mass storage 1410 can include any type of non-transitory storage device configured to store data, programs, and other information and to make the data, programs, and other information accessible via bus 1408. Mass storage 1410 can include, for example, one or more of a solid state drive, a hard disk drive, a magnetic disk drive, or an optical disk drive. In some embodiments, mass storage 1410 can be remote from device 1400 and can be accessed through the use of a network interface such as interface 1406. In the illustrated embodiment, mass storage 1410 is distinct from memory 1404 that includes it, and mass storage 1410 can generally perform storage tasks that are compatible with higher latencies, but can generally provide less or no volatility. In some embodiments, mass storage 1410 can be integrated with heterogeneous memory 1404.

[0132] Optional video adapter 1412 and I / O interface 1416 (shown in phantom) provide interfaces to couple device 1400 to external input and output devices. Examples of input and output devices include a display 1414 coupled to video adapter 912 and an I / O device 1418, such as a touchscreen, coupled to I / O interface 1416. Other devices can be coupled to device 1400, and additional or fewer interfaces can be utilized. For example, a serial interface such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) (not shown) can be used to provide interface to external devices. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in embodiments in which device 1400 is part of a data center, I / O interface 1416 and video adapter 1412 can be virtualized and provided over network interface 1406.

[0133] FIG. 15 is a block diagram of an apparatus 1500 according to some embodiments of the present application. As FIG. 15As shown, the apparatus 1500 includes a first sending unit 1502 and a second sending unit 1504. The apparatus 1500 can be applied in the communication system as shown in FIG. 1, and can implement any of the methods provided by the foregoing embodiments. Optionally, the apparatus 1500 can be in a physical form of a communication device, for example, a network device or a UE. Alternatively, the apparatus 1500 can be another apparatus capable of implementing the functions of the communication device, for example, a processor or a chip inside the communication device, etc. Specifically, the apparatus 1500 can be a programmable chip, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a system on a chip (SOC), etc.

[0134] In some embodiments, the first sending unit 1502 can be configured to send a pilot signal for sensing interference management in a time slot for sensing. The second sending unit 1504 can be configured to send a sensing signal for sensing in the time slot.

[0135] In some other embodiments, the apparatus 1500 can include various other units or modules, which can be configured to perform various operations or functions described with regard to the foregoing method embodiments. The specific details can be obtained by referring to the detailed description of the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0136] FIG. 16 is a structural schematic diagram of an apparatus 1600 according to some embodiments of the present application. As shown, the apparatus 1600 includes a first receiving unit 1602 and a second receiving unit 1604. The apparatus 1600 can be applied in the communication system as shown in FIG. 1, and can implement any of the methods provided by the foregoing embodiments. Optionally, the apparatus 1600 can be in a physical form of a communication device, for example, a network device or a UE. Alternatively, the apparatus 1600 can be another apparatus capable of implementing the functions of the communication device, for example, a processor or a chip inside the communication device, etc. Specifically, the apparatus 1600 can be a programmable chip, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a system on a chip (SOC), etc. FIG. 16As shown, the apparatus 1600 includes a detecting unit 1602, a determining unit 1604, and a performing unit 1606. The apparatus 1600 can be applied in the communication system as shown in FIG. 1, and can implement any of the methods provided by the foregoing embodiments. Optionally, the apparatus 1600 can be in a physical form of a communication device, such as a network device or a UE. Alternatively, the apparatus 1600 can be another apparatus capable of implementing the functions of the communication device, such as a processor or a chip inside the communication device, etc. Specifically, the apparatus 1600 can be a programmable chip, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a system on a chip (SOC), etc.

[0137] In some embodiments, the detecting unit 1602 can be configured to detect, in a time slot for sensing, a pilot signal for sensing interference management from a first device. The determining unit 1604 can be configured to determine, based on the detected pilot signal, at least one of an interference strength or an interference direction of interference that a communication signal of a second device will cause to a sensing signal of the first device. The performing unit 1606 can be configured to perform an operation to avoid or reduce the interference of the communication signal to the sensing signal based on the at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction.

[0138] In some other embodiments, the apparatus 1600 can include various other units or modules, which can be configured to perform various operations or functions described with regard to the foregoing method embodiments. The specific details can be obtained by referring to the detailed description of the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0139] FIG. 17 is a structural schematic diagram of an apparatus 1700 according to some embodiments of the present application. As shown, the apparatus 1700 includes a detecting unit 1702, a determining unit 1704, and a performing unit 1706. The apparatus 1700 can be applied in the communication system as shown in FIG. 1, and can implement any of the methods provided by the foregoing embodiments. Optionally, the apparatus 1700 can be in a physical form of a communication device, such as a network device or a UE. Alternatively, the apparatus 1700 can be another apparatus capable of implementing the functions of the communication device, such as a processor or a chip inside the communication device, etc. Specifically, the apparatus 1700 can be a programmable chip, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a system on a chip (SOC), etc. FIG. 17As shown, the apparatus 1700 includes a detecting unit 1702, a determining unit 1704 and a sending unit 1706. The apparatus 1700 can be applied in the communication system as shown in FIG. 1, and can implement any of the methods provided by the foregoing embodiments. Optionally, the apparatus 1700 can be in the form of a communication device, such as a network device or a UE. Alternatively, the apparatus 1700 can be another apparatus capable of implementing the functions of the communication device, such as a processor or a chip inside the communication device, etc. Specifically, the apparatus 1700 can be a programmable chip, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a system on a chip (SOC), etc.

[0140] In some embodiments, the detecting unit 1702 can be configured to detect, in a time slot for sensing, a pilot signal for sensing interference management from a second device. The determining unit 1704 can be configured to determine, based on the detected pilot signal, at least one of an interference strength and an interference direction of a communication signal of the second device on a sensing signal of the first device. The sending unit 1706 can be configured to send, to the second device, a request for avoiding or reducing interference based on the at least one of the interference strength and the interference direction.

[0141] In some other embodiments, the apparatus 1700 can include various other units or modules, which can be configured to perform various operations or functions described with regard to the foregoing method embodiments. The specific details can be obtained by referring to the detailed description of the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0142] FIG. 18 is a structural schematic diagram of an apparatus 1800 according to some embodiments of the present application. As shown, the apparatus 1800 includes a detecting unit 1802, a determining unit 1804 and a sending unit 1806. The apparatus 1800 can be applied in the communication system as shown in FIG. 1, and can implement any of the methods provided by the foregoing embodiments. Optionally, the apparatus 1800 can be in the form of a communication device, such as a network device or a UE. Alternatively, the apparatus 1800 can be another apparatus capable of implementing the functions of the communication device, such as a processor or a chip inside the communication device, etc. Specifically, the apparatus 1800 can be a programmable chip, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a system on a chip (SOC), etc. FIG. 18As shown, the apparatus 1800 includes a first sending unit 1802 and a second sending unit 1804. The apparatus 1800 can be applied in the communication system as shown in FIG. 1, and can implement any of the methods provided by the foregoing embodiments. Optionally, the apparatus 1800 can be in the form of a communication device, such as a network device or a UE. Alternatively, the apparatus 1800 can be another apparatus capable of implementing the functions of the communication device, such as a processor or a chip inside the communication device, etc. Specifically, the apparatus 1800 can be a programmable chip, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a system on a chip (SOC), etc.

[0143] In some embodiments, the first sending unit 1802 can be configured to send a pilot signal for sensing interference management in a time slot for sensing. The second sending unit 1804 can be configured to send a communication signal for communication in the time slot.

[0144] In some other embodiments, the apparatus 1800 can include various other units or modules, which can be configured to perform various operations or functions described with regard to the foregoing method embodiments. The specific details can be obtained by referring to the detailed description of the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0145] It should be noted that the division of the modules in the above embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there can be another division manner. In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or can be physically separated, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware, or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0146] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software function unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present application can be embodied in the form of a software product in essence or all or part of the technical solutions. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, and includes a plurality of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) or a processor to execute all or part of the steps of the various embodiments of the method of the present application. The storage medium described above includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), a random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

[0147] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program, which, when running on a computer, causes the computer to execute any of the methods provided in the above embodiments.

[0148] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application also provide a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. The computer program is executed by a computer to cause the computer to execute any of the methods provided in the above embodiments. The storage medium can be any available medium accessible by the computer. By way of example, and not limitation, the computer readable medium can include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory, EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory, CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program codes in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0149] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application also provide a chip for reading a computer program stored in a memory, implementing any of the methods provided in the above embodiments.

[0150] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application provide a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a computer device to implement the functions involved in the communication devices in the above embodiments. In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing the necessary programs and data of the computer device. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0151] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present application can be readily used as software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. In one embodiment, embodiments of the present application can be implemented in software and / or firmware. In this embodiment, the software implementation can include a computer program product which can include one or more computer program elements having computer readable program instructions stored in a computer readable storage medium such as a floppy disk, hard disk, ROM, etc.

[0152] The present application is described in reference to the drawings, which are as follows:

[0153] The computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.

[0154] The computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.

[0155] Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present application are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, the application can be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims

1. A method of communication, comprising transmitting, at a first device, a pilot signal for sensing interference management in a time slot for sensing; and transmitting, in the time slot, a sensing signal for sensing. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the pilot signal comprises at least one of: identification information of the first device or identification information of a sensing cell of the first device. 3.The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising: transmitting, in the time slot, a communication signal for communication. 4.The method of claim 3, wherein the pilot signal, the sensing signal and the communication signal are transmitted in different symbols of the time slot. 5.The method of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the time slot for sensing comprises at least one of: a starting downlink time slot in a sensing frame period comprising a plurality of time slots; or a downlink time slot in the sensing frame period after an uplink time slot. 6.The method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein: during a first sensing frame period, the pilot signal is transmitted via a first beam of the first device, and during a second sensing frame period, the pilot signal is transmitted via a second beam of the first device. 7.The method of any one of claims 1-6, wherein the pilot signal is transmitted in a portion of a plurality of sensing frame periods. 8.The method of any one of claims 1-7, wherein the time slot is a first time slot, the pilot signal is a first pilot signal, the method further comprising: detecting, in a second time slot for sensing, a second pilot signal for sensing interference management from a second device; based on the detected second pilot signal, determining at least one of an interference strength and an interference direction of a communication signal of the second device to a sensing signal of the first device; and based on the at least one of the interference strength and the interference direction, transmitting, to the second device, a request for avoiding or reducing interference. 9.The method of claim 8, wherein the second pilot signal comprises at least one of: identification information of the second device or identification information of a communication cell of the second device. 10.The method of claim 8 or 9, wherein transmitting, to the second device, the request for avoiding or reducing interference comprises at least one of: based on determining that the interference strength is greater than a first threshold, transmitting the request; or based on determining that a difference between the interference direction and a transmission direction of the sensing signal is less than a second threshold, transmitting the request. 11.The method of any one of claims 8-10, further comprising: switching, during the second time slot, a transceiver of the first device to a receiving state. 12.A method of communication, comprising: detecting, at a second device, a pilot signal for sensing interference management from a first device in a time slot for sensing; determine, based on the detected pilot signal, at least one of an interference strength or an interference direction of an interference caused by a communication signal of the second device on a perception signal of the first device; and perform an operation to avoid or reduce the interference of the communication signal on the perception signal based on the at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the pilot signal comprises at least one of: identification information of the first device or identification information of a perception cell of the first device.

14. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein the time slot also carries a perception signal for perception and a communication signal for communication transmitted by the first device.

15. The method of any one of claim 14, wherein the pilot signal, the perception signal and the communication signal are transmitted in different symbols of the time slot.

16. The method of any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the time slot for perception comprises at least one of: a starting downlink time slot in a perception frame period comprising a plurality of time slots; or a downlink time slot in the perception frame period after an uplink time slot.

17. The method of any one of claims 12 to 16: wherein: during a first perception frame period, the pilot signal is transmitted via a first beam of the first device, and during a second perception frame period, the pilot signal is transmitted via a second beam of the first device.

18. The method of any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein the pilot signal is transmitted in a portion of a plurality of perception frame periods.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein determining the at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction comprises: determining an interference strength and an interference direction for each of the portion of the plurality of perception frame periods to obtain a plurality of interference strengths and interference directions; and determining statistical information of the plurality of interference strengths or interference directions; and determining the at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction based on the statistical information.

20. The method of any one of claims 12 to 19, wherein performing the operation based on at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction comprises: performing the operation based on a determination that the interference strength is greater than a first threshold; or performing the operation based on a determination that a difference between the interference direction and a transmission direction of the perception signal is less than a second threshold.

21. The method of any one of claims 12 to 20, wherein the operation comprises at least one of: avoiding transmitting a communication signal in one or more time slots for perception; or adjusting a beam for the communication signal.

22. The method of any one of claims 12 to 21, wherein the time slot is a first time slot and the pilot signal is a first pilot signal, the method further comprising: transmitting a second pilot signal for perception interference management in a second time slot for perception; receiving a request from the first device for avoiding or reducing interference; ​ ​ ​ and based on the request, performing an operation comprising at least one of: refraining from transmitting a communication signal in one or more slots for sensing or adjusting a beam for the communication signal.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the second pilot signal comprises identification information of the second device or identification information of a communication cell of the second device.

24. The method of any of claims 12 to 23, further comprising: switching a transceiver of the second device to a receiving state during the slot for sensing.

25. A method of communication, comprising: at a first device, detecting, in a slot for sensing, a pilot signal for sensing interference management from a second device; based on the detected pilot signal, determining at least one of an interference strength and an interference direction of a communication signal of the second device to a sensing signal of the first device; and based on the at least one of the interference strength and the interference direction, transmitting a request to the second device for avoiding or reducing interference.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the pilot signal comprises at least one of: identification information of the second device or identification information of a sensing cell of the second device.

27. The method of claim 25 or 26, wherein the slot also carries a communication signal for communication transmitted by the second device.

28. The method of any of claims 25-27, further comprising: transmitting, in the slot for sensing, a sensing signal for sensing.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the pilot signal and the communication signal are transmitted in different symbols of the slot.

30. The method of any of claims 25-29, wherein the slot for sensing comprises at least one of: a starting downlink slot in a sensing frame period comprising a plurality of slots; or a downlink slot in the sensing frame period after an uplink slot.

31. The method of any of claims 25-30, wherein: during a first sensing frame period, the pilot signal is transmitted via a first beam of the second device, and during a second sensing frame period, the pilot signal is transmitted via a second beam of the second device.

32. The method of any of claims 25-31, wherein the pilot signal is transmitted in a portion of a plurality of sensing frame periods.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein determining the at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction comprises: determining an interference strength and an interference direction for each sensing frame period in the portion of sensing frame periods to obtain a plurality of interference strengths and interference directions; and determining statistical information of the plurality of interference strengths or interference directions; and determining the at least one of the interference strength or the interference direction based on the statistical information.

34. The method of any of claims 25-33, wherein transmitting the request to the second device for avoiding or reducing interference comprises at least one of: ​ ​ transmitting the request based on determining that the interference strength is greater than a first threshold; or transmitting the request based on determining that a difference between the interference direction and a transmission direction of the sensing signal is less than a second threshold.

35. The method of any one of claims 25-34, further comprising: switching a transceiver of the first device to a receiving state during the second time slot.

36. A method of communication, comprising: transmitting, at a second device, a pilot signal for sensing interference management in a time slot for sensing; and transmitting, in the time slot, a communication signal for communication.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the pilot signal comprises at least one of: identification information of the second device or identification information of a sensing cell of the second device.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the pilot signal and the communication signal are transmitted in different symbols of the time slot.

39. The method of any one of claims 36-38, wherein the time slot for sensing comprises at least one of: a starting downlink time slot in a sensing frame period comprising a plurality of time slots; or a downlink time slot in the sensing frame period after an uplink time slot.

40. The method of any one of claims 36-39, wherein: during a first sensing frame period, the pilot signal is transmitted via a first beam of the second device, and during a second sensing frame period, the pilot signal is transmitted via a second beam of the second device.

41. The method of any one of claims 36-40, wherein the pilot signal is transmitted in a portion of a plurality of sensing frame periods.

42. The method of any one of claims 36-41, further comprising: receiving a request from the first device for avoiding or reducing interference; and based on the request, performing an operation comprising at least one of: avoiding transmitting a communication signal in one or more time slots for sensing or adjusting a beam for the communication signal.

43. A communication device comprising: a processor configured to perform a method recited in any one of claims 1-11, 12-24, 25-35, or 36-42.

44. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a method recited in any one of claims 1-11, 12-24, 25-35, or 36-42 to be performed.

45. A computer program product comprising instructions for performing a method recited in any one of claims 1-11, 12-24, 25-35, or 36-42.

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