A communication method, apparatus, device, chip and storage medium

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a communication method, which is applied to a first device, and the method comprises the following steps: a plurality of first channels are sent, the plurality of first channels occupy different time ranges and the same frequency range; different first channels in the plurality of first channels are received by different or same ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) devices, and the first channel is a control channel or a data channel. The method clearly solves the problem of how the first device sends the control channel / data channel to the A-IoT device in the ambient Internet of Things. In addition, since the way in which the first device sends the plurality of first channels is a time division manner, the A-IoT device can receive the first channel from the first device by using a radio frequency receiver, without the aid of a high-performance filter, thereby facilitating the reduction of the complexity and energy loss of the A-IoT device in receiving the first channel.

Description

Communication method, device, equipment, chip and storage medium Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology, and specifically to a communication method, apparatus, device, chip, and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) devices are IoT devices that can use various ambient energy sources (such as radio frequency energy, light energy, solar energy, thermal energy, and mechanical energy) to power themselves. A-IoT devices typically offer numerous advantages, including the absence of conventional batteries, maintenance-free operation, small size, low complexity, low cost, and long lifespan. Currently, A-IoT devices can communicate directly with network devices, or they can communicate with network devices through intermediate nodes. However, in the Ambient Internet of Things, how to send control and data channels to A-IoT devices remains an unresolved issue.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus, device, chip, and storage medium.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, applied to a first device, the method comprising: sending multiple first channels, the multiple first channels occupying different time ranges and the same frequency range; different first channels in the multiple first channels are received by different or the same ambient Internet of Things A-IoT devices, and the first channel is a control channel or a data channel.

[0006] In second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method applied to an A-IoT device, the method comprising: receiving at least one first channel from a first device, the at least one first channel being all or part of a plurality of first channels sent by the first device; the plurality of first channels occupying different time ranges and the same frequency range, and the first channel being a control channel or a data channel.

[0007] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, applied to a first device, the method comprising: sending multiple first channels, the multiple first channels occupying different frequency ranges and the same time range; different first channels in the multiple first channels are received by different or the same environmental Internet of Things A-IoT devices, and the first channel is a control channel or a data channel.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method applied to an A-IoT device, the method comprising: receiving at least one first channel from a first device, the at least one first channel being all or part of a plurality of first channels sent by the first device; the plurality of first channels occupying different frequency ranges and the same time range, and the first channel being a control channel or a data channel.

[0009] In fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes: a first communication unit, configured to send multiple first channels, wherein the multiple first channels occupy different time ranges and the same frequency range; different first channels in the multiple first channels are received by different or the same environmental Internet of Things A-IoT devices, and the first channel is a control channel or a data channel.

[0010] In the sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes: a second communication unit, configured to receive at least one first channel from a first device, where the at least one first channel is all or part of a plurality of first channels sent by the first device; the plurality of first channels occupy different time ranges and the same frequency range, and the first channel is a control channel or a data channel.

[0011] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes: a third communication unit, configured to send multiple first channels, wherein the multiple first channels occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range; different first channels in the multiple first channels are received by different or the same environmental Internet of Things A-IoT devices, and the first channel is a control channel or a data channel.

[0012] In eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes: a fourth communication unit, configured to receive at least one first channel from a first device, where the at least one first channel is all or part of a plurality of first channels sent by the first device; the plurality of first channels occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range, and the first channel is a control channel or a data channel.

[0013] In the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising: a memory for storing a computer program; a processor connected to the memory, for calling and running the computer program from the memory, to implement the method described in any one of the first to fourth aspects; and a transceiver for receiving and sending information during the process of sending and receiving information between other devices.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a chip. The chip includes: a processor configured to load and execute a computer program from a memory, causing a device equipped with the chip to execute the method described in any one of aspects 1 to 4; and a transceiver configured to transmit and receive information during the process of transmitting and receiving information to and from the device or chip.

[0015] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, which enables a computer to execute the method described in any one of the first to fourth aspects.

[0016] In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, comprising computer program instructions, which enable a computer to execute the method described in any one of the first to fourth aspects.

[0017] In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in any one of the first to fourth aspects.

[0018] In the method of the embodiment of the present application, the first device may send multiple first channels, and the multiple first channels may occupy different time ranges and the same frequency range, wherein different first channels in the multiple first channels may be received by different or the same A-IoT devices. That is to say, the first device may send multiple first channels in a time-division manner, and different first channels in the multiple first channels may be received by different or the same A-IoT devices. The method of the embodiment of the present application clarifies the problem of how the first device sends a control channel / data channel to the A-IoT device in the environmental Internet of Things. In addition, since the method used by the first device to send multiple first channels is a time-division method, the A-IoT device can use a radio frequency receiver to receive the first channel from the first device without the need for a high-performance filter, which is beneficial to reducing the complexity and energy loss of the A-IoT device receiving the first channel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0020] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of an example of an environmental Internet of Things communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the principle of radio frequency energy collection provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the principle of backscatter communication provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a circuit structure of a resistive load modulation provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] FIG6 is a first schematic diagram of an A-IoT device communicating with a network device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG7 is a second schematic diagram of an A-IoT device communicating with a network device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG8 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG9 is a second flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of an example of a fixed channel provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of transmitting two fixed channels within one OFDM symbol provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a chip length provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of dividing the carrier bandwidth into two frequency segments according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the first structural composition of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG15 is a second schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG16 is a third schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG17 is a fourth schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG18 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG19 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 20 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The following will describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0041] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of an embodiment of the present application.

[0042] As shown in Figure 1, a communication system 100 may include a terminal device 110 and a network device 120. The network device 120 may communicate with the terminal device 110 via an air interface. The terminal device 110 and the network device 120 support multi-service transmission.

[0043] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are only illustrative of the communication system 100, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. That is, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Internet of Things (IoT) system, Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) system, enhanced Machine-Type Communications (eMTC) system, 5G communication system (also known as New Radio (NR) communication system), 6G communication system, or future communication systems.

[0044] In the communication system 100 shown in Figure 1, the network device 120 may be an access network device that communicates with the terminal device 110. The access network device may provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area and may communicate with the terminal device 110 (eg, UE) located within the coverage area.

[0045] The network device 120 can be an evolved base station (eNB or eNodeB) in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, or a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG RAN) device, or a base station (gNB) in an NR system, or a base station in a 6G system, or a wireless controller in a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN), or the network device 120 can be a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a hub, a switch, a bridge, a router, or a network device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), etc.

[0046] The terminal device 110 may be any terminal device, including but not limited to a terminal device connected to the network device 120 or other terminal devices by wire or wireless connection.

[0047] For example, the terminal device 110 may refer to an access terminal, user equipment (UE), a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user device. The access terminal may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, an IoT device, a satellite handheld terminal, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, a terminal device in a 6G network, or a terminal device in a future evolution network, etc.

[0048] The terminal device 110 can be used for device-to-device (D2D) communication.

[0049] The communication system 100 may also include a core network device 130 that communicates with the network device 120. The core network device 130 may be a 5G core network (5G Core, 5GC) device, such as an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), an Authentication Server Function (AUSF), a User Plane Function (UPF), or a Session Management Function (SMF). In some embodiments, the core network device 130 may also be an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) device of an LTE network, such as a Session Management Function + Core Packet Gateway (SMF+PGW-C) device. It should be understood that SMF+PGW-C can simultaneously implement the functions that can be implemented by SMF and PGW-C. During the network evolution process, the above-mentioned core network device may also be called other names, or a new network entity may be formed by dividing the functions of the core network, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0050] The functional units in the communication system 100 may also establish connections and implement communication via next generation (NG) network interfaces.

[0051] For example, the terminal device establishes an air interface connection with the access network device through the NR interface for transmitting user plane data and control plane signaling; the terminal device can establish a control plane signaling connection with the AMF through the NG interface 1 (referred to as N1); the access network device, such as the next generation wireless access base station (gNB), can establish a user plane data connection with the UPF through the NG interface 3 (referred to as N3); the access network device can establish a control plane signaling connection with the AMF through the NG interface 2 (referred to as N2); the UPF can establish a control plane signaling connection with the SMF through the NG interface 4 (referred to as N4); the UPF can exchange user plane data with the data network through the NG interface 6 (referred to as N6); the AMF can establish a control plane signaling connection with the SMF through the NG interface 11 (referred to as N11); the SMF can establish a control plane signaling connection with the PCF through the NG interface 7 (referred to as N7).

[0052] Figure 1 exemplarily shows a network device, a core network device and two terminal devices. Optionally, the communication system 100 may include multiple network devices and the coverage area of ​​each network device may include other numbers of terminal devices, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0053] It should be noted that Figure 1 is merely an example of a system applicable to this application. Of course, the methods described in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to other systems. Furthermore, the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably herein. The term "and / or" herein simply describes an association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship. It should also be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association relationship. For example, "A indicates B" can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can obtain information through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can obtain information through C; or it can mean that A and B have an association relationship. It should also be understood that the "correspondence" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can mean that there is a direct or indirect correspondence between two objects, or that there is an association relationship between the two objects, or a relationship between an indicator and the indicated, a configuration and the configured, and so on. It should also be understood that the “predefined” or “predefined rules” mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in devices (for example, including terminal devices and network devices), and the present application does not limit its specific implementation method. For example, predefined can refer to what is defined in the protocol. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the “protocol” may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, such as LTE protocols, NR protocols, and related protocols used in future communication systems, and the present application does not limit this.

[0054] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the relevant technologies of the embodiments of the present application are described below. The following relevant technologies can be arbitrarily combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and they all fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0055] 1. Principles of Environmental IoT Communication

[0056] A-IoT communication utilizes energy harvesting and backscatter communication technologies. A-IoT devices are IoT devices that can use various environmental energy sources (such as radio frequency energy, light energy, solar energy, thermal energy, and mechanical energy) to power themselves. A-IoT devices can have no energy storage capacity or very limited energy storage capacity (such as using capacitors with a capacity of tens of microfarads). Compared to existing IoT devices, A-IoT devices offer numerous advantages, including the absence of conventional batteries, maintenance-free operation, compact size, low complexity, low cost, and long lifespan.

[0057] In the embodiment of the present application, the A-IoT device may also be referred to as a zero-power device.

[0058] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an example of an environmental Internet of Things communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2. The environmental Internet of Things communication system may include a network device and an A-IoT device. Among them, the network device can be used to send wireless power supply signals and downlink communication signals to the A-IoT device, and receive backscattered signals from the A-IoT device. A basic A-IoT device includes an energy collection module, a backscatter communication module, and a low-power computing module. In addition, the A-IoT device may also include a memory or sensor for storing some basic information (such as item identification, etc.) or obtaining sensor data such as ambient temperature and ambient humidity.

[0059] Key technologies for the Ambient IoT include radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting and backscatter communication. These are described below using Figures 3 and 4, respectively.

[0060] 1) RF Power Harvesting

[0061] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the principle of radio frequency energy harvesting provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG3 , the radio frequency energy harvesting module may include a tunnel diode, a capacitor C (including a positive electrode +q and a negative electrode -q) and a resistor R L RF signals can be harvested through tunnel diodes to complete the RF energy harvesting process. For example, the RF energy harvesting module can use the principle of electromagnetic induction to collect electromagnetic wave energy from space, thereby obtaining the energy required to operate A-IoT devices. For example, this energy can be used to drive low-power demodulation and modulation modules, sensors, and memory readout. This shows that A-IoT devices do not require traditional batteries.

[0062] 2) Back Scattering

[0063] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the principle of backscatter communication provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, the network device may include a transmitter (Transmitter, TX), an operational amplifier (Amplifier, AMP), a receiver (Receiver, RX) and a low noise amplifier (LNA); the A-IoT device (or called a zero-power device) may include a resistor R, a logic processing module and an energy harvesting module. The A-IoT device 420 can receive a wireless signal from the network device 410, modulate the wireless signal, and radiate the modulated wireless signal (i.e., the backscatter signal) from the antenna after loading the information to be sent. This information transmission process is called backscatter communication. Among them, the backscatter and load modulation functions are inseparable. Load modulation adjusts and controls the circuit parameters of the oscillation circuit of the A-IoT device according to the beat of the data stream, so that parameters such as the size of the electronic tag impedance change accordingly, thereby completing the modulation process. Load modulation mainly includes two methods: resistive load modulation and capacitive load modulation.

[0064] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a circuit structure of a resistive load modulation provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG5 , the circuit structure may include an inductor L1, an inductor L2, a capacitor C1, a capacitor C2, a resistor R2, a resistor R3 and a load R L In resistive load modulation, the load R L By connecting a resistor R3 in parallel, the on or off of the switch S can be controlled based on the binary data stream (i.e., binary coding), thereby controlling the on and off of the resistor R3. The on and off of the resistor R3 will cause a change in the circuit voltage, thereby realizing amplitude shift keying (ASK). In other words, by adjusting the amplitude of the backscattered signal of the A-IoT device, signal modulation and transmission can be achieved. Similarly, in capacitive load modulation, the on and off of the capacitor can achieve a change in the resonant frequency of the circuit, thereby realizing frequency shift keying (FSK). In other words, by adjusting the operating frequency of the backscattered signal of the A-IoT device, signal modulation and transmission can be achieved.

[0065] As can be seen, A-IoT devices can use load modulation to modulate the incoming signal, thereby achieving backscatter communication. A-IoT devices have the following advantages:

[0066] a) A-IoT devices do not actively transmit signals, so they do not require complex RF links, such as power amplifiers (PAs) and RF filters.

[0067] b) A-IoT devices do not need to actively generate high-frequency signals, so they do not require high-frequency crystal oscillators;

[0068] c) A-IoT devices can use backscatter communication and do not need to consume their own energy when transmitting signals.

[0069] It should be understood that the above-mentioned A-IoT device is only one possible implementation of the A-IoT device. In another possible implementation, the A-IoT device may support active signal transmission.

[0070] 2. Classification of A-IoT devices

[0071] Based on the energy source and usage of A-IoT devices, A-IoT devices can be divided into the following types:

[0072] 1) Passive A-IoT devices

[0073] Passive A-IoT devices do not require internal batteries. When they are close to network devices (such as the reader / writer of a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system), they are within the near-field radiation generated by the network device's antenna. Therefore, the antenna of the passive A-IoT device generates an induced current through electromagnetic induction. This induced current drives the passive A-IoT device's low-power chip circuit, thereby achieving demodulation of the forward link signal (downlink, the link from the network device to the passive A-IoT device) and modulation of the backward link signal (uplink, the link from the passive A-IoT device to the network device). For backscatter links, passive A-IoT devices use backscattering to transmit signals.

[0074] It can be seen that passive A-IoT devices do not require built-in batteries to drive either the forward link or the reverse link.

[0075] Passive A-IoT devices do not require batteries, and their RF and baseband circuits are relatively simple. For example, passive A-IoT devices do not require components such as LNA, PA, crystal oscillators, and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). Therefore, they have many advantages such as small size, light weight, low price, and long service life.

[0076] 2) Semi-passive A-IoT devices

[0077] Semi-passive A-IoT devices don't have conventional batteries themselves, but instead use RF energy harvesting modules to harvest radio wave energy, or solar, light, thermal, or kinetic energy harvesting modules to harvest energy. This harvested energy is then stored in an energy storage unit (such as a capacitor). This energy storage unit then drives the low-power chip circuitry in the semi-passive A-IoT device, enabling forward link signal demodulation and backward link signal modulation. For backscatter links, semi-passive A-IoT devices use backscattering to transmit signals.

[0078] It can be seen that semi-passive A-IoT devices do not require built-in batteries to drive either the forward link or the reverse link. Although energy stored in capacitors is used in operation, the energy comes from the radio energy collected by the energy harvesting module.

[0079] Semi-passive A-IoT devices inherit many advantages of passive A-IoT devices, so they have many advantages such as small size, light weight, very low price, and long service life.

[0080] 3) Active A-IoT devices

[0081] A-IoT devices used in some scenarios can also be active A-IoT devices, which can have built-in batteries (conventional batteries, such as dry cells, rechargeable lithium batteries, etc.). The battery is used to drive the low-power chip circuit of the active A-IoT device, thereby realizing tasks such as demodulation of the forward link signal and modulation of the reverse link signal. However, for the backscatter link, the active A-IoT device uses backscattering to transmit the signal. Therefore, the zero power consumption of the active A-IoT device is mainly reflected in the fact that the signal transmission of the reverse link does not require its own power, but uses backscattering. Although the active A-IoT device uses a battery, due to the sampling of ultra-low power communication technology, the power consumption is relatively low, which can greatly extend the battery life.

[0082] Active A-IoT devices require built-in batteries to power the RFID chip, increasing the tag's read and write distance and improving communication reliability. Therefore, they are used in scenarios with relatively high requirements for communication distance and read latency.

[0083] In the embodiments of the present application, A-IoT devices based on transmitter type may include the following types:

[0084] 1) Backscatter-based A-IoT devices

[0085] Backscatter-based A-IoT devices can use backscattering to transmit uplink data. Backscatter-based A-IoT devices do not have active transmitters, but rather backscatter transmitters. Therefore, when transmitting uplink data, backscatter-based A-IoT devices require network equipment to provide a carrier. Backscatter-based A-IoT devices use the carrier to perform backscattering to achieve data transmission.

[0086] 2) A-IoT devices based on active transmitters

[0087] Active transmitter-based A-IoT devices can use active transmitters with active transmission capabilities to send uplink data. Therefore, when sending uplink data, A-IoT devices based on active transmitters use their own active transmitters to send uplink data without the need for network equipment to provide a carrier. Active transmitters suitable for A-IoT devices can be, for example, ultra-low-power ASK transmitters or ultra-low-power FSK transmitters. When transmitting a 100uW signal, the overall power consumption of such transmitters can be reduced to 400-600uW.

[0088] 3) A-IoT devices with both backscatter and active transmitters

[0089] A-IoT devices with both backscatter and active transmitters can support both. Such A-IoT devices can determine which uplink signal transmission method to use based on different conditions (such as power consumption or available ambient energy) or based on the scheduling of network devices, for example, whether to use backscatter for uplink signal transmission or use active transmitter for active uplink signal transmission.

[0090] 3. Low-power IoT based on cellular networks

[0091] Currently, the cellular Internet of Things is booming. For example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has standardized IoT technologies such as Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Machine Type Communication (MTC), and Reduced Capability (RedCap). However, there are still many scenarios in which IoT communication needs cannot be met, such as harsh communication environments (high temperature, extremely low temperature, high humidity, high voltage, high radiation, or high-speed movement), requirements for extremely small terminal form factors, and extremely low costs.

[0092] In order to cover these unmet IoT communication needs, cellular IoT also needs to develop ultra-low-cost, extremely small-size, battery-free / maintenance-free IoT, and environmental IoT can just meet this need.

[0093] Based on the discussion of A-IoT application scenarios in the 3GPP System Architecture (SA), A-IoT can be used in at least the following four scenarios:

[0094] 1) Object recognition, such as logistics, production line product management, and supply chain management;

[0095] 2) Environmental monitoring, such as temperature, humidity, and harmful gas monitoring of the working environment and natural environment;

[0096] 3) Positioning, such as indoor positioning, intelligent object search, and production line item positioning;

[0097] 4) Intelligent control, such as intelligent control of various electrical appliances in smart homes (such as turning on and off air conditioners and adjusting temperature), and intelligent control of various facilities in agricultural greenhouses (such as automatic irrigation and fertilization).

[0098] In a low-power IoT based on cellular networks, A-IoT devices can communicate directly with network devices, or they can communicate with network devices through intermediate nodes.

[0099] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG6 , the A-IoT device may directly transmit and receive carriers, data, or signals from the network device, and transmit or backscatter data or signals to the network device.

[0100] For example, as shown in Figure 7, an A-IoT device can communicate with a network device via an intermediate node. In this scenario, the network device can communicate with the intermediate node via a Uu link. The intermediate node can send carriers, data, or signals to the A-IoT device, and the A-IoT device can send or backscatter data or signals to the intermediate node. The intermediate node can be, for example, a terminal device.

[0101] The above briefly explains the relevant technologies / terms involved in this application, which will not be repeated in the following embodiments.

[0102] Figures 6 and 7 show that A-IoT devices can communicate directly with network devices, or they can communicate with network devices through intermediate nodes. In the ambient IoT, network devices / intermediate nodes need to send data channels and / or control channels to A-IoT devices when communicating with them. Therefore, how network devices / intermediate nodes send control channels / data channels to A-IoT devices is an urgent problem in the ambient IoT.

[0103] In view of this, the present application provides a communication method, apparatus, device, chip and storage medium. In this method, a first device may send multiple first channels (the first channel is, for example, a control channel or a data channel), and the multiple first channels may occupy different time ranges and the same frequency range, wherein different first channels in the multiple first channels can be received by different or the same A-IoT devices. That is, the first device may send a control channel or a data channel to at least one A-IoT device in a time-division manner.

[0104] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions of the present application are described in detail below through specific embodiments. The above related technologies can be combined arbitrarily with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and all of them fall within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application include at least part of the following contents.

[0105] FIG8 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG8 , the method may include the following steps:

[0106] S801, a first device sends multiple first channels, where the multiple first channels occupy different time ranges and the same frequency range; different first channels in the multiple first channels are received by different or the same A-IoT devices, and the first channel is a control channel or a data channel.

[0107] In this embodiment, the first device may send multiple first channels, and the multiple first channels may occupy different time ranges and the same frequency range (that is, the multiple first channels occupy different time ranges and the same frequency range). Different first channels in the multiple first channels can be received by different or the same A-IoT devices. In other words, the first device may send multiple first channels in a time-division manner, and different first channels in the multiple first channels can be received by different or the same A-IoT devices.

[0108] For example, assuming that the multiple first channels sent by the first device include the first channel #1 and the first channel #2, then the first channel #1 and the first channel #2 can be received by different A-IoT devices, that is, the first channel #1 and the first channel #2 are sent to different A-IoT devices; or, the first channel #1 and the first channel #2 can be received by the same A-IoT device, that is, the first channel #1 and the first channel #2 are sent to the same A-IoT device.

[0109] Accordingly, for an A-IoT device, the A-IoT device may receive at least one first channel from a first device. The at least one first channel may be all or part of multiple first channels sent by the first device. The multiple first channels may occupy different time ranges and the same frequency range. For example, if the first device sends N first channels, then the at least one first channel received by the A-IoT device may be all or part of the N first channels, or in other words, all or part of the N first channels are sent to the A-IoT device.

[0110] In this embodiment, the first channel may be a control channel or a data channel. A control channel (e.g., a downlink control channel used to instruct downlink transmission or schedule uplink transmission) may carry control information, and a data channel may carry data information. For example, the control channel may be a fixed channel, and the data channel may be a fixed channel or a variable channel. Fixed channels and variable channels may be collectively referred to as A-IoT channels.

[0111] For example, a fixed channel refers to a channel that an A-IoT device can receive and decode without relying on dynamic indication information. A fixed channel may contain specific signals. For example, if the fixed channel is a control channel, it contains at least a synchronization signal portion and a control information portion; if the fixed channel is a data channel, it contains at least a synchronization signal portion and a data information portion.

[0112] For example, a variable channel refers to a channel with one or more variable length, waveform, coding method, coding efficiency, modulation method, etc. A-IoT devices need to receive and decode variable channels based on dynamic instructions. A variable channel can contain specific signals, for example, a variable channel can contain at least a synchronization signal portion and a data information portion.

[0113] In some embodiments, the first device may be a network device (such as the network device in Figure 6) or a terminal device (such as the intermediate node in Figure 7). If the first device is a network device, the first device may transmit the first channel within a downlink carrier and / or a downlink time slot; if the first device is a terminal device, the first device may transmit the first channel within an uplink carrier and / or an uplink time slot. In some scenarios, the first device may also be referred to as a questioning node.

[0114] According to the method of this embodiment, the first device can send multiple first channels in a time-division manner. In this way, the A-IoT device can use a radio frequency receiver to receive the first channel from the first device without the need for a high-performance filter, thereby helping to reduce the complexity and energy loss of the A-IoT device receiving the first channel.

[0115] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels sent by the first device may be located in one or more Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols.

[0116] In one example, the multiple first channels may be located within one OFDM, in which case the duration occupied by one first channel may be less than the length of one OFDM symbol; in another example, the multiple first channels may be located within multiple OFDMs, in which case the duration occupied by one first channel may be greater than, less than, or equal to the length of one OFDM symbol.

[0117] In some embodiments, when the first device is a network device, the one or more OFDM symbols may be located at the end of a time slot (such as the first time slot); when the first device is a terminal device, the one or more OFDM symbols may be located at the beginning and / or end of a time slot.

[0118] It can be understood that if the first device is a network device, the first channel can be sent in the downlink carrier and / or downlink time slot. In this case, since the beginning of a time slot may be configured with the cell's common control channel transmission resources, the common control channel transmission resources can be used to send the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). Therefore, in order to avoid interference of PDCCH with the A-IoT device, the first channel should not be sent on the OFDM symbol where the cell's common control channel transmission resources are present, that is, the beginning of a time slot is not used to send the first channel. In addition, the network device may also send PDSCH to other devices besides the A-IoT device in a time slot, and the time domain resources occupied by PDSCH are continuous. Therefore, in order to avoid affecting other devices and to avoid interference of PDCCH with the A-IoT device, one or more OFDM symbols used to send the first channel may be located at the end of a time slot (such as the first time slot), or in other words, the OFDM symbol where the A-IoT device does not expect to receive the first channel is located at the beginning or middle part of a time slot.

[0119] If the first device is a terminal device, the first channel may be sent within an uplink carrier and / or an uplink time slot. In this case, since the network device may schedule the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission of other terminal devices within a time slot, and the PUSCH needs to occupy continuous time domain resources, the OFDM symbol used by the first device to send the first channel may be located at the beginning and / or end of a time slot (such as the first time slot), or in other words, the OFDM symbol of the first channel that the A-IoT device does not expect to receive is in the middle part of a time slot.

[0120] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels sent by the first device are located within one or more OFDM symbols, where the one or more OFDM symbols are OFDM symbols other than the at least one first OFDM symbol in the first time slot. In other words, the OFDM symbols that can be used by the first device to send the first channel are OFDM symbols other than the at least one first OFDM symbol in the first time slot. When the first device is a terminal device, the first time slot (the time slot used by the first device to send the first channel) and the starting point and length of the at least one first OFDM symbol may be indicated by the network device.

[0121] In some embodiments, when the first device is a terminal device, the first time slot can be indicated by downlink control information (DCI) or configuration authorization from the network device, and the starting point and length of the at least one first OFDM symbol can be indicated by radio resource control (RRC) configuration parameters from the network device.

[0122] For example, the network device may indicate the start point and length of the at least one first OFDM symbol through the symbol start point and length value (startSymbolAndLength) configured by the RRC configuration parameter PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocationList. It should be noted that if the RRC configuration parameter PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocationList is configured with multiple symbol start points and length values, then the at least one first OFDM symbol is the union of the OFDM symbols indicated by the multiple symbol start points and length values.

[0123] As an example, assuming that the time slot indicated by the DCI or configuration grant from the network device for the first device to transmit the first channel is the first time slot, and the RRC configuration parameter PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocationList is configured with a symbol start point and length value: startSymbolAndLength = 83 (indicating that it starts from the OFDM symbol with index 0 and occupies 10 OFDM symbols), then the starting point of the at least one first OFDM symbol is the OFDM symbol with index 0 in the first time slot (denoted as OFDM symbol #0), and the length is 10 OFDM symbols. That is, the at least one first OFDM symbol is: 10 OFDM symbols starting from OFDM symbol #0 in the first time slot. In this case, if the first time slot contains 14 OFDM symbols with indexes of 0 to 13, the OFDM symbols in the first time slot that can be used by the first device to send the first channel are: OFDM symbols with indexes of 10, 11, 12, and 13 in the first time slot (respectively recorded as OFDM symbol #10, OFDM symbol #11, OFDM symbol #12, and OFDM symbol #13).

[0124] As another example, assuming that the time slot indicated by the DCI or configuration authorization from the network device for the first device to transmit the first channel is the first time slot, and the RRC configuration parameter PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocationList is configured with two symbol start and length values, namely startSymbolAndLength=55 (indicating starting from OFDM symbol #0 and occupying 12 OFDM symbols) and startSymbolAndLength=83 (indicating starting from OFDM symbol #0 and occupying 10 OFDM symbols), then the at least one first OFDM symbol is: the union of the 12 OFDM symbols starting from OFDM symbol #0 in the first time slot and the 10 OFDM symbols starting from OFDM symbol #0. That is, the at least one first OFDM symbol is: the 12 OFDM symbols starting from OFDM symbol #0 in the first time slot, or in other words, the starting point of the at least one first OFDM symbol is OFDM symbol #0 in the first time slot and the length is 12 OFDM symbols. In this case, if the first time slot includes 14 OFDM symbols with indexes of 0 to 13, the OFDM symbols in the first time slot that can be used by the first device to send the first channel are: OFDM symbol #12 and OFDM symbol #13.

[0125] In some embodiments, when the first device is a terminal device, the first time slot, and the start point and length of the at least one first OFDM symbol may be indicated by a DCI or a configuration authorization from the network device.

[0126] Exemplarily, when the network device allocates time domain resources for sending a first channel to the first device, it may send a DCI or a configuration authorization to the first device. The DCI or the configuration authorization may indicate the position of the time slot (i.e., the first time slot) used to send the first channel. At the same time, the DCI or the configuration authorization may include a time domain resource allocation bit field (Time domain resource assignment), and the time domain resource allocation bit field may indicate the starting point and length of the at least one first OFDM symbol.

[0127] For example, assuming that according to the indication of the time domain resource allocation bit field, the starting point of the at least one first OFDM symbol is OFDM symbol #0 in the first time slot, and the length is 12 OFDM symbols, that is, the at least one first OFDM symbol is the 12 OFDM symbols starting from OFDM symbol #0 in the first time slot, then, if there are 14 OFDM symbols in the first time slot, then the one or more OFDM symbols in the first time slot that can be used by the first device to send the first channel are: OFDM symbol #12 and OFDM symbol #13.

[0128] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels transmitted by the first device are located within one or more OFDM symbols, where the one or more OFDM symbols are at least one second OFDM symbol within a first time slot. If the first device is a terminal device, the start point and length of the first time slot and the at least one second OFDM symbol may be indicated by the network device.

[0129] In some embodiments, when the first device is a terminal device, the first time slot, and the start point and length of the at least one second OFDM symbol may be indicated by a DCI or a configuration authorization from the network device.

[0130] Exemplarily, when the network device allocates time domain resources for sending the first channel to the first device, it may send a DCI or a configuration authorization to the first device. The DCI or the configuration authorization may indicate the position of the time slot (i.e., the first time slot) used to send the first channel. At the same time, the DCI or the configuration authorization may include a time domain resource allocation bit field, and the time domain resource allocation bit field may be used to indicate the starting point and length of the at least one second OFDM symbol.

[0131] As an implementation, one or more allowed startSymbolAndLength values ​​may be configured in a cell, and the value of the time-domain resource allocation bit field may correspond to one of the startSymbolAndLength values. The start point and length of the at least one second OFDM symbol may be determined by the startSymbolAndLength value corresponding to the time-domain resource allocation bit field.

[0132] For example, assuming that four allowed startSymbolAndLength values ​​are configured in a cell, namely: 0 (indicating one OFDM symbol starting from OFDM symbol #0), 14 (indicating two OFDM symbols starting from OFDM symbol #0), 13 (indicating one OFDM symbol starting from OFDM symbol #13), and 26 (indicating two OFDM symbols starting from OFDM symbol #12), the time-domain resource allocation bit field can be set to different values ​​to correspond to the above different configurations. For example, when the value of the time-domain resource allocation bit field is set to 0, the corresponding startSymbolAndLength is 0; when the value of the time-domain resource allocation bit field is set to 1, the corresponding startSymbolAndLength is 14; when the value of the time-domain resource allocation bit field is set to 2, the corresponding startSymbolAndLength is 13; and when the value of the time-domain resource allocation bit field is set to 3, the corresponding startSymbolAndLength is 26.

[0133] As an example, if the startSymbolAndLength corresponding to the time-domain resource allocation bit field is 0, this indicates that the starting point of the at least one second OFDM symbol is OFDM symbol #0 in the first time slot and the length is one OFDM symbol. That is, the at least one second OFDM symbol is one OFDM symbol starting from OFDM symbol #0 in the first time slot. Therefore, if there are 14 OFDM symbols in the first time slot, the OFDM symbol in the first time slot that can be used by the first device to transmit the first channel is OFDM symbol #0.

[0134] As another example, if the startSymbolAndLength corresponding to the time-domain resource allocation bit field is 1, this indicates that the at least one second OFDM symbol starts at OFDM symbol #0 in the first time slot and has a length of two OFDM symbols. That is, the at least one second OFDM symbol is the two OFDM symbols starting from OFDM symbol #0 in the first time slot. Therefore, if there are 14 OFDM symbols in the first time slot, the OFDM symbols in the first time slot that can be used by the first device to transmit the first channel are the two OFDM symbols starting from OFDM symbol #0.

[0135] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels transmitted by the first device are continuous in the time domain. In this case, the A-IoT device can determine the time starting point of the first channel based on the signal that the first channel begins. In some embodiments, there may be gaps between the multiple first channels transmitted by the first device. This helps simplify the complexity of the A-IoT device in determining the time starting point of the first channel.

[0136] In some embodiments, the plurality of first channels are control channels, wherein a chip length of a control channel may be smaller than a chip length of a data channel associated with the control channel.

[0137] In the embodiment of the present application, the chip length refers to the time length of a physical symbol that carries 1 bit of information. The data channel associated with the control channel can also be understood as the data channel indicated by the control channel.

[0138] As an example, assuming that the chip length of the control channel is N, then N may be less than the chip length M of the data channel associated with the control channel. For example, M may be K times N, where K is an integer greater than 1, such as 2, 4, or 8. The values ​​of N and M may be preconfigured or configured by the first device.

[0139] According to the method of this embodiment, the chip length of the control channel can be limited to a relatively small value. Since the chip length and bandwidth are inversely proportional, that is, the smaller the chip length, the larger the bandwidth, this method is conducive to fully utilizing frequency resources.

[0140] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels are data channels, and each of the multiple first channels occupies the same duration, or some of the multiple first channels occupies different durations.

[0141] The fact that each of the multiple first channels has the same occupied time duration can also be understood as the length of the first channel (occupied time duration) being fixed. The fact that some of the multiple first channels have different occupied time durations can also be understood as the length of the first channel (occupied time duration) being non-fixed or variable.

[0142] In some embodiments, when some of the multiple first channels have different occupied time lengths, that is, when the length of the first channel is not fixed or variable, the A-IoT device receiving the first data channel knows the occupied time length of the first data channel before receiving the first data channel, and the first data channel is included in the multiple first channels.

[0143] For example, for an A-IoT device, before receiving a first data channel, the A-IoT device may receive a control channel associated with the first data channel (e.g., a first control channel), where the first control channel may indicate the duration of the first data channel occupancy. The first data channel is included in at least one first channel received by the A-IoT device.

[0144] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels transmitted by the first device are located within one or more OFDM symbols. If the first channel is a control channel, the multiple first channels may be modulated on a first carrier within the one or more OFDM symbols, and no carrier other than the first carrier exists within the one or more OFDM symbols. For example, the first device may generate only the first carrier within the one or more OFDM symbols and perform on-off keying (OOK) modulation on the first carrier, thereby modulating the multiple first channels onto the first carrier.

[0145] When the first channel is a data channel, the multiple first channels may be modulated onto some subcarriers within the one or more OFDM symbols. For example, the multiple first channels may be modulated onto some subcarriers within the one or more OFDM symbols, and the remaining subcarriers may be used to transmit other channels. In some embodiments, guard intervals may be present on both sides of the subcarriers.

[0146] In some embodiments, the carrier frequency used by the first device to send the multiple first channels may be the frequency of the current carrier.

[0147] In some embodiments, when the first channel is a control channel, the method may further include: the first device sends multiple second channels, and the multiple second channels occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range (that is, the multiple second channels occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range); different second channels in the multiple second channels can be received by different or the same A-IoT devices, and the second channels are data channels.

[0148] That is, after the first device transmits the multiple control channels in a time division manner, it may further transmit the multiple data channels in a frequency division manner. In some embodiments, each of the multiple control channels may be associated with (or indicate) one or more data channels in the multiple data channels.

[0149] Accordingly, for an A-IoT device, the A-IoT device can receive at least one second channel from the first device. The at least one second channel can be all or part of multiple second channels sent by the first device. The multiple second channels can occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range. For example, if the first device sends N second channels, then the at least one second channel received by the A-IoT device is all or part of the N second channels, or in other words, all or part of the N second channels are sent to the A-IoT device.

[0150] It is understandable that in order to receive the control channel, the A-IoT device needs to continuously perform blind detection, which has high complexity and energy consumption. Therefore, in order to reduce the complexity and energy consumption of the A-IoT device receiving the control channel, the first device can use a time division method to send multiple control channels. Furthermore, the first device can use a frequency division method to send multiple data channels to increase the system capacity. Among them, the system capacity can also be understood as the number of terminal devices (such as A-IoT devices) that can be supported in the system.

[0151] In some embodiments, the multiple second channels transmitted by the first device may be transmitted over multiple frequency segments, where each frequency segment may, for example, transmit one second channel. The multiple frequency segments may be preconfigured or configured by the first device, or the division of the multiple frequency segments may be preconfigured or configured by the first device. There may or may not be gaps between different frequency segments.

[0152] In some embodiments, within a frequency segment, the carrier frequency used to transmit the second channel may be the middle frequency of the frequency segment. This minimizes interference between second channels transmitted in adjacent frequency segments. For example, a first device may transmit a second channel on two frequency segments, namely frequency segment #1 and frequency segment #2. In frequency segment #1, the carrier frequency used to transmit the second channel may be the middle frequency f1 of frequency segment #1, and in frequency segment #2, the carrier frequency used to transmit the second channel may be the middle frequency f2 of frequency segment #2. That is, the first device may transmit a total of two second channels within frequency segments #1 and #2, with the carrier frequencies used to transmit the two second channels being f1 and f2, respectively. There may or may not be a gap between frequency segment #1 and frequency segment #2.

[0153] In some embodiments, some or all of the multiple second channels transmitted by the first device are transmitted to the first A-IoT device. In this case, the multiple frequency segments used by the first device to transmit the second channels may include: the first A-IoT device's default frequency segments for channel reception, and / or the frequency segments reported by the first A-IoT device. The frequency segments reported by the first A-IoT device may include all or some of the frequency segments that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

[0154] In one example, the multiple frequency segments used by the first device to transmit the second channel may include the frequency segment used by the first A-IoT device by default for channel reception. In other words, the first device may transmit the second channel to the first A-IoT device within the frequency segment used by the first A-IoT device by default for channel reception.

[0155] In one possible scenario, the first A-IoT device supports one frequency segment. In this case, the frequency segment is the default frequency segment used by the first A-IoT device for channel reception. In another possible scenario, the first A-IoT device supports multiple frequency segments. In this case, at least one frequency segment among the multiple frequency segments is the default frequency segment used by the first A-IoT device for channel reception. The frequency segments supported by the first A-IoT device can also be understood as the frequency segments that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

[0156] In another example, the multiple frequency segments used by the first device to transmit the second channel may include: the frequency segment reported by the first A-IoT device. In other words, the first device may transmit the second channel to the first A-IoT device within the frequency segment reported by the first A-IoT device.

[0157] The frequency segments reported by the first A-IoT device may include all or part of the frequency segments that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception. For example, if the frequency segments that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception include M frequency segments, then the first A-IoT device may report all or part of the M frequency segments to the first device, so that the first device can send the second channel to the first A-IoT device within the all or part of the frequency segments.

[0158] In another example, the multiple frequency segments used by the first device to send the second channel may include: the frequency segment used by the first A-IoT device by default for channel reception, and the frequency segment reported by the first A-IoT device.

[0159] In some embodiments, if a frequency segment does not belong to the default frequency segment used by the first A-IoT device for channel reception, then the first device may use the frequency segment to send the second channel to the first A-IoT device after the first A-IoT device reports the frequency segment.

[0160] Accordingly, for an A-IoT device (such as a first A-IoT device), at least one frequency segment used to receive at least one second channel may include: a frequency segment used by the A-IoT device by default for channel reception, and / or a frequency segment reported by the A-IoT device. The frequency segment reported by the A-IoT device may include all or part of the frequency segments that the A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

[0161] In some embodiments, the multiple second channels transmitted by the first device may be transmitted on multiple carrier frequencies, where each carrier frequency may transmit one second channel. The multiple carrier frequencies may be preconfigured or configured by the first device, or in other words, the carrier frequencies available for the second channels may be preconfigured or configured by the first device.

[0162] In some embodiments, some or all of the multiple second channels sent by the first device are sent to the first A-IoT device. In this case, the multiple carrier frequencies (the multiple carrier frequencies used by the first device to send the second channels) may include: the default carrier frequency for channel reception of the first A-IoT device, and / or the carrier frequency reported by the first A-IoT device. The carrier frequency reported by the first A-IoT device may include all or part of the carrier frequencies that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

[0163] In one example, the multiple carrier frequencies used by the first device to transmit the second channel may include the first A-IoT device's default carrier frequency for channel reception. In other words, the first device may transmit the second channel to the first A-IoT device at the first A-IoT device's default carrier frequency for channel reception.

[0164] In one possible scenario, the first A-IoT device supports one carrier frequency. In this case, the carrier frequency is the default carrier frequency used by the first A-IoT device for channel reception. In another possible scenario, the first A-IoT device supports multiple carrier frequencies. In this case, at least one of the multiple carrier frequencies is the default carrier frequency used by the first A-IoT device for channel reception. The carrier frequency supported by the first A-IoT device can also be understood as the carrier frequency that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

[0165] In another example, the multiple carrier frequencies used by the first device to transmit the second channel may include: the carrier frequency reported by the first A-IoT device. In other words, the first device may transmit the second channel to the first A-IoT device on the carrier frequency reported by the first A-IoT device.

[0166] The carrier frequencies reported by the first A-IoT device may include all or part of the carrier frequencies that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception. For example, if the carrier frequencies that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception include M carrier frequencies, then the first A-IoT device may report all or part of the M carrier frequencies to the first device, so that the first device can send the second channel to the first A-IoT device on all or part of the carrier frequencies.

[0167] In another example, the multiple carrier frequencies used by the first device to send the second channel may include: the default carrier frequency used by the first A-IoT device for channel reception, and the carrier frequency reported by the first A-IoT device.

[0168] In some embodiments, if a certain carrier frequency is not the default carrier frequency used for channel reception by the first A-IoT device, then the first device may use the carrier frequency to send the second channel to the first A-IoT device after the first A-IoT device reports the carrier frequency.

[0169] Accordingly, for an A-IoT device (such as a first A-IoT device), at least one carrier frequency used to receive at least one second channel may include: the default carrier frequency of the A-IoT device for channel reception, and / or the carrier frequency reported by the A-IoT device. The carrier frequency reported by the A-IoT device may include all or part of the carrier frequencies that the A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

[0170] In some embodiments, the bandwidth used by the first device to transmit multiple second channels may be a preconfigured or predefined (e.g., standard-defined) first bandwidth; or, the bandwidth used by the first device to transmit each second channel may be a preconfigured or predefined first bandwidth; or, the bandwidth of the second channel transmitted by the first device on each carrier frequency may be a preconfigured or predefined first bandwidth. The first bandwidth may be smaller than the carrier bandwidth, and the multiple carrier frequencies used by the first device to transmit the second channels may be within the frequency range corresponding to the carrier bandwidth.

[0171] In some embodiments, the multiple second channels sent by the first device may be sent on multiple carrier groups, where each carrier group may be used to send a second channel, each carrier group may include one or more subcarriers, and the frequency domain interval between different carrier groups may be greater than a specific value, for example.

[0172] Accordingly, for a certain A-IoT device, the A-IoT device can receive at least one second channel from the first device on at least one carrier group.

[0173] In some embodiments, the multiple carrier groups may include a first subcarrier, and the frequency of the first subcarrier may be related to the following parameters: a frequency reference point (denoted as f0); an index of the carrier group in which the first subcarrier is located (denoted as m); and a reference subcarrier spacing (denoted as Δf). For example, f0 may be the lowest frequency position of the current carrier bandwidth, or may be the mid-frequency position of the current carrier bandwidth.

[0174] For example, assuming that each carrier group includes one subcarrier, the frequency f of the first subcarrier can be calculated using the following formula: f = f0 + m × K × Δf. K is a fixed value, for example, K = A × 12. The value of A can be predefined (e.g., as defined by a standard), preconfigured, or configured by a network device. The value of K can be used to meet the minimum spacing between different carrier groups.

[0175] In some embodiments, when the first device is a terminal device, the multiple carrier groups may be indicated by a DCI or a configuration authorization from a network device.

[0176] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels transmitted by the first device may include a first control channel, and the first control channel may be associated with at least one second channel among the multiple second channels (data channels) transmitted by the first device. The at least one second channel may be transmitted on at least one carrier group among the multiple carrier groups. The first control channel may carry an index of the at least one carrier group. That is, for a certain control channel (such as the first control channel), the control channel may carry an index of the carrier group used to transmit the at least one data channel associated with the control channel.

[0177] Accordingly, for an A-IoT device, the at least one carrier group used by the A-IoT device to receive at least one second channel (data channel) can be indicated by at least one first channel (control channel) received by the A-IoT device. For example, before receiving a second channel, the A-IoT device can obtain the carrier group used by the first device when sending the second channel based on the indication of the first channel associated with the second channel, and then the A-IoT device can receive the second channel on this carrier group.

[0178] In some embodiments, before the first device sends multiple second channels, the method may also include: the first device sends first indication information (such as high-layer signaling) to the first A-IoT device, and the first indication information can be used to indicate the index of at least one carrier group, and the index of the at least one carrier group can be used by the first A-IoT device to receive the second channel on the at least one carrier group; the at least one carrier group is included in the multiple carrier groups.

[0179] That is, for an A-IoT device, the at least one carrier group used by the A-IoT device to receive the at least one second channel can be indicated by first indication information (such as high-layer signaling) from the first device. For example, after receiving the first indication information from the first device, the A-IoT device can receive the second channel from the first device on the at least one carrier group based on the index of the at least one carrier group indicated by the first indication information.

[0180] The method of this embodiment clarifies how a first device transmits a control channel / data channel to an A-IoT device in an ambient IoT. Specifically, the first device can transmit multiple first channels using time division to reduce the complexity and energy consumption of receiving the first channels on the A-IoT device. The first channel can be either a control channel or a data channel. Furthermore, if the first channel is a control channel, the first device can also transmit multiple data channels using frequency division to increase system capacity.

[0181] The present application also provides a communication method. In this method, a first device may send multiple first channels (for example, a control channel or a data channel), and the multiple first channels may occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range, wherein different first channels in the multiple first channels may be received by different or the same A-IoT devices. In other words, the first device may use a frequency division method to send a control channel or a data channel to at least one A-IoT device.

[0182] FIG9 is a second flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG9 , the method may include the following steps:

[0183] S901, a first device sends multiple first channels, where the multiple first channels occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range; different first channels in the multiple first channels are received by different or the same A-IoT devices, and the first channel is a control channel or a data channel.

[0184] In this embodiment, the first device may send multiple first channels, and the multiple first channels may occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range (that is, the multiple first channels occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range). Different first channels in the multiple first channels can be received by different or the same A-IoT devices. In other words, the first device may send multiple first channels in a frequency division manner, and different first channels in the multiple first channels can be received by different or the same A-IoT devices.

[0185] For example, assuming that the multiple first channels sent by the first device include the first channel #1 and the first channel #2, then the first channel #1 and the first channel #2 can be received by different A-IoT devices, that is, the first channel #1 and the first channel #2 are sent to different A-IoT devices; or, the first channel #1 and the first channel #2 can be received by the same A-IoT device, that is, the first channel #1 and the first channel #2 are sent to the same A-IoT device.

[0186] Accordingly, for an A-IoT device, the A-IoT device may receive at least one first channel from a first device. The at least one first channel may be all or part of multiple first channels sent by the first device. The multiple first channels may occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range. For example, if the first device sends N first channels, then the at least one first channel received by the A-IoT device may be all or part of the N first channels, or in other words, all or part of the N first channels are sent to the A-IoT device.

[0187] In some embodiments, the first device may be a network device (such as the network device in Figure 6) or a terminal device (such as the intermediate node in Figure 7). If the first device is a network device, the first device may transmit the first channel within a downlink carrier and / or a downlink time slot; if the first device is a terminal device, the first device may transmit the first channel within an uplink carrier and / or an uplink time slot. In some scenarios, the first device may also be referred to as a questioning node.

[0188] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels transmitted by the first device may be transmitted over multiple frequency segments, where, for example, one first channel may be transmitted over each frequency segment. The multiple frequency segments may be preconfigured or configured by the first device, or in other words, the division of the multiple frequency segments may be preconfigured or configured by the first device. There may or may not be gaps between different frequency segments.

[0189] In some embodiments, within a frequency segment, the carrier frequency used to transmit the first channel may be the middle frequency of the frequency segment. This avoids interference between first channels transmitted in adjacent frequency segments as much as possible. For example, a first device may transmit the first channel on two frequency segments, namely frequency segment #1 and frequency segment #2. In frequency segment #1, the carrier frequency used to transmit the first channel may be the middle frequency f1 of frequency segment #1, and in frequency segment #2, the carrier frequency used to transmit the first channel may be the middle frequency f2 of frequency segment #2. That is, the first device may transmit a total of two first channels within frequency segment #1 and frequency segment #2, with the carrier frequencies used to transmit the two first channels being f1 and f2, respectively. There may or may not be a gap between frequency segment #1 and frequency segment #2.

[0190] In some embodiments, some or all of the multiple first channels sent by the first device are sent to the first A-IoT device. In this case, the multiple frequency segments used by the first device to send the first channel may include: the first A-IoT device's default frequency segments for channel reception, and / or the frequency segments reported by the first A-IoT device. The frequency segments reported by the first A-IoT device may include all or some of the frequency segments that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

[0191] In one example, the multiple frequency segments used by the first device to transmit the first channel may include the frequency segment used by the first A-IoT device by default for channel reception. In other words, the first device may transmit the first channel to the first A-IoT device within the frequency segment used by the first A-IoT device by default for channel reception.

[0192] In one possible scenario, the first A-IoT device supports one frequency segment. In this case, the frequency segment is the default frequency segment used by the first A-IoT device for channel reception. In another possible scenario, the first A-IoT device supports multiple frequency segments. In this case, at least one frequency segment among the multiple frequency segments is the default frequency segment used by the first A-IoT device for channel reception. The frequency segments supported by the first A-IoT device can also be understood as the frequency segments that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

[0193] In another example, the multiple frequency segments used by the first device to transmit the first channel may include: the frequency segment reported by the first A-IoT device. In other words, the first device may transmit the first channel to the first A-IoT device within the frequency segment reported by the first A-IoT device.

[0194] The frequency segments reported by the first A-IoT device may include all or part of the frequency segments that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception. For example, if the frequency segments that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception include M frequency segments, then the first A-IoT device may report all or part of the M frequency segments to the first device, so that the first device can send the first channel to the first A-IoT device within the all or part of the frequency segments.

[0195] In another example, the multiple frequency segments used by the first device to send the first channel may include: the frequency segment used by the first A-IoT device by default for channel reception, and the frequency segment reported by the first A-IoT device.

[0196] In some embodiments, if a frequency segment does not belong to the default frequency segment used by the first A-IoT device for channel reception, then the first device may use the frequency segment to send the first channel to the first A-IoT device after the first A-IoT device reports the frequency segment.

[0197] Accordingly, for an A-IoT device (such as a first A-IoT device), at least one frequency segment used to receive at least one first channel may include: a frequency segment used by the A-IoT device by default for channel reception, and / or a frequency segment reported by the A-IoT device. The frequency segment reported by the A-IoT device may include all or part of the frequency segments that the A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

[0198] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels transmitted by the first device may be transmitted on multiple carrier frequencies, where each carrier frequency may transmit one first channel. The multiple carrier frequencies may be preconfigured or configured by the first device, or in other words, the carrier frequencies available for the first channels may be preconfigured or configured by the first device.

[0199] In some embodiments, some or all of the multiple first channels sent by the first device are sent to the first A-IoT device. In this case, the multiple carrier frequencies (the multiple carrier frequencies used by the first device to send the first channel) may include: the default carrier frequency for channel reception of the first A-IoT device, and / or the carrier frequency reported by the first A-IoT device. The carrier frequency reported by the first A-IoT device may include all or part of the carrier frequencies that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

[0200] In one example, the multiple carrier frequencies used by the first device to transmit the first channel may include the first A-IoT device's default carrier frequency for channel reception. In other words, the first device may transmit the first channel to the first A-IoT device at the first A-IoT device's default carrier frequency for channel reception.

[0201] In one possible scenario, the first A-IoT device supports one carrier frequency. In this case, the carrier frequency is the default carrier frequency used by the first A-IoT device for channel reception. In another possible scenario, the first A-IoT device supports multiple carrier frequencies. In this case, at least one of the multiple carrier frequencies is the default carrier frequency used by the first A-IoT device for channel reception. The carrier frequency supported by the first A-IoT device can also be understood as the carrier frequency that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

[0202] In another example, the multiple carrier frequencies used by the first device to transmit the first channel may include: the carrier frequency reported by the first A-IoT device. In other words, the first device may transmit the first channel to the first A-IoT device on the carrier frequency reported by the first A-IoT device.

[0203] The carrier frequencies reported by the first A-IoT device may include all or part of the carrier frequencies that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception. For example, if the carrier frequencies that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception include M carrier frequencies, then the first A-IoT device may report all or part of the M carrier frequencies to the first device, so that the first device can send the first channel to the first A-IoT device on all or part of the carrier frequencies.

[0204] In another example, the multiple carrier frequencies used by the first device to send the first channel may include: the default carrier frequency used by the first A-IoT device for channel reception, and the carrier frequency reported by the first A-IoT device.

[0205] In some embodiments, if a certain carrier frequency does not belong to the default carrier frequency used for channel reception by the first A-IoT device, then the first device may use the carrier frequency to send the first channel to the first A-IoT device after the first A-IoT device reports the carrier frequency.

[0206] Accordingly, for an A-IoT device (such as a first A-IoT device), at least one carrier frequency used to receive at least one first channel may include: the default carrier frequency of the A-IoT device for channel reception, and / or the carrier frequency reported by the A-IoT device. The carrier frequency reported by the A-IoT device may include all or part of the carrier frequencies that the A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

[0207] In some embodiments, the bandwidth used by the first device to transmit multiple first channels may be a preconfigured or predefined (e.g., defined by a standard) first bandwidth; or, the bandwidth used by the first device to transmit each first channel may be a preconfigured or predefined first bandwidth; or, the bandwidth of the first channel transmitted by the first device on each carrier frequency may be a preconfigured or predefined first bandwidth. The first bandwidth may be smaller than the carrier bandwidth, and the multiple carrier frequencies used by the first device to transmit the first channels may be included in the frequency range corresponding to the carrier bandwidth.

[0208] According to the method of this embodiment, the first device can send multiple first channels in a frequency division manner, which is beneficial to increasing system capacity.

[0209] In some embodiments, when the first channel is a control channel, the method may further include: the first device sends multiple second channels on multiple carrier groups within the same time range, where each carrier group can be used to send a second channel, each carrier group may include one or more subcarriers, and the frequency domain interval between different carrier groups may be greater than a specific value, for example; different second channels among the multiple second channels can be received by different or the same A-IoT devices, and the second channels are data channels.

[0210] That is, after the first device transmits multiple control channels using a frequency division method, it may also transmit multiple data channels using a frequency division method. The multiple control channels may be transmitted on multiple frequency segments / carrier frequencies, and the multiple data channels may be transmitted on multiple carrier groups. In some embodiments, each of the multiple control channels may be associated with (or indicate) one or more data channels in the multiple data channels.

[0211] Accordingly, for an A-IoT device, the A-IoT device can receive at least one second channel from the first device on at least one carrier group. The at least one second channel can be all or part of multiple second channels sent by the first device. The multiple second channels can occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range. For example, if the first device sends N second channels, then the at least one second channel received by the A-IoT device is all or part of the N second channels, or in other words, all or part of the N second channels are sent to the A-IoT device.

[0212] In some embodiments, the bandwidth occupied by a control channel may be greater than the bandwidth occupied by a data channel.

[0213] It is understandable that in order to receive the control channel, the A-IoT device needs to continuously perform blind detection, which is complex and energy-consuming. Therefore, to reduce the complexity and energy consumption of the A-IoT device receiving the control channel, the first device can use a larger bandwidth to send the control channel. In this way, the A-IoT device can use a weaker filter to receive the control channel from the first device, thereby reducing the complexity and energy consumption of the A-IoT device receiving the control channel. Furthermore, the first device can use a smaller bandwidth to send the data channel to increase system capacity.

[0214] In some embodiments, the multiple carrier groups (the multiple carrier groups used by the first device to transmit the second channel) may include a first subcarrier, and the frequency of the first subcarrier may be related to the following parameters: a frequency reference point (denoted as f0); an index of the carrier group in which the first subcarrier is located (denoted as m); and a reference subcarrier spacing (denoted as Δf). For example, f0 may be the lowest frequency position of the current carrier bandwidth, or may be the mid-frequency position of the current carrier bandwidth.

[0215] For example, assuming that each carrier group includes one subcarrier, the frequency f of the first subcarrier can be calculated using the following formula: f = f0 + m × K × Δf. K is a fixed value, for example, K = A × 12. The value of A can be predefined (e.g., as defined by a standard), preconfigured, or configured by a network device. The value of K can be used to meet the minimum spacing between different carrier groups.

[0216] In some embodiments, when the first device is a terminal device, the multiple carrier groups may be indicated by a DCI or a configuration authorization from a network device.

[0217] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels transmitted by the first device may include a first control channel, and the first control channel may be associated with at least one second channel among the multiple second channels (data channels) transmitted by the first device. The at least one second channel may be transmitted on at least one carrier group among the multiple carrier groups. The first control channel may carry an index of the at least one carrier group. That is, for a certain control channel (such as the first control channel), the control channel may carry an index of the carrier group used to transmit the at least one data channel associated with the control channel.

[0218] Accordingly, for an A-IoT device, the at least one carrier group used by the A-IoT device to receive at least one second channel (data channel) can be indicated by at least one first channel (control channel) received by the A-IoT device. For example, before receiving a second channel, the A-IoT device can obtain the carrier group used by the first device when sending the second channel based on the indication of the first channel associated with the second channel, and then the A-IoT device can receive the second channel on this carrier group.

[0219] In some embodiments, before the first device sends multiple second channels on multiple carrier groups within the same time range, the method may also include: the first device sends first indication information (such as high-layer signaling) to the first A-IoT device, and the first indication information can be used to indicate the index of at least one carrier group, and the index of the at least one carrier group can be used by the first A-IoT device to receive the second channel on the at least one carrier group; the at least one carrier group is included in the multiple carrier groups.

[0220] That is, for an A-IoT device, the at least one carrier group used by the A-IoT device to receive the at least one second channel can be indicated by first indication information (such as high-layer signaling) from the first device. For example, after receiving the first indication information from the first device, the A-IoT device can receive the second channel from the first device on the at least one carrier group based on the index of the at least one carrier group indicated by the first indication information.

[0221] In some embodiments, multiple first channels (control channels / data channels) sent by the first device can be sent on multiple first carrier groups, where each first carrier group can be used to send a first channel, each first carrier group may include one or more subcarriers, and the frequency domain interval between different first carrier groups may be greater than a specific value, for example.

[0222] Accordingly, for an A-IoT device, the A-IoT device may receive at least one first channel from a first device on at least one first carrier group. In some embodiments, the at least one first carrier group used by the A-IoT device to receive the at least one first channel may be indicated by the first device.

[0223] In some embodiments, the plurality of first carrier groups may include a first subcarrier, and the frequency of the first subcarrier may be related to the following parameters: a first frequency reference point (denoted as f 0,1 ); an index of a first carrier group where a first subcarrier is located (denoted as m1); and a first reference subcarrier spacing (denoted as Δf1).

[0224] For example, assuming that each first carrier group includes one subcarrier, the frequency f1 of the first subcarrier can be calculated by the following formula: f1 = f 0,1 +m1×K1×Δf1. K1 is a fixed value, for example, K1=A×12. The value of A may be predefined (such as defined by a standard), preconfigured, or configured by a network device. The value of K1 may be used to meet the minimum spacing between different first carrier groups.

[0225] In some embodiments, when the first device is a terminal device, the multiple first carrier groups may be indicated by a DCI or a configuration authorization from a network device.

[0226] In some embodiments, when the first channel is a control channel, the method may further include: the first device sends multiple second channels on multiple second carrier groups within the same time range, where each second carrier group can be used to send a second channel, each second carrier group may include one or more subcarriers, and the frequency domain interval between different second carrier groups may be greater than a specific value, for example; different second channels among the multiple second channels can be received by different or the same A-IoT devices, and the second channels are data channels.

[0227] That is, after the first device transmits multiple control channels on multiple first carrier groups, it may also transmit multiple data channels on multiple second carrier groups. In some embodiments, each of the multiple control channels may be associated with (or indicate) one or more data channels in the multiple data channels. Because channel transmission on a carrier group allows the transmitted channels to occupy a relatively small bandwidth, this method is beneficial for increasing system capacity.

[0228] Accordingly, for an A-IoT device, the A-IoT device can receive at least one second channel from the first device on at least one second carrier group. The at least one second channel can be all or part of multiple second channels sent by the first device. The multiple second channels can occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range. For example, if the first device sends N second channels, then the at least one second channel received by the A-IoT device is all or part of the N second channels, or in other words, all or part of the N second channels are sent to the A-IoT device.

[0229] In some embodiments, the plurality of second carrier groups may include a second subcarrier, and the frequency of the second subcarrier may be related to the following parameters: a second frequency reference point (denoted as f 0,2 ); the index of the second carrier group where the second subcarrier is located (denoted as m2); and the second reference subcarrier spacing (denoted as Δf2).

[0230] For example, assuming that each second carrier group includes one subcarrier, the frequency f2 of the second subcarrier can be calculated by the following formula: f2 = f 0,2 +m2×K2×Δf2. K2 is a fixed value, for example, K2=A×12. The value of A can be predefined (such as defined by a standard), preconfigured, or configured by a network device. The value of K2 can be used to meet the minimum interval between different second carrier groups.

[0231] In some embodiments, when the first device is a terminal device, the plurality of second carrier groups may be indicated by a DCI or a configuration authorization from a network device.

[0232] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels transmitted by the first device may include a first control channel. The first control channel may be associated with at least one second channel among the multiple second channels (data channels) transmitted by the first device. The at least one second channel may be transmitted on at least one second carrier group among the multiple second carrier groups. The first control channel may carry an index of the at least one second carrier group. That is, for a certain control channel (such as the first control channel), the control channel may carry an index of the second carrier group used to transmit at least one data channel associated with the control channel.

[0233] Accordingly, for an A-IoT device, at least one second carrier group used by the A-IoT device to receive at least one second channel can be indicated by at least one first channel received by the A-IoT device. For example, before receiving a second channel, the A-IoT device can obtain the second carrier group used by the first device when transmitting the second channel based on the indication of the first channel associated with the second channel. The A-IoT device can then receive the second channel on the second carrier group.

[0234] In some embodiments, before the first device sends multiple second channels on multiple second carrier groups within the same time range, the method may also include: the first device sends first indication information (such as high-layer signaling) to the first A-IoT device, and the first indication information can be used to indicate the index of at least one second carrier group, and the index of the at least one second carrier group can be used by the first A-IoT device to receive the second channel on the at least one second carrier group; the at least one second carrier group is included in the multiple second carrier groups.

[0235] That is, for an A-IoT device, the at least one second carrier group used by the A-IoT device to receive the at least one second channel can be indicated by first indication information (such as high-layer signaling) from the first device. For example, after receiving the first indication information from the first device, the A-IoT device can receive the second channel from the first device on the at least one second carrier group based on the index of the at least one second carrier group indicated by the first indication information.

[0236] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels transmitted by the first device include a first control channel, and the first control channel is associated with at least one second channel among the multiple second channels (data channels) transmitted by the first device. The chip length of the first control channel may be smaller than the chip length of the at least one second channel; or, the chip length of the first control channel may be smaller than the chip length of each second channel in the at least one second channel; or, the chip length of the first control channel may be smaller than the chip length of the data channel associated with the first control channel.

[0237] In some embodiments, the plurality of first channels transmitted by the first device may be located within one or more OFDM symbols.

[0238] In one example, the multiple first channels may be located within one OFDM, in which case the duration occupied by one first channel may be less than the length of one OFDM symbol; in another example, the multiple first channels may be located within multiple OFDMs, in which case the duration occupied by one first channel may be greater than, less than, or equal to the length of one OFDM symbol.

[0239] In some embodiments, when the first device is a network device, the one or more OFDM symbols may be located at the end of a time slot (such as the first time slot); when the first device is a terminal device, the one or more OFDM symbols may be located at the beginning and / or end of a time slot.

[0240] It can be understood that if the first device is a network device, the first channel can be sent within the downlink carrier and / or downlink time slot. In this case, since the beginning of a time slot may be configured with the cell's common control channel transmission resources, the common control channel transmission resources can be used to send PDCCH. Therefore, in order to avoid interference of PDCCH with the A-IoT device, the first channel should not be sent on the OFDM symbol where the cell's common control channel transmission resources exist, that is, the beginning of a time slot is not used to send the first channel. In addition, the network device may also send PDSCH to other devices besides the A-IoT device within a time slot, and the time domain resources occupied by PDSCH are continuous. Therefore, in order to avoid affecting other devices and to avoid interference of PDCCH with the A-IoT device, one or more OFDM symbols used to send the first channel may be located at the end of a time slot (such as the first time slot), or in other words, the OFDM symbol where the A-IoT device does not expect to receive the first channel is at the beginning or middle of a time slot.

[0241] If the first device is a terminal device, the first channel may be sent within an uplink carrier and / or an uplink time slot. In this case, since the network device may schedule PUSCH transmissions of other terminal devices within a time slot, and PUSCH needs to occupy continuous time domain resources, the OFDM symbol used by the first device to send the first channel may be located at the beginning and / or end of a time slot (such as the first time slot), or in other words, the OFDM symbol of the first channel that the A-IoT device does not expect to receive is in the middle part of a time slot.

[0242] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels sent by the first device are located within one or more OFDM symbols, where the one or more OFDM symbols are OFDM symbols other than the at least one first OFDM symbol in the first time slot. In other words, the OFDM symbols that can be used by the first device to send the first channel are OFDM symbols other than the at least one first OFDM symbol in the first time slot. When the first device is a terminal device, the first time slot (the time slot used by the first device to send the first channel) and the starting point and length of the at least one first OFDM symbol may be indicated by the network device.

[0243] In some embodiments, when the first device is a terminal device, the first time slot can be indicated by DCI or configuration authorization from the network device, and the starting point and length of the at least one first OFDM symbol can be indicated by RRC configuration parameters from the network device.

[0244] Among them, the indication method of indicating the first time slot through DCI or configuration authorization from the network device, and the indication method of indicating the starting point and length of the at least one first OFDM symbol through RRC configuration parameters from the network device can be referred to the relevant description in the aforementioned S801 and will not be repeated here.

[0245] In some embodiments, when the first device is a terminal device, the first time slot, and the start point and length of the at least one first OFDM symbol may be indicated by a DCI or a configuration authorization from the network device.

[0246] Among them, the method of indicating the first time slot and the start point and length of the at least one first OFDM symbol through DCI or configuration authorization from the network device can refer to the relevant description in the aforementioned S801 and will not be repeated here.

[0247] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels transmitted by the first device are located within one or more OFDM symbols, where the one or more OFDM symbols are at least one second OFDM symbol within a first time slot. If the first device is a terminal device, the start point and length of the first time slot and the at least one second OFDM symbol may be indicated by the network device.

[0248] In some embodiments, when the first device is a terminal device, the first time slot, and the start point and length of the at least one second OFDM symbol may be indicated by a DCI or a configuration authorization from the network device.

[0249] Among them, the method of indicating the start point and length of the first time slot and the at least one second OFDM symbol through DCI or configuration authorization from the network device can refer to the relevant description in the aforementioned S801 and will not be repeated here.

[0250] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels transmitted by the first device are located within one or more OFDM symbols. If the first channel is a control channel, the multiple first channels may be modulated on a first carrier within the one or more OFDM symbols, and no carrier other than the first carrier exists within the one or more OFDM symbols. For example, the first device may generate only the first carrier within the one or more OFDM symbols and perform OOK modulation on the first carrier, thereby modulating the multiple first channels onto the first carrier.

[0251] When the first channel is a data channel, the multiple first channels may be modulated onto some subcarriers within the one or more OFDM symbols. For example, the multiple first channels may be modulated onto some subcarriers within the one or more OFDM symbols, and the remaining subcarriers may be used to transmit other channels. In some embodiments, guard intervals may be present on both sides of the subcarriers.

[0252] The method of this embodiment clarifies how a first device sends a control channel / data channel to an A-IoT device in an ambient IoT. The first device can use frequency division to send multiple first channels to increase system capacity.

[0253] Furthermore, in the case where the first channel is a control channel, the first device can also use a frequency division method to send multiple second channels. As an implementation method, the multiple control channels can be sent on multiple frequency segments / carrier frequencies, and the multiple data channels can be sent on multiple carrier groups, wherein the bandwidth occupied by a control channel can be greater than the bandwidth occupied by a data channel. In this way, the A-IoT device can use a filter with weaker performance to receive the control channel from the first device, thereby helping to reduce the complexity and energy loss of the A-IoT device receiving the control channel. In addition, the first device uses a relatively small bandwidth to send the data channel, which is conducive to increasing the system capacity. As another implementation method, the multiple control channels can be sent on multiple first carrier groups, and the multiple data channels can be sent on multiple second carrier groups. Since channel transmission on a carrier group can make the transmitted channel occupy a relatively small bandwidth, this method is conducive to increasing the system capacity.

[0254] The above describes the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application. To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following describes possible implementation schemes of the communication method applicable to the embodiments of the present application with reference to examples.

[0255] In the embodiments of the present application, a network device (such as the network device in Figure 6) and an intermediate node (such as the intermediate node in Figure 7) can be collectively referred to as a query node, and the intermediate node can be a terminal device. When the query node communicates with an A-IoT device, it needs to send a data channel and / or a control channel to the A-IoT device.

[0256] Among them, the control channel (for example, a downlink control channel used to indicate downlink transmission or schedule uplink transmission) can carry control information, and the data channel can carry data information. In the embodiment of the present application, the control channel can be a fixed channel, and the data channel can be a fixed channel or a variable channel. Fixed channels and variable channels can be collectively referred to as A-IoT channels.

[0257] For example, a fixed channel refers to a channel that an A-IoT device can receive and decode without relying on dynamic indication information. A fixed channel may contain specific signals. For example, if the fixed channel is a control channel, it contains at least a synchronization signal portion and a control information portion; if the fixed channel is a data channel, it contains at least a synchronization signal portion and a data information portion.

[0258] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of an example of a fixed channel provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 10, the fixed channel includes two parts: a synchronization signal part and a control / data part. In some scenarios, symbols carrying other information may also be present between the two parts.

[0259] Exemplarily, a variable channel refers to a channel with one or more variable length, waveform, coding method, coding efficiency, modulation method, etc. A-IoT devices need to receive and decode the variable channel correctly based on dynamic instructions. For example, a variable channel can be a data channel with variable length indicated by a control channel. A variable channel can contain specific signals. For example, a variable channel can include at least two parts: a synchronization signal part and a data information part. In some scenarios, there can also be symbols carrying other information between the two parts.

[0260] In some embodiments, in order to flexibly transmit fixed channels and variable channels, the fixed channels and variable channels may use different waveforms and modulation schemes.

[0261] Exemplarily, the fixed channel may adopt a separately generated OOK waveform, that is, the querying node may only generate a carrier for sending the A-IoT channel (corresponding to the first carrier in the aforementioned embodiment) within the transmission time of the fixed channel, and perform OOK modulation on the carrier, thereby modulating the fixed channel on the carrier.

[0262] For example, the variable channel may employ a jointly generated OOK waveform. Specifically, the interrogating node may transmit one or more OFDM symbols within the transmission time of the variable channel. The variable channel is modulated on a portion of the subcarriers within the one or more OFDM symbols. Subcarriers other than the portion of the subcarriers may be used to transmit other channels. In some embodiments, guard intervals may be present on both sides of the portion of the subcarriers.

[0263] In some embodiments, the A-IoT channel may be transmitted within a downlink carrier and / or downlink time slot. In this case, since the beginning of a time slot may be configured with the cell's common control channel transmission resources, which can be used to send PDCCH, in order to avoid PDCCH interference with the A-IoT channel receiving terminal (such as an A-IoT device), the A-IoT channel cannot be sent on the OFDM symbol where the cell's common control channel transmission resources are located. In addition, since there may be PDSCH transmissions for other terminal devices within a time slot, and the time domain resources used by PDSCH are continuous, in order to avoid affecting other terminal devices and to avoid PDCCH interference with the A-IoT channel receiving terminal (such as an A-IoT device), one or more OFDM symbols used to send the A-IoT channel may be located at the end of a time slot, or in other words, the OFDM symbol where the A-IoT channel that the A-IoT device does not expect to receive is located at the beginning or middle of a time slot.

[0264] In some embodiments, if the querying node is a terminal device (such as the intermediate node in Figure 7), the querying node may send the A-IoT channel in the uplink carrier and / or uplink time slot. In this case, the OFDM symbols used to send the A-IoT channel by the querying node may be configured or dynamically indicated by the network device. In some embodiments, since the network device may schedule PUSCH transmissions of other terminal devices within a time slot, and PUSCH can only occupy continuous time domain resources, the OFDM symbols used to send the A-IoT channel by the querying node may be located at the beginning and / or end of the time slot.

[0265] In some embodiments, when the querying node is a terminal device, the network device may indicate to the querying node the time domain resources for transmitting the A-IoT channel in one of the following ways 1 to 3:

[0266] Method 1: When the network device allocates time domain resources for sending A-IoT channels to the querying node (terminal device), it can indicate the time slot position of the allocated time domain resources. The OFDM symbols in the time slot that can be used for the querying node to send the A-IoT channel can be determined according to the PUSCH configuration in the current cell.

[0267] For example, assuming that the time domain resources allocated by the network device for sending the A-IoT channel are located in the first time slot, then the OFDM symbols that can be used to send the A-IoT channel in the first time slot are: all OFDM symbols indicated by the mapping type (mappingType), symbol start point, and length value (startSymbolAndLength) that cannot be configured by the RRC configuration parameter PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocationList. In other words, the OFDM symbols that can be used to send the A-IoT channel in the first time slot are: OFDM symbols other than at least one first OFDM symbol, and the at least one first OFDM symbol can be determined according to the above-mentioned mapping type, symbol start point, and length value.

[0268] For example, according to the configuration of the PUSCH time domain resource allocation list field PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocationList, two PUSCH configurations can be supported in a time slot (such as the first time slot) within the cell, where the first configuration is {mappingType=Type A, startSymbolAndLength=55}, which indicates that the PUSCH adopts the mapping method of Type A, starting from the 0th OFDM symbol, and occupies 12 OFDM symbols; the second configuration is {mappingType=Type A, startSymbolAndLength=83}, which indicates that the PUSCH adopts the mapping method of Type A, starting from the 0th OFDM symbol, and occupies 10 OFDM symbols. In this case, if the first time slot contains 14 OFDM symbols with indexes 0 to 13, the OFDM symbols that can be used to send the A-IoT channel in the first time slot are OFDM symbol #12 (i.e., OFDM symbol with index 12) and OFDM symbol #13 (i.e., OFDM symbol with index 13).

[0269] Method 2: When the network device allocates time domain resources for sending A-IoT channels to the querying node (terminal device), it can send a DCI (for example, recorded as the first DCI) to the querying node. The first DCI can indicate the time slot position of the allocated time domain resources. At the same time, the first DCI includes a time domain resource allocation bit field (Time domain resource assignment), which can indicate the starting point and length of the OFDM symbol.

[0270] Exemplarily, assuming that the time domain resources indicated by the first DCI for sending the A-IoT channel are located in the first time slot, then the OFDM symbols that can be used to send the A-IoT channel in the first time slot are: the OFDM symbols in the first time slot that are not indicated by the time domain resource allocation bit domain.

[0271] For example, the OFDM symbols indicated by the time domain resource allocation bit field in the first DCI are OFDM symbols #0 to #11. In this case, if there are 14 OFDM symbols in the first time slot, the OFDM symbols that can be used to send the A-IoT channel in the first time slot are OFDM symbol #12 and OFDM symbol #13.

[0272] In some embodiments, the first DCI is a DCI format used to allocate A-IoT channel transmission resources to the questioning node.

[0273] Method 3: When the network device allocates time domain resources for sending A-IoT channels to the querying node (terminal device), it can send a DCI (for example, recorded as the first DCI) to the querying node. The first DCI can indicate the time slot position of the allocated time domain resources. At the same time, the first DCI includes a time domain resource allocation bit field.

[0274] Exemplarily, assuming that the time domain resources indicated by the first DCI for sending the A-IoT channel are located in the first time slot, then the OFDM symbols that can be used to send the A-IoT channel in the first time slot are: the OFDM symbols indicated by the time domain resource allocation bit field in the first DCI.

[0275] As an implementation method, one or more allowed symbol start and length values ​​(startSymbolAndLength) can be configured separately within the cell, and the value of the time domain resource allocation bit field in the first DCI can correspond to one of the startSymbolAndLength. In some embodiments, the RRC parameter for configuring the one or more allowed startSymbolAndLength is different from the PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocationList. For example, the one or more allowed startSymbolAndLength can be configured by another newly introduced RRC parameter A-IoT-TimeDomainResourceAllocationList.

[0276] For example, assuming that four allowed startSymbolAndLength values ​​are configured in the cell, namely: 0 (indicating one OFDM symbol starting from OFDM symbol #0), 14 (indicating two OFDM symbols starting from OFDM symbol #0), 13 (indicating one OFDM symbol starting from OFDM symbol #13) and 26 (indicating two OFDM symbols starting from OFDM symbol #12), then the value of the time domain resource allocation bit field can be set to 0, 1, 2, and 3 to correspond to the above four configurations respectively. For example, when the value of the time domain resource allocation bit field is set to 0, the corresponding startSymbolAndLength is 0. In this case, the OFDM symbol that can be used to send the A-IoT channel in the first time slot is 1 OFDM symbol starting from OFDM symbol #0; for another example, when the value of the time domain resource allocation bit field is set to 1, the corresponding startSymbolAndLength is 14. In this case, the OFDM symbols that can be used to send the A-IoT channel in the first time slot are 2 OFDM symbols starting from OFDM symbol #0.

[0277] In some embodiments, the query node may use the following solution 1, solution 2, or solution 3 to send an A-IoT channel to the A-IoT device.

[0278] Solution 1: The querying node sends multiple A-IoT channels in a time-division manner;

[0279] Solution 2: The query node sends multiple A-IoT channels within the carrier range by frequency division (referred to as the first frequency division method);

[0280] Solution 3: The query node sends multiple A-IoT channels within the carrier range by frequency division (referred to as the second frequency division method).

[0281] The above-mentioned options 1 to 3 are introduced below respectively.

[0282] Option 1

[0283] In solution 1, the querying node can send multiple A-IoT channels in a time-division manner.

[0284] In some embodiments, the A-IoT channel may be a fixed channel, that is, the querying node may send multiple fixed channels in a time-division manner. A fixed channel occupies a fixed duration, which may be referred to as a fixed channel time resource, or a fixed resource.

[0285] In some embodiments, a fixed channel time resource may be located within a single OFDM symbol to avoid resource fragmentation. For example, assuming the fixed channel is a control channel, the fixed duration occupied by the control channel may be referred to as a fixed resource. The length of the fixed resource is less than a single OFDM symbol. The interrogating node may transmit multiple fixed channels within a single OFDM symbol or within multiple consecutive OFDM symbols.

[0286] As an implementation method, the multiple fixed channels can be continuous in time, and the receiving terminal (A-IoT device) can determine the time starting point of each fixed channel through the signal starting from each fixed channel.

[0287] As another implementation method, there may be intervals between the multiple fixed channels, which helps to simplify the complexity of the receiving terminal (A-IoT device) in determining the starting time of the fixed channel.

[0288] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the transmission of two fixed channels within a single OFDM symbol, as provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 11 , a single OFDM symbol can contain two fixed channel time resources, one for transmitting fixed channel #1 and one for transmitting fixed channel #2. A channel gap can exist between these two fixed channel time resources.

[0289] In solution one, the fixed channel can be transmitted using a time-division method. In this case, to fully utilize the channel bandwidth / frequency resources, in some embodiments, the chip length of the fixed channel can be smaller than the chip lengths of other channels. For example, if the fixed channel is a control channel, the chip length N of the control channel can be smaller than the chip length M of the data channel associated with (indicated by) the control channel. For example, M can be K times N, where K is an integer greater than 1, such as 2, 4, 8, etc. The values ​​of N and M can be configured or pre-configured by the interrogating node.

[0290] It should be noted that the chip length in the embodiments of the present application refers to the duration of a physical symbol carrying one bit of information. As an example, Figure 12 shows seven bits of information and the Manchester-coded waveform corresponding to the seven bits of information, where the duration of the physical symbol carrying each bit of information is one chip length.

[0291] In some embodiments, the A-IoT channel can also be a variable channel, that is, the querying node can send multiple variable channels in a time-division manner. In this case, the length of the variable channel is fixed, or the length of the variable channel is not fixed, but the receiving terminal (A-IoT device) knows the length of the variable channel before receiving it.

[0292] In some embodiments, the carrier frequency of the A-IoT channel (fixed channel / variable channel) sent by the querying node is the frequency of the current carrier.

[0293] According to the method in Solution 1, the querying node can send multiple A-IoT channels in a time-division manner. In this way, the A-IoT device can use the RF receiver to receive the A-IoT channel from the querying node without using a high-performance filter, which is beneficial to reducing the complexity and energy loss of the A-IoT device receiving the A-IoT channel.

[0294] Option 2

[0295] In solution 2, the querying node can send multiple A-IoT channels within the carrier range through the first frequency division method.

[0296] In some embodiments, the A-IoT channel can be a fixed channel, that is, the querying node can transmit multiple fixed channels within the carrier range using a first frequency division method. The fixed channels occupy a fixed duration and are transmitted within a specific frequency domain. In some embodiments, the A-IoT channel can be a variable channel, that is, the querying node can transmit multiple variable channels within the carrier range using a first frequency division method, where the variable channels of the frequency division multiplexing are of the same length.

[0297] In some embodiments, a carrier bandwidth can be divided into multiple frequency segments, either continuous or spaced apart, and an A-IoT channel can be transmitted within each frequency segment. In some embodiments, within each frequency segment, the transmission carrier frequency (carrier frequency) of the A-IoT channel can be the middle frequency of the frequency segment, thereby minimizing interference between A-IoT channels transmitted in adjacent frequency segments.

[0298] As an example, Figure 13 shows a schematic diagram of dividing the carrier bandwidth into two frequency segments. As shown in Figure 13, the carrier bandwidth may include two frequency segments, namely frequency segment #1 and frequency segment #2, wherein an A-IoT channel can be transmitted in each frequency segment. For example, in frequency segment #1, the transmission carrier frequency of the A-IoT channel can be the middle frequency f1 of frequency segment #1; in frequency segment #2, the transmission carrier frequency of the A-IoT channel can be the middle frequency f2 of frequency segment #2. Exemplarily, there may or may not be a gap between frequency segment #1 and frequency segment #2. Figure 13 shows an example of the presence of a gap between frequency segment #1 and frequency segment #2.

[0299] In one implementation of Solution 2 (denoted as Implementation #1), the division of frequency segments can be configured or pre-configured by the query node. In this way, for the receiving device of the A-IoT channel (A-IoT device), the starting point and end point of the frequency segment can be determined based on the configuration or pre-configuration.

[0300] In some embodiments, an A-IoT device may support one frequency segment and may receive A-IoT channels within that frequency segment. In some embodiments, an A-IoT device may support multiple frequency segments, one of which may be a default frequency segment. In this case, the A-IoT device may receive A-IoT channels on the default frequency segment before reporting other frequency segments to the querying node. The other frequency segments may be used to receive A-IoT channels after the A-IoT device reports the querying node.

[0301] In some embodiments, the querying node may decide on which frequency segment or segments to send the A-IoT channel based on the configured / preconfigured frequency segments and / or the frequency segments reported by the A-IoT device.

[0302] In another implementation of Solution 2 (denoted as Implementation #2), the carrier frequency available for the A-IoT channel (or the carrier frequency used to transmit the A-IoT channel) can be configured or pre-configured by the query node. In some embodiments, the carrier frequencies available for the A-IoT channel may be within the same carrier bandwidth. For example, in the example of Figure 13, the carrier frequencies configured or pre-configured by the query node for transmitting the A-IoT channel are f1 and f2, respectively. The receiving terminal (A-IoT device) of the A-IoT channel can determine the values ​​of f1 and f2 according to the query node configuration or pre-configuration.

[0303] In some embodiments, an A-IoT device may support one carrier frequency and may receive an A-IoT channel on that carrier frequency. In some embodiments, an A-IoT device may support multiple carrier frequencies, one of which may be a default carrier frequency. In this case, the A-IoT device may receive the A-IoT channel on the default carrier frequency before reporting other carrier frequencies to the querying node. The other carrier frequencies may be used to receive the A-IoT channel after the A-IoT device reports the querying node.

[0304] In some embodiments, the querying node may determine which carrier frequency or frequencies to send the A-IoT channel based on the configured / preconfigured carrier frequency and / or the carrier frequency reported by the A-IoT device.

[0305] In implementation #2, the bandwidth of the signal transmitted on each carrier frequency (such as an A-IoT channel) can be a specific value, which can be defined or pre-configured by the standard, and the specific value should be less than or equal to the carrier bandwidth.

[0306] In some embodiments, the bandwidth occupied by an A-IoT channel in the first frequency division mode may be greater than the bandwidth occupied by an A-IoT channel in the second frequency division mode. Since the bandwidth occupied by each A-IoT channel in the first frequency division mode is larger, in order to fully utilize the channel bandwidth / frequency resources, the chip length of the A-IoT channel sent in the first frequency division mode may be smaller than the chip length of the A-IoT channel sent in the second frequency division mode. For example, assuming that the A-IoT channel sent in the first frequency division mode is a control channel, and the (indicated) data channel associated with the control channel is sent in the second frequency division mode, then, in order to fully utilize the channel bandwidth / frequency resources, the chip length of the control channel may be smaller than the chip length of the (indicated) data channel associated with the control channel.

[0307] According to the method in Solution 2, the querying node can transmit multiple A-IoT channels using a frequency division method (the first frequency division method), which helps increase system capacity. In addition, because each A-IoT channel occupies a larger bandwidth in the first frequency division method, the A-IoT device can use a weaker filter to receive the A-IoT channel from the querying node, which helps reduce the complexity and energy consumption of the A-IoT device receiving the A-IoT channel.

[0308] Option 3

[0309] In solution three, the querying node can send multiple A-IoT channels within the carrier range through the second frequency division method.

[0310] In some embodiments, the A-IoT channel can be a fixed channel, that is, the querying node can transmit multiple fixed channels within the carrier range using the second frequency division method. The fixed channels occupy a fixed duration and are transmitted within a specific frequency domain. In some embodiments, the A-IoT channel can be a variable channel, that is, the querying node can transmit multiple variable channels within the carrier range using the second frequency division method, where the variable channels of the frequency division multiplexing have the same length.

[0311] In some embodiments, an A-IoT channel can be transmitted on a carrier group within a carrier bandwidth or a frequency band, where a carrier group can include one or more subcarriers. In solution three, the interrogating node can use multiple carrier groups to transmit multiple A-IoT channels, with the frequency domain spacing between different carrier groups being greater than a specific value, for example.

[0312] For example, assuming that a carrier group includes one subcarrier, and a carrier bandwidth or a frequency band includes M carrier groups, in this case, the frequency f of each subcarrier can be calculated using the following formula: f = f0 + m × K × Δf. Here, f0 is the frequency reference point, which can be, for example, the lowest frequency position of the current carrier bandwidth, or the intermediate frequency position of the current carrier bandwidth; m is the carrier group index; K is a fixed value, such as K = A × 12, where the value of A can be defined by the standard, configured by network equipment, or pre-configured, and the value of K can be used to meet the minimum spacing between different carrier groups; Δf is the reference subcarrier spacing, for example, 15 kHz.

[0313] In some embodiments, if the querying node is a terminal device, the time resources (time domain resources) and carrier group used by the querying node to transmit the A-IoT channel may be indicated by the network device. The manner in which the network device indicates the time resources used to transmit the A-IoT channel to the querying node can refer to the aforementioned Methods 1 to 3 and will not be repeated here.

[0314] In some embodiments, the network device may allocate / indicate one or more carrier groups for sending A-IoT channels to the inquiry node through DCI or configuration authorization. Furthermore, the inquiry node may indicate one or more carrier groups to the A-IoT device, so that the A-IoT device can receive the A-IoT channel from the inquiry node within the one or more carrier groups indicated by the inquiry node. Exemplarily, the indication of the inquiry node (for indicating one or more carrier groups) may be carried, for example, through a control channel or through high-layer signaling. If the indication of the inquiry node is carried through a control channel, there may be a bit field in the control channel, which may be used to indicate the index of one or more carrier groups.

[0315] In some embodiments, the bandwidth occupied by an A-IoT channel in the second frequency division mode may be smaller than the bandwidth occupied by an A-IoT channel in the first frequency division mode. Therefore, the questioning node uses the second frequency division mode to send multiple A-IoT channels, which can further increase the system capacity.

[0316] According to the method of the embodiment of the present application, the questioning node can send multiple A-IoT channels in a time division manner, a first frequency division manner, or a second frequency division manner.

[0317] Among them, sending multiple A-IoT channels by time division can be understood as sending multiple A-IoT channels at different times within a specific time range (such as the time range corresponding to a time slot or an OFDM symbol); sending multiple A-IoT channels by frequency division (such as the first frequency division method / the second frequency division method) can be understood as sending multiple A-IoT channels in different frequency parts within the same carrier bandwidth. In some embodiments, in the first frequency division method, the minimum bandwidth of each frequency part is not less than X; in the second frequency division method, the minimum bandwidth of each frequency part is not less than Y, where X is greater than or equal to Y.

[0318] In one possible implementation (denoted as implementation A), the querying node may send multiple first A-IoT channels in a time division manner, and send multiple second A-IoT channels in a first frequency division manner or a second frequency division manner.

[0319] The first A-IoT channel may be a fixed channel, such as a control channel, and the second A-IoT channel may be a variable channel, such as a data channel.

[0320] In implementation method A, the questioning node can send multiple first A-IoT channels (such as control channels) in a time-division manner. If the questioning node is a terminal device, the time resources used for the questioning node to send the first A-IoT channel can be indicated by the network device. The way in which the network device indicates time resources to the questioning node can refer to the aforementioned methods 1 to 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0321] In implementation method A, the querying node may send multiple second A-IoT channels (such as data channels) through the first frequency division method or the second frequency division method. If the querying node sends multiple second A-IoT channels through the first frequency division method, the querying node may send the second A-IoT channels in multiple frequency segments or on multiple carrier frequencies (see the aforementioned solution 2); in the case where the querying node is a terminal device, if the querying node sends multiple second A-IoT channels through the second frequency division method, the querying node may send the second A-IoT channels in multiple carrier groups according to the instructions of the network device. The carrier group indication method can refer to the aforementioned solution 3.

[0322] In another possible approach (denoted as implementation approach B), the querying node may send multiple first A-IoT channels via a first frequency division approach and multiple second A-IoT channels via a second frequency division approach. The implementation approach of the querying node sending multiple first A-IoT channels via the first frequency division approach may refer to the aforementioned solution 2, and the implementation approach of sending multiple second A-IoT channels via the second frequency division approach may refer to the aforementioned solution 3.

[0323] For example, in implementations A and B, the A-IoT device may first detect the control channel sent by the interrogating node, and then receive the data channel from the interrogating node according to the control channel's instructions. For example, if the control channel indicates the index of one or more carrier groups scheduled by the control channel, the A-IoT device may receive the data channel on the one or more carrier groups based on the index of the one or more carrier groups.

[0324] In another possible manner (denoted as implementation method C), all A-IoT channels (including control channels and data channels) can be sent through the second frequency division method. For example, the questioning node can first use the second frequency division method to send multiple control channels. For example, the questioning node can use one or more fixed carrier groups to send control channels. Accordingly, the A-IoT device can receive the control channel from the questioning node in the one or more fixed carrier groups. Afterwards, the questioning node can use the second frequency division method to send the data channel associated with (indicated by) the control channel, so that the A-IoT device can receive the data channel from the questioning node according to the indication of the control channel.

[0325] According to the method of the embodiment of the present application, the A-IoT channel can be transmitted via time division, first frequency division, or second frequency division, which helps increase the transmission flexibility of the A-IoT channel. Among them, transmitting the A-IoT channel via the first frequency division method helps reduce the implementation complexity and energy consumption of A-IoT devices and improve system capacity; transmitting the A-IoT channel via the second frequency division method helps further improve system capacity.

[0326] The preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present application is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the technical concept of the present application, the technical solution of the present application can be subjected to a variety of simple modifications, and these simple modifications all fall within the scope of protection of the present application. For example, the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present application will no longer describe the various possible combinations separately. For another example, the various different embodiments of the present application can also be arbitrarily combined, as long as they do not violate the idea of ​​the present application, they should also be regarded as the contents disclosed in the present application. For another example, under the premise of no conflict, the various embodiments and / or the technical features in each embodiment described in the present application can be arbitrarily combined with the prior art, and the technical solution obtained after the combination should also fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0327] It should also be understood that in the various method embodiments of the present application, the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes do not imply a precedence in the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the terms "downlink," "uplink," and "sidelink" are used to indicate the transmission direction of signals or data, where "downlink" is used to indicate the first direction of transmission of signals or data from a site to a user equipment in a cell, "uplink" is used to indicate the second direction of transmission of signals or data from a user equipment in a cell to a site, and "sidelink" is used to indicate the third direction of transmission of signals or data from user equipment 1 to user equipment 2. For example, "downlink signal" indicates that the transmission direction of the signal is the first direction. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. Specifically, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0328] Based on the aforementioned embodiments, the embodiments of the present application provide corresponding communication devices.

[0329] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the first structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a first device. As shown in FIG14 , a communication device 1400 (hereinafter referred to as device 1400 ) includes:

[0330] The first communication unit 1401 is configured to send multiple first channels, and the multiple first channels occupy different time ranges and the same frequency range; different first channels in the multiple first channels are received by different or the same ambient Internet of Things A-IoT devices, and the first channel is a control channel or a data channel.

[0331] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels are located within one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; when the apparatus 1400 is a network device, the one or more OFDM symbols are located at the end of a time slot; when the apparatus 1400 is a terminal device, the one or more OFDM symbols are located at the beginning and / or end of a time slot.

[0332] In some embodiments, multiple first channels are located within one or more OFDM symbols; the one or more OFDM symbols are: OFDM symbols other than at least one first OFDM symbol within the first time slot; when the apparatus 1400 is a terminal device, the first time slot, and the starting point and length of at least one first OFDM symbol are indicated by the network device.

[0333] In some embodiments, when the apparatus 1400 is a terminal device, the first time slot is indicated by downlink control information DCI or configuration authorization from the network device, and the start point and length of at least one first OFDM symbol are indicated by radio resource control RRC configuration parameters from the network device; or, when the apparatus 1400 is a terminal device, the first time slot, and the start point and length of at least one first OFDM symbol are indicated by DCI or configuration authorization from the network device.

[0334] In some embodiments, multiple first channels are located within one or more OFDM symbols; the one or more OFDM symbols are: at least one second OFDM symbol within a first time slot; when the apparatus 1400 is a terminal device, the first time slot, and the starting point and length of at least one second OFDM symbol are indicated by a network device.

[0335] In some embodiments, when the apparatus 1400 is a terminal device, the start point and length of the first time slot and at least one second OFDM symbol are indicated by a DCI or configuration grant from a network device.

[0336] In some embodiments, the plurality of first channels are continuous in time domain; or, there are gaps between the plurality of first channels.

[0337] In some embodiments, the plurality of first channels are control channels; a chip length of a control channel is smaller than a chip length of a data channel to which the control channel is associated.

[0338] In some embodiments, multiple first channels are data channels; the duration of occupation of each first channel in the multiple first channels is the same, or some of the multiple first channels have different durations of occupation; when some of the multiple first channels have different durations of occupation, the A-IoT device receiving the first data channel knows the duration of occupation of the first data channel before receiving the first data channel; the first data channel is included in the multiple first channels.

[0339] In some embodiments, multiple first channels are located within one or more OFDM symbols; when the first channel is a control channel, the multiple first channels are modulated on a first carrier within one or more OFDM symbols, and no carrier other than the first carrier exists within the one or more OFDM symbols; when the first channel is a data channel, the multiple first channels are modulated on some subcarriers within one or more OFDM symbols.

[0340] In some embodiments, the first communication unit 1401 is further configured to: when the first channel is a control channel, send multiple second channels, and the multiple second channels occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range; wherein different second channels in the multiple second channels are received by different or the same A-IoT devices, and the second channels are data channels.

[0341] In some embodiments, the plurality of second channels are transmitted on a plurality of frequency segments, the plurality of frequency segments are preconfigured or configured by the apparatus 1400 , and there may or may not be gaps between different frequency segments.

[0342] In some embodiments, in a frequency segment, the carrier frequency used to transmit the second channel is the middle frequency of the frequency segment.

[0343] In some embodiments, some or all of the multiple second channels are sent to the first A-IoT device; the multiple frequency segments include: the frequency segments used by the first A-IoT device for channel reception by default, and / or, the frequency segments reported by the first A-IoT device; the frequency segments reported by the first A-IoT device include all or part of the frequency segments that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

[0344] In some embodiments, the plurality of second channels are transmitted on a plurality of carrier frequencies, and the plurality of carrier frequencies are pre-configured or configured by the apparatus 1400 .

[0345] In some embodiments, some or all of the multiple second channels are sent to the first A-IoT device; the multiple carrier frequencies include: the default carrier frequency for channel reception of the first A-IoT device, and / or, the carrier frequency reported by the first A-IoT device; the carrier frequency reported by the first A-IoT device includes all or part of the carrier frequencies that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

[0346] In some embodiments, the bandwidth used to send multiple second channels is a preconfigured or predefined first bandwidth, the first bandwidth is smaller than the carrier bandwidth, and the multiple carrier frequencies are included in the frequency range corresponding to the carrier bandwidth.

[0347] In some embodiments, the plurality of second channels are transmitted on a plurality of carrier groups, each carrier group is used to transmit one second channel, and each carrier group includes one or more subcarriers.

[0348] In some embodiments, the plurality of carrier groups include a first subcarrier, and a frequency of the first subcarrier is related to the following parameters: a frequency reference point; an index of the carrier group where the first subcarrier is located; and a reference subcarrier spacing.

[0349] In some embodiments, when the apparatus 1400 is a terminal device, the multiple carrier groups are indicated by a DCI or a configuration grant from a network device.

[0350] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels include a first control channel, the first control channel is associated with at least one second channel among the multiple second channels, and the at least one second channel is transmitted on at least one carrier group among the multiple carrier groups; wherein the first control channel carries an index of at least one carrier group.

[0351] In some embodiments, the first communication unit 1401 is further configured to: before sending multiple second channels, send first indication information to the first A-IoT device, the first indication information is used to indicate the index of at least one carrier group, and the index of at least one carrier group is used for the first A-IoT device to receive the second channel on at least one carrier group; at least one carrier group is included in multiple carrier groups.

[0352] In some embodiments, apparatus 1400 is a network device or a terminal device.

[0353] FIG15 is a second schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to an A-IoT device. As shown in FIG15 , a communication device 1500 (hereinafter referred to as device 1500 ) includes:

[0354] The second communication unit 1501 is configured to receive at least one first channel from the first device, where the at least one first channel is all or part of multiple first channels sent by the first device; the multiple first channels occupy different time ranges and the same frequency range, and the first channel is a control channel or a data channel.

[0355] In some embodiments, multiple first channels are located within one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; when the first device is a network device, one or more OFDM symbols are located at the end of a time slot; when the first device is a terminal device, one or more OFDM symbols are located at the beginning and / or end of a time slot.

[0356] In some embodiments, the plurality of first channels are continuous in time domain; or, there are gaps between the plurality of first channels.

[0357] In some embodiments, the plurality of first channels are control channels; a chip length of a control channel is smaller than a chip length of a data channel to which the control channel is associated.

[0358] In some embodiments, multiple first channels are data channels; the duration of occupation of each first channel in the multiple first channels is the same, or some first channels in the multiple first channels are occupied for different durations; when some first channels in the multiple first channels are occupied for different durations, the device 1500 knows the duration of occupation of the first data channel before receiving the first data channel; the first data channel is included in at least one first channel.

[0359] In some embodiments, multiple first channels are located within one or more OFDM symbols; when the first channel is a control channel, the multiple first channels are modulated on a first carrier within one or more OFDM symbols, and no carrier other than the first carrier exists within the one or more OFDM symbols; when the first channel is a data channel, the multiple first channels are modulated on some subcarriers within one or more OFDM symbols.

[0360] In some embodiments, the second communication unit 1501 is further configured to: when the first channel is a control channel, receive at least one second channel from the first device, and the at least one second channel is all or part of the multiple second channels sent by the first device; the multiple second channels occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range, and the second channels are data channels.

[0361] In some embodiments, at least one frequency segment for receiving at least one second channel includes: the frequency segment used by device 1500 for channel reception by default, and / or, the frequency segment reported by device 1500; the frequency segment reported by device 1500 includes all or part of the frequency segments that device 1500 can use for channel reception.

[0362] In some embodiments, at least one carrier frequency used to receive at least one second channel includes: the default carrier frequency of device 1500 for channel reception, and / or the carrier frequency reported by device 1500; the carrier frequency reported by device 1500 includes all or part of the carrier frequency that device 1500 can use for channel reception.

[0363] In some embodiments, at least one carrier group used to receive at least one second channel is indicated by at least one first channel, or indicated by first indication information from the first device.

[0364] In some embodiments, the first device is a network device or a terminal device.

[0365] FIG16 is a third schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a first device. As shown in FIG16 , a communication device 1600 (hereinafter referred to as device 1600 ) includes:

[0366] The third communication unit 1601 is configured to send multiple first channels, and the multiple first channels occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range; different first channels in the multiple first channels are received by different or the same environmental Internet of Things A-IoT devices, and the first channel is a control channel or a data channel.

[0367] In some embodiments, the plurality of first channels are transmitted on a plurality of frequency segments, the plurality of frequency segments are preconfigured or configured by the apparatus 1600 , and there may or may not be gaps between different frequency segments.

[0368] In some embodiments, in a frequency segment, the carrier frequency used to transmit the first channel is the middle frequency of the frequency segment.

[0369] In some embodiments, part or all of the multiple first channels are sent to the first A-IoT device; the multiple frequency segments include: the frequency segments used by the first A-IoT device for channel reception by default, and / or, the frequency segments reported by the first A-IoT device; the frequency segments reported by the first A-IoT device include all or part of the frequency segments that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

[0370] In some embodiments, the plurality of first channels are transmitted on a plurality of carrier frequencies, and the plurality of carrier frequencies are pre-configured or configured by the apparatus 1600 .

[0371] In some embodiments, some or all of the multiple first channels are sent to the first A-IoT device; the multiple carrier frequencies include: the default carrier frequency for channel reception of the first A-IoT device, and / or, the carrier frequency reported by the first A-IoT device; the carrier frequency reported by the first A-IoT device includes all or part of the carrier frequencies that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

[0372] In some embodiments, the bandwidth used to send multiple first channels is a preconfigured or predefined first bandwidth, the first bandwidth is smaller than the carrier bandwidth, and the multiple carrier frequencies are included in the frequency range corresponding to the carrier bandwidth.

[0373] In some embodiments, the third communication unit 1601 is further configured to: when the first channel is a control channel, send multiple second channels on multiple carrier groups within the same time range, each carrier group is used to send a second channel, and each carrier group includes one or more subcarriers; wherein different second channels in the multiple second channels are received by different or the same A-IoT devices, and the second channels are data channels.

[0374] In some embodiments, the plurality of carrier groups include a first subcarrier, and a frequency of the first subcarrier is related to the following parameters: a frequency reference point; an index of the carrier group where the first subcarrier is located; and a reference subcarrier spacing.

[0375] In some embodiments, when the apparatus 1600 is a terminal device, the multiple carrier groups are indicated by a DCI or a configuration grant from a network device.

[0376] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels include a first control channel, the first control channel is associated with at least one second channel among the multiple second channels, and the at least one second channel is transmitted on at least one carrier group among the multiple carrier groups; wherein the first control channel carries an index of at least one carrier group.

[0377] In some embodiments, the third communication unit 1601 is further configured to: before sending multiple second channels on multiple carrier groups within the same time range, send first indication information to the first A-IoT device, the first indication information is used to indicate the index of at least one carrier group, and the index of at least one carrier group is used for the first A-IoT device to receive the second channel on at least one carrier group; at least one carrier group is included in multiple carrier groups.

[0378] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels are transmitted on multiple first carrier groups, each first carrier group is used to transmit one first channel, and each first carrier group includes one or more subcarriers.

[0379] In some embodiments, the plurality of first carrier groups include a first subcarrier, and the frequency of the first subcarrier is related to the following parameters: a first frequency reference point; an index of the first carrier group where the first subcarrier is located; and a first reference subcarrier spacing.

[0380] In some embodiments, when the apparatus 1600 is a terminal device, the plurality of first carrier groups are indicated by a DCI or a configuration grant from a network device.

[0381] In some embodiments, the third communication unit 1601 is further configured to: when the first channel is a control channel, send multiple second channels on multiple second carrier groups within the same time range, each second carrier group is used to send a second channel, and each second carrier group includes one or more subcarriers; wherein different second channels in the multiple second channels are received by different or the same A-IoT devices, and the second channels are data channels.

[0382] In some embodiments, the plurality of second carrier groups include a second subcarrier, and the frequency of the second subcarrier is related to the following parameters: a second frequency reference point; an index of the second carrier group where the second subcarrier is located; and a second reference subcarrier spacing.

[0383] In some embodiments, when the apparatus 1600 is a terminal device, the plurality of second carrier groups are indicated by a DCI or a configuration grant from a network device.

[0384] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels include a first control channel, the first control channel is associated with at least one second channel among the multiple second channels, and the at least one second channel is transmitted on at least one second carrier group among the multiple second carrier groups; wherein the first control channel carries an index of the at least one second carrier group.

[0385] In some embodiments, the third communication unit 1601 is further configured to: before sending multiple second channels on multiple second carrier groups within the same time range, send first indication information to the first A-IoT device, the first indication information is used to indicate the index of at least one second carrier group, and the index of at least one second carrier group is used for the first A-IoT device to receive the second channel on at least one second carrier group; at least one second carrier group is included in the multiple second carrier groups.

[0386] In some embodiments, the plurality of first channels include a first control channel, the first control channel is associated with at least one second channel of the plurality of second channels, and a chip length of the first control channel is smaller than a chip length of the at least one second channel.

[0387] In some embodiments, the multiple first channels are located within one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; when the apparatus 1600 is a network device, the one or more OFDM symbols are located at the end of a time slot; when the apparatus 1600 is a terminal device, the one or more OFDM symbols are located at the beginning and / or end of a time slot.

[0388] In some embodiments, multiple first channels are located within one or more OFDM symbols; the one or more OFDM symbols are: OFDM symbols other than at least one first OFDM symbol within the first time slot; when the apparatus 1600 is a terminal device, the first time slot, and the starting point and length of at least one first OFDM symbol are indicated by the network device.

[0389] In some embodiments, when the apparatus 1600 is a terminal device, the first time slot is indicated by downlink control information DCI or configuration authorization from the network device, and the start point and length of at least one first OFDM symbol are indicated by radio resource control RRC configuration parameters from the network device; or, when the apparatus 1600 is a terminal device, the first time slot, and the start point and length of at least one first OFDM symbol are indicated by DCI or configuration authorization from the network device.

[0390] In some embodiments, multiple first channels are located within one or more OFDM symbols; the one or more OFDM symbols are: at least one second OFDM symbol within a first time slot; when the apparatus 1600 is a terminal device, the first time slot, and the starting point and length of at least one second OFDM symbol are indicated by a network device.

[0391] In some embodiments, when the apparatus 1600 is a terminal device, the start point and length of the first time slot and at least one second OFDM symbol are indicated by a DCI or configuration grant from a network device.

[0392] In some embodiments, multiple first channels are located within one or more OFDM symbols; when the first channel is a control channel, the multiple first channels are modulated on a first carrier within one or more OFDM symbols, and no carrier other than the first carrier exists within the one or more OFDM symbols; when the first channel is a data channel, the multiple first channels are modulated on some subcarriers within one or more OFDM symbols.

[0393] In some embodiments, apparatus 1600 is a network device or a terminal device.

[0394] FIG17 is a fourth structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to an A-IoT device. As shown in FIG17 , a communication device 1700 (hereinafter referred to as device 1700 ) includes:

[0395] The fourth communication unit 1701 is configured to receive at least one first channel from the first device, where the at least one first channel is all or part of the multiple first channels sent by the first device; the multiple first channels occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range, and the first channel is a control channel or a data channel.

[0396] In some embodiments, at least one frequency segment for receiving at least one first channel includes: the frequency segment used by device 1700 for channel reception by default, and / or, the frequency segment reported by device 1700; the frequency segment reported by device 1700 includes all or part of the frequency segments that device 1700 can use for channel reception.

[0397] In some embodiments, at least one carrier frequency for receiving at least one first channel includes: the default carrier frequency of device 1700 for channel reception, and / or, the carrier frequency reported by device 1700; the carrier frequency reported by device 1700 includes all or part of the carrier frequency that device 1700 can use for channel reception.

[0398] In some embodiments, the fourth communication unit 1701 is further configured to: when the first channel is a control channel, receive at least one second channel from the first device on at least one carrier group, and the at least one second channel is all or part of the multiple second channels sent by the first device; the multiple second channels occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range, and the second channels are data channels.

[0399] In some embodiments, at least one carrier group is indicated by at least one first channel, or by first indication information from a first device.

[0400] In some embodiments, at least one first carrier group for receiving at least one first channel is indicated by the first device.

[0401] In some embodiments, the fourth communication unit 1701 is further configured to: when the first channel is a control channel, receive at least one second channel from the first device on at least one second carrier group, and the at least one second channel is all or part of the multiple second channels sent by the first device; the multiple second channels occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range, and the second channels are data channels.

[0402] In some embodiments, the at least one second carrier group is indicated by at least one first channel, or indicated by first indication information from the first device.

[0403] In some embodiments, the plurality of first channels include a first control channel, the first control channel being associated with at least one second channel of the plurality of second channels; and a chip length of the first control channel is smaller than a chip length of the at least one second channel.

[0404] In some embodiments, multiple first channels are located within one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; when the first device is a network device, one or more OFDM symbols are located at the end of a time slot; when the first device is a terminal device, one or more OFDM symbols are located at the beginning and / or end of a time slot.

[0405] In some embodiments, multiple first channels are located within one or more OFDM symbols; when the first channel is a control channel, the multiple first channels are modulated on a first carrier within one or more OFDM symbols, and no carrier other than the first carrier exists within the one or more OFDM symbols; when the first channel is a data channel, the multiple first channels are modulated on some subcarriers within one or more OFDM symbols.

[0406] In some embodiments, the first device is a network device or a terminal device.

[0407] Those skilled in the art should understand that the relevant description of the above-mentioned communication device in the embodiment of the present application can be understood with reference to the relevant description of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0408] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of a communication device 1800 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device can be a terminal device or a network device. The communication device 1800 shown in Figure 18 includes a processor 1810, which can call and execute a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0409] Optionally, as shown in FIG18 , the communication device 1800 may further include a memory 1820. The processor 1810 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 1820 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0410] The memory 1820 may be a separate device independent of the processor 1810 , or may be integrated into the processor 1810 .

[0411] Optionally, as shown in FIG18 , the communication device 1800 may further include a transceiver 1830 , and the processor 1810 may control the transceiver 1830 to communicate with other devices, specifically, to send information or data to other devices, or to receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0412] The transceiver 1830 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 1830 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0413] Optionally, the communication device 1800 may specifically be the first device of an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 1800 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0414] Optionally, the communication device 1800 may specifically be an A-IoT device in an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 1800 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the A-IoT device in each method in the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0415] Figure 19 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip 1900 shown in Figure 19 includes a processor 1910, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method according to the embodiment of the present application.

[0416] Optionally, as shown in FIG19 , the chip 1900 may further include a memory 1920. The processor 1910 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 1920 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0417] The memory 1920 may be a separate device independent of the processor 1910 , or may be integrated into the processor 1910 .

[0418] Optionally, the chip 1900 may further include an input interface 1930. The processor 1910 may control the input interface 1930 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0419] Optionally, the chip 1900 may further include an output interface 1940. The processor 1910 may control the output interface 1940 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0420] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the first device in the embodiment of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0421] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the A-IoT device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the A-IoT device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0422] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system-on-chip chip, etc.

[0423] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer storage medium, which stores one or more programs. The one or more programs can be executed by one or more processors to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0424] FIG20 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system 2000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG20 , the communication system 2000 includes an A-IoT device 2010 and a first device 2020.

[0425] Among them, the A-IoT device 2010 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the A-IoT device in the above method, and the first device 2020 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the first device in the above method. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0426] It should be understood that the processor of the embodiments of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or software instructions. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0427] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus random access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0428] It should be understood that the above-mentioned memories are exemplary but not restrictive. For example, the memories in the embodiments of the present application may also be static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM RAM (DR RAM), etc. In other words, the memories in the embodiments of the present application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0429] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program.

[0430] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the first device in the embodiment of the present application, and the computer program enables the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in the various methods of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0431] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the A-IoT device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the A-IoT device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0432] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions.

[0433] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the first device in the embodiment of the present application, and the computer program instructions enable the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in the various methods of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0434] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the A-IoT device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program instructions enable the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the A-IoT device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0435] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program.

[0436] Optionally, the computer program can be applied to the first device in the embodiment of the present application. When the computer program runs on the computer, the computer executes the corresponding processes implemented by the first device in the various methods of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0437] Optionally, the computer program can be applied to the A-IoT device in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes the corresponding processes implemented by the A-IoT device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0438] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0439] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0440] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0441] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0442] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0443] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0444] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, applied to a first device, comprising: Send multiple first channels, where the multiple first channels occupy different time ranges and the same frequency range; different first channels among the multiple first channels are received by different or the same ambient Internet of Things A-IoT devices, and the first channels are control channels or data channels.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The plurality of first channels are located in one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; In a case where the first device is a network device, the one or more OFDM symbols are located at the end of a time slot; In the case where the first device is a terminal device, the one or more OFDM symbols are located at the beginning and / or end of a time slot.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The plurality of first channels are located within one or more OFDM symbols; The one or more OFDM symbols are: OFDM symbols other than at least one first OFDM symbol in the first time slot; when the first device is a terminal device, the first time slot, and the starting point and length of the at least one first OFDM symbol are indicated by the network device.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: In the case where the first device is a terminal device, the first time slot is indicated by downlink control information DCI or configuration authorization indication from the network device, and the starting point and length of the at least one first OFDM symbol are indicated by radio resource control RRC configuration parameters from the network device; or In the case where the first device is a terminal device, the first time slot, and the start point and length of the at least one first OFDM symbol are indicated by a DCI or configuration authorization from a network device.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The plurality of first channels are located within one or more OFDM symbols; The one or more OFDM symbols are: at least one second OFDM symbol in the first time slot; when the first device is a terminal device, the first time slot, and the starting point and length of the at least one second OFDM symbol are indicated by the network device.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: In the case where the first device is a terminal device, the first time slot, and the start point and length of the at least one second OFDM symbol are indicated by a DCI or configuration authorization from a network device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein The plurality of first channels are continuous in the time domain; or, there are gaps between the plurality of first channels.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein The multiple first channels are control channels; a chip length of one of the control channels is smaller than a chip length of a data channel associated with the control channel.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein The multiple first channels are data channels; the duration of occupation of each of the multiple first channels is the same, or the duration of occupation of some of the multiple first channels is different; In the case where some of the multiple first channels have different occupation durations, the A-IoT device receiving the first data channel knows the occupation duration of the first data channel before receiving the first data channel; the first data channel is included in the multiple first channels.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein The plurality of first channels are located within one or more OFDM symbols; In a case where the first channel is a control channel, the multiple first channels are modulated on a first carrier within the one or more OFDM symbols, and no carrier other than the first carrier exists in the one or more OFDM symbols; In the case that the first channel is a data channel, the multiple first channels are modulated on some subcarriers within the one or more OFDM symbols.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein In the case where the first channel is a control channel, the method further includes: Send multiple second channels, where the multiple second channels occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range; different second channels among the multiple second channels are received by different or the same A-IoT devices, and the second channels are data channels.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The plurality of second channels are transmitted on a plurality of frequency segments, where the plurality of frequency segments are pre-configured or configured by the first device, and there may or may not be gaps between different frequency segments.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: In one of the frequency segments, the carrier frequency used to send the second channel is the middle frequency of the frequency segment.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein: Some or all of the multiple second channels are sent to the first A-IoT device; The multiple frequency segments include: the default frequency segments used by the first A-IoT device for channel reception, and / or the frequency segments reported by the first A-IoT device; the frequency segments reported by the first A-IoT device include all or part of the frequency segments that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein The plurality of second channels are transmitted on a plurality of carrier frequencies, and the plurality of carrier frequencies are pre-configured or configured by the first device.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein Some or all of the multiple second channels are sent to the first A-IoT device; The multiple carrier frequencies include: the default carrier frequency of the first A-IoT device for channel reception, and / or the carrier frequency reported by the first A-IoT device; the carrier frequency reported by the first A-IoT device includes all or part of the carrier frequencies that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein The bandwidth used to send the multiple second channels is a preconfigured or predefined first bandwidth, the first bandwidth is smaller than the carrier bandwidth, and the multiple carrier frequencies are included in a frequency range corresponding to the carrier bandwidth.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein The multiple second channels are sent on multiple carrier groups, each carrier group is used to send one second channel, and each carrier group includes one or more subcarriers.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein The plurality of carrier groups include a first subcarrier, where a frequency of the first subcarrier is related to the following parameters: Frequency reference point; An index of the carrier group where the first subcarrier is located; Reference subcarrier spacing.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, wherein In the case where the first device is a terminal device, the multiple carrier groups are indicated by DCI or configuration authorization from a network device.

21. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein The multiple first channels include a first control channel, which is associated with at least one second channel among the multiple second channels, and the at least one second channel is transmitted on at least one carrier group among the multiple carrier groups; wherein the first control channel carries an index of the at least one carrier group.

22. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein Before sending the plurality of second channels, the method further includes: Send first indication information to a first A-IoT device, where the first indication information is used to indicate an index of at least one carrier group, where the index of the at least one carrier group is used by the first A-IoT device to receive a second channel on the at least one carrier group; the at least one carrier group is included in the multiple carrier groups.

23. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein The first device is a network device or a terminal device.

24. A communication method, applied to an Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) device, comprising: Receive at least one first channel from a first device, where the at least one first channel is all or part of a plurality of first channels sent by the first device; the plurality of first channels occupy different time ranges and the same frequency range, and the first channel is a control channel or a data channel.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein The plurality of first channels are located in one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; In a case where the first device is a network device, the one or more OFDM symbols are located at the end of a time slot; In the case where the first device is a terminal device, the one or more OFDM symbols are located at the beginning and / or end of a time slot.

26. The method according to claim 24 or 25, wherein The plurality of first channels are continuous in the time domain; or, there are gaps between the plurality of first channels.

27. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 26, wherein The multiple first channels are control channels; a chip length of one of the control channels is smaller than a chip length of a data channel associated with the control channel.

28. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 26, wherein The multiple first channels are data channels; the duration of occupation of each of the multiple first channels is the same, or the duration of occupation of some of the multiple first channels is different; In the case where some of the multiple first channels have different occupation durations, the A-IoT device knows the occupation duration of the first data channel before receiving the first data channel; the first data channel is included in the at least one first channel.

29. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 28, wherein The plurality of first channels are located within one or more OFDM symbols; In a case where the first channel is a control channel, the multiple first channels are modulated on a first carrier within the one or more OFDM symbols, and no carrier other than the first carrier exists in the one or more OFDM symbols; In the case that the first channel is a data channel, the multiple first channels are modulated on some subcarriers within the one or more OFDM symbols.

30. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 29, wherein In the case where the first channel is a control channel, the method further includes: Receive at least one second channel from a first device, where the at least one second channel is all or part of a plurality of second channels sent by the first device; the plurality of second channels occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range, and the second channel is a data channel.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein The at least one frequency segment used to receive the at least one second channel includes: the frequency segment used by the A-IoT device by default for channel reception, and / or the frequency segment reported by the A-IoT device; the frequency segment reported by the A-IoT device includes all or part of the frequency segment that the A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

32. The method according to claim 30, wherein The at least one carrier frequency used to receive the at least one second channel includes: the default carrier frequency of the A-IoT device for channel reception, and / or the carrier frequency reported by the A-IoT device; the carrier frequency reported by the A-IoT device includes all or part of the carrier frequency that the A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

33. The method according to claim 30, wherein At least one carrier group used to receive the at least one second channel is indicated by the at least one first channel, or indicated by first indication information from the first device.

34. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 33, wherein The first device is a network device or a terminal device.

35. A communication method, applied to a first device, comprising: Sending a plurality of first channels, wherein the plurality of first channels occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range; Different first channels among the multiple first channels are received by different or the same ambient Internet of Things A-IoT devices, and the first channels are control channels or data channels.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein The multiple first channels are transmitted on multiple frequency segments, which are pre-configured or configured by the first device, and there may or may not be gaps between different frequency segments.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein In one of the frequency segments, the carrier frequency used to send the first channel is the middle frequency of the frequency segment.

38. The method according to claim 36 or 37, wherein Some or all of the multiple first channels are sent to the first A-IoT device; The multiple frequency segments include: a frequency segment used by the first A-IoT device by default for channel reception, and / or a frequency segment reported by the first A-IoT device; The frequency segment reported by the first A-IoT device includes all or part of the frequency segment that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein: The plurality of first channels are transmitted on a plurality of carrier frequencies, and the plurality of carrier frequencies are pre-configured or configured by the first device.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein Some or all of the multiple first channels are sent to the first A-IoT device; The multiple carrier frequencies include: the default carrier frequency of the first A-IoT device for channel reception, and / or the carrier frequency reported by the first A-IoT device; the carrier frequency reported by the first A-IoT device includes all or part of the carrier frequencies that the first A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

41. The method according to claim 39 or 40, wherein The bandwidth used to send the multiple first channels is a preconfigured or predefined first bandwidth, and the first bandwidth is smaller than the carrier bandwidth. The multiple carrier frequencies are included in the frequency range corresponding to the carrier bandwidth.

42. The method according to any one of claims 36 to 41, wherein In the case where the first channel is a control channel, the method further includes: Multiple second channels are sent on multiple carrier groups within the same time range, each carrier group is used to send a second channel, and each carrier group includes one or more subcarriers; wherein different second channels among the multiple second channels are received by different or the same A-IoT devices, and the second channels are data channels.

43. The method according to claim 42, wherein The plurality of carrier groups include a first subcarrier, where a frequency of the first subcarrier is related to the following parameters: Frequency reference point; An index of the carrier group where the first subcarrier is located; Reference subcarrier spacing.

44. The method according to claim 42 or 43, wherein In the case where the first device is a terminal device, the multiple carrier groups are indicated by DCI or configuration authorization from a network device.

45. The method according to any one of claims 42 to 44, wherein The multiple first channels include a first control channel, which is associated with at least one second channel among the multiple second channels, and the at least one second channel is transmitted on at least one carrier group among the multiple carrier groups; wherein the first control channel carries an index of the at least one carrier group.

46. ​​The method according to any one of claims 42 to 44, wherein Before transmitting the plurality of second channels on the plurality of carrier groups within the same time range, the method further comprises: Send first indication information to a first A-IoT device, where the first indication information is used to indicate an index of at least one carrier group, where the index of the at least one carrier group is used by the first A-IoT device to receive a second channel on the at least one carrier group; the at least one carrier group is included in the multiple carrier groups.

47. The method of claim 35, wherein: The multiple first channels are sent on multiple first carrier groups, each first carrier group is used to send one first channel, and each first carrier group includes one or more subcarriers.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein The plurality of first carrier groups include first subcarriers, where frequencies of the first subcarriers are related to the following parameters: First frequency reference point; An index of a first carrier group in which the first subcarrier is located; A first reference subcarrier spacing.

49. The method according to claim 47 or 48, wherein In the case where the first device is a terminal device, the multiple first carrier groups are indicated by DCI or configuration authorization from a network device.

50. The method according to any one of claims 47 to 49, wherein In the case where the first channel is a control channel, the method further includes: Multiple second channels are sent on multiple second carrier groups within the same time range, each second carrier group is used to send a second channel, and each second carrier group includes one or more subcarriers; wherein different second channels among the multiple second channels are received by different or the same A-IoT devices, and the second channels are data channels.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein: The plurality of second carrier groups include second subcarriers, where frequencies of the second subcarriers are related to the following parameters: Second frequency reference point; An index of a second carrier group where the second subcarrier is located; A second reference subcarrier spacing.

52. The method according to claim 50 or 51, wherein In the case where the first device is a terminal device, the multiple second carrier groups are indicated by DCI or configuration authorization from a network device.

53. The method according to any one of claims 50 to 52, wherein The multiple first channels include a first control channel, which is associated with at least one second channel among the multiple second channels, and the at least one second channel is sent on at least one second carrier group among the multiple second carrier groups; wherein the first control channel carries an index of the at least one second carrier group.

54. The method according to any one of claims 50 to 52, wherein Before transmitting the plurality of second channels on the plurality of second carrier groups within the same time range, the method further comprises: Send first indication information to the first A-IoT device, where the first indication information is used to indicate the index of at least one second carrier group, and the index of the at least one second carrier group is used by the first A-IoT device to receive a second channel on the at least one second carrier group; the at least one second carrier group is included in the multiple second carrier groups.

55. The method according to any one of claims 42 to 46, 50 to 54, wherein The multiple first channels include a first control channel, the first control channel is associated with at least one second channel among the multiple second channels, and a chip length of the first control channel is smaller than a chip length of the at least one second channel.

56. The method according to any one of claims 35 to 55, wherein The plurality of first channels are located in one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; In a case where the first device is a network device, the one or more OFDM symbols are located at the end of a time slot; In the case where the first device is a terminal device, the one or more OFDM symbols are located at the beginning and / or end of a time slot.

57. The method according to any one of claims 35 to 56, wherein The plurality of first channels are located within one or more OFDM symbols; The one or more OFDM symbols are: OFDM symbols other than at least one first OFDM symbol in the first time slot; when the first device is a terminal device, the first time slot, and the starting point and length of the at least one first OFDM symbol are indicated by the network device.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein In the case where the first device is a terminal device, the first time slot is indicated by downlink control information DCI or configuration authorization indication from the network device, and the starting point and length of the at least one first OFDM symbol are indicated by radio resource control RRC configuration parameters from the network device; or In the case where the first device is a terminal device, the first time slot, and the start point and length of the at least one first OFDM symbol are indicated by a DCI or configuration authorization from a network device.

59. The method according to any one of claims 35 to 56, wherein The plurality of first channels are located within one or more OFDM symbols; The one or more OFDM symbols are: at least one second OFDM symbol in the first time slot; when the first device is a terminal device, the first time slot, and the starting point and length of the at least one second OFDM symbol are indicated by the network device.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein In the case where the first device is a terminal device, the first time slot, and the start point and length of the at least one second OFDM symbol are indicated by a DCI or configuration authorization from a network device.

61. The method according to any one of claims 35 to 60, wherein The plurality of first channels are located within one or more OFDM symbols; In a case where the first channel is a control channel, the multiple first channels are modulated on a first carrier within the one or more OFDM symbols, and no carrier other than the first carrier exists in the one or more OFDM symbols; In the case that the first channel is a data channel, the multiple first channels are modulated on some subcarriers within the one or more OFDM symbols.

62. The method according to any one of claims 35 to 61, wherein The first device is a network device or a terminal device.

63. A communication method, applied to an Ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) device, comprising: Receive at least one first channel from a first device, where the at least one first channel is all or part of a plurality of first channels sent by the first device; the plurality of first channels occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range, and the first channel is a control channel or a data channel.

64. The method of claim 63, wherein The at least one frequency segment used to receive the at least one first channel includes: the frequency segment used by the A-IoT device by default for channel reception, and / or the frequency segment reported by the A-IoT device; the frequency segment reported by the A-IoT device includes all or part of the frequency segments that the A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

65. The method of claim 63, wherein The at least one carrier frequency used to receive the at least one first channel includes: the default carrier frequency of the A-IoT device for channel reception, and / or the carrier frequency reported by the A-IoT device; the carrier frequency reported by the A-IoT device includes all or part of the carrier frequency that the A-IoT device can use for channel reception.

66. The method according to claim 64 or 65, wherein In the case where the first channel is a control channel, the method further includes: receiving at least one second channel from the first device on at least one carrier group, wherein the at least one second channel is all or part of a plurality of second channels sent by the first device; the plurality of second channels occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range, the second channel is a data channel.

67. The method of claim 66, wherein The at least one carrier group is indicated by the at least one first channel, or indicated by first indication information from the first device.

68. The method of claim 63, wherein At least one first carrier group for receiving the at least one first channel is indicated by the first device.

69. The method of claim 68, wherein In the case where the first channel is a control channel, the method further includes: At least one second channel is received from the first device on at least one second carrier group, where the at least one second channel is all or part of a plurality of second channels sent by the first device; the plurality of second channels occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range, and the second channel is a data channel.

70. The method of claim 69, wherein The at least one second carrier group is indicated by the at least one first channel, or indicated by first indication information from the first device.

71. The method of claim 66, 67, 69 or 70, wherein The multiple first channels include a first control channel, and the first control channel is associated with at least one second channel among the multiple second channels; a chip length of the first control channel is smaller than a chip length of the at least one second channel.

72. The method according to any one of claims 63 to 71, wherein The plurality of first channels are located in one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; In a case where the first device is a network device, the one or more OFDM symbols are located at the end of a time slot; In the case where the first device is a terminal device, the one or more OFDM symbols are located at the beginning and / or end of a time slot.

73. The method according to any one of claims 63 to 72, wherein The plurality of first channels are located within one or more OFDM symbols; In a case where the first channel is a control channel, the multiple first channels are modulated on a first carrier within the one or more OFDM symbols, and no carrier other than the first carrier exists in the one or more OFDM symbols; In the case that the first channel is a data channel, the multiple first channels are modulated on some subcarriers within the one or more OFDM symbols.

74. The method of any one of claims 63 to 73, wherein The first device is a network device or a terminal device.

75. A communication device, comprising: a first communication unit configured to transmit a plurality of first channels, the plurality of first channels occupying different time ranges and the same frequency range; Different first channels among the multiple first channels are received by different or the same ambient Internet of Things A-IoT devices, and the first channels are control channels or data channels.

76. A communication device, comprising: The second communication unit is configured to receive at least one first channel from the first device, where the at least one first channel is all or part of the multiple first channels sent by the first device; the multiple first channels occupy different time ranges and the same frequency range, and the first channel is a control channel or a data channel.

77. A communication device, comprising: a third communication unit configured to transmit a plurality of first channels, the plurality of first channels occupying different frequency ranges and the same time range; Different first channels among the multiple first channels are received by different or the same ambient Internet of Things A-IoT devices, and the first channels are control channels or data channels.

78. A communication device, comprising: A fourth communication unit is configured to receive at least one first channel from a first device, where the at least one first channel is all or part of a plurality of first channels sent by the first device; the plurality of first channels occupy different frequency ranges and the same time range, and the first channel is a control channel or a data channel.

79. A communication device, comprising: Memory for storing computer programs; a processor, connected to the memory, configured to call and execute the computer program from the memory to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23, or the method according to any one of claims 24 to 34, or the method according to any one of claims 35 to 62, or the method according to any one of claims 63 to 74; A transceiver is used to send and receive information between devices.

80. A chip, comprising: A processor for calling and running a computer program from a memory so that the device equipped with the chip executes the method as claimed in claim 1 The method of any one of claims 24 to 34, or the method of any one of claims 35 to 62, or the method of any one of claims 63 to 74; A transceiver is used to send and receive information between a device or chip.

81. A computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, wherein the computer program causes a computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23, or the method according to any one of claims 24 to 34, or the method according to any one of claims 35 to 62, or the method according to any one of claims 63 to 74.

82. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions, the computer program instructions causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 23, or the method of any one of claims 24 to 34, or the method of any one of claims 35 to 62, or the method of any one of claims 63 to 74.

83. A computer program, the computer program causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 23, or the method of any one of claims 24 to 34, or the method of any one of claims 35 to 62, or the method of any one of claims 63 to 74.

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