Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of communication technology and provides a communication method and a communication device for reducing the power consumption of a multi-antenna radio frequency module without affecting the module's high capacity and high experience capabilities. A specific solution involves using a radio frequency channel in a first radio frequency channel set to carry a first type of signal and a radio frequency channel in a second radio frequency channel set to carry a second type of signal, where the first radio frequency channel set and the second radio frequency channel set are different and the first type of signal and the second type of signal have different functions. The present application is used in a process of transmitting signals on radio frequency channels.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and a communication device. [Background technology]

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202211466014.3, entitled "COMMUNICATION METHOD AND COMMUNICATION APPARATUS," filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on November 22, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0003] To meet the increasing requirements for capacity and experience, multi-antenna technology is widely used. Multi-antenna technology can be understood as spatial multiplexing technology, and can use multiple ports to implement multi-stream transmission, cell-level splitting, or user-level beamforming to improve user capacity and user experience. However, with multi-antenna technology, while user capacity and user experience are improved, the power consumption of multi-antenna radio frequency (RF) modules is usually high. Summary of the Invention

[0004] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and a communication device for reducing the power consumption of a radio frequency module.

[0005] In order to achieve the above objectives, the following technical solutions are applied in the embodiments of this application.

[0006] According to a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes: using radio frequency channels in a first radio frequency channel set to carry a first-type signal; and using radio frequency channels in a second radio frequency channel set to carry a second-type signal, wherein the first radio frequency channel set and the second radio frequency channel set are different, and the first and second type signals have different functions. For example, the method may be performed by a radio frequency device / module such as a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU), or may be implemented by a module, device, or circuit used in or installable in a radio frequency device such as an RRU or AAU, or may be performed by a base station including the RRU or AAU.

[0007] In contrast to the prior art, in which the same signal is carried on all radio frequency channels in a radio frequency module, the radio frequency channels in the present application are separated based on signal type. Specifically, a radio frequency channel in a first radio frequency channel set may be used to carry a first type of signal, and a radio frequency channel in a second radio frequency channel set may be used to carry a second type of signal. However, according to the method of the first aspect, the processing of the first type of signal and the processing of the second type of signal by the communication device may not interfere with each other. For the second type of signal, if a radio frequency channel does not carry the second type of signal, the radio frequency channel may be deactivated to achieve energy conservation without affecting the transmission of the first type of signal by the radio frequency channel carrying the first type of signal, thereby improving energy conservation and reducing power consumption.

[0008] In a possible design, the first type of signal is a cell-level common signal, and the second type of signal is a user-level signal. The cell-level common signal may be understood as a basic coverage signal and includes a signal used by a terminal device to perform cell camping and access functions. The user-level signal may be understood as a capacity signal and includes user-level data information, auxiliary information, control information, etc. In this manner, in the present application, when radio frequency channels are separated based on signal type, a communication device may process the user-level signal in a different manner than it processes the cell-level common signal. As a result, the impact of processing the user-level signal by the communication device on the cell-level common signal can be reduced, and the independence of the two signals can be improved.

[0009] In a possible design, the method further includes determining a quantity of channels in the second radio frequency channel set and used to carry the second type of signal based on at least one of a load status on the network side or a signal quality level of the terminal device. The load status may reflect the service requirements of the cell. When the load status indicates that the cell load is less than or equal to a threshold, only some radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set may be activated. The signal quality level of the terminal device may reflect the interference status of the terminal device. When the signal quality level is higher than the threshold, only some radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set need to be activated. In this way, an energy saving effect is achieved based on activating some radio frequency channels.

[0010] In a possible design, in a scenario of a network where multiple standards coexist, the first type of signal includes a first type of signal in a multi-standard network. A multi-standard network can be understood as a network where long term evolution (LTE) / new radio (NR) and older standards coexist. The older standard network is, for example, a global system for mobile communications (GSM), a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), or a narrowband internet of things (NB-IOT). Since data in the older standard network is transmitted continuously, components in the radio frequency channels cannot be stopped. Considering that the radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set carry the first type of signal, i.e., a cell-level common signal, and that the radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set need to be activated for a long time, the first type of signal can be carried on the radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set. In this way, basic coverage of the cell can be guaranteed and the continuous transmission of signals in networks of older standards is not affected.

[0011] In a possible design, the method further includes using a first set of radio frequency channels to carry a first type of signal and a second type of signal in a time-division and / or frequency-division manner, where the first type of signal includes a first type of signal in a multi-standard network and the second type of signal includes a second type of signal in the multi-standard network.

[0012] When the radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set carry a cell-level common signal and the radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set do not occupy all time-domain and frequency-domain resources, the cell-level common signal is periodically sent at intervals, so that the radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set can alternatively carry the first type signal and the second type signal in a time-division and / or frequency-division manner, including the first type signal and the second type signal in a multi-standard network. In this way, resource utilization can be improved.

[0013] In a possible design, the power of analog components in radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set is greater than or equal to the power of analog components in radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set that carry signals of the second type but not the first type. For example, the analog components are power amplifiers (PAs). In this design, when the first type of signal is a cell-level common signal and the second type of signal is a user-level signal, to ensure that the basic coverage of the cell remains unchanged, the analog components in the radio frequency channels that carry the basic coverage function need to be configured with higher power than the analog components that carry the capacity function. As a result, it is considered that the power for resource elements (REs) at specific frequency locations corresponding to the common channels can be increased to ensure that the basic coverage is not affected.

[0014] In a possible design, antenna elements corresponding to the first set of radio frequency channels are individually distributed. Considering the number of channels carrying basic coverage functions, the horizontal distance between antenna arrays transmitting cell-level common signals needs to be as large as possible to maintain the focused shape of the basic coverage beam horizontally within the limited antenna array range (e.g., to form a horizontal beamwidth of approximately 65 degrees). For example, from the perspective of the overall design of the antenna installation platform, when the overall structure of the antenna installation platform remains unchanged, antenna elements corresponding to channels carrying cell-level common signals are arranged in side column positions on both horizontal sides of the antenna installation platform. This is the maximum horizontal distance that can be achieved, and a focused beam shape can also be formed.

[0015] In a possible design, a first set of radio frequency channels is coupled to a first module-level digital component set, and a second set of radio frequency channels is coupled to a second module-level digital component set, where the first and second module-level digital component sets are different. In other words, in this application, the module-level digital components in the radio frequency module can also be separated at a virtual or physical level based on basic coverage and capacity / experience functions. After the module-level digital components in the radio frequency module are also differentiated based on signal type, the functional blocks in the second module-level digital component set (e.g., common public radio interface (CPRI) or enhanced common public radio interface (eCPRI)) can also enter a suspended state for a long time when light load occurs, following the capacity channel, and do not need to be continuously activated to meet coverage requirements, thereby significantly reducing energy consumption.

[0016] In a possible design, the digital component set includes a fronthaul interface; for example, the fronthaul interface may be an interface between a building baseband unit (BBU) and an RRU.

[0017] According to a second aspect, there is provided a communication method, the method comprising the steps of: sending a first control signal, the first control signal indicating that radio frequency channels in a first set of radio frequency channels carry signals of a first type; and sending a second control signal, the second control signal indicating that radio frequency channels in the second set of radio frequency channels carry signals of a second type, wherein the first set of radio frequency channels and the second set of radio frequency channels are different and the first type of signals and the second type of signals have different functions.

[0018] The communication method of the second aspect may be implemented by a baseband processing device / module, for example, by a BBU, or by a module, device, or circuit used in or installable in a baseband processing unit such as a BBU, or by a base station including a BBU. In other words, based on the method of the first aspect implemented by a radio frequency device / module, the method steps on the radio frequency device / module side may be configured and then implemented by the baseband processing device / module. Thus, the second aspect can achieve the same beneficial effects as the first aspect. Details will not be described again here.

[0019] In a possible design, the first type of signals are cell-level common signals and the second type of signals are user-level signals.

[0020] In a possible design, before the step of sending the second control signal, the method further includes a step of determining the quantity of channels in the second radio frequency channel set and used to carry the second type of signal based on at least one of a load status on the network side or a signal quality level of the terminal device.

[0021] In a possible design, when the load status on the network side is lower and / or the signal quality level of the terminal device is higher, the number of channels used to carry the second type of signal is smaller.

[0022] In a possible design, the method further includes sending a third control signal, the third control signal indicating that the first set of radio frequency channels carries a first type of signal and a second type of signal in a time-division and / or frequency-division manner, the first type of signal including a first type of signal in a multi-standard network, and the second type of signal including a second type of signal in the multi-standard network.

[0023] In a possible design, the method further includes sending a fourth control signal, the fourth control signal indicating that the first module-level digital component set and the first radio frequency channel set carry a first type of signal, and that the second module-level digital component set and the second radio frequency channel set carry a second type of signal.

[0024] According to a third aspect, there is provided a communications device, the communications device including radio frequency channels in a first set of radio frequency channels configured to carry signals of a first type and radio frequency channels in a second set of radio frequency channels configured to carry signals of a second type, the first set of radio frequency channels being different from the second set of radio frequency channels, and the first type of signals being different in function from the second type of signals.

[0025] For the beneficial effects of the third embodiment, please refer to the description of the first embodiment.

[0026] In a possible design, the first type of signals are cell-level common signals and the second type of signals are user-level signals.

[0027] In one possible design, the communications device further includes a processor configured to determine, based on at least one of a network-side load status or a signal quality level of the terminal device, a quantity of channels in the second radio frequency channel set and used to carry a second type of signal.

[0028] In a possible design, in a scenario of a network where multiple standards coexist, the first type of signal includes a first type of signal in a multi-standard network.

[0029] In a possible design, the radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set are used to carry a first type of signal and a second type of signal in a time division and / or frequency division manner, the first type of signal including a first type of signal in a multi-standard network, and the second type of signal including a second type of signal in the multi-standard network.

[0030] In a possible design, the power of analog components in radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set is greater than or equal to the power of analog components in radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set and that carry signals of the second type but not signals of the first type.

[0031] In a possible design, the antenna elements corresponding to the first set of radio frequency channels are distributed separately.

[0032] In a possible design, a first set of radio frequency channels is coupled to a first module-level digital component set, and a second set of radio frequency channels is coupled to a second module-level digital component set, the first and second module-level digital component sets being different.

[0033] In a possible design, the digital component set includes a fronthaul interface.

[0034] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a communications device including a memory and a transceiver. The memory is configured to store data. The transceiver is configured to: send a first control signal indicating that a radio frequency channel in a first set of radio frequency channels carries a first type of signal; and send a second control signal indicating that a radio frequency channel in the second set of radio frequency channels carries a second type of signal, wherein the first and second radio frequency channel sets are different and the first and second type of signals have different functions.

[0035] In a possible design, the first type of signals are cell-level common signals and the second type of signals are user-level signals.

[0036] A possible design further includes a processor configured to determine a quantity of channels in the second radio frequency channel set and used to carry the second type of signal based on at least one of a network-side load status or a signal quality level of the terminal device.

[0037] In a possible design, when the load status on the network side is lower and / or the signal quality level of the terminal device is higher, the number of channels used to carry the second type of signal is smaller.

[0038] In a possible design, the transceiver is further configured to send a third control signal indicating that the first set of radio frequency channels carries a first type of signal and a second type of signal in a time-division and / or frequency-division manner, the first type of signal including a first type of signal in a multi-standard network, and the second type of signal including a second type of signal in the multi-standard network.

[0039] In a possible design, the transceiver is further configured to send a fourth control signal indicating that the first module-level digital component set and the first radio frequency channel set carry a first type of signal and that the second module-level digital component set and the second radio frequency channel set carry a second type of signal.

[0040] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a communication device including a sending module configured to send a first control signal indicating that radio frequency channels in a first set of radio frequency channels carry signals of a first type and to send a second control signal indicating that radio frequency channels in the second set of radio frequency channels carry signals of a second type, wherein the first set of radio frequency channels and the second set of radio frequency channels are different and the first type of signals and the second type of signals are different in function.

[0041] In a possible design, the first type of signals are cell-level common signals and the second type of signals are user-level signals.

[0042] A possible design further includes a processing module configured to determine a quantity of channels in the second radio frequency channel set and used to carry the second type of signal based on at least one of a network-side load status or a signal quality level of the terminal device.

[0043] In a possible design, when the load status on the network side is lower and / or the signal quality level of the terminal device is higher, the number of channels used to carry the second type of signal is smaller.

[0044] In a possible design, the sending module is further configured to send a third control signal, the third control signal indicating that the first set of radio frequency channels carries a first type of signal and a second type of signal in a time division and / or frequency division manner, the first type of signal including a first type of signal in a multi-standard network, and the second type of signal including a second type of signal in the multi-standard network.

[0045] In a possible design, the sending module is further configured to send a fourth control signal, the fourth control signal indicating that the first module-level digital component set and the first radio frequency channel set carry a first type of signal, and the second module-level digital component set and the second radio frequency channel set carry a second type of signal.

[0046] According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a chip coupled to a memory and configured to read and execute program instructions stored in the memory for implementing a method according to the first aspect or any one of the designs of the first aspect and / or a method according to the second aspect or any one of the designs of the second aspect.

[0047] According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a device including one or more processors and one or more memories. The one or more memories are coupled to the one or more processors. The one or more memories are configured to store computer program code, and the computer program code includes computer instructions. When the one or more processors execute the computer instructions, the computer is enabled to perform a communication method according to any one of the above aspects and possible implementations. Furthermore, the device may further include an antenna.

[0048] According to an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium containing computer instructions that, when run on a computer, enable the computer to perform a communication method according to any one of the above aspects and possible implementations.

[0049] According to a ninth aspect, there is provided a computer program product, which when run on a computer or processor, enables the computer or processor to perform a communication method according to any one of the above aspects and possible implementations.

[0050] According to a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a system. The system may include a communication device (e.g., an RRU) according to any possible implementation of the third aspect and a communication device (e.g., a BBU) according to any possible implementation of the fourth aspect. Alternatively, the system may include a communication device (e.g., an RRU) according to any possible implementation of the third aspect and a communication device (e.g., a BBU) according to any possible implementation of the fifth aspect.

[0051] A communication device according to any possible implementation of the third aspect may implement a communication method according to the first aspect and any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect, and a communication device according to the fourth aspect, the fifth aspect, or any one of the possible implementations of the fourth aspect or the fifth aspect may implement a communication method according to the second aspect and any one of the implementations of the second aspect.

[0052] It can be understood that any one of the communication devices, electronic devices, chips, computer-readable storage media, computer program products, etc. provided above can be used in the corresponding methods provided above. Therefore, for the beneficial effects that can be achieved by the communication devices, electronic devices, chips, computer-readable storage media, computer program products, etc., please refer to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods. The details will not be described again here.

[0053] These and other aspects of the present application will be more succinctly and understandably described below. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0054] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a universal hardware architecture of a base station according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a universal hardware architecture of a base station according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram of channel separation in a radio frequency module according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram of channel level separation according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6(a)] FIG. 1 is a diagram of 32T channel level separation according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6(b)] FIG. 1 is a diagram of 32T channel level separation according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6(c)] FIG. 1 is a diagram of 32T channel level separation according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram of time-frequency domain resources occupied on one subframe when LTE coexists with older standards such as GSM, UMTS, or NB-IoT, according to one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram of channel level separation of 32T radio frequency channels for multiple standards according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram of module-level digital component isolation in a radio frequency module according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a diagram of module-level digital component isolation and radio frequency channel isolation according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 11] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 12] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 13] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 14] 1 is a diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 15] 1 is a diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0055] The following describes the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, " / " means "or" unless otherwise specified. For example, A / B may represent A or B. In this specification, "and / or" only describes an association relationship for describing associated 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. Furthermore, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, "multiple" means two or more.

[0056] The terms "first" and "second" referred to below are for explanatory purposes only and should not be understood as an indication or implication of the relative importance of the indicated technical features or an implicit indication of their number. Thus, a feature qualified by "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of the embodiments, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0057] For ease of understanding, some concepts related to the embodiments of the present application are explained for reference by using examples, the details of which are as follows:

[0058] Multi-antenna technology can be understood as spatial multiplexing technology, and multiple ports can be used to implement multi-stream transmission, or further implement cell splitting or user-level beamforming to improve user capacity and user experience.

[0059] A radio frequency channel may typically be understood as a channel in a radio frequency module, such as a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU), or may be understood as a channel in another radio frequency module, which may be coupled to an antenna array via a jumper and coupled to a baseband module via an optical fiber.

[0060] An antenna array, sometimes called a phased array or antenna array, is a group of antennas that contain multiple antenna elements arranged in a specific spatial pattern, which can be excited to achieve a specific radiation pattern. These antenna elements can combine signals to achieve higher performance than a single antenna.

[0061] The cell-level common signal, sometimes called the basic coverage signal, can be carried in the basic common channel of the cell to fulfill the most basic cell camping and access function of the terminal device. The cell camping function includes receiving system messages and paging messages of the cell. The cell-level common signal in this application can be a message, a symbol, etc. carried on the channel.

[0062] For example, in a long term evolution (LTE) network, the cell-level common signals may include, but are not limited to, one or more of a cell-specific reference signal (CRS), a master information block (MIB), a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a system information block (SIB), paging, a common physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a message 2 in user access processing (MSG2), a message 4 in user access processing (MSG4), a signaling radio bearer 0 (SRB0), a physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH), etc.

[0063] For example, in a new radio (NR) network, cell-level common signals may include synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) blocks (SSBs), other system information (OSI), remaining minimum system information (RMSI), paging / common PDCCH, SRB0, MSG2, MSG4, etc.

[0064] User-level signals, sometimes referred to as capacity signals, include user-level data information, auxiliary or control messages related to the data information, etc. For example, in LTE, these may include a physical HARQ indicator channel (PHICH), where HARQ is hybrid automatic repeat request, a user PDCCH, a channel state information reference signal (CSIRS), a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), signaling radio bearer 1 (SRB1), signaling radio bearer 2 (SRB2), etc.

[0065] For example, in NR, user-level signals may include user-level CSIRS, user-level DMRS, user-level PDSCH, phase-tracking reference signals (PTRS), etc.

[0066] Pilots, also called reference signals, are used for measurement functions such as channel estimation and phase estimation. For example, pilots can be the various reference signals mentioned above. In another example, in an LTE system, pilots can be cell-specific reference signals (CRS) used for reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements for all user equipment (UE) in the cell, channel estimation and demodulation for time-frequency tracking, etc.

[0067] A multi-standard network is a network in which multiple standards coexist, for example, at least two of the following standards coexist: LTE, NR, and a lower standard. An older standard network is, for example, the global system for mobile communications (GSM), the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), or the narrowband internet of things (NB-IOT).

[0068] The channel-level analog components may be understood as analog components in a radio frequency channel in a radio frequency module, such as a PA. The radio frequency module may be in an RRU or an AAU, for example.

[0069] Channel-level digital components may be understood as digital components in a radio frequency channel in a radio frequency module, such as crest factor reduction (CFR) components, digital pre-distortion (DPD) components, or digital-to-analog converters (DACs).

[0070] The module-level digital components may include digital components in a radio frequency module that do not belong to a radio frequency channel, such as a fronthaul interface. The fronthaul interface may include, but is not limited to, a common public radio interface (CPRI), an enhanced common public radio interface (eCPRI), a fronthaul interface in an open radio access network (O-RAN, or ORAN), etc. Of course, other types of digital components may also be included. This is not limited in this application. The fronthaul interface may be understood as an interface between a building baseband unit (BBU) and an RRU or AAU. Optionally, the fronthaul interface may be implemented by using a fronthaul network.

[0071] The network architecture in the embodiment of the present application may include a network device.

[0072] The network device in the embodiment of the present application may be a device having a wireless transceiver function or a chip disposable in the device, and may be deployed in a radio access network to provide wireless communication services to terminal devices. The device may include, but is not limited to, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a NodeB (NodeB, NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home NodeB (e.g., a home evolved NodeB, or home NodeB, HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, a transmission and reception point (TRP, or transmission point, TP), etc., and may be a device or chip that can be deployed in a radio access network to provide wireless communication services to terminal devices. The control signal processing device may be a network node forming a gNB or a transmission point, such as a BBU, RRU, AAU, central unit (CU), or distributed unit (DU), or may be an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, or a network device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), configured to perform the processing of transmitting control signals in the present application.

[0073] In one example, in a communication system, a base station may be implemented by using the structure of a base station 100 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows a universal hardware architecture of a base station. The base station shown in FIG. 1 may include a BBU and an RRU. The RRU is connected to an antenna system (e.g., an antenna array in this application). The BBU and the RRU may be separate from each other for use, if necessary. The antenna system coupled to the RRU may form multiple split cells / beams in the air. One cell may include at least one beam. It should be noted that in a specific implementation process, the base station 100 may alternatively use another universal hardware architecture and is not limited to only the universal hardware architecture shown in FIG. 1.

[0074] Alternatively, the base station may be of the universal hardware architecture of the base station shown in Figure 2, e.g., an NR base station. The base station 200 shown in Figure 2 may include a BBU and an AAU. The AAU may include an RRU and an antenna system (e.g., an antenna array in this application). The antenna system in the AAU may form multiple split cells / beams in the air.

[0075] When the network device is a BBU forming a gNB, the BBU may include a central unit (CU) and distributed units (DUs). Multiple DUs may be centrally controlled by one CU. In particular, the division may be implemented based on the protocol layers of the wireless network. For example, functions of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer and protocol layers above the PDCP layer (e.g., the radio resource control (RRC) layer and / or the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer) are configured on the CU, and functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer, e.g., the radio link control (RLC) layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer, and / or the physical (PHY) layer, are configured on the DU. In another example, the CU implements functions of the RRC layer and / or the SDAP layer, and the DU implements functions of the PDCP layer, the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the PHY layer. Information in the RRC layer ultimately becomes information in the PHY layer or is converted from information in the PHY layer. Therefore, in this architecture, higher layer signaling such as RRC layer signaling or PHY layer signaling can also be considered to be sent by the DU, or by the DU and a radio unit (RU). It can be understood that the network device can be a CU node, a DU node, or a device including a CU node and a DU node.

[0076] Furthermore, the CU may be classified as a network device in an access network, or the CU may be classified as a network device in a core network, which is not limited herein.

[0077] Alternatively, when the BBU includes a CU, the CU may be divided into a control plane (central unit-Control plane, CU-CP) and a user plane (central unit-User plane, CU-UP). The CU-CP is responsible for control plane functions, mainly including the RRC protocol and the PDCP Control (PDCP-Control, PDCP-C) protocol. The PDCP-C is mainly responsible for one or more of the following: encryption and decryption, integrity protection, data transmission, etc. of control plane data. The CU-UP is responsible for user plane functions, mainly including the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) and the PDCP User (PDCP-U) protocol. The SDAP layer is mainly responsible for processing data in the core network and mapping flows to bearers. The PDCP-U is mainly responsible for one or more of the following: encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, serial number maintenance, data transmission, etc. of the data plane. The CU-CP and CU-UP are connected via an interface (e.g., an E1 interface). The CU-CP is connected to the core network via an interface (e.g., Ng interface) and to the DU via an interface (e.g., F1-C (control plane interface)). The CU-UP is connected to the DU via an interface (e.g., F1-U (user plane interface)).

[0078] In a possible technique, the base station can reduce the power consumption of the radio frequency module by symbol suspension. During idle symbol periods (e.g., symbol lengths of approximately 70 microseconds (μs)) when no information is sent, each PA in the AAU / RRU and its corresponding channel-level digital components can be suspended, thereby reducing the power consumption of the radio frequency module. When the same amount of service is required, a longer suspension time for the PA and the channel-level digital components results in better energy saving. Conversely, a shorter suspension time for the PA and the channel-level digital components results in poorer energy saving and higher power consumption. However, because the multi-antenna radio frequency module has a large number of channels and a large number of PAs and associated digital components, the power consumption of the multi-antenna radio frequency module is still high.

[0079] In another technique, the base station may instead reduce the power consumption of the radio frequency module by channel deactivation. For example, in the channel deactivation technique, some channels in the radio frequency module may be deactivated during low traffic periods based on the traffic volume in the cell, which involves deactivating the PA and digital components in the channels. However, in current base station architectures, the channel deactivation method can deactivate up to half of the channels. If more channels need to be deactivated, the PA specifications are limited. As a result, the co-channel power compensation capability is insufficient, the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) is degraded, and so on.

[0080] This application provides a communication method and a network device. The network device may separate channels in a radio frequency module into a first radio frequency channel set and a second radio frequency channel set. The radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set are used to carry a first type of signal, and the radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set are used to carry a second type of signal. The first radio frequency channel set and the second radio frequency channel set have different functions. When the first type of signal is a cell-level common signal and the second type of signal is a user-level signal, cell-level basic coverage can be ensured by using the radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set, and some radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set can be activated as needed to generate the user-level signal, while some radio frequency channels can remain deactivated. In this way, basic coverage required by a terminal device is ensured and power consumption of the radio frequency module can be reduced.

[0081] The embodiments of the present application may be applied to a time division duplex (TDD) scenario or may be applied to a frequency division duplex (FDD) scenario.

[0082] According to the network architecture of the present application, Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication method can be applied to a radio frequency module. The method includes the following steps:

[0083] 301: A network device carries a first type of signal using a radio frequency channel in a first radio frequency channel set.

[0084] An example in which the network device is an RRU is used for the purpose of explanation. The network device may be, for example, an RRU in a base station in a network shared by LTE, NR, or LTE and NR, or may be an RRU in a base station in a communication system in which newer standards such as LTE or NR coexist with older standards such as GSM or UMTS. Similarly, the network device may be an AAU or another possible radio frequency module / device. This is not limited in this application. For ease of explanation, an RRU is hereinafter used as an example for explanation. When the network device is an AAU or includes an AAU, please refer to the description of the RRU. Details will not be described.

[0085] In some embodiments, the first radio frequency channel set includes one or more radio frequency channels. The first radio frequency channel set may be a set of some radio frequency channels among the multiple channels of the radio frequency module. The first radio frequency channel set may also be referred to as a first radio frequency channel group or another name. This is not limited thereto.

[0086] In some embodiments, the first type of signal may be, for example, a cell-level common signal. For the cell-level common signal, please refer to the above description. The details will not be described again.

[0087] 302: The network device carries a second type of signal using a radio frequency channel in a second radio frequency channel set, the first radio frequency channel set and the second radio frequency channel set being different, and the first type of signal and the second type of signal having different functions.

[0088] In some embodiments, the second radio frequency channel set includes one or more radio frequency channels. The second radio frequency channel set may be all the radio frequency channels in the radio frequency module or a set of some of the radio frequency channels. The second radio frequency channel set may also be referred to as a second radio frequency channel group or another name. This is not limited thereto.

[0089] In some embodiments, if the first radio frequency channel set and the second radio frequency channel set are not exactly the same, the first radio frequency channel set and the second radio frequency channel set may be considered to be within the scope of embodiments of the present application.

[0090] When possible, there is no intersection between the first radio frequency channel set and the second radio frequency channel set, e.g., the first radio frequency channel set includes radio frequency channel 1, radio frequency channel 2, and radio frequency channel 3, and the second radio frequency channel set includes radio frequency channel 4, radio frequency channel 5, and radio frequency channel 6.

[0091] When possible, there is an intersection set between the first radio frequency channel set and the second radio frequency channel set. For example, the first radio frequency channel set includes radio frequency channel 1, radio frequency channel 2, and radio frequency channel 3, and the second radio frequency channel set includes radio frequency channel 1, radio frequency channel 5, and radio frequency channel 6. For example, the first radio frequency channel set includes radio frequency channel 1, radio frequency channel 2, and radio frequency channel 3, and the second radio frequency channel set includes radio frequency channel 1, radio frequency channel 2, radio frequency channel 3, radio frequency channel 4, radio frequency channel 5, and radio frequency channel 6. In other words, the first radio frequency channel set may be a subset or a proper subset of the second radio frequency channel set, or the first radio frequency channel set may partially intersect with the second radio frequency channel set, and the intersection set is a proper subset of the first radio frequency channel set or the second radio frequency channel set. This is not a limitation in the present application.

[0092] In some embodiments, the second type of signal may be a user-level signal, which may be understood as a capacitive signal, which includes user-level data information, auxiliary information, control information, etc.

[0093] In some embodiments, carrying a first type of signal using a radio frequency channel in a first set of radio frequency channels in step 301 may also be understood as performing transmission of a first type of signal using a radio frequency channel in the first set of radio frequency channels. Carrying a second type of signal using a radio frequency channel in a second set of radio frequency channels in step 302 may also be understood as performing transmission of a second type of signal using a radio frequency channel in the second set of radio frequency channels. Transmission herein may be sending or receiving.

[0094] Therefore, compared to the prior art where the types of signals carried on all radio frequency channels are the same, in the present application, the types of signals carried on all radio frequency channels among the multiple channels in the radio frequency module are not completely the same. For example, FIG. 4 illustrates channel separation in a radio frequency module. It is assumed that channel 1 is one of the channels in a first radio frequency channel set, and channel 1 is used to carry a first type of signal, which includes cell-level common signals. Channel 2 is used to carry a second type of signal, which includes user-level signals. Channel 2 may be used based on changes in user behavior, and channel 1 may be transmitted on fixed time-frequency domain resources for a long period of time. Alternatively, channel 3 (not shown) may also exist in the radio frequency module and carry both the first and second types of signals. It may be understood that channel 1 may be the same as or different from channel 2. When channel 1 is the same as channel 2, channel 1 may carry both the first and second types of signals. When channel 1 and channel 2 are different, the types of signals carried on the two channels are also different.

[0095] In some embodiments, the second type of signal may further include a user group level signal.

[0096] For example, FIG. 5 is a diagram of channel-level separation. A radio frequency module in an RRU includes a module-level digital component, a first radio frequency channel set, and a second radio frequency channel set. When the radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set and the second radio frequency channel set carry signals, beams can be formed using an antenna array. When the first type of signal is a cell-level common signal and the second type of signal is a user-level signal, the first radio frequency channel set can remain activated, and basic coverage beam 5 can be formed using several antenna elements in the antenna array. When the second radio frequency channel set includes all radio frequency channels in the radio frequency module and all radio frequency channels are activated, multiple capacity beams can be formed using all antenna elements in the antenna array. For example, the multiple capacity beams include capacity beams 1 to 4. When several radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set are activated, several capacity beams, e.g., capacity beam 1, among capacity beams 1 to 4 can be formed using several antenna elements in the antenna array.

[0097] In some embodiments, the method may further include: the network device determines, based on at least one of a network-side load status or a signal quality level of the terminal device, a number of channels in the second radio frequency channel set that are used to carry the second type of signal. The network device herein may be a BBU in a base station. When determining the number of channels in the second radio frequency channel set that are used to carry the second type of signal, the BBU may control the RRU to carry the second type of signal on the radio frequency channel corresponding to the number of channels. For example, see the description of step 113 below for the method herein.

[0098] For example, when the load status on the network side is lower and / or the signal quality level of the terminal device is higher, the number of channels in the second radio frequency channel set and used to carry the second type of signal will be smaller, in other words, the number of deactivated channels in the second radio frequency channel set will be larger.

[0099] Specifically, since the beamforming effect depends on the number of participating radio frequency channels, a larger number of activated radio frequency channels typically results in narrower beams obtained by beamforming and better anti-interference effects, including reduced interference to neighboring cells. For example, when the second radio frequency channel set is a set of all radio frequency channels in the radio frequency module, the second type of signal carried on all radio frequency channels may form beams 1 to 4 in FIG. 5. However, in a light load scenario, the service volume is low. In this case, only a small number of channels may be used to form wide beams. For example, to reduce the power consumption of the radio frequency module, radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set other than the radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set may remain inactive, or some radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set other than the radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set may remain inactive.

[0100] The load status may be an instantaneous load status. For example, for the load status on the BBU side of an LTE or NR base station, the load status may be determined based on at least one of an uplink service load, a downlink service load, a buffered data volume, a number of accessed users, etc. The load status may also be reflected based on another parameter, which is not limited in this application. The load status may reflect the service requirements of the cells in the base station, or the service requirements may be understood to be directly proportional to the load status.

[0101] The signal quality level of the terminal device may be determined based on a signal to interference noise ratio (SINR), a channel quality indicator (CQI), etc. Of course, the signal quality level may also be reflected based on another parameter, which is not limited in this application. The signal quality level of the terminal device reflects the level of interference to which the terminal device is exposed. A higher signal quality level of the terminal device indicates a lower level of interference to which the terminal device is exposed.

[0102] The network device may periodically determine the number of channels in the second radio frequency channel set to be used to carry the second type of signal based on at least one of the network load status or the terminal device signal quality level. For example, the periodicity may be at the symbol level, subframe level, frame level, millisecond level, second level, or minute level. This is not limited. For example, when the network load is less than or equal to a first preset threshold or the terminal device signal quality level is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold, a wide beam may be formed by using some channels in the second radio frequency channel set. In this way, service requirements are met and energy savings are achieved. Of course, the wide beam is in contrast to a narrow beam formed by using all radio frequency channels. For example, the quality level of the second type of signal may depend on the signal-to-noise ratio, frequency domain resources, bandwidth resources, spatial division orthogonality (e.g., the number of rank streams) of the signal, etc. This is not limited in the present application.

[0103] For example, Figures 6(a) to 6(c) are diagrams of 32T channel-level separation. As shown in Figures 6(a) to 6(c), a radio frequency module in an RRU includes a module-level digital component and 32 radio frequency channels. Each radio frequency channel includes a channel-level digital component (e.g., Component 1, Component 2, ..., or Component 32) and an analog component PA (e.g., PA1, PA2, ..., or PA32).

[0104] When the antenna array includes a total of 128 antenna elements, each radio frequency channel may correspond to four antenna elements, and the first radio frequency channel set includes a total of eight radio frequency channels, i.e., radio frequency channels 1 to 8, for carrying a first type of signal, basic coverage beam 5 may be formed by using 32 antenna elements (e.g., antenna elements in side rows) in the antenna array. Basic coverage beam 5 may be continuously activated and used 24 hours a day to ensure camping and access for the most basic terminal devices in the RRU cell. The second radio frequency channel set includes all radio frequency channels 1 to 32, for a total of 32 radio frequency channels. Figure 6(a) shows that when all 32 radio frequency channels are activated, the second type of signal carried on the 32 radio frequency channels may form capacity beams 1 to 4 by using 128 antenna elements in the antenna array. However, capacity beams 1 to 4 may not be used continuously all day. The BBU side indicates that the RRU activates radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set as needed based on at least one of the load status and the signal quality level of the terminal device. Figure 6(b) is a diagram of activating some channels in the second radio frequency channel set to carry user-level signals. When the load on the network side is less than or equal to a first preset threshold or the signal quality level of the terminal device is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold, the BBU may indicate that the RRU activates radio frequency channels 1 to 16 in the second radio frequency channel set to carry a second type of signal, and radio frequency channels 17 to 32 may remain inactive. In this case, the RRU may form a wide capacity beam 1 using 64 antennas corresponding to radio frequency channels 1 to 16 to meet service requirements.After a terminal device in the coverage area of ​​capacity beam 1 ends service, if other terminal devices have no service requirements, i.e., when the load of capacity beam 1 is 0, radio frequency channels 1 to 8 that ensure basic coverage are controlled to be activated, the BBU may indicate that the RRU configures radio frequency channels 9 to 32 to be in a stopped state for a long time, so as to significantly reduce the power consumption of the radio frequency module.

[0105] Optionally, in both Figures 6(a) and 6(b), an example is used for explanation in which the second radio frequency channel set is a set of all radio frequency channels in a radio frequency module having 32 radio frequency channels. As described above, the second radio frequency channel set may include one or more radio frequency channels, i.e., the number of the second radio frequency channel set may be less than 32. Figure 6(c) shows that in a radio frequency module having 32 radio frequency channels, the first radio frequency channel set includes radio frequency channels 1 to 8, where radio frequency channels 1 to 8 carry a first type of signal, and the second radio frequency channel set includes radio frequency channels 5 to 32, where radio frequency channels 5 to 32 carry a second type of signal. In other words, the first radio frequency channel set partially intersects with the second radio frequency channel set. Specifically, the intersection set between the first radio frequency channel set and the second radio frequency channel set is a proper subset of either the first radio frequency channel set or the second radio frequency channel set. Of course, the union of the first radio frequency channel set and the second radio frequency channel set may be less than the quantity of all radio frequency channel sets in the network device. This is not limited in the present application. In FIG. 6(c), an example in which the union of the first radio frequency channel set and the second radio frequency channel set is equal to the quantity of all radio frequency channel sets in the network device is used for explanation. When the antenna array includes a total of 128 antenna elements and each radio frequency channel can correspond to four antenna elements, basic coverage beam 5 can be formed by using 32 antenna elements (e.g., antenna elements in side row positions) in the antenna array corresponding to radio frequency channels 1 to 8. Radio frequency channels 5 to 32 can be activated as needed.For example, when the load on the network side is high or the signal quality level of the terminal device is insufficient, the BBU may indicate that the RRU activates all of radio frequency channels 5 to 32 to carry a second type of signal, and the second type of signal carried on the 28 radio frequency channels may form multiple capacity beams (e.g., capacity beams 1 to 4 in the above description) by using 112 antenna elements in the antenna array. When the load on the network side is less than or equal to a first preset threshold or the signal quality level of the terminal device is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold, the BBU may indicate that the RRU activates radio frequency channels 5 to 28 and keeps radio frequency channels 29 to 32 in a deactivated state. In this case, the RRU may form wide capacity beam 1 and narrow capacity beam 2 using 96 antennas corresponding to radio frequency channels 5 to 28 to meet service requirements. It should be understood that any threshold in this application may be set based on actual requirements or set to a factory setting, which is not limited in this application. Furthermore, the first radio frequency channel set may include channels 1 to 8, and the second radio frequency channel set may include channels 9 to 32, or the second radio frequency channel set may include a portion of channels 9 to 32. In this case, there is no crossover set between the first radio frequency channel set and the second radio frequency channel set. This is also applicable to the communication device and method described in the present application. Details will not be described.

[0106] In some embodiments, in a network scenario where multiple standards coexist, the first type of signal includes a first type of signal in a multi-standard network. Furthermore, the first set of radio frequency channels carrying the first type of signal may also be used to carry a second type of signal of some standards in the multi-standard network. It may be understood that the multi-standard network may be a network that supports any two standards. For example, the multi-standard network may support the NR standard and the LTE standard, or the LTE standard and the UMTS standard. In other words, the multi-standard network may support multiple newer standards, or may support a newer standard and an older standard. This is not a limitation of the present application.

[0107] For example, in a terminal device using the NR standard, the terminal device performs channel estimation and demodulation by using user-level pilots, which are user-level signals. Therefore, the radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set and used to carry the user-level pilots can be any number of radio frequency channels activated as needed. For example, the second radio frequency channel set includes all radio frequency channels in the radio frequency module. However, in a terminal device using an older standard such as UMTS, the terminal device performs channel estimation and demodulation by using cell-level common pilots, which are cell-level common signals. The radio frequency channels carrying the user-level signals must be the same as the radio frequency channels carrying the cell-level common pilots. Therefore, the second radio frequency channel set can form the same beam shape using the same channels as the first radio frequency channel set. For example, the radio frequency module shown in Figures 6(a) to 6(c) can use radio frequency channels 1 to 8 as the first radio frequency channel set and the second radio frequency channel set. In other words, when a communication system includes both communication modes of an older standard and a newer standard, i.e., in a network where multiple standards coexist, the second type of signal and the second type of signal corresponding to the older standard share radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set. The first type of signal corresponding to the higher standard is carried using radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set, and the second type of signal corresponding to the higher standard is carried using radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set. For example, there is no intersection set between the first radio frequency channel set and the radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set that are used to carry the second type of signal corresponding to the newer standard.

[0108] Furthermore, for example, when a terminal device communicates by using transmission mode (TM) 7 / TM8 / TM9 / TM10 in LTE or a higher transmission mode, refer to the descriptions of cell-level and user-level signals in the newer standards for the cell-level and user-level signals in these transmission modes. When a terminal device communicates by using a transmission mode such as TM1, TM2, TM3, TM4, or TM5 in LTE for the cell-level and user-level signals in these transmission modes, refer to the descriptions of cell-level and user-level signals in the older standards for the cell-level and user-level signals in these transmission modes. In other words, the different standards may alternatively support different transmission modes. When the transmission modes are different, any transmission mode or standard is applicable to the methods and architectures shown in the present application, provided that the user-level and cell-level signals in the transmission mode or standard support separate and independent use of different types of channels for carrying signals.

[0109] For example, a multi-standard network supports newer standards such as LTE and / or NR and any one or more older standards such as GSM, UMTS, and NB-IoT. In current base station architectures, data for older standards such as GSM, UMTS, or NB-IoT must be transmitted continuously, requiring all digital components and PAs in the radio frequency channel to operate continuously. The symbol suspension technique of LTE and NR cannot be effective, requiring all digital components and PAs in the channel to operate continuously. For example, FIG. 7 is a diagram of the time-frequency domain resources occupied in one subframe (e.g., 1 ms, 14 symbols, and 12 subcarriers) when LTE coexists with older standards such as GSM, UMTS, or NB-IoT in current base station architectures. It can be seen that one subframe may include pilot symbols (R0 and R1) and blank symbols. The symbol suspension technique can be understood as follows: In the pilot symbol period of LTE and NR, the PA and its corresponding channel-level digital components may be activated. During blank symbol periods, the PA and the channel-level digital components corresponding to the PA can be deactivated to achieve energy-saving benefits. However, in networks where LTE or NR coexists with older standards such as GSM, UMTS, or NB-IoT, all symbols in one subframe can be used to carry signals of the older standard, such as GSM, UMTS, or NB-IoT. Symbol deactivation techniques cannot be used to deactivate the PA and the channel-level digital components, resulting in high power consumption of the radio frequency module.

[0110] In a communication system where newer and older standards coexist, the communication mode of the older standard cannot use symbol stopping techniques. Furthermore, because channel stopping can also be considered symbol stopping, radio frequency channels carrying the older standard must be continuously activated and cannot implement channel stopping. However, when radio frequency channels in a first radio frequency channel set in this application are continuously activatable, radio frequency channels carrying older standards such as GSM, UMTS, or NB-IoT can be mapped to radio frequency channels in the continuously activated first radio frequency channel set in this application. For example, when LTE or NR coexists with an older standard such as GSM, UMTS, or NB-IoT, the first type of signal carried on the radio frequency channel in the first radio frequency channel set may include a first type of signal of LTE or NR and may further include a first type of signal of the older standard such as GSM, UMTS, or NB-IoT. In this way, the number of activated channels in the second radio frequency channel set can be determined based on factors such as the load status of the network side in the communication mode of the newer standard and the signal quality level of the terminal device, which can avoid the case where channel components in the network of the older standard cannot be deactivated, increase the rate of deactivating radio frequency channels, and reduce the power consumption of the radio frequency module.

[0111] 8 is a diagram of channel-level separation of 32T radio frequency channels for multiple standards. Radio frequency channels 1 through 8 in a first radio frequency channel set may carry cell-level common signals, and basic coverage beam 5 is formed by using antennas corresponding to radio frequency channels 1 through 8 (e.g., 32 antennas occupying side rows). When radio frequency channels 1 through 8 in the first radio frequency channel set are also used to carry user-level signals of an older standard, such as GSM, UMTS, or NB-IoT, beams corresponding to the older standard, e.g., beams 6, 7, and 8, are formed by using antennas corresponding to radio frequency channels 1 through 8. When all radio frequency channels 1 through 32 in a second radio frequency channel set are activated, user-level signals of the LTE or NR standard carried on the radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set may form capacity beams 1 through 4 by using all 128 antennas in the antenna array.

[0112] 8, in a multi-standard network, beams 1 through 4 may still be formed as needed, similar to a scenario with only LTE or NR. Specifically, in a multi-standard light load scenario, if only wide beam 1 needs to be activated to meet service requirements, only half of the radio frequency channels in radio frequency channels 1 through 32 (radio frequency channels 1 through 16) may be activated to form beam 1, and radio frequency channels 17 through 32 may remain idle.

[0113] In some embodiments, a network device may use a first set of radio frequency channels to carry a first type of signal and a second type of signal in a time-division and / or frequency-division manner. The first type of signal includes a first type of signal of any one or more standards in a multi-standard network, and the second type of signal includes a second type of signal of a newer standard in the multi-standard network. The network device may be, for example, an AAU or an RRU. The second set of radio frequency channels may also carry the second type of signal in a time-division and / or frequency-division manner. This is not limited in the present application. It should be understood that as communication system standards evolve, a first type of signal in any communication standard that supports time division and / or frequency division is applicable to the method in the present application, and a second type of signal is similar.

[0114] For example, when the first type signal is a cell-level common signal, the cell-level common signal is sent periodically at intervals. For example, in one subframe shown in Figure 7, pilot symbols do not occupy all the time-domain and frequency-domain resources of the subframe, and there are also blank symbols. Therefore, in this embodiment of the present application, the first radio frequency channel set carrying the first type signal may also carry the second type signal in a time-division and / or frequency-division manner.

[0115] In particular, when some activated radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set include the first radio frequency channel set, or when some activated radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set include some radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set, the first radio frequency channel set may carry a first type of signal on time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources (e.g., pilot symbols) used to send the first type of signal and may carry a second type of signal on time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources that are not used to send the first type of signal and are in radio frequency channels among the activated radio frequency channels included in the second radio frequency channel set. For example, the second type of signal may be carried on blank symbols.

[0116] Of course, in a multi-standard network, when a first set of radio frequency channels in an RRU is used to carry a first type of signal and a second type of signal in a time-division and / or frequency-division manner, the first type of signal may include a first type of signal in the multi-standard network, and the second type of signal may include a second type of signal in the multi-standard network.

[0117] In some embodiments, the power of analog components in radio frequency channels in the first set of radio frequency channels is greater than or equal to the power of analog components in radio frequency channels in the second set of radio frequency channels and that carry signals of the second type but not signals of the first type.

[0118] This is because a cell-level common signal used for basic coverage, such as CRS or SSB, occupies a specific resource element (RE) in the time-frequency domain and does not use a very large portion of time or frequency resources for the data portion (e.g., PDSCH) carrying a user-level signal. One RE may correspondingly occupy one subcarrier in the frequency domain and one symbol period in the time domain. Therefore, to achieve the following effect, in detail, in the base station architecture in the present application, when a first type of signal is a cell-level common signal, in a possible scenario, even if the number of radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set and carrying the first type of signal is smaller than the number of radio frequency channels in the current base station architecture, i.e., even if only a small number of radio frequency channels are occupied, the basic coverage capability in the base station architecture in the present application can still be guaranteed to be no weaker than the basic coverage capability in the current base station architecture. For example, in the present application, for a first set of radio frequency channels, the power of analog components in radio frequency channels in the first set of radio frequency channels is greater than or equal to the power of analog components in radio frequency channels in a second set of radio frequency channels and that carry signals of the second type but not signals of the first type.

[0119] For example, the total power of the PAs in a first set of radio frequency channels carrying signals of a first type is twice the total power of the PAs in radio frequency channels in a second set of radio frequency channels carrying only signals of a second type. The channel-level isolation status of a 32T radio frequency module shown in FIG. 8 is used as an example. When radio frequency channels 1 to 8 are used to carry cell-level common signals, the power of the PAs in each radio frequency channel can be configured to 20 watts. When radio frequency channels 9 to 32 are used to carry only user-level signals, the power of the PAs in each radio frequency channel can be configured to 10 watts.

[0120] In some embodiments, the power spectral density is an important factor for determining the coverage capability of the cell-level common signal. Therefore, for the analog components in the first radio frequency channel set and carrying the cell-level common signal, the power intensity (power spectral density) of the cell-level common signal can be improved as much as possible by using a power aggregation method when the total power of the network devices is limited, in order to achieve a good coverage effect.

[0121] Therefore, in this embodiment of the present application, power aggregation may be further performed on analog components (e.g., PAs) in the first radio frequency channel set to carry cell-level common signals on the radio frequency channel based on the power obtained by power aggregation. Power aggregation means that a higher power spectral density is configured on some specific frequency domain resources while the overall bandwidth power of the network device remains unchanged. For example, assume that the total power of the entire bandwidth of the RRU is 0.2 watts. Before power aggregation, in the basic power configuration, the entire bandwidth occupies 12 REs in the frequency domain, the bandwidth is 180 kHz, and the power spectral density of each PA in the radio frequency module is 1 ×

[10] ^(-3) watts / kHz. After power aggregation is performed, the total power of the entire bandwidth is still 0.2 watts, the first radio frequency channel set may occupy 4 REs in the frequency domain, the bandwidth is 60 kHz, and the power spectral density of each PA is 3 ×

[10] ^(-3) watts / kHz.

[0122] Thus, for example, for a cell-level common signal, i.e., CRS or SSB, the core factor for determining the coverage capability of a CRS- or SSB-like signal is the power intensity, i.e., power spectral density, on the RE corresponding to the CRS- or SSB-like signal. A higher power spectral density indicates a better coverage effect of the CRS- or SSB-like signal.

[0123] Therefore, in this embodiment of the present application, to ensure that the basic coverage of cell-level common signals remains unchanged, the analog components carrying the basic coverage function may be configured with higher power or support higher power aggregation capability than the analog components carrying user-level signals, i.e., the analog components carrying capacity functions, so that the power of REs in specific frequency domain locations corresponding to common channels can be increased to ensure that the basic coverage is not affected for existing base station architectures. Compared with the conventional technology in which the downlink transmit power capabilities of PAs in all radio frequency channels are equal, in the present application, the downlink transmit power of PAs in a first radio frequency channel set is higher than the power of PAs in radio frequency channels in a second radio frequency channel set that carry signals of the second type but not signals of the first type.

[0124] The above embodiment can be understood as implementing channel-level isolation for radio frequency channels in a radio frequency module. In an embodiment of the present application, virtual or physical isolation can also be implemented for module-level digital components in a radio frequency module.

[0125] 9 is a diagram of module-level digital component separation in a radio frequency module. For example, the module-level digital components include module-level digital component 1 and module-level digital component 2. Module-level digital component 1 is configured to carry a first type of signal, e.g., a cell-level common signal, and module-level digital component 2 is configured to carry a second type of signal, e.g., a user-level signal. Of course, there may also be a module-level digital component 3 (not shown) configured to carry both the first type of signal and the second type of signal.

[0126] 10 is a diagram of module-level digital component isolation and radio frequency channel isolation, where a first set of radio frequency channels is coupled to a first module-level digital component set and a second set of radio frequency channels is coupled to a second module-level digital component set, and the first and second module-level digital component sets are distinct.

[0127] In this manner, see Figure 10. The analog and digital components in both the first module-level digital component set and the first radio frequency channel set may carry cell-level common signals, and basic coverage beam 5 is formed by using several antennas in the antenna array. The analog and digital components in both the second module-level digital component set and the second radio frequency channel set may carry user-level signals, and several second module-level digital components in the second module-level digital component set coupled to the second radio frequency channel set may be deactivated as needed to form at least one capacity beam among capacity beams 1 to 4 by using several antennas in the antenna array.

[0128] In other words, when a second module-level digital component set is coupled to a second radio frequency channel set, the module-level digital components coupled to the disabled radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set may also enter an off state when the load is light, further reducing the power consumption of the radio frequency module.

[0129] In some embodiments, the digital component set in the present application may include a fronthaul interface. For example, the fronthaul interface is an interface between a BBU and an RRU or an interface between a BBU and an AAU. In other words, the fronthaul interface may be a CPRI interface or an eCPRI interface.

[0130] In some embodiments, the antenna elements corresponding to the first set of radio frequency channels are individually distributed.

[0131] For example, antenna elements corresponding to a first set of radio frequency channels carrying a first type of signal may be configured in side row positions on both horizontal sides of the antenna elements. See, for example, Figures 6(a) to 6(c) or 8 in the present application. Antenna elements corresponding to radio frequency channels 1 to 4 included in the first set of radio frequency channels occupy 16 antenna elements in the side row positions on one side, and antenna elements corresponding to radio frequency channels 5 to 8 occupy 16 antenna elements in the side row positions on the other side.

[0132] This is because, if antenna elements transmitting the same signal need to form beams that are as converged as possible, the horizontal spacing between these antenna elements needs to be long. However, in this embodiment of the present application, the number of radio frequency channels carrying cell-level common signals is reduced. Therefore, in order to still maintain the converged shape of the basic coverage beam in the horizontal direction within the range of the antenna array of the limited antenna installation platform, for example, to form a beam with a horizontal beamwidth of 65°, the horizontal distance between antenna elements transmitting cell-level common signals needs to be greater than or equal to a certain threshold.

[0133] In this application, when the overall structure of the antenna installation platform remains unchanged, the antenna elements corresponding to the channels carrying the cell-level common signal can be configured in the side row positions on both horizontal sides of the antenna installation platform, and thus a focused beam shape can be formed in this way.

[0134] For example, if the antenna elements transmitting the cell-level common signal are located in the side rows of the antenna installation platform, the basic coverage beam formed by the cell-level common signal using the antenna elements in the side rows may have a 3 dB beamwidth of approximately 65° in the horizontal direction. If the antenna elements transmitting the cell-level common signal are located in the center row of the antenna installation platform, the basic coverage beam formed by the cell-level common signal using the antenna elements in the center row may have a 3 dB beamwidth of approximately 100° in the horizontal direction. In this way, if the antenna elements corresponding to the radio frequency channel transmitting the cell-level common signal are configured in the center row of the antenna installation platform, the basic coverage beam will be wide. As a result, strong interference may be caused to neighboring cells, resulting in reduced network performance.

[0135] Although the above embodiment is described by using an example in which the antenna elements corresponding to the first radio frequency channel set are located at the side row positions of the antenna installation platform, it should be understood that if the distance between the positions of the antenna elements corresponding to the first radio frequency channel set is greater than or equal to a certain threshold, the antenna elements corresponding to the first radio frequency channel set may not be located at the side row positions of the antenna installation platform.

[0136] In some embodiments, if there is a radio frequency channel between two radio frequency channels and not included in the first radio frequency channel set, there are at least two radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set. In other words, the antenna elements corresponding to the two radio frequency channels may have multiple possible positions. This is not limited in the present application to cases where the two radio frequency channels are not adjacent.

[0137] Therefore, in this embodiment of the present application, the radio frequency channels in the radio frequency module are separated based on the type of signal carried, resulting in different radio frequency channel sets carrying different types of signals. Compared to the prior art, in which all radio frequency channels carry the same type of signal, in this application, when a first radio frequency channel set carries a first type of signal and a second radio frequency channel set carries a second type of signal, for example, when the first type of signal is a cell-level common signal, this type of signal is a deterministic signal that needs to be sent at a fixed instant to meet basic service requirements and is independent of the number of user-level signals transmitted. Therefore, to meet basic coverage, the radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set can remain activated, the radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set can be activated as needed, and some radio frequency channels can remain deactivated. In this way, when multiple channels are separated based on the type of signal, the power consumption of the radio frequency module can be reduced. For example, user-level signals may vary with traffic requirements, being transmitted less frequently in light-load time periods and more frequently in heavy-load time periods. In this case, when traffic is light, some channels carrying user-level signals may be shut down to reduce power consumption. Furthermore, cell-level common signals are sent periodically at intervals and do not necessarily occupy all time-domain and frequency-domain resources. Therefore, user-level signals or capacity (experience) signals may also be sent on channels carrying cell-level common signals.

[0138] The network device in FIG. 3 is a radio frequency module / apparatus. An RRU or AAU is used as an example for explanation. A first set of radio frequency channels carrying a first type of signal on the RRU or AAU side and a second set of radio frequency channels carrying a second type of signal on the RRU or AAU side may be configured by a baseband processing unit, for example, a BBU side. The baseband processing unit may also be referred to as a baseband processing device / module, or may be understood as a module, device, or circuit used in or installable in a baseband processing unit such as a BBU, or may be a base station including a BBU. The above description is applicable to any embodiment of the present application, and the details will not be described again. Therefore, based on the above embodiment, FIG. 11 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to one embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps.

[0139] 111: A network device sends a first control signal, where the first control signal indicates that a radio frequency channel in a first radio frequency channel set carries a first type of signal.

[0140] It can be understood that when the network device in the embodiment corresponding to Figure 11 is a BBU, the BBU sends a first control signal to the RRU. Correspondingly, the RRU receives the first control signal sent by the BBU. The following uses the BBU as an example for explanation.

[0141] For example, in an LTE or NR network, the BBU may send a first control signal to the RRU to indicate that the RRU is to use a radio frequency channel in a first radio frequency channel set to carry a first type of signal used for basic coverage in the LTE or NR network.

[0142] For example, the first control signal may include a channel identifier of a radio frequency channel in a first set of radio frequency channels and may further include a signal type indication for the first type of signal (see the description in step 904 for an example of the first set of radio frequency channels).

[0143] Step 301 may be performed after step 111.

[0144] 112: The network device determines a quantity of channels in a second radio frequency channel set and used to carry a second type of signal based on at least one of a load status on the network side or a signal quality level of the terminal device.

[0145] For the implementation of step 112, please refer to the exemplary description in the above embodiment.

[0146] 113: The network device sends a second control signal, where the second control signal indicates that a radio frequency channel in the second radio frequency channel set carries a second type of signal.

[0147] For example, the BBU sends a second control signal to the RRU, and correspondingly, the RRU receives the second control signal sent by the BBU.

[0148] Like the first control signal, the second control signal includes a channel identifier of a radio frequency channel in the second set of radio frequency channels and may further include a signal type indication for the second type of signal.

[0149] For a specific implementation in the embodiment corresponding to FIG. 11, please refer to the above description of the embodiment corresponding to FIG.

[0150] Step 302 may be performed after step 113 .

[0151] Therefore, when the BBU implements a channel separation configuration for the RRU, the RRU may use a radio frequency channel in a first radio frequency channel set to carry a first type of signal and a radio frequency channel in a second radio frequency channel set to carry a second type of signal. When the first type of signal is a cell-level common signal, basic camping and access of terminal devices in the cell can be guaranteed. When the second type of signal is a user-level signal, some radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set can be activated as needed, and some radio frequency channels remain deactivated, to reduce power consumption of the radio frequency module.

[0152] In some embodiments, corresponding to the above embodiments, the RRU or AAU radio frequency module / device may use a first radio frequency channel set to carry the first type signal and the second type signal in a time division and / or frequency division manner, which may be configured by the baseband processing unit. Figure 12 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. For example, the network device includes a BBU and an RRU. The method may further include the following steps:

[0153] 121: The BBU sends a third control signal, where the third control signal indicates that the first set of radio frequency channels carries the first type of signal and the second type of signal in a time division and / or frequency division manner.

[0154] Correspondingly, the RRU receives a third control signal.

[0155] 122: The RRU uses a first set of radio frequency channels to carry the first type of signal and the second type of signal in a time-division and / or frequency-division manner.

[0156] In some embodiments, in a first radio frequency channel set, some radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set may alternatively carry a first type of signal and a second type of signal in a multi-standard network in a time-division and / or frequency-division manner.

[0157] For a specific implementation of step 122, please refer to the specific description in step 302 in the above embodiment, in which the RRU uses a first radio frequency channel set to carry the first type signal and the second type signal in a time-division and / or frequency-division manner.

[0158] In some embodiments, corresponding to the above embodiments, the RRU may use a first module-level digital component set and a first radio frequency channel set to carry a first type of signal, and a second module-level digital component set and a second radio frequency channel set to carry a second type of signal may be configured by the BBU. Figure 13 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. For example, a network device includes a BBU and an RRU. The method may further include the following steps:

[0159] 131: The BBU sends a fourth control signal, where the fourth control signal indicates that the first module-level digital component set and the first radio frequency channel set carry a first type of signal, and the second module-level digital component set and the second radio frequency channel set carry a second type of signal.

[0160] Correspondingly, the RRU receives a fourth control signal.

[0161] A first set of radio frequency channels is coupled to a first module-level digital component set, and a second set of radio frequency channels is coupled to a second module-level digital component set, the first module-level digital component set and the second module-level digital component set being different.

[0162] 132: The RRU uses digital components in the first module-level digital component set and radio frequency channels in the first radio frequency channel set to carry a first type of signal, and uses digital components in the second module-level digital component set and radio frequency channels in the second radio frequency channel set to carry a second type of signal.

[0163] For a specific implementation of step 132, please refer to the specific description in step 302 in the above embodiment, in which the RRU uses digital components in a first module-level digital component set and radio frequency channels in a first radio frequency channel set to carry a first type of signal, and uses digital components in a second module-level digital component set and radio frequency channels in a second radio frequency channel set to carry a second type of signal.

[0164] Furthermore, in this embodiment of the present application, an example in which the first radio frequency channel set and the second radio frequency channel set have partially overlapping radio frequency channels is used for explanation. However, in some scenarios, the first radio frequency channel set and the second radio frequency channel set may not overlap at all. For example, in the 32T radio frequency module in the above embodiment, radio frequency channels 1 to 8 may be the first radio frequency channel set, and radio frequency channels 9 to 32 are the second radio frequency channel set. In some other scenarios, when module-level digital components are also separated from the radio frequency channels, the first module-level digital component set and the second module-level digital component set may also not overlap at all.

[0165] In conclusion, because the present application separates cell-level common signals from user-level signals, while ensuring that the radio frequency channels carrying cell-level common signals are activated throughout the day, some of the radio frequency channels carrying user-level signals can be adaptively deactivated. In this way, from the perspective of 24-hour service delivery, most radio frequency channels, including digital and analog components, are deactivated during light-load or idle time periods. This significantly increases the deactivation period of radio frequency channels, improving energy conservation. In other words, in the case of capacity beams, the capacity beams can be quickly activated and used as needed based on changes in service volume or interference, and the capacity beams can be wide or narrow. The capacity beams in this base station architecture in the present application are equivalent to capacity beams in conventional base station architectures, and high capacity and high-experience capabilities are not lost, resulting in no loss of user experience.

[0166] In this application, when older standard signals are transmitted on radio frequency channels carrying cell-level common signals, the transmission of the older standard signals is not affected, and some radio frequency channels carrying user-level signals may be adaptively selected to be stopped.

[0167] In the present application, when module-level digital components are separated based on cell-level common signals and user-level signals, similar to radio frequency channel separation, when basic coverage capability is guaranteed, some of the module-level digital components carrying user-level signals can be adaptively shut down to achieve energy saving effects.

[0168] In the present application, when a higher power is configured for the PA in the radio frequency channel carrying the cell-level common signal and the antenna elements corresponding to the channel carrying the cell-level common signal are located in a horizontal side row position of the antenna installation platform, the basic coverage capability in the base station architecture in the present application is equivalent to that in the existing base station architecture through power and aggregation capability improvements, side row deployment, etc., and the stability of basic key performance indicators (KPIs) can be ensured.

[0169] Furthermore, the base station architecture provided in the present application can effectively control the use of radio frequency resources when adaptively and quickly responding based on load, signal quality level, etc. to perform adaptive adjustments, and no complex manual intervention or processing is required, reducing deployment costs.

[0170] The above describes in detail a communication method in an embodiment of the present application with reference to Figures 3 to 13. The following describes in detail a communication device in an embodiment of the present application, for example, a network device or a device (e.g., a processor, a circuit, or a chip) used in a network device, with reference to Figures 14 to 15.

[0171] FIG. 14 is a diagram of the structure of a communication device according to one embodiment of the present application, which may be, for example, a diagram of the structure of a base station. As shown in FIG. 14, the base station may include one or more radio frequency modules shown in FIGS. 4 to 6(a) to 6(c) and 8 to 10 to implement the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The base station 140 may include one or more DUs 1401, one or more CUs 1402, and an antenna array 1403. The CU 1402 may communicate with a next-generation core (NG core, NC) network. The DU 1401 may include at least one radio frequency unit 14012, at least one processor 14013, and at least one memory 14014. The DU 1401 is mainly configured to receive and send radio frequency signals, convert radio frequency signals and baseband signals, and perform some baseband processing. The CU 1402 may include at least one processor 14022 and at least one memory 14021. The CU 1402 and the DU 1401 may communicate by using an interface. The control plane interface may be an Fs-C, for example, an F1-C, and the user plane interface may be an Fs-U, for example, an F1-U.

[0172] The CU 1402 is mainly configured to perform baseband processing, control the base station, etc. The DU 1401 and the CU 1402 may be physically co-located or physically separate, i.e., a distributed base station. The CU 1402 is the control center of the base station and may also be referred to as a processing unit, and is mainly configured to complete baseband processing functions. For example, the CU 1402 may be configured to control the base station to perform operation procedures related to the network device, i.e., the BBU in the above method embodiment. The DU 1401 may be configured to control the base station to perform operation procedures related to the network device, i.e., the RRU in the above method embodiment.

[0173] Further, optionally (not shown), the base station 140 may include one or more antennas (e.g., antenna arrays in the present application), one or more radio frequency units / modules (e.g., RUs), one or more DUs, and one or more CUs. The DU may include at least one processor and at least one memory, and the at least one antenna and the at least one radio frequency unit may be integrated into one antenna device, and the CU may include at least one processor and at least one memory.

[0174] In one example, the CU 1402 may include one or more boards, and the multiple boards may jointly support a radio access network of a single access standard (e.g., an NR network) or each may support a radio access network of a different access standard (such as an LTE network, an NR network, or another network). The memory 14021 and the processor 14022 may serve one or more boards. In other words, the memory and the processor may be disposed on each board. Alternatively, the multiple boards may share the same memory and the same processor. Furthermore, necessary circuitry may be further disposed on each board. The DU 1401 may include one or more boards, and the multiple boards may jointly support a radio access network of a single access standard (e.g., an NR network) or each may support a radio access network of a different access standard (such as an LTE network, an NR network, or another network). The memory 14014 and the processor 14013 may serve one or more boards. In other words, the memory and the processor may be disposed on each board. Alternatively, multiple boards may share the same memory and the same processor, and further necessary circuitry may be disposed on each board.

[0175] 15 is a diagram of the structure of the communication device 150. The communication device 150 may be configured to implement the method described in the above method embodiment. For details, please refer to the description in the above method embodiment. The communication device 150 may be a chip or a communication device (e.g., a base station), and in particular, may be a BBU or an RRU.

[0176] The communications device 150 includes one or more processors 1501. The processor 1501 may be a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, or the like. For example, the processor may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be configured to process communications protocols and communications data. The central processing unit may be configured to control a device (e.g., a base station or a chip), execute software programs, and process data of the software programs. The device may include a transceiver unit configured to input (receive) and output (send) signals. For example, the device may be a chip, and the transceiver unit may be input and / or output circuitry of the chip, or a communications interface. The chip may be used in a communications device (e.g., a base station). In another example, the device may be a communications device (e.g., a base station), and the transceiver unit may be a transceiver, a radio frequency chip, or the like.

[0177] The communications apparatus 150 includes one or more processors 1501. The one or more processors 1501 may implement the network device methods in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 through 6(a) through 6(c) and 8 through 10.

[0178] In a possible design, the communication device 150 includes means configured to receive control information from a network device and means configured to send a first type signal and a second type signal based on the control information. For example, the control information may be received or the first type signal or the second type signal may be sent by using a transceiver, an input / output circuit, or an interface of a chip. For the control information, the first type signal, and the second type signal, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0179] Optionally, in addition to implementing the methods in one or more of the embodiments of Figures 4 to 6(a) to 6(c) and Figures 8 to 10, the processor 1501 may further implement another function.

[0180] Optionally, in one design, processor 1501 may further include instructions 1503. The instructions may run on the processor such that communications device 150 performs the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0181] In another possible design, communications device 150 may alternatively include circuitry that may implement the functionality of the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0182] In yet another possible design, the communication device 150 may include one or more memories 1502 that store instructions 1504. The instructions may be executed on a processor, such that the communication device 150 performs the method described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memory may further store data. Optionally, the processor may also store instructions and / or data. For example, the one or more memories 1502 may store programs of the communication methods described in the above embodiments or related parameters in the above embodiments. The processor and memory may be disposed separately or integrated together.

[0183] In yet another possible design, the communication device 150 may further include a transceiver unit 1505 and an antenna 1506, or may include a communication interface. The transceiver unit 1505 may also be referred to as a transceiver machine, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, or the like, and is configured to implement transceiver functionality of the device by using the antenna 1506. A communication interface (not shown) may be used for communication between a core network device and a network device, or for communication between network devices. Optionally, the communication interface may be a wired communication interface, for example, an optical fiber communication interface. The antenna 1506 is optional.

[0184] The processor 1501 may be referred to as a processing unit and may be configured to control an apparatus (e.g., a base station).

[0185] Furthermore, since the sending or receiving performed by the transceiver unit 1505 described in this embodiment of the present application is under the control of the processing unit (processor 1501), the sending or receiving action can also be described as being performed by the processing unit (processor 1501) in this embodiment of the present application, which does not affect the understanding of the solution by those skilled in the art.

[0186] It should be understood that the processor in embodiments of the present application may be a CPU, or may be another general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, or the like.

[0187] It can be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application can be volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or can include volatile memory and nonvolatile memory. The nonvolatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of random access memory (RAM) may be used, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchlink dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus random access memory (DR RAM).

[0188] An embodiment of the present application further provides a base station, wherein the base station system includes the BBU and the RRU or AAU in the above embodiment.

[0189] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable medium configured to store computer program code. The computer-readable medium includes instructions used to implement the method performed by the communication device in the communication method in the above method embodiment. The computer-readable medium may be a ROM or a RAM. This is not limited to the embodiment of the present application.

[0190] The present application further provides a computer program product, which includes instructions that, when executed, enable a communications device to perform communications device operations corresponding to the above methods.

[0191] Based on the above implementation description, those skilled in the art will understand that for convenience and simplicity of description, the above division of functional modules is used as an example for explanation. In actual application, the above functions can be allocated to different functional modules and implemented based on requirements. In other words, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional modules to implement all or part of the above-described functions.

[0192] In some embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and method may be implemented in other manners. For example, the described apparatus embodiment is merely an example. For example, the division into modules or units is merely a logical functional division, and other divisions may be used in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another apparatus, or some features may be ignored or not implemented. In addition, the shown or described mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections may be implemented by using some interfaces. Indirect couplings or communication connections between apparatuses or units may be implemented in electronic, mechanical, or other forms.

[0193] The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and the parts shown as units may be one or more physical units, located in one place or distributed in different places. Some or all of the units may be selected based on actual requirements to achieve the objectives of the solutions of the embodiments.

[0194] In addition, the functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically alone, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0195] When the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, the integrated unit may be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or a portion contributing to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, may be implemented in the form of a software product. The software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for instructing a device or processor (which may be a single-chip microcomputer, a chip, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in the embodiments of the present application. The storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, a removable hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0196] The above description is merely a specific implementation of the present application and does not limit the scope of protection of the present application. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily thought of by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application shall fall within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be subject to the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. 1. A method of communication, the method comprising: using radio frequency channels in a first set of radio frequency channels to carry a first type of signal; using radio frequency channels in a second set of radio frequency channels to carry a second type of signal; Including, The method, wherein the first set of radio frequency channels and the second set of radio frequency channels are different and the first type of signals and the second type of signals have different functions.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first type of signal is a cell-level common signal and the second type of signal is a user-level signal.

3. The method comprises: determining a quantity of channels in the second radio frequency channel set and used to carry the second type of signal based on at least one of a network side load status or a terminal device signal quality level; 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

4. In a scenario of a network where multiple standards coexist, the first type of signal comprises a first type of signal in the multi-standard network.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The method comprises: using the first set of radio frequency channels to carry the first type of signals and the second type of signals in a time division and / or frequency division manner, the first type of signals comprising signals of a first type in the multi-standard network and the second type of signals comprising signals of a second type in the multi-standard network; The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

6. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the power of analog components in the radio frequency channels in the first set of radio frequency channels is greater than or equal to the power of analog components in radio frequency channels in the second set of radio frequency channels and that carry signals of the second type but not signals of the first type.

7. the antenna elements corresponding to the first set of radio frequency channels are individually distributed; 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. the first set of radio frequency channels is coupled to a first module-level digital component set, and the second set of radio frequency channels is coupled to a second module-level digital component set, the first module-level digital component set and the second module-level digital component set being different; 8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. the digital component set includes a fronthaul interface; The method of claim 8.

10. 1. A method of communication, the method comprising: sending a first control signal, the first control signal indicating that a radio frequency channel in a first set of radio frequency channels carries a first type of signal; sending a second control signal, the second control signal indicating that a radio frequency channel in a second set of radio frequency channels carries a second type of signal; Including, The method, wherein the first set of radio frequency channels and the second set of radio frequency channels are different and the first type of signals and the second type of signals have different functions.

11. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first type of signal is a cell-level common signal and the second type of signal is a user-level signal.

12. Prior to the step of sending a second control signal, the method further comprises: determining a quantity of channels in the second radio frequency channel set and used to carry the second type of signal based on at least one of a network side load status or a terminal device signal quality level; 12. The method of claim 10 or 11, further comprising:

13. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the number of channels used to carry the second type of signal is smaller when the load status on the network side is lower and / or the signal quality level of the terminal device is higher.

14. The method comprises: sending a third control signal, the third control signal indicating that the first set of radio frequency channels carries the first type of signals and the second type of signals in a time-division and / or frequency-division manner, the first type of signals comprising first type signals in a multi-standard network, and the second type of signals comprising second type signals in the multi-standard network; 14. The method of any one of claims 10 to 13, further comprising:

15. The method comprises: sending a fourth control signal indicating that a first module-level digital component set and the first set of radio frequency channels carry signals of the first type and that a second module-level digital component set and the second set of radio frequency channels carry signals of the second type; 15. The method of any one of claims 10 to 14, further comprising:

16. a first set of radio frequency channels, wherein radio frequency channels in the first set of radio frequency channels are used to carry a first type of signal; a second set of radio frequency channels, the radio frequency channels in the second set of radio frequency channels being used to carry a second type of signal; and Equipped with A communications device, wherein the first set of radio frequency channels and the second set of radio frequency channels are different, and the first type of signals and the second type of signals have different functions.

17. 17. The communication device of claim 16, wherein the first type of signal is a cell-level common signal and the second type of signal is a user-level signal.

18. the communication device further comprises a processor; the processor is configured to determine a quantity of channels in the second radio frequency channel set and used to carry the second type of signal based on at least one of a network side load status or a terminal device signal quality level.

18. A communication device according to claim 16 or 17.

19. In a scenario of a network where multiple standards coexist, the first type of signal comprises a first type of signal in the multi-standard network.

19. A communication device according to any one of claims 16 to 18.

20. the radio frequency channels in the first set of radio frequency channels are used to carry the first type of signals and the second type of signals in a time-division and / or frequency-division manner, the first type of signals comprising first type of signals in the multi-standard network, and the second type of signals comprising second type of signals in the multi-standard network; 20. A communication device according to any one of claims 16 to 19.

21. the power of analog components in the radio frequency channels in the first set of radio frequency channels is greater than or equal to the power of analog components in radio frequency channels in the second set of radio frequency channels and which carry signals of the second type but not signals of the first type; 21. A communication device according to any one of claims 16 to 20.

22. the antenna elements corresponding to the first set of radio frequency channels are individually distributed; 22. A communication device according to any one of claims 16 to 21.

23. the first set of radio frequency channels is coupled to a first module-level digital component set, and the second set of radio frequency channels is coupled to a second module-level digital component set, the first module-level digital component set and the second module-level digital component set being different; 23. A communication device according to any one of claims 16 to 22.

24. the digital component set includes a fronthaul interface; 24. The communication device of claim 23.

25. 1. A communication device comprising a memory and a transceiver, the memory configured to store data, the transceiver comprising: transmitting a first control signal, the first control signal indicating that a radio frequency channel in a first set of radio frequency channels carries a first type of signal; transmitting a second control signal, the second control signal indicating that a radio frequency channel in a second set of radio frequency channels carries a second type of signal; configured to: A communications device, wherein the first set of radio frequency channels and the second set of radio frequency channels are different, and the first type of signals and the second type of signals have different functions.

26. 26. The communications device of claim 25, wherein the first type of signal is a cell-level common signal and the second type of signal is a user-level signal.

27. A communication device comprising a unit adapted to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

28. A communication device comprising a unit adapted to implement the method according to any one of claims 10 to 15.

29. 16. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when run on a computer, enable the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 15.

30. 16. A computer program product comprising computer instructions, which when run on a computer enable the computer to carry out the method of any one of claims 1 to 15.

31. A communication system comprising a communication device according to any one of claims 16 to 24 and a communication device according to any one of claims 25 or 26, or The communication system comprises a communication device according to claim 27 and a communication device according to claim 28. Communication system.

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