Communication method and device

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus are provided. The method includes: a network device instructing a first terminal to transmit a first signal to a second terminal, the first signal being used to provide a carrier or energy to the second terminal. The first terminal may be an active terminal, and the second terminal may be a passive terminal. After receiving the instruction from the network device, the first terminal transmits the first signal to the second terminal. After receiving the first signal, the second terminal may use the first signal as a carrier for uplink transmission or may accumulate energy based on the first signal. Based on this solution, the network device controls the first terminal to transmit the first signal to the second terminal, so that the second terminal can obtain the first signal with high power. Therefore, the uplink transmission performance of the second terminal is improved, or the second terminal accumulates more energy to ensure subsequent operation.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202211029905.2 entitled "Communication Device and Apparatus," filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on August 25, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] [Technical field] TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and more particularly to communications methods and devices. [Background technology]

[0003] Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), and massive machine type communication (mMTC) are three application scenarios of 5th generation (5G) new radio (NR).

[0004] Currently, terminal configurations in NR networks include eMBB terminals applicable to eMBB services and reduced capability (RedCap) terminals (also called narrowband terminals) applicable to mMTC services. eMBB terminals and RedCap terminals are typically powered by batteries or may be connected to a wall-mounted power source and are capable of actively generating carriers. Therefore, eMBB terminals and RedCap terminals are active terminals.

[0005] There is also another type of terminal in a local area network: a passive terminal. A passive terminal cannot actively generate a carrier. For a passive terminal to transmit a signal, a special carrier generating device must provide the carrier signal to the passive terminal. For example, in radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, an electronic tag relies on a reader to provide an excitation signal as a carrier wave for transmitting the signal.

[0006] With the development of communication technologies and the diversification of communication requirements, active and passive terminals may coexist in the same network. For example, passive terminals may be introduced into NR networks. How to perform communication in this scenario is an urgent issue to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus for improving the uplink transmission performance of a passive terminal or improving the downlink reception performance of an active terminal.

[0008] According to a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be executed by a network device; may be executed by a component of the network device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the network device; or may be executed by a logic module or software capable of performing all or part of the functions of the network device. An example in which the method is executed by a network device is used. The method includes: A network device generates first signaling and transmits the first signaling to a first terminal, the first signaling indicating that the first terminal will transmit a first signal to a second terminal, the first signal being used to provide a carrier or energy to the second terminal.

[0009] Based on this solution, the network device can transmit a first signal to the second terminal to instruct the first terminal to provide a carrier or energy to the second terminal. When the first signal is used to provide a carrier, even if the second terminal is located at the cell edge and the power of the downlink signal transmitted by the network device is extremely low when the downlink signal reaches the second terminal, the second terminal can still perform uplink transmission based on the first signal transmitted by the first terminal. When the first terminal is close to the second terminal, the first signal transmitted by the first terminal still has high power when it reaches the second terminal, and therefore, the reflected signal of the first signal transmitted by the second terminal may also have high power. In this way, the uplink transmission performance of the second terminal is improved. When the first signal is used to provide energy, the second terminal can accumulate energy based on the first signal to ensure sufficient energy for subsequent operation.

[0010] In one possible design, the first signaling further indicates a first resource and / or a second resource, where the first resource is used to carry the first signal and the second resource is used to carry control signaling sent by the first terminal to the second terminal.

[0011] In a possible design, the first signaling further indicates a duplex mode of communication between the first terminal and the second terminal and / or a transmit power of the first signal.

[0012] Based on this possible design, if the first signaling further indicates the transmission power of the first signal, the network device can instruct the first terminal to transmit the first signal at a high transmission power, so that the first signal still has high power when it arrives at the second terminal, and thus the reflected signal of the first signal also has high power. In this way, the uplink transmission performance of the second terminal is effectively improved. Alternatively, the second terminal accumulates more energy based on the first signal.

[0013] In a possible design, the first signaling may include: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal not including information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal containing information about the second terminal; or The second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the first signal; and further showing at least one of:

[0014] In a possible design, the method further includes: A network device sends signaling A, which indicates the following: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal not including information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal containing information about the second terminal; or The second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the first signal; The signaling A is different from the first signaling.

[0015] Based on this possible design, the second terminal can transmit a reflected signal of the first signal based on the configuration of the network device, so that the second terminal and the network device have a consistent understanding of the information contained in the reflected signal. In this way, the network device can accurately demodulate the reflected signal, thus improving communication efficiency.

[0016] In one possible design, the first signaling includes first information, where the first information identifies the second terminal.

[0017] Based on this possible design, the second signaling carries first information identifying the second terminal, so that the passive terminal can determine whether the second signaling is being transmitted to the passive terminal, and other passive terminals other than the second terminal can discard the second signaling or not respond to the second signaling when receiving the second signaling. In this way, waste of signaling and power consumption of other passive terminals is reduced.

[0018] In one possible design, the method further includes: the network device receiving a reflected signal of the first signal from the second terminal. Alternatively, the network device receiving a second signal from the first terminal, the second signal including first information identifying the second terminal.

[0019] According to a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be executed by a first terminal; may be executed by a component of the first terminal, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the first terminal; or may be executed by a logic module or software capable of performing all or part of the functions of the first terminal. Taking the first terminal as an example, the method includes the following steps: A first terminal receives first signaling from a network device, the first signaling indicating that the first terminal transmits a first signal to a second terminal, the first terminal transmits second signaling to the second terminal indicating a third resource, and transmits the first signal to the second terminal on the third resource, the first signal being used to provide a carrier or energy to the second terminal.

[0020] According to this solution, a first terminal transmits a first signal to a second terminal based on instructions from a network device to provide a carrier or energy to the second terminal. When the first signal is used to provide a carrier, even if the second terminal is located at a cell edge and the power of the downlink signal transmitted by the network device is extremely low when the downlink signal reaches the second terminal, the second terminal can still perform uplink transmission based on the excitation signal transmitted by the first terminal. When the first terminal is close to the second terminal, the excitation signal transmitted by the first terminal still has high power when it reaches the second terminal, and therefore, the reflected signal of the excitation signal transmitted by the second terminal may also have high power. In this way, the uplink transmission performance of the second terminal is improved. When the first signal is used to provide energy, the second terminal can accumulate energy based on the first signal to ensure sufficient energy for subsequent operation.

[0021] In a possible design, the second signaling may include: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal not including information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal containing information about the second terminal; or The second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the first signal; and further showing at least one of:

[0022] In a possible design, the method further includes: The first terminal sends signaling B to the second terminal, the signaling B indicating: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal not including information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal containing information about the second terminal; or The second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the first signal; The signaling B is different from the second signaling.

[0023] In a possible design, there is an interval of a first duration between the time-domain location occupied by the second signaling and the time-domain location occupied by the first signaling.

[0024] Based on this possible design, when a duplex mode for communication between the first terminal and the second terminal is HD-FDD, and the frequency domain location occupied by the second signaling belongs to a downlink spectrum, and the frequency domain location occupied by the first signal belongs to an uplink spectrum, the first duration may be used by the first terminal to perform spectrum switching to ensure that the first terminal successfully transmits the first signal.

[0025] In one possible design, the first signaling further indicates a first resource, where the first resource is used to carry the first signal. The method further includes: the first terminal determining a third resource based on the first signaling, where the third resource is all or a part of the first resource.

[0026] In a possible design, the first signaling may further indicate resources used to carry the second signaling.

[0027] In one possible design, the first signaling further indicates a transmit power of the first signal.

[0028] In one possible design, the second signaling includes the first information, where the first information identifies the second terminal.

[0029] In a possible design, when the second signaling indicates that the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, and the reflected signal includes information about the second terminal, the method further includes: The first terminal receives a reflected signal of the first signal from the second terminal, and determines whether to forward the reflected signal based on the signal strength of the reflected signal and / or location information of the second terminal.

[0030] Based on this possible design, the first terminal may forward the reflected signal when the signal strength of the reflected signal is low and / or when the second terminal is far from the network device. In this way, the uplink coverage performance of the second terminal is further improved. Alternatively, the first terminal may not forward the reflected signal when the signal strength of the reflected signal is high and / or when the second terminal is close to the network device. In this way, the power consumption of the first terminal is reduced.

[0031] According to a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be executed by a second terminal; may be executed by a component of the second terminal, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the second terminal; or may be executed by a logic module or software capable of performing all or part of the functions of the second terminal. Taking the second terminal as an example, the method includes the following steps: The second terminal receives second signaling from the first terminal indicating a third resource, receives a first signal from the first terminal in the third resource, and an excitation signal is used to provide a carrier or energy to the second terminal.

[0032] Based on this solution, the second terminal can obtain a carrier or energy from the first terminal. When the first signal is used to provide a carrier, even if the second terminal is located at the cell edge and the power of the downlink signal transmitted by the network device is extremely low when the downlink signal reaches the second terminal, the second terminal can still perform uplink transmission based on the excitation signal transmitted by the first terminal. When the first terminal is close to the second terminal, the excitation signal transmitted by the first terminal still has high power when it reaches the second terminal, and therefore, the reflected signal of the excitation signal transmitted by the second terminal may also have high power. In this way, the uplink transmission performance of the second terminal is improved. When the first signal is used to provide energy, the second terminal can accumulate energy based on the first signal to ensure sufficient energy for subsequent operation.

[0033] In a possible design, the second signaling may include: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal not including information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal containing information about the second terminal; or The second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the first signal; and further showing at least one of:

[0034] In a possible design, there is an interval of a first duration between the time-domain location occupied by the second signaling and the time-domain location occupied by the first signaling.

[0035] In one possible design, the second signaling includes the first information, where the first information identifies the second terminal.

[0036] For the technical effects brought about by some designs in the third aspect, please refer to the technical effects brought about by the corresponding designs in the first or second aspect, and the details will not be described again here.

[0037] According to a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be executed by a communication device; may be executed by a component of the communication device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the communication device; or may be executed by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication device. The communication device may be a network device or a first terminal. The execution of the method by the communication device is used as an example. The method includes: The communication device generates third signaling and sends the third signaling to the second terminal, the third signaling including: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, the reflected signal not including information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, the reflected signal containing information about the second terminal; or The second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the third signal; At least one of the following is shown.

[0038] Based on this solution, the communication device can indicate the second terminal's response to the third signal, such as whether to transmit or not transmit a reflected signal of the third signal, and whether the reflected signal contains information about the second terminal. Therefore, the communication device can flexibly control the second terminal based on actual conditions, application scenarios, and the like. For example, if the third signal is a downlink signal between the network device and the first terminal, the third signaling can indicate that the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, and that the reflected signal does not contain information about the second terminal. As a result, the second terminal provides multiple paths for the downlink signal, and the first terminal can receive a superimposed signal of the downlink signals arriving at the first terminal via the multiple paths. In this way, the power and quality of the downlink signal arriving at the first terminal are improved, and the downlink reception performance of the first terminal is improved.

[0039] In one possible design, the third signaling may further indicate resources used to carry the third signal.

[0040] In one possible design, the third signaling includes the first information, where the first information identifies the second terminal.

[0041] In a possible design, when the third signaling indicates that the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, and the reflected signal does not include information about the second terminal, the method further includes: The network device receives a measurement report from the first terminal, the measurement report indicating a signal quality of the reference signal measured by the first terminal, and determines whether to transmit third signaling based on the measurement report.

[0042] According to a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be executed by a second terminal; may be executed by a component of the second terminal, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the second terminal; or may be executed by a logic module or software capable of performing all or part of the functions of the second terminal. Taking the second terminal as an example, the method includes the following steps: The second terminal receives third signaling from the communication device, the third signaling including: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, the reflected signal not including information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, the reflected signal containing information about the second terminal; or The second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the third signal; The second terminal receives the third signal.

[0043] According to this solution, the second terminal can respond to a third signal based on instructions from the communication device. If the third signal is a downlink signal between the network device and the first terminal, the third signaling can instruct the second terminal to transmit a reflected signal of the third signal, where information about the second terminal is not included in the reflected signal. As a result, the second terminal provides multiple paths for the downlink signal, and the first terminal can receive a superimposed signal of the downlink signals arriving at the first terminal via the multiple paths. In this way, the power and quality of the downlink signal arriving at the first terminal are improved, and the downlink reception performance of the first terminal is improved.

[0044] In one possible design, the third signaling may further indicate resources used to carry the third signal.

[0045] In one possible design, the third signaling includes the first information, where the first information identifies the second terminal.

[0046] According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a communication device configured to perform the method. The communication device may be the network device of the first or fourth aspect, or a device included in the network device, such as a chip or chip system. Alternatively, the communication device may be the first terminal of the second aspect, or a device included in the first terminal, such as a chip or chip system. The communication device may be the second terminal of the third or fifth aspect, or a device included in the second terminal, such as a chip or chip system. The communication device includes corresponding modules, units, or means for performing the method. The modules, units, or means may be implemented by hardware, software, or hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0047] In some possible designs, the communications device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module may be configured to perform the processing functions of any one of the aforementioned aspects and possible implementations thereof. The transceiver module may include a receiving module and a transmitting module configured to perform the receiving function and the transmitting function, respectively, of any one of the aforementioned aspects and possible implementations thereof.

[0048] In some possible designs, the transceiver module may include a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver machine, or a communication interface.

[0049] According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a communications device. The device includes a processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store computer instructions. When the processor executes the instructions, the communications device is capable of performing a method according to any one of the preceding aspects. The communications device may be the network device of the first or fourth aspect, or a device included in the network device, such as a chip or chip system. Alternatively, the communications device may be the first terminal of the second aspect, or a device included in the first terminal, such as a chip or chip system. Alternatively, the communications device may be the second terminal of the third or fifth aspect, or a device included in the second terminal, such as a chip or chip system.

[0050] According to an eighth aspect, there is provided a communications device. The device includes a processor and a communications interface. The communications interface is configured to communicate with a module external to the communications device. The processor is configured to execute computer programs or instructions to enable the communications device to perform a method according to any one of the preceding aspects. The communications device may be a network device according to the first or fourth aspect, or a device included in the network device, such as a chip or chip system. Alternatively, the communications device may be a first terminal according to the second aspect, or a device included in the first terminal, such as a chip or chip system. Alternatively, the communications device may be a second terminal according to the third or fifth aspect, or a device included in the second terminal, such as a chip or chip system.

[0051] According to a ninth aspect, there is provided a communications device. The device includes at least one processor. The processor is configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in a memory to enable the communications device to perform a method according to any one of the preceding aspects. The memory may be coupled to the processor or may be independent of the processor. The communications device may be a network device according to the first or fourth aspect, or a device included in the network device, such as a chip or chip system. Alternatively, the communications device may be a first terminal according to the second aspect, or a device included in the first terminal, such as a chip or chip system. Alternatively, the communications device may be a second terminal according to the third or fifth aspect, or a device included in the second terminal, such as a chip or chip system.

[0052] According to a tenth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a communications device, enables the communications device to perform a method according to any one of the preceding aspects.

[0053] According to an eleventh aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a communications device, enable the communications device to perform a method according to any one of the preceding aspects.

[0054] According to a twelfth aspect, there is provided a communications device (e.g., the communications device may be a chip or a chip system), the communications device including a processor configured to perform functions of any one of the preceding aspects.

[0055] In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory configured to store necessary program instructions and data.

[0056] In some possible designs, the device may include a chip, where the device is a chip system, or may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0057] When the communication device provided in any one of the sixth to twelfth aspects is a chip, it can be understood that the transmitting operation / function of the communication device may be understood as an information output, and the receiving operation / function of the communication device may be understood as an information input.

[0058] For the technical effects brought about by the design method of any one of the sixth to twelfth aspects, please refer to the technical effects brought about by the various design methods in the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth aspects, and the details will not be described again here. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0059] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic flow chart of the selection, inventory, and access of tags by a reader in accordance with the present application. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a communication system according to the present application. [Figure 3a] FIG. 3a is a block diagram of a network device according to the present application. [Figure 3b] FIG. 3b is a block diagram of another network device according to the present application. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method according to the present application. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram of a time sequence of interactions between a network device, a first terminal, and a second terminal according to the present application. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic flow chart of another communication method according to the present application. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is another time sequence diagram of interactions between a network device, a first terminal, and a second terminal according to the present application. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic flow chart of yet another communication method according to the present application. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of a communication device according to the present application. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of another communication device according to the present application. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of yet another communication device according to the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0060] Unless otherwise specified, " / " in the description of this application represents an "or" relationship between related objects. For example, A / B may represent A or B. In this application, "and / or" only describes a relationship between related objects and represents that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent the following three cases: only A exists, both A and B exist, or only B exists. A and B may be singular or plural.

[0061] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following pieces" or similar phrases refers to any combination of those pieces, including any combination of a single piece or multiple pieces. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can refer to: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b, and c, where a, b, and c may be singular or plural.

[0062] Furthermore, in order to clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of the present application to distinguish between the same or similar items that basically provide the same functions and purposes. Those skilled in the art can understand that terms such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and terms such as "first" and "second" do not indicate clear distinctions.

[0063] In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "example," "for example," or similar terms are used to indicate providing an example, illustration, or explanation. Any embodiment or design manner described in the embodiments of the present application using "example" or "for example" should not be described as being preferred or having more advantages than another embodiment or design manner. Strictly speaking, the use of "example," "for example," or similar terms is intended to present related concepts in a concrete manner for ease of understanding.

[0064] It can be understood that the term "embodiment" referred to throughout this specification means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic associated with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, these particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. It can be understood that the sequence numbers of processes do not imply the execution sequence in the embodiments of the present application. The execution order of processes should be determined based on the functions and internal logic of the processes and should not constitute any limitations on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0065] It can be understood that in some scenarios, some optional features in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented independently without relying on other features, for example, on the solutions on which the optional features are currently based, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. Alternatively, in some scenarios, optional features may be combined with other features based on requirements. Correspondingly, the devices provided in the embodiments of the present application can also implement these features or functions accordingly. Details will not be described here.

[0066] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts of the embodiments should be referred to each other. In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or unless a logical contradiction occurs, the terms and / or descriptions in different embodiments are consistent and may be referred to each other, and different embodiments may be combined based on the internal logical relationship between the embodiments to form a new embodiment. The following implementation of this application is not intended to limit the protection scope of this application.

[0067] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, first, a brief description of the prior art of the present application is given below.

[0068] 1. Half-duplex (HD) mode A mobile communication system in half-duplex mode allows two-way data transmission between two communication devices, but cannot receive and transmit simultaneously.

[0069] Further, half-duplex can be classified as HD time division duplex (TDD) and HD frequency division duplex (FDD). In HD-TDD mode, reception and transmission of a communication device occur at different times on the same frequency domain resource, or reception and transmission of a communication device occur at different times on different frequency domain resources. In HD-FDD mode, reception and transmission of a communication device occur at different times on different frequency domain resources.

[0070] 2. New Radio (NR): Fifth generation (5G) mobile communication technology (NR) is a next-generation broadband mobile communication technology characterized by high speed, low latency, and high-capacity connections, and is a network infrastructure for implementing human-machine-thing interconnections.

[0071] The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has defined three application scenarios for 5G: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC).

[0072] eMBB is a direct evolution of mobile broadband services, supporting greater data traffic and enhanced user experiences, such as higher end-user data rates. URLLC requires ultra-low latency and ultra-high reliability and is primarily applied to services such as transportation safety, automatic control, and factory automation. mMTC is primarily aimed at smart cities, smart homes, and environmental monitoring, including services such as video surveillance, wearables, and industrial wireless sensor networks (IWSNs) for sensing and data collection. The signal transmission process typically involves baseband and radio frequency processing. In the baseband processing process, the terminal modulates the original bits onto a baseband low-frequency signal. In the radio frequency processing process, the terminal transmits the baseband low-frequency signal via an antenna, transmitting the signal via a high-frequency carrier.

[0073] Conventional terminals in cellular networks are usually battery powered or may be connected to a power source and are capable of actively generating a (high frequency) carrier in the signal transmission process.

[0074] Furthermore, there are certain types of terminals in local area networks that cannot actively generate a carrier. To transmit a signal externally, the terminal requires another device to provide the carrier to the terminal. For example, passive tags in radio frequency identification (RFID) are such types of terminals.

[0075] For example, in this application, device A providing a carrier to device B may be understood as follows: device A sends a signal to device B. When transmitting information, device B can modulate device B's information onto a signal for transmission.

[0076] In this application, for ease of explanation, a terminal that can actively generate a carrier is called an active terminal, and a terminal that cannot actively generate a carrier or requires another device to provide a carrier is called a passive terminal. Of course, these two types of terminals may have other names, which is not particularly limited in this application.

[0077] 3.RFID: RFID technology is a contactless automatic identification technology. An RFID system typically includes a reader and a tag.

[0078] The tag is an RFID tag. Tags can be classified as passive tags, semi-active tags, or active tags. In the case of passive tags, the operating energy of the passive tag is provided by the reader. For example, part of the continuous wave (CW) energy transmitted by the reader is used for internal processes such as encoding / decoding and modulation / demodulation of the tag. Furthermore, the CW is further used as a carrier to carry the tag's uplink information. In the case of semi-passive tags, a battery may be included inside the semi-passive tag. Internal processes such as encoding / decoding and modulation / demodulation may be powered by a battery, but still require the reader's continuous wave to be used as a carrier. Unless otherwise specified, tags in the following embodiments of this application refer to passive tags or semi-active tags.

[0079] A reader is a device with read / write capabilities, and may for example be a device for reading or writing tag information. Alternatively, a reader may be understood as a device that communicates with tags.

[0080] In RFID technology, a reader may perform operations such as selection, inventory, and access on tags. A selection operation is used to select one tag or a group of tags for inventory and access. An inventory operation may be understood as the process by which a reader identifies a tag. An access operation may be understood as the process by which a reader interacts with a tag. A tag needs to be identified by a reader before it can be accessed.

[0081] For example, the procedure by which a reader performs selection, inventory, and access to tags may be as shown in Figure 1. Referring to Figure 1, the procedure includes the following steps:

[0082] S101: The Reader sends a select command. The select command can be used to select one tag or a group of tags.

[0083] For example, the selection command may include memory information, and a tag whose data stored in a storage area indicated by the memory information matches a mask value is the tag selected by using the selection command. The mask value can be specified in the selection command.

[0084] S102: The reader sends a query command.

[0085] The query command specifies the inventory flag type (i.e., Sx, where x can be 0, 1, 2, or 3) and the inventory flag status X (where X can be A or B), and indicates that the reader has selected tags with inventory flag Sx whose status is X to participate in the inventory and access.

[0086] For multiple tags selected by the reader, inventory and access are performed in a time-division multiplexed manner. Specifically, after completing the inventory and access for a tag, the reader starts to perform the inventory and access for the next tag. The following steps are described by using the inventory and access for one tag as an example.

[0087] S103: The tag transmits a random number (RN). For example, the random number A may be a 16-bit random number (RN16).

[0088] If a tag matches the reader's selection or is a tag selected by the reader, and the status of the tag's inventory flag Sx matches the status of the inventory flag Sx indicated by the query command, after receiving the query command, the tag can generate a random number B based on the parameter Q indicated by the query command. Then, each time the tag receives a QueryRep command, it decrements the random number B by one. When the random number B is decremented to 0, the tag transmits the random number A.

[0089] Also, after receiving the query command, the tag may invert the status of the inventory flag Sx, for example, if X is A, the tag updates the status of the inventory flag Sx from A to B to avoid repeated inventory by the reader.

[0090] S104: If the random number A is successfully received, the reader sends an acknowledgment (ACK) message. The message includes the random number A.

[0091] After receiving, within a specified time, an acknowledgement message carrying the random number A sent by the tag, the tag may perform the following step S105.

[0092] S105: The tag transmits an electronic product code (EPC).

[0093] Optionally, after step S105, the reader can send commands to the tag to perform operations such as reading or writing to the tag and interact with the tag. After receiving the command, the tag can respond to the command.

[0094] After completing the inventory and access for the current tag, the Reader can send a QueryRep command to start performing the inventory and access for the next tag.

[0095] With the development of communication technology and the diversification of communication requirements, the use of RFID and its advanced technologies in cellular networks has become an important research direction. For example, a base station may act as a reader in RFID to provide carrier waves or energy to tags and perform operations such as reading and writing to tags. In other words, both active and passive terminals may exist in a cellular network.

[0096] For example, communication between a base station and an active terminal may be classified into downlink transmission and uplink transmission. Downlink transmission may be signal transmission from the base station to the active terminal, and uplink transmission may be signal transmission from the active terminal to the base station. Uplink transmission and downlink transmission may include transmission on a control channel and a data channel. After the random access process, the base station may transmit downlink control signaling to the active terminal on the downlink control channel, and the active terminal may obtain information regarding the downlink data channel and time-frequency resources for uplink transmission based on the downlink control signaling. The active terminal may transmit uplink control signaling to the base station on the uplink control channel, and the base station may obtain information on the uplink data channel based on the uplink control signaling.

[0097] For example, communication between a base station and a passive terminal can also be divided into two parts: downlink transmission and uplink transmission. After the base station establishes a connection with the passive terminal, the base station can transmit a downlink signal to the passive terminal. For uplink transmission, the base station needs to provide a carrier to the passive terminal to stimulate the passive terminal to transmit an uplink signal.

[0098] Compared with a passive terminal, an active terminal has a higher uplink transmission power. However, when the active terminal is located at the cell edge, the downlink reception performance of the active terminal is poor. Compared with an active terminal, a passive terminal has a stronger signal reflection capability. However, when the passive terminal is located at the cell edge, the power attenuation of the downlink signal received from the base station is large, resulting in poor uplink transmission performance of the passive terminal.

[0099] In other words, active terminals and passive terminals have their own advantages. Furthermore, in some scenarios (for example, when located at the cell edge), the receiving / transmitting performance of active terminals and passive terminals is poor. Based on this, when both active terminals and passive terminals exist in a network, how to perform communication and improve communication performance by utilizing the characteristics of the two types of terminals is currently an urgent problem to be solved.

[0100] Therefore, the present application provides a communication method for providing a carrier to a passive terminal through an active terminal to improve the uplink transmission performance of the passive terminal; or for returning a downlink signal transmitted by a base station to the active terminal through the passive terminal to improve the downlink reception performance of the active terminal.

[0101] The technical solutions provided in this application may be applied to various communication systems. The communication system may be a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) communication system, such as a 4th generation (4G) long term evolution (LTE) system, a 5G NR system, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) system, a system for hybrid LTE and NR networking, a device-to-device (D2D) system, a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication system, an Internet of Things (IoT) system, a passive IoT (PIoT) system, or another next-generation communication system. Alternatively, the communication system may be a non-3GPP communication system, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN), without limitation.

[0102] The above-mentioned communication systems applicable to the present application are merely examples for explanation, and the communication systems applicable to the present application are not limited thereto, which have been described throughout the present application, and the details will not be described again below.

[0103] 2 illustrates an example of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication system includes a network device, a first terminal, and a second terminal.

[0104] The first terminal can generate a carrier. In other words, the first terminal has the ability to generate a carrier; or, when transmitting a signal, the first terminal does not require another device to provide a carrier. That is, the first terminal can be considered an active terminal.

[0105] The second terminal is not capable of generating a carrier. In other words, the second terminal does not have the capability to generate a carrier; or, when transmitting a signal, the second terminal requires another device to provide the carrier. That is, the second terminal may be a passive terminal.

[0106] Optionally, the first terminal and the second terminal may be located at different locations within the coverage of the network device. The distance between the first terminal and the network device and the distance between the second terminal and the network device are not limited in this application. In FIG. 2, an example in which the first terminal is farther from the network device and the second terminal is closer to the network device is used for explanation purposes only. In actual applications, the distance between the second terminal and the network device may alternatively be greater than the distance between the first terminal and the network device.

[0107] Optionally, the network devices in the embodiments of the present application may be nodes within a radio access network and may be referred to as radio access network (RAN) nodes (or devices), e.g., base stations.

[0108] For example, the network device may include an evolved base station (NodeB or eNB or e-NodeB, evolved NodeB) in an LTE system or an LTE-A system, such as a conventional macro base station (eNB) or micro base station (eNB) in a heterogeneous network scenario. Alternatively, the network device may include a next generation NodeB (gNB) in an NR system. Alternatively, the network device may include a transmission reception point (TRP), a home base station (e.g., a home evolved NodeB or home NodeB, HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), a baseband pool (BBU pool), a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point (AP), or the like. Alternatively, the network device may include a base station in a non-terrestrial network (NTN), i.e., located on a high-altitude platform or a satellite. In NTN, a network device may function as a Layer 1 (L1) relay, a base station, a distributed unit (DU), or an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node. Alternatively, the network device may be a device that performs base station functions in IoT, such as V2X, D2D, or machine-to-machine (M2M). This is not a limitation of the embodiments of the present application.

[0109] Optionally, the base station in the embodiments of the present application may include various types of base stations, such as a macro base station, a micro base station (also called a small cell), a relay station, an access point, a home base station, a TRP, a transmission point (TP), a mobile switching center, or the like, which is not particularly limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0110] Optionally, in a possible deployment, the network device may include a central unit (CU) and / or a distributed unit (DU), as shown in Figure 3a, and may further include an active antenna unit (AAU) (not shown in Figure 3a).

[0111] Optionally, the CU may implement some of the network device's functionality, and the DU may implement other parts of the network device's functionality. For example, the CU may be responsible for handling non-real-time protocols and services and implement the radio resource control (RRC) layer and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer functions. The DU may be responsible for handling physical layer protocols and real-time services and implement the radio link control (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, and physical (PHY) layer functions. It should be noted that such protocol layer division is merely an example, and the division may alternatively be performed at different protocol layers.

[0112] Optionally, the AAU may perform some physical layer processing functions, radio frequency processing, and functions related to active antennas. The RRC layer information is ultimately modified to or from PHY layer information. Therefore, in this architecture, higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC layer signaling) may be considered as being transmitted by the DU or by the DU and the AAU.

[0113] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3b, the CU control plane (CU-CP) and user plane (CU-UP) may be further separated and implemented as different entities, which are separate control plane CU entities (CU-CP entities) and user plane CU entities (CU-UP entities).

[0114] Optionally, in the network device structure shown in Figure 3a or 3b, signaling generated by the CU may be transmitted to the terminal device via the DU, or signaling generated by the terminal device may be transmitted to the CU via the DU. The DU can transparently transmit the signaling to the terminal device or the CU by directly encapsulating the signaling at a protocol layer without analyzing the signaling.

[0115] Optionally, the terminal (including the first terminal or the second terminal) in the embodiments of the present application may be a user-side device configured to perform wireless communication functions, such as a terminal device or a chip usable in a terminal device. The terminal may be a user equipment (UE), access terminal, terminal unit, terminal station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, wireless communication device, terminal agent, terminal equipment, or the like in a 5G network or a post-5G evolved public land mobile network (PLMN). The user equipment may be in the form of a mobile phone or module in scenarios such as RedCap, narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT), and enhanced machine type communication (eMTC), or in another form having the aforementioned functions (e.g., a repeater, a mobile terminal in an integrated access and backhaul node, or customer premises equipment).An access terminal may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or another processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in telemedicine, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, or the like. Alternatively, the terminal may be a terminal having a communication function in IoT, such as a terminal in V2X (e.g., a vehicle Internet device), a terminal in D2D communication, or a terminal in M2M communication. The terminal may be mobile or fixed.

[0116] The methods provided in the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, a network device or a terminal may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application. These steps or operations are merely examples. In the embodiments of the present application, other operations or variations of operations may also be performed. Furthermore, the steps may be performed in an order different from that presented in the embodiments of the present application, and not all operations in the embodiments of the present application may be performed.

[0117] For example, the method provided in the following embodiments of the present application may be applied to a scenario in which both active and passive terminals exist in a network. Naturally, the application scenario of the present application is merely described as an example in the present application. This application scenario does not constitute any limitation to the present application, and the application scenario of the method provided below is not particularly limited in the present application. For example, the present method may alternatively be applied to a scenario in which multiple other types of terminals exist in a network.

[0118] 4 shows a communication method according to the present application, in which an active terminal can be used to provide a carrier to a passive terminal. Referring to FIG. 4, the method includes the following steps:

[0119] S401: A network device generates a first signaling.

[0120] S402: The network device transmits a first signaling to the first terminal, and in response, the first terminal receives the first signaling from the network device.

[0121] The first signaling indicates that the first terminal transmits a first signal to the second terminal, the first signal being used to provide a carrier or energy to the second terminal.

[0122] Optionally, the first signal may be a dedicated signal between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the network device does not need to receive the first signal. The first signal may be understood as an excitation signal, a charging signal, or an energy charging signal. Alternatively, the first signal may be an uplink signal between the first terminal and the network device, and the network device needs to receive the first signal.

[0123] For example, when a first signal is used to provide a carrier to a second terminal, it may be understood as follows: the first signal may be used as a carrier to carry information that needs to be transmitted by the second terminal. In other words, the second terminal may modulate the information that needs to be transmitted onto the first signal for transmission; or the signal transmitted by the second terminal may use the first signal as a carrier. When the first signal is used to provide energy to the second terminal, the second terminal can accumulate energy by receiving the first signal.

[0124] In other words, the network device is capable of instructing (or controlling) a first terminal to transmit to a second terminal a first signal that is used to provide a carrier or energy to the second terminal.

[0125] Optionally, the first signaling may further indicate a first resource and / or a second resource. The first resource is used to carry a first signal transmitted by the first terminal to the second terminal. The second resource is used to carry control signaling transmitted by the first terminal to the second terminal. For example, the first signaling may include resource configuration information, and the first resource and / or the second resource are indicated (or configured) by using the resource configuration information.

[0126] In a first possible implementation, the first resource may be a resource dedicated to the first signal. For example, the resource configuration information may indicate a time-domain starting position, a number of occupied time units, a frequency-domain starting position, a number of occupied frequency units, and the like, of the first resource. The time unit may be, for example, an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol or slot. The frequency unit may be, for example, a resource element (RE) or a resource block (RB).

[0127] In a second possible implementation, the first resource may be all or a part of uplink resources between the network device and the first terminal. In other words, the network device may schedule the first terminal to transmit the first signal to the second terminal by reusing the uplink resources between the network device and the first terminal. For example, the frequency domain resource of the first resource may be one carrier or multiple consecutive carriers within the carriers occupied by the uplink resources.

[0128] Optionally, the time domain location of the second resource is different from the time domain location of the first resource, and the frequency domain location of the second resource may be the same as or different from the frequency domain location of the first resource.

[0129] Optionally, if the frequency domain location of the second resource is different from the frequency domain location of the first resource, the resource configuration information may specify the time-frequency location of the first resource and the time-frequency location of the second resource.If the frequency domain location of the second resource is the same as the frequency domain location of the first resource, the resource configuration information may indicate the time domain location of the first resource and the time domain location of the second resource, and may indicate the frequency domain location.

[0130] It should be noted that the first resource may be understood as a resource configured by a network device and available for use by the first terminal to transmit a first signal to the second terminal. Finally, when the first terminal transmits a first signal to the second terminal, the resource actually occupied by the first signal may be part or all of the first resource. Similarly, when the first terminal transmits control signaling to the second terminal, the resource actually occupied by the control signaling may be part or all of the second resource.

[0131] It should be noted that the above uses an example in which the first signaling indicates the first resource and / or the second resource for illustrative purposes. Of course, the network device may alternatively indicate the first resource and / or the second resource by using signaling other than the first signaling. For example, resource configuration information may not be carried in the first signaling but may be carried in other signaling.

[0132] Optionally, the first signaling may include first information that identifies the second terminal. In other words, the first information may be associated with or correspond to the second terminal. For example, the second terminal may be an electronic tag. The first information may be a random number agreed upon by the second terminal and the network device, such as random number A in the procedure shown in FIG. 1; or the first information may be an electronic product code of the second terminal.

[0133] Based on this solution, the first signaling carries first information identifying the second terminal, so that the first terminal can know the receiver of the first signal, and the first terminal can perform subsequent processing (for example, perform the first possible implementation in step S403 below) based on the relevant information of the receiver. In this way, different processing is performed for different receivers, and communication flexibility is improved.

[0134] Optionally, the network device may specify a response of the second terminal to the first signal. For example, the first signaling may further indicate at least one of the following:

[0135] (1) The second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, and the reflected signal does not include information about the second terminal.

[0136] Optionally, the information about the second terminal may be information generated by the second terminal or information received by the second terminal from a signal other than the first signal. For example, the information about the second terminal may include first information identifying the second terminal. In other words, the first signaling indicates that the second terminal does not additionally modulate information in the reflected signal, or in other words, the information carried in the reflected signal of the first signal is the same as the information carried in the first signal.

[0137] Optionally, if the first signal is an uplink signal between the first terminal and a network device and the network device needs to receive the first signal, the first signaling may indicate that the second terminal is transmitting a reflected signal of the first signal, where the reflected signal does not include information about the second terminal, in which case the second terminal may be considered to be reflecting the uplink signal of the first terminal.

[0138] (2) The second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal including information about the second terminal.

[0139] In other words, the first signaling indicates that the second terminal modulates information about the second terminal in the reflected signal. If the information about the second terminal includes the first information that identifies the second terminal, the receiver of the reflected signal can identify the second terminal.

[0140] Optionally, if the first signal is a dedicated signal between the first terminal and the second terminal, the network device does not need to receive the first signal, the first signal is used to provide a carrier to the second terminal, and the first signaling can indicate that the second terminal will transmit a reflect signal of the first signal, the reflect signal including information about the second terminal.

[0141] (3) The second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the first signal.

[0142] Optionally, if the first signal is a dedicated signal between the first terminal and the second terminal, the network device does not need to receive the first signal, and the first signal is used to provide energy to the second terminal, the first signaling may indicate that the second terminal will not transmit a reflect signal of the first signal.

[0143] Optionally, the network device may indicate the second terminal's response to the first signal in an explicit manner. For example, the first signaling may include a reflection configuration information field, and different values ​​of the field may indicate different responses of the second terminal to the first signal. For example, if the field is set to a first value, option (1) is indicated; if the field is set to a second value, option (2) is indicated; or if the field is set to a third value, option (3) is indicated.

[0144] Alternatively, the network device may indicate the second terminal's response to the first signal in an implicit manner. For example, the format of the first signaling may be used for the implicit designation. If the format of the first signaling is format 1, option (1) is indicated; if the format of the first signaling is format 2, option (2) is indicated; or if the format of the first signaling is format 3, option (3) is indicated.

[0145] In another example, the implicit indication may be performed based on a mask. For example, the first signaling may convey a group of symbols. If the group of symbols is a first group of symbols, option (1) is indicated; if the group of symbols is a second group of symbols, option (2) is indicated; or if the group of symbols is a third group of symbols, option (3) is indicated.

[0146] The above example uses, for illustrative purposes, an example in which a first signal is used to provide a carrier and energy to a second terminal. Furthermore, the first signal may alternatively be a sensing signal and be used by the first terminal for sensing. In this scenario, the first signaling may indicate that the second terminal will not transmit a reflected signal of the first signal. In this case, the second terminal may be understood as a target in the sensing scenario. The first terminal transmits a first signal. After the first signal reaches the surface of the second terminal, the first signal may be reflected by the surface of the second terminal to form an echo signal, and the first terminal may sense the second terminal based on the echo signal.

[0147] The above uses an example in which the first signaling indicates the response of the second terminal to the first signal for illustrative purposes. Of course, the network device may further specify the response of the second terminal to the first signal by using signaling other than the first signaling that is sent to the first terminal.

[0148] S403: The first terminal transmits second signaling to the second terminal, and in response, the second terminal receives the second signaling from the first terminal.

[0149] The second signaling may be control signaling. The first terminal may transmit the second signaling to the second terminal on some or all of the second resources. In response, the second terminal receives the second signaling from the first terminal on some or all of the second resources.

[0150] Optionally, with respect to the description in step S402, the second resource may be indicated by the first signaling. In other words, the first signaling indicating the second resource may be understood as follows: the first signaling indicates a resource used to carry the second signaling.

[0151] The second signaling indicates a third resource, which may be part or all of the first resource, and may be understood as a resource actually occupied by the first signal transmitted by the first terminal to the second terminal.

[0152] Optionally, after the first terminal receives the first signaling, if the first signaling indicates the first resource, the first terminal may determine the third resource based on the first signaling.

[0153] In a first possible implementation, the first terminal may determine some or all of the first resources as the third resources based on sensing of the first terminal at the second terminal. For example, sensing of the first terminal at the second terminal may include: the first terminal knowing the presence of the second terminal, the first terminal knowing the location of the second terminal, the first terminal knowing the historical signal strength of the second terminal, etc.

[0154] Optionally, in this possible implementation, it may be assumed that the network device configures some reserved resources (i.e., first resources), and the first terminal may decide to transmit a first signal to the second terminal by using some or all of the reserved resources based on sensing of the first terminal at the second terminal. In this scenario, the first signaling may be, for example, RRC signaling.

[0155] In a second possible implementation, the first terminal may directly determine the first resource as the third resource without judgment, that is, the third resource is the same as the first resource.

[0156] Optionally, in this possible implementation, the network device may be assumed to schedule the first terminal to transmit a first signal to the second terminal on a specific time-frequency resource (i.e., the first resource) by using first signaling. In this scenario, the first signaling may be, for example, downlink control information (DCI).

[0157] Optionally, the second signaling may include the first information. For example, the first information may be from a network device. For a related description of the first information, please refer to the description in step S402. Details will not be described again here. Based on this solution, the second signaling carries the first information identifying the second terminal, so that the passive terminal can determine whether the second signaling is transmitted to the passive terminal. When another passive terminal other than the second terminal receives the second signaling, it can discard the second signaling or not respond to the second signaling. In this way, wasteful signaling and power consumption of other passive terminals are reduced.

[0158] Optionally, the first terminal may further indicate a response of the second terminal to the first signal. For example, the second signaling may indicate at least one of the following:

[0159] (1) A second terminal transmits a reflected signal of a first signal, and the reflected signal does not contain information about the second terminal.

[0160] (2) The second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal including information about the second terminal.

[0161] (3) The second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the first signal. For details, please refer to the relevant description in step S402. The details will not be described again here.

[0162] Optionally, if the network device indicates the second terminal's response to the first signal, the response of the second terminal to the first signal indicated by the first terminal may be understood as a transfer of an instruction of the network device. For example, if the first signaling indicates option (1), the second signaling also indicates option (1); or, if the first signaling indicates option (2), the second signaling also indicates option (2).

[0163] Optionally, if the second terminal is an electronic tag, the second signaling may be signaling implementing a selection command, a query command, a QueryRep command, or an ACK message.

[0164] S404: The first terminal transmits a first signal to the second terminal on the third resource, and in response, the second terminal receives the first signal from the first terminal on the third resource.

[0165] Optionally, when the first resource is a resource dedicated to the first signal, the first signal may be a single-tone signal, thereby reducing interference between the first signal and the uplink transmission of the first terminal.

[0166] Optionally, when the first resource is a part or all of the uplink resource between the network device and the first terminal, the first signal may be an uplink signal transmitted by the first terminal to the network device and carried on a third resource, whereby the first terminal does not need to transmit an additional signal to provide a carrier to the second terminal, thereby reducing the processing complexity and power consumption of the first terminal.

[0167] Optionally, the transmission power of the first signal may be autonomously determined by the first terminal or may be specified by the network device. For example, the network device may indicate the transmission power of the first signal by using the first signaling. For example, the first signaling may include power setting information, and the transmission power of the first signal may be indicated by using the power setting information.

[0168] For example, the power setting information may include a value of the transmission power of the first signal. Alternatively, a group of transmission powers may be predefined, and each transmission power in the group of transmission powers may correspond to an index. In this case, the power setting information may include the index of the transmission power.

[0169] It should be noted that the above uses an example in which the first signaling indicates the transmit power of the first signal for illustrative purposes. Of course, the network device may alternatively indicate the transmit power of the first signal by using signaling other than the first signaling. For example, the power setting information may not be carried in the first signaling but may be carried in other signaling (e.g., cell-level broadcast signaling).

[0170] According to this solution, when instructing the first terminal to adjust the transmission power of the first signal, the network device may instruct the first terminal to transmit the first signal at a high transmission power, so that the first signal still has a high power when it reaches the second terminal, and the reflected signal of the first signal also has a high power, thereby effectively improving the uplink transmission performance of the second terminal.

[0171] Optionally, in steps S403 and S404, there is an interval of a first duration between the time domain location (actually) occupied by the second signaling and the time domain location (actually) occupied by the first signaling. For example, the interval between the two time domain locations is the interval between the start of two time-domain locations, the interval between the end positions of two time-domain positions, the interval between the center positions of two time-domain locations, It may be the interval between the end of the previous time domain position and the start of the next time domain position, or the like.

[0172] For example, as shown in Figure 5, it is assumed that the center position of the time domain position occupied by the first signaling is time t0, the center position of the time domain position occupied by the second signaling is time t1, and the center position of the time domain position occupied by the first signaling is time t2, in which case the first duration may be the interval between time t1 and time t2.

[0173] Optionally, when the duplex mode of communication between the first terminal and the second terminal is HD-FDD, the frequency domain location occupied by the second signaling belongs to the downlink spectrum, and the frequency domain location occupied by the first signaling belongs to the uplink spectrum, the first duration is used by the first terminal to perform spectrum switching. The first duration needs to be equal to or greater than the duration required by the first terminal to complete switching of the operating spectrum. The downlink spectrum may be a spectrum defined in a protocol and used for downlink transmission, and the uplink spectrum may be a spectrum defined in a protocol and used for uplink transmission.

[0174] Optionally, the duplex mode of communication between the first terminal and the second terminal may be specified by a network device. For example, the network device may indicate the duplex mode by using the first signaling. In other words, the first signaling may further indicate the duplex mode of communication between the first terminal and the second terminal. Of course, the network device may alternatively specify the duplex mode of communication between the first terminal and the second terminal by using signaling other than the first signaling (e.g., cell-level broadcast signaling). This is not particularly limited in the present application.

[0175] Optionally, the duplex mode of communication between the first terminal and the second terminal may be HD-FDD or HD-TDD. When the first signal is a dedicated signal between the first terminal and the second terminal, if the duplex mode is HD-TDD, the first signaling and the second signaling may be transmitted in a downlink slot, and the first signal may be transmitted in a downlink slot or an uplink slot. If the duplex mode is HD-FDD, the first signaling and the second signaling may be transmitted in a downlink spectrum, and the first signal may be transmitted in a downlink spectrum or an uplink spectrum. The downlink slot may be a downlink slot configured by a network device between the network device and the first terminal, and the uplink slot may be an uplink slot configured by a network device between the network device and the first terminal.

[0176] Optionally, if the network device or the first terminal indicates that the second terminal transmits a signal that reflects the first signal, the second terminal may perform the following step S405:

[0177] S405: The second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, and in response, the network device or the first terminal receives the reflected signal of the first signal.

[0178] Optionally, a reflected signal of a first signal may be understood as a signal that uses the first signal as a carrier.

[0179] Optionally, when the frequency shift is not taken into consideration, the time-frequency resource occupied by the reflect signal may be the same as the time-frequency resource occupied by the first signal, or the deviation between the time-frequency resource occupied by the reflect signal and the time-frequency resource occupied by the first signal may be considered small. In Figure 5, an example in which the time-frequency resource occupied by the reflect signal is the same as the time-frequency resource occupied by the first signal is used for explanation.

[0180] Optionally, if the network device or the first terminal indicates that the reflect signal does not include information about the second terminal, the reflect signal does not include information about the second terminal, or if the network device or the first terminal indicates that the reflect signal does include information about the second terminal, the reflect signal includes information about the second terminal.

[0181] Optionally, when the network device or the first terminal indicates that the second terminal is to transmit a reflected signal of the first signal, the network device or the first terminal may further indicate a reflection parameter, which is used to generate the reflected signal.

[0182] For example, if the reflected signal is indicated to include information about the second terminal, the reflection parameters may include a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), and the second terminal may modulate and encode the information about the second terminal based on the modulation and coding scheme indicated by the MCS to obtain the reflected signal. If the reflected signal is indicated not to include information about the second terminal, the reflection parameters may indicate that the reflected signal of the second terminal carries an all-1 sequence, an on-off keying (OOK) modulation scheme is used, and no coding is performed.

[0183] Optionally, the destination of the reflected signal of the first signal may be a network device. In other words, the network device needs to receive the reflected signal of the first signal. If the first signal is an uplink signal between a first terminal and a network device and the network device needs to receive the first signal, and the reflected signal of the first signal does not include information about the second terminal, it can be assumed that the network device receives the uplink signal transmitted by the first terminal and the uplink signal reflected by the second terminal. In this way, the uplink transmission performance of the first terminal can be improved. If the first signal is a dedicated signal between a first terminal and a second terminal and the network device does not need to receive the first signal, and the reflected signal of the first signal includes information about the second terminal, it can be assumed that the reflected signal of the first signal is a response to an operation such as an inventory performed by the network device.

[0184] Optionally, if the first signal is a dedicated signal between the first terminal and the second terminal and the network device does not need to receive the first signal, the network device may or may not use resources configured by the network device to be used for communication between the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0185] For example, with respect to the first resource, the network device may not perform reception on the first resource. In this case, a reflected signal of the first signal needs to be forwarded by the first terminal to the network device. In other words, the solution of the present application may further include: the first terminal receives a reflected signal of the first signal from the second terminal and transmits a second signal to the network device. In response, the network device receives a second signal from the first terminal. The second signal is a reflected signal of the first signal and is forwarded by the first terminal.

[0186] Alternatively, the network device may perform reception on the first resource. In this case, the network device may receive a reflected signal of the first signal from the second terminal, or may receive a reflected signal (i.e., the second signal) forwarded by the first terminal. In this scenario, whether the first terminal forwards the reflected signal of the first signal may be determined by the first terminal based on the signal strength of the reflected signal and / or location information of the second terminal. In other words, the solution of the present application may further include: the first terminal receives a reflected signal of the first signal from the second terminal, and determines whether to forward the reflected signal of the first signal based on the signal strength of the reflected signal and / or location information of the second terminal.

[0187] For example, if a first condition is met, the first terminal may not forward a reflected signal of the first signal. In this case, the network device may receive a reflected signal of the first signal from the second terminal. The first condition may include at least one of the following: a signal strength of the reflected signal is greater than a first threshold; a distance between the second terminal and the first terminal is greater than a second threshold; or a distance between the second terminal and the network device is greater than a third threshold.

[0188] If a second condition is met, the first terminal is able to forward a reflected signal of the first signal, i.e., the first terminal transmits a second signal to the network device. In response, the network device receives a second signal from the first terminal. The second signal is a reflected signal of the first signal and is forwarded by the first terminal. The second condition may include at least one of the following: a signal strength of the reflected signal is less than a first threshold; a distance between the second terminal and the first terminal is less than a second threshold; or a distance between the second terminal and the network device is less than a third threshold.

[0189] When the signal strength of the reflected signal is equal to a first threshold, when the distance between the second terminal and the first terminal is equal to a second threshold, or when the distance between the second terminal and the network device is equal to a third threshold, whether the first terminal forwards the reflected signal of the first signal can be determined by the first terminal based on actual conditions.

[0190] Optionally, the first terminal may forward a reflected signal of the first signal by: the first terminal amplifying the reflected signal to obtain a second signal and transmitting the second signal to the network device; and / or The first terminal may include decoding information in the reflected signal, re-encoding and modulating the information to obtain a second signal, and transmitting the second signal to the network device.

[0191] Optionally, the second signal may include first information identifying the second terminal. The first information may be carried in a reflected signal of the first signal, or may be added autonomously by the first terminal. This is not particularly limited in the present application.

[0192] It should be noted that the second signal may have another name, for example, a transfer signal, and the name of the second signal is not particularly limited in this application.

[0193] Optionally, if the network device does not perform reception on the first resource, the network device may send instruction information to the first terminal to indicate that the first terminal forwards a reflected signal of the first signal to the network device. If the network device performs reception on the first resource, the network device may indicate the first threshold, the second threshold, or the third threshold to the first terminal. Alternatively, the network device may not send any instruction to the first terminal regarding whether the first terminal forwards the reflected signal of the first signal, and the first terminal autonomously decides whether to forward the reflected signal of the first signal.

[0194] Optionally, if the network device or the first terminal indicates that the second terminal will not transmit a signal that reflects the first signal, the second terminal may store energy by receiving the first signal.

[0195] Based on the above solution, the network device can control the first terminal to transmit a first signal to the second terminal to provide a carrier or energy to the second terminal. When the first signal is used to provide a carrier, even if the second terminal is located at the cell edge and the power of the downlink signal transmitted by the network device is extremely low when the downlink signal reaches the second terminal, the second terminal can still perform uplink transmission based on the first signal transmitted by the first terminal. When the first terminal is close to the second terminal, the first signal transmitted by the first terminal still has high power when it reaches the second terminal, and therefore, the reflected signal of the first signal transmitted by the second terminal may also have high power. In this way, the uplink transmission performance of the second terminal, e.g., uplink coverage, is improved. When the first signal is used to provide energy, the second terminal can accumulate energy based on the first signal to ensure sufficient energy for subsequent operation.

[0196] In the method shown in Figure 4, the active terminal is used to provide a carrier to the passive terminal, so as to improve the uplink transmission performance of the passive terminal. The present application also provides a communication method. As shown in Figure 6, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0197] S601: A communication device generates third signaling. The communication device may be a network device or a first terminal.

[0198] S602: The communication device transmits third signaling to the second terminal, and in response, the second terminal receives the third signaling from the communication device.

[0199] The third signaling indicates at least one of the following:

[0200] (1) A second terminal transmits a reflected signal of a third signal, and the reflected signal does not contain information about the second terminal.

[0201] For information about the second terminal, please refer to the related description above. If the reflected signal does not include information about the second terminal, the information carried in the reflected signal is the same as the information carried in the third signal.

[0202] Optionally, if the third signal is a signal transmitted by the network device to the first terminal, the third signal may be a downlink signal between the network device and the first terminal, and the third signal may include information transmitted by the network device to the first terminal, or the destination of the third signal may be the first terminal, and the third signaling may indicate that the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, and the reflected signal does not include information about the second terminal.

[0203] In other words, the network device can instruct (or control) the second terminal to transmit a signal that reflects a downlink signal between the network device and the first terminal, or the network device can instruct the second terminal to provide multiple signal paths to the first terminal.

[0204] Optionally, since the third signal is a signal transmitted by the network device to the first terminal and carries information transmitted by the network device to the first terminal, in order to reduce demodulation difficulty for the first terminal and interference to the first terminal, the network device may indicate that the reflected signal of the third signal does not contain information about the second terminal.

[0205] Optionally, the third signal may carry data information transmitted by the network device to the first terminal, i.e., the third signal may be a data signal. Alternatively, the third signal may carry control information transmitted by the network device to the first terminal, i.e., the third signal may be control signaling.

[0206] (2) The second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, the reflected signal including information about the second terminal. For example, the information about the second terminal may include first information identifying the second terminal, and the like.

[0207] Optionally, if the third signal is an excitation signal used to provide a carrier to the second terminal, the third signaling may indicate that the second terminal is to transmit a reflect signal of the third signal, the reflect signal including information about the second terminal.

[0208] (3) The second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the third signal.

[0209] Optionally, if the third signal is a charging signal used to provide energy to the second terminal, or if the third signal is a sensing signal, the third signaling may indicate that the second terminal does not transmit a reflect signal of the third signal.

[0210] Optionally, if the second terminal is an electronic tag, the third signaling may be signaling that implements the function of a selection command, a query command, a QueryRep command, or an ACK message.

[0211] Optionally, the third signaling may include first information identifying the second terminal. For the first information, please refer to the related description above. Details will not be described again here.

[0212] Based on this solution, the third signaling carries first information identifying the second terminal, so that the passive terminal can determine whether the third signaling is being transmitted to the passive terminal, and other passive terminals other than the second terminal can discard the third signaling or not respond to the third signaling upon receiving it, thereby reducing the waste of signaling and power consumption of other passive terminals.

[0213] S603: The communication device transmits a third signal, and in response, the second terminal receives the third signal from the communication device.

[0214] Optionally, before step S603, the communication device may specify, to the second terminal, resources used to carry the third signal, so that the second terminal can receive the third signal on the resources. For example, the communication device may indicate the resources used to carry the third signal by using third signaling. For example, resource configuration information may be carried in the third signaling, and the time-domain starting position, the number of occupied time units, the frequency-domain starting position, and the number of occupied frequency units of the resource may be indicated by using the resource configuration information.

[0215] If the third signal is a downlink signal between the network device and the first terminal, it can be understood that the communication device in step S603 is a network device. The first terminal can also receive the third signal from the network device. The third signal received by the first terminal from the network device may be understood as the third signal in a path (denoted as path 1).

[0216] Optionally, if the third signaling indicates that the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, the second terminal may perform the following step S604:

[0217] S604: The second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal.

[0218] Optionally, if the third signaling indicates that the reflected signal of the third signal does not include information about the second terminal, the reflected signal does not include information about the second terminal. If the third signaling indicates that the reflected signal of the third signal includes information about the second terminal, the reflected signal includes information about the second terminal.

[0219] Optionally, if the third signaling indicates that the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the third signaling may further indicate a reflection parameter. The reflection parameter is used to generate the reflected signal. For details, please refer to the related description of the method illustrated in FIG. 4. Details will not be described again here. Optionally, if the third signal is a downlink signal between the network device and the first terminal, the first terminal receives the reflected signal of the third signal. If the reflection parameter indicates that the reflected signal of the third signal carries an all-1s sequence, an OOK modulation scheme is used, and no coding is performed, it may be assumed that the reflected signal of the third signal, which is generated based on the reflection parameter, is the same as the third signal. Therefore, the reflected signal of the third signal, which is received by the first terminal from the second terminal, may be understood as a third signal on another path (denoted as path 2).

[0220] In other words, for the first terminal, the signal finally received by the first terminal is a superposition of the third signal on multiple paths. For example, as shown in Figure 7, the signal received by the first terminal may be a superposition of the third signal from the network device on path 1 and the reflected signal of the third signal from the second terminal on path 2.

[0221] Optionally, if the third signaling indicates that the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, and the reflected signal does not include information about the second terminal, the network device may determine whether to perform the method shown in Figure 6 based on the measurement report of the first terminal. For example, as shown in Figure 8, before step S601, the communication method may further include the following steps:

[0222] S600a: The first terminal transmits a measurement report to the network device, which in turn receives the measurement report from the first terminal.

[0223] The measurement report indicates a signal quality of a reference signal measured by the first terminal, the reference signal being a reference signal of a serving cell of the first terminal, the serving cell of the first terminal being managed by the network device.

[0224] For example, the signal quality of the reference signal may be expressed by reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), or the like.

[0225] S600b: The network device determines whether to transmit third signaling based on the measurement report, the third signaling indicating that the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal.

[0226] In other words, the network device may determine, based on the measurement report of the first terminal, whether to send third signaling to the second terminal indicating that the second terminal will transmit a reflected signal of the third signal.

[0227] Optionally, if the signal quality of the reference signal is greater than the fourth threshold, the network device may decide not to send the third signaling, i.e., not to perform step S601, in other words, not to perform the method shown in Figure 6. If the signal quality of the reference signal is equal to or less than the fourth threshold, the network device may decide to send the third signaling, i.e., to perform step S601, in other words, to perform the method shown in Figure 6.

[0228] Optionally, the fourth threshold may be defined in the protocol or may be determined autonomously by the network device, although this is not a limitation in the present application.

[0229] Based on steps S600a and S600b, the network device may not transmit the third signaling if the reception performance of the first terminal is good (e.g., if the signal quality of the reference signal is greater than the fourth threshold). In this case, the second terminal does not need to transmit a reflected signal of the third signal, thereby reducing the power consumption of the second terminal. Alternatively, the network device may transmit the third signaling if the reception performance of the first terminal is poor (e.g., if the signal quality of the reference signal is less than the fourth threshold). In this case, the second terminal may transmit a reflected signal of the third signal based on the third signaling. If the third signal is a downlink signal between the network device and the first terminal, the reflected signal transmitted by the second terminal may provide multiple paths to the first terminal. In this way, the downlink reception performance of the first terminal is improved.

[0230] Based on the above solution, the network device controls the second terminal to transmit a reflected signal of the downlink signal between the network device and the first terminal, so that the first terminal can receive a superimposed signal of the downlink signals arriving at the first terminal via multiple paths, thereby improving the power and quality of the downlink signal arriving at the first terminal and improving the downlink receiving performance of the first terminal.

[0231] It should be noted that the method shown in FIG. 4 and the method shown in FIG. 6 may be implemented independently, independent of each other, and separated from each other. Alternatively, the method shown in FIG. 4 and the method shown in FIG. 6 may be combined with each other. For example, the third signal in the method shown in FIG. 6 may be the first signaling in the method shown in FIG. 4. Specifically, the network device transmits the third signaling to the second terminal and the first signaling to the first terminal. The second terminal may transmit a reflected signal of the first signaling based on the third signaling. After receiving a superimposed signal of the first signaling from multiple paths, the first terminal transmits the second signaling and the first signal to the second terminal based on the first signaling, so that the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal.

[0232] Of course, the method shown in Figure 4 and the method shown in Figure 6 may alternatively be combined in other ways to obtain new embodiments, which is not particularly limited in this application.

[0233] In the above-described embodiments, it can be understood that the methods and / or steps performed by the network device may alternatively be performed by a component (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, logic module, or software, e.g., a chip or circuit) that can be used in a network device, or the methods and / or steps performed by the terminal may alternatively be performed by a component (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, logic module, or software, e.g., a chip or circuit) that can be used in a terminal.

[0234] It can be understood that to implement the above-described functions, the communication device includes corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for performing each function. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the present application can be implemented by hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software in combination with the example units and algorithm steps described in the embodiments disclosed herein. Whether the functions are performed by hardware or by hardware driven by computer software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to go beyond the scope of the present application.

[0235] In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device may be divided into functional modules based on the above-mentioned method embodiments. For example, each functional module may be obtained by dividing the functional modules based on their corresponding functions, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional module. It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the division into modules is an example and is merely a logical division of functions, and other divisions may be used in actual implementation.

[0236] 9 is a block diagram of a communication device 90. The communication device 90 includes a processing module 901 and a transceiver module 902. The communication device 90 may be configured to perform the functions of a network device, a first terminal, or a second terminal.

[0237] In some embodiments, communication device 90 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 9) configured to store program instructions and data.

[0238] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 902 may be referred to as a transceiver unit configured to perform transmitting and / or receiving functions, and may include transceiver circuitry, a transceiver machine, a transceiver, or a communications interface.

[0239] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 902 may include a receiving module and a transmitting module configured to perform the receiving and transmitting steps, respectively, performed by the network device, the first terminal, or the second terminal in the aforementioned method embodiments and / or to support another process of the techniques described herein. The processing module 901 may be configured to perform the processing (e.g., determining and generating) steps performed by the network device, the first terminal, or the second terminal in the aforementioned method embodiments and / or to support another process of the techniques described herein.

[0240] When the communication device 90 is configured to realize the functionality of a network device, in a first possible implementation, the processing module 901 is configured to generate first signaling. The transceiver module 902 is configured to transmit the first signaling to a first terminal. The first signaling instructs the first terminal to transmit a first signal to a second terminal, and the first signal is used to provide a carrier or energy to the second terminal.

[0241] Optionally, the first signaling further indicates a first resource and / or a second resource, the first resource being used to carry the first signal and the second resource being used to carry control signaling sent by the first terminal to the second terminal.

[0242] Optionally, the first signaling further indicates a duplex mode of communication between the first terminal and the second terminal and / or a transmission power of the first signal.

[0243] Optionally, the first signaling may include: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal not including information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal containing information about the second terminal; or The second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the first signal; and further showing at least one of:

[0244] Optionally, the first signaling includes first information, the first information identifying the second terminal.

[0245] Optionally, the transceiver module 902 is further configured to receive a reflected signal of the first signal from a second terminal, or the transceiver module 902 is further configured to receive a second signal from the first terminal, the second signal including first information identifying the second terminal.

[0246] In a second possible implementation, the processing module 901 is configured to generate third signaling, and the transceiver module 902 is configured to transmit the third signaling to the second terminal, the third signaling comprising: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, the reflected signal not including information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, the reflected signal containing information about the second terminal; or The second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the third signal; At least one of the following is shown.

[0247] Optionally, the third signaling further indicates resources to be used to carry the third signal.

[0248] Optionally, the third signaling includes the first information, the first information identifying the second terminal.

[0249] Optionally, when the third signaling indicates that the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, the reflected signal not including information about the second terminal, the transceiver module 902 is further configured to receive a measurement report from the first terminal, the measurement report indicating a signal quality of the reference signal measured by the first terminal. The processing module 901 is further configured to determine whether to transmit the third signaling based on the measurement report.

[0250] When the communication device 90 is configured to perform the functions of a first terminal, in a first possible implementation, the transceiver module 902 is configured to receive first signaling from a network device, the first signaling indicating that the first terminal is to transmit a first signal to a second terminal. The transceiver module 902 is further configured to transmit second signaling indicating a third resource to the second terminal. The transceiver module 902 is further configured to transmit the first signal to the second terminal on the third resource, the first signal being used to provide a carrier or energy to the second terminal.

[0251] Optionally, the second signaling may be: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal not including information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal containing information about the second terminal; or The second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the first signal; and further showing at least one of:

[0252] Optionally, there is an interval of a first duration between the time domain location occupied by the second signaling and the time domain location occupied by the first signaling.

[0253] Optionally, the first signaling further indicates a first resource, where the first resource is used to carry the first signal. The method further includes: the first terminal determining a third resource based on the first signaling, where the third resource is all or a part of the first resource.

[0254] Optionally, the first signaling further indicates the resources to be used to carry the second signaling.

[0255] Optionally, the first signaling further indicates a transmission power of the first signal.

[0256] Optionally, the second signaling includes first information, the first information identifying the second terminal.

[0257] Optionally, if the second signaling further indicates that the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal including information about the second terminal, the transceiver module 902 is further configured to receive a reflected signal of the first signal from the second terminal. The processing module 901 is configured to determine whether to forward the reflected signal based on a signal strength of the reflected signal and / or location information of the second terminal.

[0258] When the communication device 90 is configured to perform the functions of a second terminal, in a first possible implementation, the transceiver module 902 is configured to receive second signaling from the first terminal indicating a third resource, and the transceiver module 902 is further configured to receive a first signal from the first terminal on the third resource, the first signal being used to provide a carrier or energy to the second terminal.

[0259] Optionally, the second signaling may be: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal not including information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal containing information about the second terminal; or The second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the first signal; and further showing at least one of:

[0260] Optionally, there is an interval of a first duration between the time domain location occupied by the second signaling and the time domain location occupied by the first signaling.

[0261] Optionally, the second signaling includes first information, the first information identifying the second terminal.

[0262] In a second possible implementation, the transceiver module 902 is configured to receive third signaling from the communication device, the third signaling being: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, the reflected signal not including information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, the reflected signal containing information about the second terminal; or The second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the third signal; The transceiver module 902 is further configured to receive a third signal.

[0263] Optionally, the third signaling further indicates resources to be used to carry the third signal.

[0264] Optionally, the third signaling includes the first information, the first information identifying the second terminal.

[0265] All relevant contents of the steps in the above method embodiments can be cited in the functional descriptions of the corresponding functional modules, and the details will not be described again here.

[0266] In the present application, the communication device 90 may be presented in an integrated manner or in the form of functional modules obtained by division. A "module" in this case may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit for executing one or more software or firmware programs, a processor and memory, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other components capable of providing the aforementioned functionality.

[0267] In some embodiments, when the communication device 90 of FIG. 9 is a chip or chip system, the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 902 may be realized by an input / output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or chip system, and the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 901 may be realized by a processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0268] The communication device 90 provided in this embodiment can implement the aforementioned method. Therefore, for the technical effects that can be achieved by the communication device, please refer to the aforementioned method embodiment. The details will not be described again here.

[0269] In possible product forms, the network device, first terminal, or second terminal in embodiments of this application may alternatively be implemented by one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuitry, or any combination of circuitry capable of performing the various functions described throughout this application.

[0270] In another possible product form, the network device, the first terminal, or the second terminal in the embodiment of the present application may be implemented using a general-purpose bus architecture. For ease of explanation, please refer to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a communication device 1000 according to the embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1000 includes a processor 1001 and a transceiver 1002. The communication device 1000 may be a network device, a chip or a chip system within a network device; alternatively, the communication device 1000 may be a first terminal, a chip or module within the first terminal; or alternatively, the communication device 1000 may be a second terminal, a chip or module within the second terminal. FIG. 10 shows only the main components of the communication device 1000. In addition to the processor 1001 and the transceiver 1002, the communication device may further include a memory 1003 and an input / output device (not shown).

[0271] Optionally, the processor 1001 is primarily configured to: process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process data of the software programs. The memory 1003 is primarily configured to store software programs and data. The transceiver 1002 may include a radio frequency circuit and an antenna. The radio frequency circuit is primarily configured to convert between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and process the radio frequency signals. The antenna is primarily configured to receive and transmit radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. The input / output device, such as a touch screen, display, or keyboard, is primarily configured to receive data entered by a user and output data to a user.

[0272] Optionally, the processor 1001, the transceiver 1002, and the memory 1003 may be connected via a communication bus.

[0273] Optionally, after the communication device is powered on, the processor 1001 can load a software program in the memory 1003, interpret and execute instructions of the software program, and process data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 1001 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then transmits the radio frequency signal to the outside via an antenna in the form of electromagnetic waves. When data is transmitted to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal via the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal to a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1001. The processor 1001 converts the baseband signal to data and processes the data.

[0274] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna may be located independently of the processor that performs the baseband processing, for example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna may be located independently and remotely from the communication device.

[0275] In some embodiments, in a hardware implementation, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the communication device 90 may be in the form of a communication device 1000 shown in FIG.

[0276] In one example, the functions / processes performed by the processing module 901 of FIG. 9 may be performed by a processor 1001 in a communication device 1000 shown in FIG. 10 by invoking computer-executable instructions stored in a memory 1003. The functions / processes performed by the transceiver module 902 of FIG. 9 may be performed by a transceiver 1002 in the communication device 1000 shown in FIG. 10.

[0277] In yet another possible product form, a network device, a first terminal, or a second terminal in the present application may use the organizational structure or include the components shown in Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a block diagram of a communication device 1100 in the present application. The communication device 1100 may be a first terminal, or a chip or system-on-chip within the first terminal; a second terminal, or a chip or system-on-chip within the second terminal; or a network device, or a module, chip, or system-on-chip within the network device.

[0278] 11, the communication device 1100 includes at least one processor 1101 and at least one communication interface (in FIG. 11, only one example including one communication interface 1104 and one processor 1101 is used for explanation). Optionally, the communication device 1100 may further include a communication bus 1102 and a memory 1103.

[0279] The processor 1101 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device (PLD), or any combination thereof. Alternatively, the processor 1101 may be another device having processing capabilities, such as, but not limited to, a circuit, component, or software module.

[0280] The communication bus 1102 is configured to connect various components within the communication device 1100, allowing the various components to communicate with each other. The communication bus 1102 may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. Buses can be categorized as address buses, data buses, control buses, and the like. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used to represent a bus in FIG. 11, but this does not imply that only one bus or only one type of bus is present.

[0281] The communication interface 1104 is configured to communicate with other devices or communication networks. For example, the communication interface 1104 may be a module, a circuit, a transceiver, or any other device capable of implementing communication. Optionally, the communication interface 1104 may alternatively be an input / output interface disposed in the processor 1101 and configured to provide signal input and output to the processor.

[0282] The memory 1103 may be a device having a storage function and configured to store instructions and / or data. The instructions may be a computer program.

[0283] For example, memory 1103 may be, without limitation, a read-only memory (ROM) or another type of static storage device capable of storing static information and / or instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or another type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and / or instructions, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other compact disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), a magnetic disc storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or the like.

[0284] It should be noted that the memory 1103 may be independent of the processor 1101 or may be integrated with the processor 1101. The memory 1103 may be located inside the communication device 1100 or outside the communication device 1100. This is not limited thereto. The processor 1101 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 1103 to implement the methods provided in the following embodiments of the present application.

[0285] In optional implementations, the communication apparatus 1100 may further include an output device 1105 and an input device 1106. The output device 1105 communicates with the processor 1101 and may display information in a number of ways. For example, the output device 1105 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. The input device 1106 communicates with the processor 1101 and may receive user input in a number of ways. For example, the input device 1106 may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touchscreen device, or a sensing device.

[0286] In some embodiments, in a hardware implementation, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the communication device 90 shown in FIG. 9 may take the form of a communication device 1100 shown in FIG.

[0287] In one example, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 901 of FIG. 9 may be performed by a processor 1101 in a communication device 1100 shown in FIG. 11 by invoking computer-executable instructions stored in memory 1103. The functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 902 of FIG. 9 may be performed by a communication interface 1104 in the communication device 1100 shown in FIG. 11.

[0288] It should be noted that the structure shown in Figure 11 does not constitute a specific limitation on the network device or terminal. For example, in some other embodiments of the present application, the network device or terminal may include more or fewer components than those shown, some components may be combined, or some components may be divided, or a different component arrangement may be used. The components shown may be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0289] In some embodiments, the present application also provides a communication device, the communication device including a processor configured to perform the method in any one of the preceding method embodiments.

[0290] In a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory. The memory is configured to store necessary computer programs and data. The computer programs may include instructions. The processor can call the instructions of the computer programs stored in the memory to instruct the communication device to perform the method in any one of the above-mentioned method embodiments. Of course, the memory does not have to be located within the communication device.

[0291] In another possible implementation, the communication device further includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read / write interface circuit configured to receive computer-executable instructions (which may be stored in a memory and read directly from the memory or read via another component) and transmit the computer-executable instructions to the processor.

[0292] In yet another possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface, the communication interface configured to communicate with a module external to the communication device.

[0293] It is understood that the communication device may be a chip or a chip system. If the communication device is a chip system, the communication device may include a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete components. This is not particularly limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0294] The present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium that stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a computer, perform the functions of any one of the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0295] The present application further provides a computer program product, which, when executed by a computer, performs the functions of any one of the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0296] For the purpose of easy description, those skilled in the art can understand that for the detailed operation processes of the aforementioned systems, devices and units, please refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments, and the details will not be described again here.

[0297] It can be understood that the systems, devices, and methods described in this application may alternatively be implemented in other ways. For example, the described device embodiments are merely examples. For example, the division into units is merely a logical division of function, and other divisions may be used in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not implemented. Furthermore, the illustrated or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections may be implemented via some interface. Indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be implemented in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0298] The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, i.e., they may be located in one place or distributed over multiple network units. The components illustrated as units may or may not be physical units. Some or all of the units may be selected based on actual requirements to achieve the objectives of the solutions of the embodiments.

[0299] Furthermore, the functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, and each of the units may exist physically alone, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0300] All or part of the above-described embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When a software program is used to realize an embodiment, all or part of the embodiment may be embodied in the form of a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded into a computer and executed, the procedures or functions according to the embodiments of the present application are fully or partially performed. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or another programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from a website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, or digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, radio, or microwave) transmission. A computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium accessible by a computer, or a data storage device, such as a server or data center, that aggregates one or more available media. The available medium may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, or magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), semiconductor media (e.g., solid state disks (SSDs)), or the like. In embodiments of the present application, a computer may include any of the above devices.

[0301] Although the present application is described with reference to embodiments, in the process of implementing the claimed application, those skilled in the art will understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments, by studying the accompanying drawings, the disclosed content, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the words "a" or "one" do not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may perform several functions recited in the claims. Although certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims, this does not indicate that these measures cannot be combined to produce better effects.

Claims

1. 1. A method of communication comprising: a network device generating first signaling; and the network device transmitting the first signaling to a first terminal, the first signaling indicating that the first terminal will transmit a first signal to a second terminal, the first signal being used to provide a carrier or energy to the second terminal; A method comprising:

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signaling further indicates a first resource and / or a second resource; and 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first resource is used to carry the first signal and the second resource is used to carry control signaling transmitted by the first terminal to the second terminal.

3. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first signaling further indicates a duplex mode of communication between the first terminal and the second terminal and / or a transmission power of the first signal.

4. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first signaling is: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, and the reflected signal does not include information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal containing information about the second terminal; or the second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the first signal; The method further comprising at least one of:

5. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signaling includes first information, the first information identifying the second terminal.

6. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: receiving, by the network device, a reflected signal of the first signal from the second terminal; or receiving, by the network device, a second signal from the first terminal, the second signal including the first information identifying the second terminal; The method further comprises:

7. 1. A method of communication comprising: a first terminal receiving first signaling from a network device, the first signaling indicating that the first terminal is to transmit a first signal to a second terminal; the first terminal transmitting second signaling to the second terminal, the second signaling indicating a third resource; and the first terminal transmitting the first signal to the second terminal in the third resource, the first signal being used to provide a carrier or energy to the second terminal; A method comprising:

8. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second signaling includes: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, and the reflected signal does not include information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal containing information about the second terminal; or the second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the first signal; The method further comprising at least one of:

9. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein when the second signaling indicates that the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal including information about the second terminal, the method comprises: receiving, by the first terminal, a reflected signal of the first signal from the second terminal; and the first terminal determining whether to forward the reflected signal based on the signal strength of the reflected signal and / or location information of the second terminal; The method further comprises:

10. 10. The method of claim 7, wherein there is an interval of a first duration between the time domain location occupied by the second signaling and the time domain location occupied by the first signaling.

11. 11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the first signaling further indicates a first resource, the first resource being used to carry the first signal, the method comprising: the first terminal determining the third resource based on the first signaling, the third resource being all or a part of the first resource; The method further comprises:

12. 12. The method of claim 7, wherein the first signaling further indicates resources to be used to carry the second signaling.

13. 13. The method of any one of claims 7 to 12, wherein the first signaling further indicates a transmission power of the first signal.

14. 14. The method of any one of claims 7 to 13, wherein the second signaling includes first information, the first information identifying the second terminal.

15. 1. A method of communication comprising: receiving, by the second terminal, second signaling from the first terminal, the second signaling indicating a third resource; and receiving, by the second terminal, a first signal from the first terminal in the third resource, the first signal being used to provide a carrier or energy to the second terminal; A method comprising:

16. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second signaling includes: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, and the reflected signal does not include information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal containing information about the second terminal; or the second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the first signal; The method further comprising at least one of:

17. 17. The method of claim 15 or 16, wherein there is an interval of a first duration between the time domain location occupied by the second signaling and the time domain location occupied by the first signaling.

18. 18. The method of any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the second signaling includes first information, the first information identifying the second terminal.

19. 1. A method of communication comprising: the communication device generating third signaling; and the communication device transmitting the third signaling to a second terminal, the third signaling including: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, and the reflected signal does not include information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, the reflected signal including information about the second terminal; or the second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the third signal; The method,

20. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the third signaling further indicates resources used to carry the third signal.

21. 21. The method of claim 19 or 20, wherein the third signaling includes first information, the first information identifying the second terminal.

22. 22. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 21, wherein when the third signaling indicates that the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, and the reflected signal does not contain information about the second terminal, the method comprises: receiving, by the communication device, a measurement report from a first terminal, the measurement report being a signal quality of a reference signal measured by the first terminal; and determining, by the communication device, whether to transmit the third signaling based on the measurement report; The method further comprises:

23. 1. A method of communication comprising: receiving, by the second terminal, third signaling from the communication device, the third signaling including: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of a third signal, and the reflected signal does not include information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, the reflected signal including information about the second terminal; or the second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the third signal; the step of: receiving the third signal by the second terminal; A method comprising:

24. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the third signaling further indicates resources to be used to carry the third signal.

25. 25. The method of claim 23 or 24, wherein the third signaling includes first information, the first information identifying the second terminal.

26. 1. A communications device including a processing module and a transceiver module: the processing module is configured to generate first signaling; and 1. A communications device, wherein the transceiver module is configured to transmit the first signaling to a first terminal, the first signaling indicating that the first terminal is to transmit a first signal to a second terminal, the first signal being used to provide a carrier or energy to the second terminal.

27. 27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the first signaling further indicates the first resource and / or the second resource; and 11. The apparatus, wherein the first resource is used to carry the first signal and the second resource is used to carry control signaling transmitted by the first terminal to the second terminal.

28. 28. The apparatus of claim 26 or 27, wherein the first signaling further indicates a duplex mode of communication between the first terminal and the second terminal and / or a transmission power of the first signal.

29. 29. The apparatus of any one of claims 26 to 28, wherein the first signaling is the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, and the reflected signal does not include information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal containing information about the second terminal; or the second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the first signal; The apparatus further comprising at least one of:

30. 30. An apparatus according to any one of claims 26 to 29, wherein the first signaling includes first information, the first information identifying the second terminal.

31. 31. Apparatus according to any one of claims 26 to 30, the transceiver module is further configured to receive a reflected signal of the first signal from the second terminal; or The apparatus, wherein the transceiver module is further configured to receive a second signal from the first terminal, the second signal including the first information identifying the second terminal.

32. 1. A communications device including a transceiver module: the transceiver module is configured to receive first signaling from a network device, the first signaling indicating that a first terminal is to transmit a first signal to a second terminal; the transceiver module is further configured to transmit second signaling to the second terminal, the second signaling indicating a third resource; and the transceiver module is further configured to transmit the first signal to the second terminal on the third resource, the first signal being used to provide a carrier or energy to the second terminal.

33. 33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the second signaling is: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, and the reflected signal does not include information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal containing information about the second terminal; or the second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the first signal; The apparatus further comprising at least one of:

34. 34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein when the second signaling indicates that the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal including information about the second terminal: the first terminal receiving a reflected signal of the first signal from the second terminal; and The first terminal determines whether to forward the reflected signal based on the signal strength of the reflected signal and / or location information of the second terminal; The apparatus further comprises:

35. 35. An apparatus according to any one of claims 32 to 34, wherein there is an interval of a first duration between the time domain location occupied by the second signaling and the time domain location occupied by the first signaling.

36. 36. The apparatus of any one of claims 32 to 35, wherein the first signaling indicates a first resource, the first resource being used to carry the first signal, the apparatus further comprising: a processing module; and The apparatus, wherein the processing module is configured to determine the third resource based on the first signaling, the third resource being all or a portion of the first resource.

37. 37. The apparatus of any one of claims 32 to 36, wherein the first signaling further indicates resources to be used to carry the second signaling.

38. 38. The apparatus of any one of claims 32 to 37, wherein the first signaling further indicates a transmission power of the first signal.

39. 39. An apparatus according to any one of claims 32 to 38, wherein the second signaling comprises first information, the first information identifying the second terminal.

40. 1. A communications device including a transceiver module: the transceiver module is configured to receive second signaling from a first terminal, the second signaling indicating a third resource; and the transceiver module is further configured to receive a first signal from the first terminal on the third resource, the first signal being used to provide a carrier or energy to a second terminal.

41. 41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the second signaling includes: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, and the reflected signal does not include information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the first signal, the reflected signal containing information about the second terminal; or the second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the first signal; The apparatus further comprising at least one of:

42. 42. Apparatus according to claim 40 or 41, wherein there is an interval of a first duration between the time domain location occupied by the second signaling and the time domain location occupied by the first signaling.

43. 43. An apparatus according to any one of claims 40 to 42, wherein the second signaling includes first information, the first information identifying the second terminal.

44. 1. A communications device including a processing module and a transceiver module: the processing module is configured to generate third signaling; and The transceiver module is configured to transmit the third signaling to a second terminal, the third signaling including: the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, and the reflected signal does not include information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, the reflected signal including information about the second terminal; or the second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the third signal; 10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are connected to a first electrode and a second electrode.

45. 45. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the third signaling further indicates resources used to carry the third signal.

46. 46. ​​The apparatus of claim 44 or 45, wherein the third signaling includes first information, the first information identifying the second terminal.

47. 47. The apparatus according to any one of claims 44 to 46, wherein, when the third signaling indicates that the second terminal transmits a reflect signal of the third signal, and the reflect signal does not include information about the second terminal, The transceiver module is further configured to receive a measurement report from a first terminal, the measurement report being a signal quality of a reference signal measured by the first terminal; and The apparatus, wherein the processing module is further configured to determine whether to transmit the third signaling based on the measurement report.

48. 1. A communications device including a transceiver module: The transceiver module is configured to receive third signaling from a communication device, the third signaling including: a second terminal transmitting a reflected signal of a third signal, the reflected signal not including information about the second terminal; the second terminal transmits a reflected signal of the third signal, the reflected signal including information about the second terminal; or the second terminal does not transmit a reflected signal of the third signal; and The apparatus, wherein the transceiver module is further configured to receive the third signal.

49. 49. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein the third signaling further indicates resources used to carry the third signal.

50. 50. The apparatus of claim 48 or 49, wherein the third signaling includes first information, the first information identifying the second terminal.

51. 26. A communications device including a processor, the processor executing computer programs or instructions which enable the communications device to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 25.

52. 26. A computer readable storage medium storing computer instructions or a program which, when executed on a computer, performs the method of any one of claims 1 to 25.

53. 26. A computer program product comprising computer instructions, which, when executed in whole or in part on a computer, perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 25.

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