Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method and apparatus. The method includes the steps of transmitting a first frame used to trigger data measurement on a first narrowband channel, transmitting a first UWB signal and receiving a second UWB signal on a first ultra-wideband UWB channel, where the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal are used to perform data measurement and obtain data measurement results, and specifically, transmitting a first trigger frame used to trigger reporting of a first measurement result on the second narrowband channel. The trigger frame is sent to trigger a measurement result reporting procedure. This avoids a failure to report when the measurement result is directly reported on the first narrowband channel.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202210200293.2, entitled "COMMUNICATION METHOD AND APPARATUS," filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on March 2, 2022, Chinese Patent Application No. 202211414724.1, entitled "COMMUNICATION METHOD AND APPARATUS," filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on November 11, 2022, and Chinese Patent Application No. 202310146385.1, entitled "COMMUNICATION METHOD AND APPARATUS," filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on February 15, 2023, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

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

[0003] Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology is a wireless carrier communication technology in which non-sinusoidal narrow impulses on the nanosecond level are used for data transmission. Due to the extremely narrow impulses and extremely low radiation spectral density of UWB systems, UWB systems have advantages such as strong multipath resolution capability, low power consumption, and high confidentiality.

[0004] In ranging or sensing scenarios, the accuracy of the measurement or sensing results is highly related to the signal bandwidth, and a wider signal bandwidth indicates a higher accuracy of the results obtained through sensing or ranging. Therefore, it can be considered that a reference signal for ranging or sensing is received and transmitted using a UWB system, and another reference signal and / or data is transmitted according to a narrowband protocol. Such a processing scheme can be understood as narrowband protocol-assisted UWB ranging or sensing.

[0005] Currently, in narrowband protocol-assisted UWB ranging or sensing methods, since no signal is received or transmitted in the narrowband system during the ranging or sensing period based on the UWB signal, the narrowband channel may be used by another device, and as a result, the measurement result cannot be fed back in time. Therefore, how to improve the performance of narrowband protocol-assisted UWB ranging or sensing methods has become an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, in which, in a scenario of narrowband protocol-assisted UWB measurement data, after the measurement procedure is completed, a trigger frame is sent to trigger a measurement result reporting procedure, which avoids reporting failure when the measurement result is reported directly.

[0007] According to a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by an initiator device, or may be performed by a component (e.g., a chip or a circuit) of the initiator device. This is not limited. For ease of explanation, an example in which the method is performed by the initiator device is used for explanation below.

[0008] The method includes the steps of transmitting a first frame on a first narrowband channel, where the first frame is used to trigger a data measurement; transmitting a first ultra-wideband UWB signal on a first ultra-wideband UWB channel and receiving a second UWB signal on the first UWB channel, where the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal are used to perform a data measurement and obtain a data measurement result; and transmitting a first trigger frame on the second narrowband channel, where the first trigger frame is used to trigger a report of a first measurement result, where the first measurement result includes all or a portion of the data measurement result.

[0009] Based on the above technical solution, after triggering the data measurement, the initiator device completes the data measurement based on the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal and obtains the data measurement result. In addition, the first trigger frame is sent to trigger the measurement result reporting procedure. This can substantially improve the reliability of the measurement result reporting and avoid the reporting failure when the measurement result is directly reported on the first narrowband channel.

[0010] Regarding the first aspect, in some implementation forms of the first aspect, the method further includes a step of transmitting first indication information, wherein the first indication information indicates a narrowband channel for transmitting the trigger frame, the narrowband channel is used to transmit the trigger frame, the trigger frame includes the first trigger frame, and the narrowband channel includes the second narrowband channel.

[0011] Based on the above technical measures, in order to enable the responder device to correctly receive the first trigger frame, a corresponding narrowband channel for transmitting the trigger frame used to trigger the measurement result reporting procedure can be negotiated in advance by using the first indication information.

[0012] With regard to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes receiving a second frame (response) on the first narrowband channel, the second frame being used to respond to the first frame.

[0013] Based on the above technical measures, the initiator device may determine that data measurement can be performed when receiving the second frame fed back by the responder device in response to the first frame, which ensures that the data measurement is successfully performed.

[0014] With respect to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second frame includes at least one of the following information: information indicating the duration of the second UWB signal in each millisecond; information indicating the sequence used by the second UWB signal; information indicating the amount of segments of the second UWB signal; information indicating the overall length of the second UWB signal; or information indicating the measurement period.

[0015] The second frame may include multiple types of information to help the initiator device know about the transmission status of the second UWB signal for data measurement and to determine whether the data measurement procedure is successfully executed based on the transmission status of the second UWB signal.

[0016] With regard to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes receiving the first measurement result over the second narrowband channel.

[0017] Based on the above technical solution, the initiator device transmits a first trigger frame on the second narrowband channel, which is used to trigger a report of a first measurement result, and the responder device reports the first measurement result on the narrowband channel within a time period for receiving the first trigger frame, which ensures the validity of the report of the first measurement result.

[0018] With regard to the first aspect, in some implementation forms of the first aspect, when the first measurement result is part of a data measurement result, the method further includes a step of transmitting a second trigger frame on a third narrowband channel, where the second trigger frame is used to trigger reporting of the second measurement result, and a step of receiving the second measurement result on the third narrowband channel, where the second measurement result is all or part of the measurement results other than the first measurement result among the data measurement results.

[0019] Based on the above technical solution, the measurement results can be reported in segments. That is, each trigger frame sent may specify a portion of the measurement results for reporting, and the responder device does not need to feed back all of the measurement results at once. When the amount of data of the measurement results is large, the efficiency and reliability of feeding back the results can be substantially improved, and the flexibility of the solution can be improved.

[0020] With regard to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, when the first measurement result is all of the data measurement result, the method further includes a step of transmitting a second trigger frame on a third narrowband channel, where the second trigger frame is used to trigger reporting of the first measurement result, and a step of receiving the first measurement result on the third narrowband channel.

[0021] Based on the above technical measures, the initiator device can send a prompt frame on a different channel to prompt the reporting of the measurement result, which greatly improves the robustness of the system. For example, when the measurement result fails to be received on the narrowband channel, the initiator device can send a prompt frame again on another channel to prompt the reporting of the measurement result.

[0022] With regard to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first frame includes at least one of the following information: identifier information of the responder device, information indicating the duration of the first UWB signal in each millisecond, information indicating the sequence used by the first UWB signal, information indicating the amount of segments of the first UWB signal, information indicating the overall length of the first UWB signal, and information indicating the feedback type of the data measurement result.

[0023] The first frame may include multiple types of information to help the responder device know about the transmission status of the first UWB signal for data measurement and to determine whether the data measurement procedure is successfully executed based on the transmission status of the first UWB signal.

[0024] Regarding the first aspect, in some implementation forms of the first aspect, the step of transmitting a first UWB signal on a first UWB channel includes the steps of dividing the first UWB signal into a plurality of first segment signals, each of which has a time length less than a first threshold, and transmitting one first segment signal on the first UWB channel at an interval of the first threshold.

[0025] With regard to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second UWB signal is divided into a plurality of second segment signals, each of which has a time length less than a first threshold, and receiving the second UWB signal on the first UWB channel includes receiving one second segment signal on the first UWB channel within an interval between the times for transmitting two adjacent first segment signals.

[0026] UWB signals are transmitted in segments, which increases the instantaneous power of the transmitted signal, extends the coverage of the signal, and increases the signal-to-noise ratio of the signal received at the receiving end.

[0027] Regarding the first aspect, in some implementation forms of the first aspect, the first prompting frame includes information indicating the content contained in the first measurement result and / or information indicating the format of the first measurement result.

[0028] Based on the above technical solution, the reporting of the measurement result may be triggered by using a trigger frame, and the content and format of the measurement result may be further indicated, so that the responder device reports the requested measurement result, which improves the performance of the solution.

[0029] According to a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a responder device or by a component (e.g., a chip or circuit) of the responder device. This is not limited. For ease of explanation, the following uses an example in which the method is performed by the responder device for explanation.

[0030] The method includes the steps of receiving a first frame on a first narrowband channel, where the first frame is used to trigger a data measurement; receiving a first ultra-wideband UWB signal on a first ultra-wideband UWB channel and transmitting a second UWB signal on the first UWB channel, where the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal are used to perform a data measurement and obtain a data measurement result; and receiving a first trigger frame on the second narrowband channel, where the first trigger frame is used to trigger a report of a first measurement result, where the first measurement result includes all or a portion of the data measurement result.

[0031] Regarding the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes receiving first indication information, wherein the first indication information indicates a narrowband channel for transmitting the trigger frame, the narrowband channel is used to transmit the trigger frame, the trigger frame includes a first trigger frame, and the narrowband channel includes a second narrowband channel.

[0032] With regard to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes transmitting a second frame on the first narrowband channel, the second frame being used to respond to the first frame.

[0033] With respect to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the second frame includes at least one of the following information: information indicating the duration of the second UWB signal in each millisecond; information indicating the sequence used by the second UWB signal; information indicating the amount of segments of the second UWB signal; information indicating the overall length of the second UWB signal; or information indicating the measurement period.

[0034] With regard to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes transmitting the first measurement result over a second narrowband channel.

[0035] With regard to the second aspect, in some implementation forms of the second aspect, when the first measurement result is part of the data measurement result, the method further includes a step of receiving a second trigger frame on a third narrowband channel, where the second trigger frame is used to trigger reporting of the second measurement result, and a step of transmitting the second measurement result on the third narrowband channel, where the second measurement result is all or part of the measurement results other than the first measurement result among the data measurement results.

[0036] Regarding the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, when the first measurement result is all of the data measurement result, the method further includes a step of receiving a second trigger frame on a third narrowband channel, where the second trigger frame is used to trigger reporting of the first measurement result, and a step of transmitting the first measurement result on the third narrowband channel.

[0037] With regard to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first frame includes at least one of the following information: identifier information of the responder device, information indicating the duration of the first UWB signal in each millisecond, information indicating the sequence used by the first UWB signal, information indicating the amount of segments of the first UWB signal, information indicating the overall length of the first UWB signal, and information indicating the feedback type of the data measurement result.

[0038] Regarding the second aspect, in some implementation forms of the second aspect, the step of transmitting a second UWB signal on a first UWB channel includes the steps of dividing the second UWB signal into a plurality of second segment signals, each of which has a time length less than a first threshold, and transmitting one second segment signal on the first UWB channel at an interval of the first threshold.

[0039] With regard to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first UWB signal is divided into a plurality of first segment signals, each of which has a time length less than a first threshold, and receiving the first UWB signal on the first UWB channel includes receiving one first segment signal on the first UWB channel within an interval between the times for transmitting two adjacent second segment signals.

[0040] Regarding the second aspect, in some implementation forms of the second aspect, the first prompting frame includes information indicating the content contained in the first measurement result and / or information indicating the format of the first measurement result.

[0041] For the beneficial effects of the method shown in the second embodiment and possible designs of the second embodiment, please refer to the beneficial effects of the first embodiment and possible designs of the first embodiment.

[0042] According to a third aspect, there is provided a communications device, the device being configured to perform the method provided in the first aspect.

[0043] The apparatus includes: a transmitting unit configured to transmit a first frame on a first narrowband channel, where the first frame is used to trigger data measurement, the transmitting unit further configured to transmit a first ultra-wideband UWB signal on a first ultra-wideband UWB channel; and a receiving unit configured to receive a second UWB signal on the first UWB channel, where the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal are used to perform data measurement and obtain a data measurement result, where the transmitting unit further receives a first signal when transmission of the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal is completed. , th The wireless communication device is configured to transmit a first trigger frame on the second narrowband channel, the first trigger frame being used to trigger a report of a first measurement result, the first measurement result including all or a portion of the data measurement result.

[0044] Regarding the third aspect, in some implementation forms of the third aspect, the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit first indication information, the first indication information indicating a narrowband channel for transmitting the trigger frame, the narrowband channel being used to transmit the trigger frame, the trigger frame including the first trigger frame, and the narrowband channel including the second narrowband channel.

[0045] Regarding the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a second frame on the first narrowband channel, the second frame being used to respond to the first frame.

[0046] With regard to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the second frame includes at least one of the following information: information indicating the duration of the second UWB signal in each millisecond; information indicating the sequence used by the second UWB signal; information indicating the amount of segments of the second UWB signal; information indicating the overall length of the second UWB signal; or information indicating the measurement period.

[0047] With regard to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the receiving unit is further configured to receive the first measurement result over the second narrowband channel.

[0048] Regarding the third aspect, in some implementation forms of the third aspect, when the first measurement result is part of the data measurement result, the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit a second trigger frame on a third narrowband channel, where the second trigger frame is used to trigger reporting of the second measurement result, and the receiving unit is further configured to receive the second measurement result on the third narrowband channel, where the second measurement result is all or part of the measurement result other than the first measurement result among the data measurement results.

[0049] Regarding the third aspect, in some implementation forms of the third aspect, when the first measurement result is all of the data measurement result, the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit a second trigger frame on a third narrowband channel, where the second trigger frame is used to trigger reporting of the first measurement result, and the receiving unit is further configured to receive the first measurement result on the third narrowband channel.

[0050] With regard to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first frame includes at least one of the following information: identifier information of the responder device, information indicating the duration of the first UWB signal in each millisecond, information indicating the sequence used by the first UWB signal, information indicating the amount of segments of the first UWB signal, information indicating the overall length of the first UWB signal, and information indicating the feedback type of the data measurement result.

[0051] With regard to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the apparatus further includes a processing unit configured to divide the first UWB signal into a plurality of first segment signals, each of which has a time length less than a first threshold, and transmitting the first UWB signal on the first UWB channel by the transmitting unit includes transmitting one first segment signal on the first UWB channel at an interval of the first threshold.

[0052] With regard to the third aspect, in some implementation forms of the third aspect, the second UWB signal is divided into a plurality of second segment signals, each of which has a time length less than a first threshold, and receiving the second UWB signal on the first UWB channel by the receiving unit includes receiving one second segment signal on the first UWB channel within an interval between the times for the transmitting unit to transmit two adjacent first segment signals.

[0053] Regarding the third aspect, in some implementation forms of the third aspect, the first prompting frame includes information indicating the content contained in the first measurement result and / or information indicating the format of the first measurement result.

[0054] For the beneficial effects of the method shown in the third embodiment and possible designs of the third embodiment, please refer to the beneficial effects of the first embodiment and possible designs of the first embodiment.

[0055] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a communications apparatus, the apparatus being configured to perform the method provided in the second aspect.

[0056] The apparatus includes a receiving unit configured to receive a first frame on a first narrowband channel, where the first frame is used to trigger a data measurement, and the receiving unit is further configured to receive a first ultra-wideband UWB signal on a first ultra-wideband UWB channel; and a transmitting unit configured to transmit a second UWB signal on the first UWB channel, where the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal are used to perform data measurement and obtain a data measurement result, and the receiving unit is further configured to receive a first trigger frame on the second narrowband channel, where the first trigger frame is used to trigger a report of a first measurement result, and the first measurement result includes all or a portion of the data measurement result.

[0057] Regarding the fourth aspect, in some implementation forms of the fourth aspect, the receiving unit is further configured to receive first indication information, where the first indication information indicates a narrowband channel for transmitting the trigger frame, the narrowband channel is used to transmit the trigger frame, the trigger frame includes a first trigger frame, and the narrowband channel includes a second narrowband channel.

[0058] Regarding the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit a second frame on the first narrowband channel, the second frame being used to respond to the first frame.

[0059] With regard to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the second frame includes at least one of the following information: information indicating the duration of the second UWB signal in each millisecond; information indicating the sequence used by the second UWB signal; information indicating the amount of segments of the second UWB signal; information indicating the overall length of the second UWB signal; or information indicating the measurement period.

[0060] With regard to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit the first measurement result on a second narrowband channel.

[0061] Regarding the fourth aspect, in some implementation forms of the fourth aspect, when the first measurement result is part of the data measurement result, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a second trigger frame on a third narrowband channel, where the second trigger frame is used to trigger reporting of the second measurement result, and the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit the second measurement result on the third narrowband channel, where the second measurement result is all or part of the measurement result other than the first measurement result among the data measurement results.

[0062] Regarding the fourth aspect, in some implementation forms of the fourth aspect, when the first measurement result is all of the data measurement result, the device further includes: the receiving unit is further configured to receive a second trigger frame on a third narrowband channel, the second trigger frame being used to trigger reporting of the first measurement result; and the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit the first measurement result on the third narrowband channel.

[0063] With regard to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the first frame includes at least one of the following information: identifier information of the responder device, information indicating the duration of the first UWB signal in each millisecond, information indicating the sequence used by the first UWB signal, information indicating the amount of segments of the first UWB signal, information indicating the overall length of the first UWB signal, and information indicating the feedback type of the data measurement result.

[0064] Regarding the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the apparatus further includes a processing unit configured to divide the second UWB signal into a plurality of second segment signals, each of which has a time length less than a first threshold, and wherein transmitting the second UWB signal on the first UWB channel by the transmitting unit includes transmitting one second segment signal on the first UWB channel at an interval of the first threshold.

[0065] With regard to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the first UWB signal is divided into a plurality of first segment signals, each of which has a time length less than a first threshold, and receiving the first UWB signal on the first UWB channel by the receiving unit includes receiving one first segment signal on the first UWB channel within an interval between the times for the transmitting unit to transmit two adjacent second segment signals.

[0066] Regarding the fourth aspect, in some implementation forms of the fourth aspect, the first prompting frame includes information indicating the content contained in the first measurement result and / or information indicating the format of the first measurement result.

[0067] For the beneficial effects of the device shown in the fourth embodiment and possible designs of the fourth embodiment, please refer to the beneficial effects of the second embodiment and possible designs of the second embodiment.

[0068] According to the communication methods provided in the first and second aspects, after the measurement procedure is completed, a trigger frame is sent to trigger a measurement result reporting procedure. This avoids reporting failure when the measurement result is reported directly. The present application further provides another communication method. In the data measurement process, to support the reporting of measurement results by some responder devices that cannot feed back the measurement results in time, a trigger frame is sent to trigger a procedure to report the measurement results of the previous measurement period. The following describes the communication methods with reference to the fifth and sixth aspects.

[0069] According to a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by an initiator device, or may be performed by a component (e.g., a chip or a circuit) of the initiator device. This is not limited. For ease of explanation, an example in which the method is performed by the initiator device is used for explanation below.

[0070] The method includes the steps of transmitting a first frame on a first narrowband channel, where the first frame is used to trigger data measurement in a first period; transmitting a first ultra-wideband UWB signal on a first ultra-wideband UWB channel and receiving a second UWB signal on the first UWB channel, where the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal are used to perform data measurement and obtain data measurement results; and transmitting a third trigger frame on the first narrowband channel when transmitting the first UWB signal, where the third trigger frame is used to trigger reporting of third measurement results, where the third measurement results include all or part of the data measurement results in a second period, where the second period is a measurement period earlier than the first period.

[0071] Based on the above technical solution, the initiator device triggers data measurement, completes data measurement based on the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal, and obtains data measurement results. In addition, in the transmission process of the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal, a third trigger frame is sent to trigger a procedure for reporting the measurement results of another period before the current measurement period, and the reporting of the measurement results of the previous period is triggered in the current measurement period. This helps the responder device that has not completed reporting the measurement results of the previous period to report the measurement results.

[0072] Regarding the fifth aspect, in some implementation forms of the fifth aspect, the method further includes a step of transmitting second indication information, wherein the second indication information indicates a narrowband channel for transmitting the trigger frame, the narrowband channel is used for transmitting the trigger frame, the trigger frame includes a third trigger frame, and the narrowband channel includes the first narrowband channel.

[0073] Based on the above technical measures, in order to enable the responder device to correctly receive the third trigger frame, a corresponding narrowband channel for transmitting the trigger frame used to trigger the measurement result reporting procedure can be negotiated in advance by using the second indication information.

[0074] With regard to the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the method further includes receiving a second frame on the first narrowband channel, the second frame being used to respond to the first frame.

[0075] Based on the above technical measures, the initiator device may determine that data measurement can be performed when receiving the second frame fed back by the responder device in response to the first frame, which ensures that the data measurement is successfully performed.

[0076] With regard to the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the second frame includes at least one of the following information: information indicating the duration of the second UWB signal in each millisecond; information indicating the sequence used by the second UWB signal; information indicating the amount of segments of the second UWB signal; information indicating the overall length of the second UWB signal; or information indicating the measurement period.

[0077] The second frame may include multiple types of information to help the initiator device know about the transmission status of the second UWB signal for data measurement and to determine whether the data measurement procedure is successfully executed based on the transmission status of the second UWB signal.

[0078] With regard to the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the method further includes receiving a third measurement result over the first narrowband channel.

[0079] Based on the above technical solution, the initiator device transmits a first trigger frame on the second narrowband channel, which is used to trigger a report of a first measurement result, and the responder device reports the first measurement result on the narrowband channel within a time period for receiving the first trigger frame, which ensures the validity of the report of the first measurement result.

[0080] With regard to the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the third measurement result is part of the data measurement result in the second period, and the method further includes a step of transmitting a fourth trigger frame on the first narrowband channel, where the fourth trigger frame is used to trigger the responder device to report the fourth measurement result, and a step of receiving the fourth measurement result on the first narrowband channel, where the fourth measurement result is all or part of the measurement results other than the third measurement result among the data measurement results in the second period.

[0081] Based on the above technical solution, the measurement results can be reported in segments. That is, each trigger frame sent may specify a portion of the measurement results for reporting, and the responder device does not need to feed back all of the measurement results at once. When the amount of data of the measurement results is large, the efficiency and reliability of feeding back the results can be substantially improved, and the flexibility of the solution can be improved.

[0082] With regard to the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the third measurement result is all of the data measurement results in the second period, and the method further includes a step of transmitting a fourth prompting frame to the responder device on the first narrowband channel, where the fourth prompting frame is used to prompt the responder device to report the third measurement result, and a step of receiving the third measurement result on the first narrowband channel.

[0083] Based on the above technical measures, the initiator device can send a prompt frame on a different channel to prompt the reporting of the measurement result of the previous period. This greatly improves the robustness of the system. For example, when the measurement result of the previous period fails to be received on the narrowband channel, the initiator device can send a prompt frame again on another channel to prompt the reporting of the measurement result of the previous period.

[0084] With regard to the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the first frame includes at least one of the following information: identifier information of the responder device, information indicating the duration of the first UWB signal in each millisecond, information indicating the sequence used by the first UWB signal, information indicating the amount of segments of the first UWB signal, information indicating the overall length of the first UWB signal, and information indicating the feedback type of the data measurement result.

[0085] The first frame may include multiple types of information to help the responder device know about the transmission status of the first UWB signal for data measurement and to determine whether the data measurement procedure is successfully executed based on the transmission status of the first UWB signal.

[0086] Regarding the fifth aspect, in some implementation forms of the fifth aspect, the step of transmitting a first UWB signal on a first UWB channel includes the steps of dividing the first UWB signal into a plurality of first segment signals, each of which has a time length less than a first threshold, and transmitting one first segment signal on the first UWB channel at an interval of the first threshold.

[0087] With regard to the fifth aspect, in some implementation forms of the fifth aspect, the second UWB signal is divided into a plurality of second segment signals, each of which has a time length less than a first threshold, and receiving the second UWB signal on the first UWB channel includes receiving one second segment signal on the first UWB channel within an interval between the times for transmitting two adjacent first segment signals.

[0088] UWB signals are transmitted in segments, which increases the instantaneous power of the transmitted signal, extends the coverage of the signal, and increases the signal-to-noise ratio of the signal received at the receiving end.

[0089] Regarding the fifth aspect, in some implementation forms of the fifth aspect, the third trigger frame includes at least one of the following information: information indicating the content included in the third measurement result, information indicating the format of the third measurement result, or information indicating the second period.

[0090] Based on the above technical solution, the reporting of the measurement result of the previous cycle can be triggered by using a trigger frame, and the content and format of the measurement result can be further indicated, so that the responder device reports the requested measurement result, which improves the performance of the solution.

[0091] According to a sixth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a responder device or by a component (e.g., a chip or circuit) of the responder device. This is not limited. For ease of explanation, the following uses an example in which the method is performed by the responder device for explanation.

[0092] The method includes the steps of receiving a first frame on a first narrowband channel, where the first frame is used to trigger data measurement in a first period; receiving a first ultra-wideband UWB signal on a first ultra-wideband UWB channel and transmitting a second UWB signal on the first UWB channel, where the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal are used to perform data measurement and obtain data measurement results; and receiving a third trigger frame on the first narrowband channel when receiving the first UWB signal, where the third trigger frame is used to trigger reporting of third measurement results, where the third measurement results include all or part of the data measurement results in a second period, where the second period is a measurement period earlier than the first period.

[0093] With regard to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the method further includes receiving second indication information, wherein the second indication information indicates a narrowband channel for transmitting the trigger frame, the trigger frame includes a third trigger frame, and the narrowband channel includes the first narrowband channel.

[0094] With regard to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the method further includes transmitting a second frame on the first narrowband channel, the second frame being used to respond to the first frame.

[0095] With regard to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the second frame includes at least one of the following information: information indicating the duration of the second UWB signal in each millisecond; information indicating the sequence used by the second UWB signal; information indicating the amount of segments of the second UWB signal; information indicating the overall length of the second UWB signal; or information indicating the measurement period.

[0096] With regard to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the method further includes transmitting the third measurement result over the first narrowband channel.

[0097] With regard to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the third measurement result is part of the data measurement result in the second period, and the method further includes a step of receiving a fourth trigger frame on the first narrowband channel, where the fourth trigger frame is used to trigger the responder device to report the fourth measurement result, and a step of transmitting the fourth measurement result on the first narrowband channel, where the fourth measurement result is all or part of the measurement results other than the third measurement result among the data measurement results in the second period.

[0098] With regard to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the third measurement result is all of the data measurement results in the second period, and the method further includes a step of receiving a fourth trigger frame on the first narrowband channel, where the fourth trigger frame is used to trigger the responder device to report the third measurement result, and a step of transmitting the third measurement result on the first narrowband channel.

[0099] With regard to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the first frame includes at least one of the following information: identifier information of the responder device, information indicating the duration of the first UWB signal in each millisecond, information indicating the sequence used by the first UWB signal, information indicating the amount of segments of the first UWB signal, information indicating the overall length of the first UWB signal, and information indicating the feedback type of the data measurement result.

[0100] Regarding the sixth aspect, in some implementation forms of the sixth aspect, the step of transmitting a second UWB signal on a first UWB channel includes the steps of dividing the second UWB signal into a plurality of second segment signals, each of which has a time length less than a first threshold, and transmitting one second segment signal on the first UWB channel at an interval of the first threshold.

[0101] With regard to the sixth aspect, in some implementation forms of the sixth aspect, the first UWB signal is divided into a plurality of first segment signals, each of which has a time length less than a first threshold, and receiving the first UWB signal on the first UWB channel includes receiving one first segment signal on the first UWB channel within an interval between the times for transmitting two adjacent second segment signals.

[0102] Regarding the sixth aspect, in some implementation forms of the sixth aspect, the third trigger frame includes at least one of the following information: information indicating the content included in the third measurement result, information indicating the format of the third measurement result, or information indicating the second period.

[0103] For the beneficial effects of the method shown in the sixth embodiment and possible designs of the sixth embodiment, please refer to the beneficial effects of the fifth embodiment and possible designs of the fifth embodiment.

[0104] According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a communications apparatus, the apparatus being configured to perform the method provided in the fifth aspect.

[0105] The apparatus includes a transmitting unit configured to transmit a first frame on a first narrowband channel, where the first frame is used to trigger data measurement in a first period, and the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit a first ultra-wideband UWB signal on a first ultra-wideband UWB channel; and a receiving unit configured to receive a second UWB signal on the first UWB channel, where the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal are used to perform data measurement and obtain data measurement results, where the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit a third trigger frame on the first narrowband channel when transmitting the first UWB signal, where the third trigger frame is used to trigger reporting of third measurement results, where the third measurement results include all or part of the data measurement results in a second period, and the second period is a measurement period prior to the first period.

[0106] Regarding the seventh aspect, in some implementation forms of the seventh aspect, the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit second indication information, the second indication information indicating a narrowband channel for transmitting the trigger frame, the narrowband channel being used for transmitting the trigger frame, the trigger frame including a third trigger frame, and the narrowband channel including the first narrowband channel.

[0107] Regarding the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a second frame on the first narrowband channel, the second frame being used to respond to the first frame.

[0108] With regard to the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the second frame includes at least one of the following information: information indicating the duration of the second UWB signal in each millisecond; information indicating the sequence used by the second UWB signal; information indicating the amount of segments of the second UWB signal; information indicating the overall length of the second UWB signal; or information indicating the measurement period.

[0109] With regard to the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a third measurement result over the first narrowband channel.

[0110] Regarding the seventh aspect, in some implementation forms of the seventh aspect, the third measurement result is part of the data measurement result in the second period, the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit a fourth trigger frame on the first narrowband channel, the fourth trigger frame is used to trigger reporting of the fourth measurement result, and the receiving unit is further configured to receive the fourth measurement result on the first narrowband channel, and the fourth measurement result is all or part of the measurement results other than the third measurement result among the data measurement results in the second period.

[0111] Regarding the seventh aspect, in some implementation forms of the seventh aspect, the third measurement result is all of the data measurement results in the second period, the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit a fourth trigger frame on the first narrowband channel, the fourth trigger frame is used to trigger reporting of the third measurement result, and the receiving unit is further configured to receive the third measurement result on the first narrowband channel.

[0112] With regard to the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the first frame includes at least one of the following information: identifier information of the responder device, information indicating the duration of the first UWB signal in each millisecond, information indicating the sequence used by the first UWB signal, information indicating the amount of segments of the first UWB signal, information indicating the overall length of the first UWB signal, and information indicating the feedback type of the data measurement result.

[0113] With regard to the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the apparatus further includes a processing unit configured to divide the first UWB signal into a plurality of first segment signals, each of which has a time length less than a first threshold, and transmitting the first UWB signal on the first UWB channel by the transmitting unit includes transmitting one first segment signal on the first UWB channel at an interval of the first threshold.

[0114] With regard to the seventh aspect, in some implementation forms of the seventh aspect, the second UWB signal is divided into a plurality of second segment signals, each of which has a time length less than a first threshold, and receiving the second UWB signal on the first UWB channel by the receiving unit includes receiving one second segment signal on the first UWB channel within an interval between the times for the transmitting unit to transmit two adjacent first segment signals.

[0115] Regarding the seventh aspect, in some implementation forms of the seventh aspect, the third trigger frame includes at least one of the following information: information indicating the content included in the third measurement result, information indicating the format of the third measurement result, or information indicating the second period.

[0116] For the beneficial effects of the method shown in the seventh embodiment and possible designs of the seventh embodiment, please refer to the beneficial effects of the fifth embodiment and possible designs of the fifth embodiment.

[0117] According to an eighth aspect, there is provided a communications apparatus, the apparatus being configured to perform the method provided in the sixth aspect.

[0118] The apparatus includes a receiving unit configured to receive a first frame on a first narrowband channel, where the first frame is used to trigger data measurement in a first period, and the receiving unit is further configured to receive a first ultra-wideband UWB signal on a first ultra-wideband UWB channel, and a transmitting unit configured to transmit a second UWB signal on the first UWB channel, where the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal are used to perform data measurement and obtain data measurement results, and the receiving unit is further configured to receive a third trigger frame on the first narrowband channel when receiving the first UWB signal, where the third trigger frame is used to trigger reporting of third measurement results, and the third measurement results include all or part of the data measurement results in a second period, the second period being a measurement period prior to the first period.

[0119] Regarding the eighth aspect, in some implementation forms of the eighth aspect, the receiving unit is further configured to receive second indication information, where the second indication information indicates a narrowband channel for transmitting the trigger frame, the trigger frame includes a third trigger frame, and the narrowband channel includes the first narrowband channel.

[0120] Regarding the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit a second frame on the first narrowband channel, the second frame being used to respond to the first frame.

[0121] With regard to the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the second frame includes at least one of the following information: information indicating the duration of the second UWB signal in each millisecond; information indicating the sequence used by the second UWB signal; information indicating the amount of segments of the second UWB signal; information indicating the overall length of the second UWB signal; or information indicating the measurement period.

[0122] With regard to the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit the third measurement result on the first narrowband channel.

[0123] Regarding the eighth aspect, in some implementation forms of the eighth aspect, the third measurement result is part of the data measurement result in the second period, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a fourth prompting frame on the first narrowband channel, the fourth prompting frame is used to prompt the responder device to report the fourth measurement result, and the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit the fourth measurement result on the first narrowband channel, the fourth measurement result being all or part of the measurement results other than the third measurement result among the data measurement results in the second period.

[0124] With regard to the eighth aspect, in some implementation forms of the eighth aspect, the third measurement result is all of the data measurement results in the second period, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a fourth prompting frame on the first narrowband channel, the fourth prompting frame is used to prompt the responder device to report the third measurement result, and the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit the third measurement result on the first narrowband channel.

[0125] With regard to the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the first frame includes at least one of the following information: identifier information of the responder device, information indicating the duration of the first UWB signal in each millisecond, information indicating the sequence used by the first UWB signal, information indicating the amount of segments of the first UWB signal, information indicating the overall length of the first UWB signal, and information indicating the feedback type of the data measurement result.

[0126] With regard to the eighth aspect, in some implementations of the eighth aspect, the apparatus further includes a processing unit configured to divide the second UWB signal into a plurality of second segment signals, each of which has a time length less than a first threshold, and transmitting the second UWB signal on the first UWB channel by the transmitting unit includes transmitting one second segment signal on the first UWB channel at an interval of the first threshold.

[0127] With regard to the eighth aspect, in some implementation forms of the eighth aspect, the first UWB signal is divided into a plurality of first segment signals, each of which has a time length less than a first threshold, and receiving the first UWB signal on the first UWB channel by the receiving unit includes receiving one first segment signal on the first UWB channel within an interval between the times for the transmitting unit to transmit two adjacent second segment signals.

[0128] Regarding the eighth aspect, in some implementation forms of the eighth aspect, the third trigger frame includes at least one of the following information: information indicating the content included in the third measurement result, information indicating the format of the third measurement result, or information indicating the second period.

[0129] For the beneficial effects of the device shown in the eighth embodiment and possible designs of the eighth embodiment, please refer to the beneficial effects of the sixth embodiment and possible designs of the sixth embodiment.

[0130] According to a ninth aspect, there is provided a communication device configured to perform the method provided in the first or fifth aspect. Specifically, the communication device may include a unit and / or module configured to perform the method provided in any one of the above-mentioned implementations of the first or fifth aspect, such as a processing unit and an acquisition unit.

[0131] In some implementations, the transceiver unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface, and the processing unit may be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0132] In another implementation, the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, associated circuitry, etc. on a chip, chip system, or circuit, and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, logic circuit, etc.

[0133] According to a tenth aspect, there is provided a communication device, the device being configured to perform the method provided in the second or sixth aspect. Specifically, the communication device may include units and / or modules configured to perform the method provided in the second or sixth aspect, such as a processing unit and an acquisition unit.

[0134] In some implementations, the transceiver unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface, and the processing unit may be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0135] In another implementation, the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, associated circuitry, etc. on a chip, chip system, or circuit, and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, logic circuit, etc.

[0136] According to an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a processor configured to perform the method provided in the previous aspect.

[0137] Operations such as transmitting and acquiring / receiving with respect to a processor may be understood as operations such as output and receiving or input of the processor, or operations such as transmitting and receiving performed by a radio frequency circuit and an antenna, unless otherwise specified or unless the operations contradict the actual function or internal logic of the operations in the relevant description, which is not limited in this application.

[0138] According to a twelfth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium storing program code to be executed by a device, the program code being used to perform the method provided in any one of the implementation forms of the first, second, fifth, and sixth aspects.

[0139] According to a thirteenth aspect, there is provided a computer program product including instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to perform the method provided in any one of the implementation forms of the first, second, fifth, and sixth aspects.

[0140] According to a fourteenth aspect, there is provided a chip, the chip including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor reads instructions stored in a memory via the communication interface to execute a method provided in any one of the implementation forms of the first, second, fifth, and sixth aspects.

[0141] Optionally, in some implementations, the chip further includes a memory. The memory stores a computer program or instruction. The processor is configured to execute the computer program or instruction stored in the memory. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the processor is configured to perform the method provided in any one of the implementations of the first, second, fifth, and sixth aspects.

[0142] According to a fifteenth aspect, there is provided a communication system, the communication system including a communication device according to the third aspect and a communication device according to the fourth aspect, or including a communication device according to the seventh aspect and a communication device according to the eighth aspect.

[0143] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication method, in a scenario of UWB measurement data supported by a narrowband protocol, including: initiator After the device transmits, the responder device reports the measurement report of the previous round by responding to the second frame of the first frame, which substantially simplifies the narrowband interaction procedure and reduces air interface transmission time.

[0144] According to a sixteenth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by an initiator device, or may be performed by a component (e.g., a chip or a circuit) of the initiator device. This is not limited. For ease of explanation, an example in which the method is performed by the initiator device is used for explanation below.

[0145] The method includes the steps of transmitting a first frame on a first narrowband channel, the first frame being used to trigger data measurement in a third period and to trigger feedback of data measurement results in a fourth period; and receiving a second frame on the first narrowband channel, the second frame being used to respond to the first frame, the second frame including a fifth measurement result, the fifth measurement result including all or part of the data measurement results in the fourth period, the fourth period being a measurement period before the third period.

[0146] Based on the above technical measures, delayed feedback of measurement reports is supported. After the transmitting end device sends the first frame to trigger data measurement to trigger the current round of measurement, the responder device reports the measurement report of the previous round by responding with the second frame of the first frame. This substantially simplifies the narrowband interaction procedure and reduces the air interface transmission time.

[0147] With regard to the sixteenth aspect, in some implementations of the sixteenth aspect, the method further includes the steps of failing to obtain a fifth measurement result from the second frame, retransmitting the first frame on the first narrowband channel, and rereceiving a second frame on the first narrowband channel in response to the first frame, wherein the second frame includes the fifth measurement result.

[0148] Based on the above technical measures, to deal with the case of failing to obtain the fifth measurement result, the interaction procedure between the first frame and the second frame can be repeated multiple times.

[0149] With regard to the sixteenth aspect, in some implementations of the sixteenth aspect, when the fifth measurement result includes a first portion of the data measurement result in the fourth period, the method further includes a step of retransmitting a first frame on the first narrowband channel and a step of rereceiving a third frame responsive to the first frame on the first narrowband channel, wherein the third frame includes a sixth measurement result, and the sixth measurement result includes a second portion of the data measurement result in the fourth period.

[0150] Based on the above technical measures, the data measurement results in the fourth period may be transmitted in segments, and a part of the content of the measurement results is triggered to be obtained every time.

[0151] With regard to the sixteenth aspect, in some implementations of the sixteenth aspect, the method further includes transmitting a first ultra-wideband UWB signal on a first ultra-wideband UWB channel and receiving a second UWB signal on the first UWB channel, wherein the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal are used to perform data measurement and obtain data measurement results in a third period.

[0152] According to a seventeenth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a responder device or by a component (e.g., a chip or circuit) of the responder device. This is not limited. For ease of explanation, the following uses an example in which the method is performed by the responder device for explanation.

[0153] The method includes receiving a first frame on a first narrowband channel, the first frame being used to trigger data measurement in a third period and to trigger feedback of data measurement results in a fourth period; and transmitting a second frame on the first narrowband channel, the second frame being used to respond to the first frame, the second frame including a fifth measurement result, the fifth measurement result including all or part of the data measurement results in the fourth period, the fourth period being a measurement period before the third period.

[0154] With regard to the seventeenth aspect, in some implementations of the seventeenth aspect, when transmission of the fifth measurement result fails, the method further includes a step of re-receiving the first frame on the first narrowband channel and a step of re-transmitting a second frame on the first narrowband channel in response to the first frame, wherein the second frame includes the fifth measurement result.

[0155] With regard to the seventeenth aspect, in some implementations of the seventeenth aspect, when the fifth measurement result includes a first portion of the data measurement result in the fourth period, the method further includes a step of re-receiving the first frame on the first narrowband channel and a step of re-transmitting a third frame responsive to the first frame on the first narrowband channel, wherein the third frame includes a sixth measurement result, and the sixth measurement result includes a second portion of the data measurement result in the fourth period.

[0156] With regard to the seventeenth aspect, in some implementations of the seventeenth aspect, the method further includes receiving a first ultra-wideband UWB signal on a first ultra-wideband UWB channel and transmitting a second UWB signal on the first UWB channel, wherein the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal are used to perform data measurement and obtain data measurement results in a third period.

[0157] For the beneficial effects of the method shown in the seventeenth embodiment and possible designs of the seventeenth embodiment, please refer to the beneficial effects of the sixteenth embodiment and possible designs of the sixteenth embodiment.

[0158] According to an eighteenth aspect, there is provided a communications device, the device being configured to perform the method provided in the sixteenth aspect.

[0159] The apparatus includes a transmitting unit configured to transmit a first frame on a first narrowband channel, where the first frame is used to trigger data measurement in a third period and to trigger feedback of data measurement results in a fourth period; and a receiving unit configured to receive a second frame on the first narrowband channel, where the second frame is used to respond to the first frame, where the second frame includes a fifth measurement result, where the fifth measurement result includes all or part of the data measurement results in the fourth period, where the fourth period is a measurement period before the third period.

[0160] With regard to the eighteenth aspect, in some implementations of the eighteenth aspect, the apparatus further includes a processing unit configured to determine that obtaining a fifth measurement result from the second frame fails, the transmitting unit is further configured to retransmit the first frame on the first narrowband channel, and the receiving unit is further configured to rereceive a second frame responsive to the first frame on the first narrowband channel, the second frame including the fifth measurement result.

[0161] With regard to the 18th aspect, in some implementation forms of the 18th aspect, when the fifth measurement result includes a first portion of the data measurement result in the fourth period, the transmitting unit is further configured to retransmit the first frame on the first narrowband channel, and the receiving unit is further configured to rereceive a third frame responsive to the first frame on the first narrowband channel, wherein the third frame includes a sixth measurement result, and the sixth measurement result includes a second portion of the data measurement result in the fourth period.

[0162] With regard to the eighteenth aspect, in some implementations of the eighteenth aspect, the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit a first ultra-wideband UWB signal on a first ultra-wideband UWB channel, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a second UWB signal on the first UWB channel, and the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal are used to perform data measurement and obtain data measurement results in a third period.

[0163] According to a nineteenth aspect, there is provided a communications device, the device being configured to perform the method provided in the seventeenth aspect.

[0164] The apparatus includes a receiving unit configured to receive a first frame on a first narrowband channel, where the first frame is used to trigger data measurement in a third period and to trigger feedback of data measurement results in a fourth period; and a transmitting unit configured to transmit a second frame on the first narrowband channel, where the second frame is used to respond to the first frame, where the second frame includes a fifth measurement result, where the fifth measurement result includes all or part of the data measurement results in the fourth period, where the fourth period is a measurement period before the third period.

[0165] With regard to the 19th aspect, in some implementation forms of the 19th aspect, when the transmission of the fifth measurement result fails, the receiving unit is further configured to re-receive the first frame on the first narrowband channel, and the transmitting unit is configured to re-transmit a second frame on the first narrowband channel in response to the first frame, wherein the second frame includes the fifth measurement result.

[0166] Regarding the 19th aspect, in some implementations of the 19th aspect, if the fifth measurement result includes the first portion of the data measurement result in the fourth period, the receiving unit further re-receives the first frame on the first narrowband channel. the transmitting unit is further configured to , configured to retransmit, on the first narrowband channel, a third frame responsive to the first frame, the third frame including a sixth measurement result, the sixth measurement result including a second portion of the data measurement result in the fourth period.

[0167] With regard to the 19th aspect, in some implementation forms of the 19th aspect, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a first ultra-wideband UWB signal on a first ultra-wideband UWB channel, the transmitting unit is configured to transmit a second UWB signal on the first UWB channel, and the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal are used to perform data measurement and obtain data measurement results in a third period.

[0168] For the beneficial effects of the device shown in the nineteenth embodiment and possible designs of the nineteenth embodiment, please refer to the beneficial effects of the eighteenth embodiment and possible designs of the eighteenth embodiment.

[0169] According to a twentieth aspect, there is provided a communication device configured to perform the method provided in the sixteenth aspect. Specifically, the communication device may include a unit and / or module configured to perform the method provided in any one of the above-mentioned implementations of the sixteenth aspect, such as a processing unit and an acquisition unit.

[0170] In some implementations, the transceiver unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface, and the processing unit may be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0171] In another implementation, the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, associated circuitry, etc. on a chip, chip system, or circuit, and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, logic circuit, etc.

[0172] According to a 21st aspect, there is provided a communication device. The device is configured to perform the method provided in the 17th aspect. Specifically, the communication device may include units and / or modules, such as a processing unit and an acquisition unit, configured to perform the method provided in the 17th aspect.

[0173] In some implementations, the transceiver unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface, and the processing unit may be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0174] In another implementation, the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, associated circuitry, etc. on a chip, chip system, or circuit, and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, logic circuit, etc.

[0175] According to a twenty-second aspect, the present application provides a processor configured to perform the method provided in the previous aspect.

[0176] Operations such as transmitting and acquiring / receiving with respect to a processor may be understood as operations such as output and receiving or input of the processor, or operations such as transmitting and receiving performed by a radio frequency circuit and an antenna, unless otherwise specified or unless the operations contradict the actual function or internal logic of the operations in the relevant description, which is not limited in this application.

[0177] According to a twenty-third aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium storing program code to be executed by a device, the program code being used to perform the method provided in any one of the implementation forms of the sixteenth or seventeenth aspects.

[0178] According to a 24th aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to perform the method provided in any one of the implementation forms of the 16th or 17th aspects.

[0179] According to a twenty-fifth aspect, there is provided a chip, the chip including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor reads instructions stored in a memory via the communication interface to perform a method provided in any one of the embodiments of the sixteenth or seventeenth aspects.

[0180] Optionally, in some implementations, the chip further includes a memory. The memory stores a computer program or instruction. The processor is configured to execute the computer program or instruction stored in the memory. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the processor is configured to perform the method provided in any one of the implementations of the sixteenth or seventeenth aspects.

[0181] According to a twenty-sixth aspect, there is provided a communication system, the communication system including a communication device according to the eighteenth aspect and a communication device according to the nineteenth aspect.

[0182] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication method: In a narrowband protocol assisted UWB measurement data scenario, parameter settings in a measurement procedure are negotiated.

[0183] According to a 27th aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by an initiator device or by a component (e.g., a chip or circuit) of the initiator device. This is not limited. For ease of explanation, an example in which the method is performed by the initiator device is used for explanation below.

[0184] The method includes the steps of transmitting a fourth frame on a first narrowband channel, where the fourth frame indicates parameters in a negotiation measurement procedure, and where the fourth frame includes parameters supported by the initiator device; and receiving a fifth frame on the first narrowband channel, where the fifth frame is used to respond to the fourth frame, and where the fifth frame includes parameters supported by the responder device and the initiator device.

[0185] Based on the aforementioned technical measures, in the scenario of narrowband protocol-assisted UWB measurement data, the parameters in the measurement procedure can be negotiated by using the fourth and fifth frames through handshake.

[0186] In relation to the 27th aspect, in some implementations of the 27th aspect, the method further includes transmitting a sixth frame on the first narrowband channel after receiving the fifth frame, wherein the sixth frame indicates that measurement should begin a first duration after the sixth frame.

[0187] Regarding the twenty-seventh aspect, in some implementations of the twenty-seventh aspect, the parameters in the measurement procedure include at least one of initial channel information, UWB measurement channel information, or physical layer rate information.

[0188] According to a twenty-eighth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a responder device or by a component (e.g., a chip or circuit) of the responder device. This is not limited thereto. For ease of explanation, the following uses an example in which the method is performed by the responder device for explanation.

[0189] The method includes the steps of receiving a fourth frame on a first narrowband channel, where the fourth frame indicates parameters in a negotiation measurement procedure, and where the fourth frame includes parameters supported by the initiator device; and transmitting a fifth frame on the first narrowband channel, where the fifth frame is used to respond to the fourth frame, and where the fifth frame includes parameters supported by the responder device and the initiator device.

[0190] In relation to the 28th aspect, in some implementations of the 28th aspect, the method further includes receiving a sixth frame on the first narrowband channel after transmitting the fifth frame, wherein the sixth frame indicates that measurement should begin a first duration after the sixth frame.

[0191] Regarding the twenty-eighth aspect, in some implementations of the twenty-eighth aspect, the parameters in the measurement procedure include at least one of initial channel information, UWB measurement channel information, or physical layer rate information.

[0192] According to a 29th aspect, there is provided a communication device configured to perform the method provided in the 27th aspect. Specifically, the communication device may include a unit and / or module configured to perform the method provided in any one of the above-mentioned implementations of the 27th aspect, such as a processing unit and an acquisition unit.

[0193] In some implementations, the transceiver unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface, and the processing unit may be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0194] In another implementation, the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, associated circuitry, etc. on a chip, chip system, or circuit, and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, logic circuit, etc.

[0195] According to a 30th aspect, there is provided a communication device. The device is configured to perform the method provided in the 28th aspect. Specifically, the communication device may include units and / or modules, such as a processing unit and an acquisition unit, configured to perform the method provided in the 28th aspect.

[0196] In some implementations, the transceiver unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface, and the processing unit may be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0197] In another implementation, the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, associated circuitry, etc. on a chip, chip system, or circuit, and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, logic circuit, etc.

[0198] According to a thirty-first aspect, the present application provides a processor configured to perform the method provided in the previous aspect.

[0199] Operations such as transmitting and acquiring / receiving with respect to a processor may be understood as operations such as output and receiving or input of the processor, or operations such as transmitting and receiving performed by a radio frequency circuit and an antenna, unless otherwise specified or unless the operations contradict the actual function or internal logic of the operations in the relevant description, which is not limited in this application.

[0200] According to a thirty-second aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium storing program code to be executed by a device, the program code being used to perform the method provided in any one of the implementation forms of the twenty-seventh or twenty-eighth aspects.

[0201] According to a thirty-third aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to perform the method provided in any one of the implementation forms of the twenty-seventh or twenty-eighth aspects.

[0202] According to a thirty-fourth aspect, there is provided a chip, the chip including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor reads instructions stored in a memory via the communication interface to perform a method provided in any one of the embodiments of the twenty-seventh or twenty-eighth aspects.

[0203] Optionally, in some implementations, the chip further includes a memory. The memory stores a computer program or instruction. The processor is configured to execute the computer program or instruction stored in the memory. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the processor is configured to perform the method provided in any one of the implementations of the 27th or 28th aspects.

[0204] According to a thirty-fifth aspect, there is provided a communication system, the communication system including a communication device according to the twenty-ninth aspect and a communication device according to the thirtieth aspect. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0205] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram of two application scenarios according to the present application. [Figure 2] 1A and 1B are diagrams of UWB signals and architectures of ranging / positioning systems according to certain embodiments of the present application; [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram of a UWB ranging method according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a transmission timeline corresponding to a first trigger frame according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram of a transmission timeline corresponding to a third trigger frame according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 7] 4 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a frame transmission timeline according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic flowchart of yet another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 10]1A is a diagram of a frame transmission timeline according to an embodiment of the present application, (b) is a diagram of a PPDU according to an embodiment of the present application, and (c) is a diagram of symbol-to-chip mapping according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 11] 1 is a block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 12] 1 is a block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0206] The following describes the technical solutions of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0207] Embodiments of the present application are applicable to wireless personal area networks (WPANs) based on Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology. Currently, the standard for WPANs is the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15 series. WPANs may be for communication between short-range digital auxiliary devices, such as phones, computers, and auxiliary devices, and the operating range of WPANs is typically within 10 meters. Technologies supporting wireless personal area networks include Bluetooth, ZigBee, Ultra-Wideband, IrDA infrared connectivity technology, and HomeRF. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various aspects of the present application can be extended to other networks using various standards or protocols, such as a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a High Performance Radio LAN (HIPERLAN) (a wireless standard similar to the IEEE 802.11 standard, primarily used in Europe), a Wide Area Network (WAN), or other networks now known or later developed. From the perspective of network composition, a WPAN is located at the lowest layer of the overall network architecture and is intended for short-range wireless connections between devices, i.e., point-to-point short-range connections, and can be considered a short-range wireless communication network. Based on various application scenarios, a WPAN can be further classified into high-rate (HR)-WPAN and low-rate (Low Rate)-WPAN. An HR-WPAN can be used to support various high-speed multimedia applications, including the delivery of high-quality sound and images, the transmission of multi-megabyte music and image documents, etc. An LR-WPAN can be intended for general services in daily life.

[0208] In WPANs, devices can be classified into full-function devices (FFDs) and reduced-function devices (RFDs) based on their communication capabilities. FFD devices can communicate with each other, and FFD and RFD devices can communicate with each other. RFD devices cannot communicate directly with each other; they can only communicate with other FFD devices or transmit data externally through one FFD device. An FFD device associated with an RFD is called an RFD coordinator. RFD devices are primarily intended for simple control applications, such as light switches and passive infrared sensors. A small amount of data is transmitted, occupying a small amount of transmission and communication resources. Therefore, the cost of RFD devices is low. A coordinator may also be called a personal area network (PAN) coordinator, central control node, etc. The PAN coordinator is the main control node for the entire network. Each ad hoc network can have only one PAN coordinator, which manages member identity information, link information, and packet forwarding functions. Optionally, the device in the embodiment of the present application may be a device that supports multiple WPAN standards, such as 802.15.4a, 802.15.4z, and the currently discussed version or later versions.

[0209] In the embodiments of the present application, the device may be a communication server, a router, a switch, a bridge, a computer, a mobile phone, a home smart device, an in-vehicle communication device, etc.

[0210] In an embodiment of the present application, a device includes a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer includes hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and memory (also referred to as main memory). The operating system may be any one or more types of computer operating systems that perform service processing through processes, such as a Linux operating system, a Unix operating system, an Android operating system, an iOS operating system, or a Windows operating system. The application layer includes applications such as a browser, an address book, word processing software, and instant messaging software. In addition, the specific structure of the executing entity of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application is not particularly limited in the embodiment of the present application, as long as a program recording the code of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be executed to perform communication according to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application. For example, the method provided in the embodiment of the present application may be executed by an FFD or RFD, or by a functional module that can call and execute a program in the FFD or RFD.

[0211] Additionally, aspects or features of the present application may be implemented as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "article of manufacture" as used herein encompasses a computer program accessible from any computer-readable component, carrier, or medium. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to, magnetic storage components (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, or magnetic tapes), optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs)), smart cards, and flash memory components (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), cards, sticks, or key drives). Additionally, various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media configured to store information. The term "machine-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, storing, and / or transporting instructions and / or data.

[0212] Alternatively, embodiments of the present application may be applied to wireless local area network systems, such as Internet of Things (IoT) networks or Vehicle to Everything (V2X) networks. Of course, embodiments of the present application may also be applied to other possible communication systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, fifth generation (5G) communication systems, and future sixth generation (6G) communication systems.

[0213] The above-mentioned communication systems applicable to the present application are merely examples for explanation, and the communication systems applicable to the present application are not limited thereto, which are uniformly described in this specification, and the details will not be described again below.

[0214] Figure 1 is a diagram of two application scenarios according to the present application. In system 101 shown in Figure 1A, multiple FFD devices and multiple RFD devices form a communication system with a star topology, with one FFD being the PAN controller. In a communication system with a star topology, the PAN controller performs data transmission with one or more other devices; in other words, a one-to-many or many-to-one data transmission architecture can be established between multiple devices. In system 102 shown in Figure 1B, multiple FFD devices and one RFD device form a communication system with a peer-to-peer topology, with one FFD being the PAN controller. In a communication system with a peer-to-peer topology, a many-to-many data transmission architecture can be established between multiple different devices.

[0215] It should be understood that Figures 1A and 1B are merely simplified diagrams for ease of understanding and do not constitute constraints on application scenarios of the present application. For example, system 101 and / or system 102 may further include another FFD and / or another RFD.

[0216] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, some terms or concepts that may be used in the embodiments of the present application are first briefly explained.

[0217] 1. UWB Technology: UWB technology is a wireless carrier communication technology in which a non-sinusoidal narrow impulse at the nanosecond level is used for data transmission, occupying a wide spectrum range. Due to the extremely narrow impulse and very low radio spectrum density of the UWB system, the UWB system has advantages such as strong multipath resolution, low power consumption, and high confidentiality, which leads to coexistence with other systems, thereby improving spectrum utilization and system capacity.

[0218] Since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the introduction of UWB technology into the civilian sector in 2002, ultra-wideband wireless communication has become one of the popular physical layer technologies for short-range and high-speed wireless networks. Many world-renowned companies, research institutes, and standardization organizations are actively involved in the research, development, and standardization of ultra-wideband wireless communication technology. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has incorporated UWB technology into the IEEE 802 series of wireless standards and published the WPAN standard IEEE 802.15.4a and its evolved version IEEE 802.15.4z based on UWB technology. Currently, the WPAN standard 802.15.4ab based on next-generation UWB technology is under discussion.

[0219] UWB technology performs data transmission through the reception and transmission of extremely narrow impulses at the nanosecond or subnanosecond level, rather than using carrier waves as in conventional communication systems. This places high demands on the time synchronization of transceiver devices. In addition, the wide communication bandwidth of UWB technology means that devices consume a lot of power and are complex when signals are received and transmitted over ultra-wideband channels, and most UWB communication devices are battery-powered. Next-generation standards are expected to further reduce the power consumption of UWB systems. Therefore, all signals, except for ranging and sensing reference signals, are received and transmitted in narrowband systems in a manner related to narrowband signals. This reduces the overall power consumption overhead.

[0220] 2. Power of UWB signals: Due to the wide bandwidth of ultra-wideband systems, in order to reduce interference to other narrowband devices during operation, the FCC imposes strict constraints on the power spectral density of UWB signals. According to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), there are two rules:

[0221] Rule 1: The average maximum power spectral density (PSD) of a UWB signal transmitted over a 1 millisecond period must not exceed 41.3 dBm per megahertz.

[0222] Rule 2: The maximum power of a UWB signal transmitted in any 50 MHz bandwidth must not exceed 1 milliwatt.

[0223] Rule 1 is used to limit the total energy transmitted by UWB in 1 millisecond (for example, 37nJ in a 500MHz bandwidth). The energy is transmitted in a shorter time burst, which increases the instantaneous power of the transmitted signal, expands the signal coverage, and improves the signal-to-noise ratio of the signal received at the receiving end. Based on this, in some scenarios that need to increase the transmission power, the transmitting end will divide the UWB signal to be transmitted into multiple segment signals, each segment signal having a time length of less than 1 millisecond, and then transmit only one segment signal in each millisecond.

[0224] For ease of understanding, a UWB signal will be briefly described with reference to Fig. 2(a), which is a diagram of a UWB signal according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0225] 2(a), it can be seen that the transmitting end divides the UWB signal to be transmitted into multiple segment signals (UWB segment signal #1, UWB segment signal #2, and UWB segment signal #3 shown in FIG. 2(a)), each segment signal having a time length of less than 1 millisecond, and only one segment signal is transmitted each millisecond. The segment signals are sometimes called segments for short.

[0226] It can be seen from the above that the UWB signal to be transmitted is divided into multiple segment signals for segment transmission. This can increase the instantaneous power of the UWB signal, but the UWB signal cannot be made infinitely large. Rule 2 is actually used to limit the power increase factor of UWB segment transmission.

[0227] 3. Impulse Radio Ultra-Wideband (IR-UWB) System: Due to the wide bandwidth of the ultra-wideband system, devices in the ultra-wideband system need to have the ability to transmit and receive data at very high speeds. However, the spectral efficiency of the IR-UWB system based on impulse transmission is low, and when the same information is transmitted, the power consumption overhead of the IR-UWB solution is much larger than that of other narrowband short-range protocols (e.g., Bluetooth or ZigBee).

[0228] 4. Ranging or Sensing: In ranging or sensing scenarios, the accuracy of the measurement or sensing results is related to the signal bandwidth. A wider signal bandwidth indicates a higher accuracy of the results obtained through sensing or ranging. Therefore, it is conceivable that a reference signal for ranging or sensing is received and transmitted using a UWB system, and another reference signal and / or data is transmitted according to a narrowband protocol. This can ensure the accuracy of ranging and sensing and also reduce power consumption. Sensing in this application may be understood as the lowest-layer sensing technology in the Internet of Things technology architecture and is a main step for obtaining information and implementing object control in the Internet of Things. Ranging may be understood as measuring the distance between devices, including, but not limited to, measuring the distance between two objects in the Internet of Things.

[0229] For ease of understanding, a ranging / positioning system to which the aforementioned ranging techniques are applied will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 2(b). FIG. 2(b) is a diagram of the architecture of a ranging / positioning system according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2(b), the ranging / positioning system includes multiple devices (e.g., device 1 and device 2 in FIG. 2(b)), which may be an apparatus in this embodiment of the present application. Each device includes at least a UWB module and a narrowband communication module. Positioning and / or ranging may be performed between the UWB module of device 1 and the UWB module of device 2, and data transmission may be performed between the narrowband communication module of device 1 and the narrowband communication module of device 2 via a wireless link.

[0230] In this application, a UWB module may be understood as a device, chip, system, etc. that implements UWB wireless communication technology. Correspondingly, a narrowband communication module may be understood as a device, chip, system, etc. that implements narrowband communication technology (such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or ZigBee (ZigBee protocol)). In one device, the UWB module and the narrowband communication module may be different devices or chips. Of course, alternatively, the UWB module and the narrowband communication module may be integrated into one device or chip. The implementation form of the UWB module and the narrowband communication module in the device is not limited in the embodiments of this application. UWB technology may enable higher data throughput for communication devices and higher accuracy in device positioning.

[0231] The device in this application may be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal, such as a user terminal, user equipment, access device, subscriber station, subscriber unit, mobile station, user agent, or user equipment supporting Wi-Fi communication capabilities. User terminals may include various handheld devices, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, or computing devices with wireless communication capabilities or another processing device connected to a wireless modem, various forms of user equipment (UE), mobile stations (MS), terminals, terminal devices, portable communication devices, handheld devices, portable computing devices, entertainment devices, gaming devices or systems, global positioning system devices, or any other suitable devices configured to perform network communications over a wireless medium. Additionally, the device supports the 802.15.4ab or 802.15.4ab next-generation standard. The device further supports multiple standards, such as 802.15.4a, 802.15.4-2011, 802.15.4-2015, and 802.15.4z. Alternatively, the device may support multiple wireless local area network (WLAN) standards in the 802.11 family, such as 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, and the next generation of 802.11be.

[0232] For ease of understanding, the following briefly describes the narrowband protocol assisted ranging method with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a diagram of a UWB ranging method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0233] From Figure 3, we can see that the transceiver device uses UWB signals to complete round-trip measurements for high-precision ranging, and then negotiates the ranging task and provides feedback on the ranging results according to a narrowband protocol. The specific steps include:

[0234] The device performs narrowband-assisted UWB ranging once in each ranging time block (ranging time block #1, ranging time block #2, and ranging time block #n shown in FIG. 3) (also called a measurement period). In each ranging time block (e.g., ranging time block #2 shown in FIG. 3), the narrowband system operates on the same channel (e.g., channel #y shown in FIG. 3). In different ranging time blocks, the narrowband system may change its operating channel in a frequency hopping manner (e.g., channel #x corresponding to ranging time block #1, channel #y corresponding to ranging time block #2, and channel #z corresponding to ranging time block #n shown in FIG. 3). This avoids a complex channel access strategy.

[0235] Specifically, in each ranging procedure, an initiator sends a poll frame to a responder, and the responder replies with a resp frame after receiving the poll frame. After receiving the resp frame, the initiator performs round-trip time measurement with the responder over the UWB channel using a segment transmission method. After the measurement is completed, the responder sends the measurement result (report) to the initiator by using a narrowband system.

[0236] The above describes a scenario in which the embodiments of the present application are applied with reference to Figure 1, further briefly explains the basic concept of the present application, and briefly describes a UWB ranging method with reference to Figure 3. This method has the following drawbacks:

[0237] 1. Although the narrowband system stays on the same channel during each ranging time block, the total time occupied by the ranging procedure of the UWB signal can reach tens of milliseconds. During this period, no signals are received or transmitted in the narrowband system, so the narrowband channel may be used by another device. As a result, the responder device loses the opportunity to transmit on the narrowband channel and cannot feed back the measurement results to the initiator in time.

[0238] 2. Because the interval between the time for feedbacking the measurement results on the narrowband channel and the time of the last interaction on the narrowband channel is long, if a problem occurs in the initiator's UWB signal transmission during this period (e.g., strong interference occurs), the responder may not know how to respond and the initiator may not know the progress. In addition, this method does not consider ensuring that the responder has adequate time to prepare the measurement report.

[0239] To solve the problems of the UWB ranging method described above, this application provides a communication method. To avoid failure in reporting measurement results, the reporting of measurement results is triggered by using a trigger frame. The communication method provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0240] The specific structure of the entity that executes the method provided in the embodiments of the present application is not particularly limited in the following embodiments, as long as communication can be performed according to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application by executing a program that records the code of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the method provided in the embodiments of the present application may be performed by a transceiver device or a functional module that is in a transceiver device and can call and execute a program.

[0241] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following explanation is provided.

[0242] First, in this application, "indicate" may be understood as "enable," and "enable" may include "directly enable" and "indirectly enable." When information is described as enabling A, the information may directly enable A or may indirectly enable A, but it does not mean that the information absolutely conveys A.

[0243] Information that is enabled by information is called information to be enabled. In a particular implementation process, the information to be enabled may be enabled in many ways. For example, but not limited to, the information to be enabled, such as the information to be enabled or an index of the information to be enabled, may be directly enabled. Alternatively, the information to be enabled may be indirectly enabled by enabling other information, and there is an association relationship between the other information and the information to be enabled. Alternatively, only a portion of the information to be enabled may be enabled, and other portions of the information to be enabled are known or agreed upon in advance. For example, to reduce the activation overhead to some extent, specific information may be enabled through a pre-agreed sequence of all information (e.g., specified in a protocol). In addition, to reduce the activation overhead caused by separately enabling the same information, a common portion of all information may be identified and enabled in a unified manner.

[0244] Second, the various numerical designations such as first and second (e.g., "#1" and "#2") shown in this application are for ease of description only and are used to distinguish between objects, but are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application; for example, these terms are used to distinguish between different channels, but not to describe a particular order or sequence. It should be understood that the objects so described are interchangeable in appropriate circumstances, and therefore, approaches other than the embodiments of this application may be described.

[0245] Third, in this application, "pre-configured" may include, for example, "pre-defined" defined in a protocol. "Pre-defined" may be implemented in a manner that a corresponding code, table, or other related information that can be used for indication is stored in advance in a device (including, for example, a network element). Specific implementation forms are not limited in this application.

[0246] Fourth, "storing" in the embodiments of the present application may mean storing in one or more memories. The one or more memories may be disposed separately or integrated into an encoder or decoder, a processor, or a communication device. Alternatively, a portion of the one or more memories may be disposed separately, and a portion of the one or more memories may be integrated into a decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The type of memory may be any form of storage medium. This is not limited in the present application.

[0247] Fifth, the term "and / or" in this specification is merely an associative relationship for describing related objects, and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may indicate three cases: only A exists, both A and B exist, and only B exists. In addition, the character " / " in this specification usually indicates an "or" relationship between related objects.

[0248] Sixth, the "protocol" in the embodiments of the present application may be a standard protocol in the communication field, for example, may include a Wi-Fi protocol and related protocols applied to future communication systems, which is not limited in the present application.

[0249] Without loss of generality, the following will describe in detail the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application by using the interaction between an initiator device and a responder device as an example.

[0250] By way of example and not limitation, the initiator device may be a device capable of communicating in a WPAN, such as an FFD or RFD. Similarly, the responder device may also be a device capable of communicating in a WPAN, such as an FFD or RFD.

[0251] It should be understood that the specific types of initiator device and responder device are not limited in this application, as long as they are both communication devices having UWB signal transmission and reception capabilities.

[0252] 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

[0253] S410: The initiator device transmits a first frame to the responder device, or the responder device receives a first frame from the initiator device.

[0254] Specifically, the initiator device transmits a first frame to the responder device over a first narrowband channel. The first frame is used to trigger data measurement. It can be understood that when data measurement needs to be performed between the initiator device and the responder device, the data measurement procedure can be triggered by using the first frame.

[0255] For example, the first frame may be called an inquiry frame, a polling frame, a poll frame, etc. It should be understood that the names of the frames or information are not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0256] Optionally, the first frame includes, but is not limited to, the following information: The first UWB signal includes at least one of identifier information of a responder device, information indicating a duration of the first UWB signal in milliseconds, information indicating a sequence used by the first UWB signal, information indicating an amount of segments of the first UWB signal, information indicating an overall length of the first UWB signal, and information indicating a feedback type of a data measurement result. The first UWB signal is a UWB signal for measurement to be transmitted by the initiator device.

[0257] The responder device identifier information identifies the responder device, including but not limited to: The respondent device identifier includes information that can identify the respondent device, such as the respondent device identifier (ID), attribute information of the respondent device, or identifier information of the device group to which the respondent device belongs.

[0258] The time length of the first UWB signal in each millisecond indicates the duration of each segment signal when the first UWB signal to be transmitted is divided into multiple segment signals. For example, generally, the initiator device divides the UWB signal to be transmitted into multiple segment signals, each segment signal having a time length of less than 1 millisecond, and then transmits only one segment signal in each millisecond.

[0259] The sequence used by the first UWB signal instructs the initiator device to generate the first UWB signal to be transmitted based on a sequence, the sequence including but not limited to: a maximum length sequence, where the length of the sequence is 2^m-1; after a cyclic shift is performed on an M-sequence, the resulting sequence is still an M-sequence; the M-sequence obtained after the cyclic shift is performed has very little correlation with the original sequence (it is nearly orthogonal), so that different devices may use M-sequences formed by cyclically shifting the M-sequence by different bits, thereby making the UWB signals transmitted by different devices nearly orthogonal, thereby reducing interference between UWB signals; a row or column of a Hadamard matrix, where the Hadamard matrix is ​​a matrix formed only by elements 1 and −1, all rows of the Hadamard matrix are orthogonal to each other, and all columns are also orthogonal to each other, different UWB devices may use different rows or columns of the Hadamard matrix, and the UWB signals transmitted by different devices may be orthogonal to each other, thereby reducing interference between UWB signals; and Gold sequences, where a gold sequence is obtained by multiplying corresponding elements in two maximum length sequences of the same length, and has properties similar to maximum length sequences.

[0260] It should be noted that in this embodiment of the present application, it is not limited that the initiator device generates the first UWB signal to be transmitted based on the sequence. For details, please refer to Generation of Current UWB Signals.

[0261] The amount of segments of the first UWB signal indicates the amount of segment signals when the first UWB signal to be transmitted is divided into a plurality of segment signals.

[0262] The total length of the first UWB signal indicates the time length of the first UWB signal to be transmitted.

[0263] The measurement result feedback type indicates the format in which the initiator device expects to feedback the received measurement result, and the measurement result feedback type includes, but is not limited to: The channel impulse response (CIR), i.e., the amplitude and phase information of the different multipath signals; Differential CIR, i.e., the difference between the channel impulse response and the last measurement, or Channel measurements include the angle of incidence, delay, and corresponding signal strength and phase information for each multipath signal.

[0264] In one possible implementation, the communication method provided in this embodiment of the present application is applied to a narrowband protocol-assisted UWB ranging scenario, where the measurement data may be a measurement distance, and the first UWB signal may be a UWB ranging signal.

[0265] In another possible implementation, the communication method provided in this embodiment of the present application is applied to a narrowband protocol-assisted UWB detection scenario, where the measurement data may be detection data, and the first UWB signal may be a UWB detection signal.

[0266] It should be noted that the above only describes, by using examples, scenarios in which the communication method provided in the present application can be applied, and does not constitute any restriction on the scope of protection of the present application. The communication method provided in the present application also applies to other scenarios, for example, UWB measurement scenarios in which the measurement accuracy is related to the signal bandwidth.

[0267] Furthermore, after receiving the first frame, the responder device may feed back a second frame to the initiator device in response to the first frame. The method procedure shown in FIG. 4 further includes the following steps.

[0268] S420: The responder device transmits a second frame to the initiator device, or the initiator device receives a second frame from the responder device.

[0269] Specifically, when the responder device receives a first frame on a first narrowband channel, the responder device transmits a second frame to the initiator device on the same narrowband channel (i.e., the first narrowband channel), where the second frame is used to respond to the first frame.

[0270] For example, the second frame may be called a response frame.

[0271] Optionally, the second frame may include, but is not limited to, the following information: The second UWB signal includes at least one of information indicating a duration of the second UWB signal in milliseconds, information indicating a sequence used by the second UWB signal, information indicating an amount of segments of the second UWB signal, information indicating an overall length of the second UWB signal, or information indicating a measurement period. The second UWB signal is a UWB signal for measurement to be transmitted by the responder device.

[0272] The duration of the second UWB signal in milliseconds indicates the time length of each segment signal when the second UWB signal to be transmitted is divided into multiple segment signals. For example, in general, Responder The device divides the UWB signal to be transmitted into a plurality of segment signals, each of which has a time length of less than 1 millisecond, and then transmits only one segment signal in each millisecond.

[0273] The sequence used by the second UWB signal instructs the responder device to generate the second UWB signal to be transmitted based on a sequence, the sequence including but not limited to: a maximum length sequence, where the length of the sequence is 2^m-1; the sequence obtained after cyclic shifting is performed on the M-sequence is still an M-sequence; the M-sequence obtained after cyclic shifting has very little correlation with the original sequence (it is nearly orthogonal); therefore, different devices may use M-sequences formed by performing cyclic shifting on the M-sequence by different bits, so that the UWB signals transmitted by different devices are nearly orthogonal, thereby reducing interference between UWB signals; a row or column of a Hadamard matrix, where the Hadamard matrix is ​​a matrix formed only by elements 1 and −1, all rows of the Hadamard matrix are orthogonal to each other, and all columns are also orthogonal to each other, different UWB devices may use different rows or columns of the Hadamard matrix, and the UWB signals transmitted by different devices may be orthogonal to each other, thereby reducing interference between UWB signals; and Gold sequences, where a gold sequence is obtained by multiplying corresponding elements in two maximum length sequences of the same length, and has properties similar to maximum length sequences.

[0274] It should be noted that this embodiment of the present application is not limited to the responder device generating the second UWB signal to be transmitted based on the sequence. For details, please refer to the current UWB signal generation.

[0275] The amount of segments of the second UWB signal indicates the amount of segment signals when the second UWB signal to be transmitted is divided into a plurality of segment signals.

[0276] The total length of the second UWB signal indicates the time length of the second UWB signal to be transmitted.

[0277] The measurement period indication information may indicate which measurement period is the current measurement period.

[0278] Furthermore, after receiving the second frame, the initiator device may start data measurement. The method procedure shown in Figure 4 further includes the following steps.

[0279] S430: The initiator device transmits a first UWB signal to the responder device, or the responder device receives a first UWB signal from the initiator device.

[0280] Specifically, after receiving the second frame, the initiator device may transmit a first UWB signal on the first UWB channel.

[0281] In one possible implementation, in order to increase the transmission power of the first UWB signal, the first UWB signal can be divided into multiple segment signals for transmission in a transmission process, and in order to increase the instantaneous transmission power, only one segment signal is transmitted each millisecond, and the impulse sequence of each segment signal can be randomly generated based on a key or a predetermined sequence.

[0282] For example, transmitting the first UWB signal in a segment includes the initiator device dividing the first UWB signal into a plurality of first segment signals, each of which has a time length less than a first threshold (e.g., less than 1 millisecond), and the initiator device transmitting one first segment signal to the responder device on the first UWB channel at intervals of the first threshold.

[0283] Optionally, the first threshold may be predetermined or determined by the transmitting end device and the receiving end device through negotiation. The first threshold includes, but is not limited to, 1 millisecond, 0.5 milliseconds, etc. The specific value of the first threshold is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. For example, the value of the first threshold may be adjusted and set based on factors such as the maximum power spectral density of the transmitted UWB signal and the increase factor of the segment UWB transmission power.

[0284] In another possible implementation, when increasing the transmission power of the first UWB signal is not considered, the initiator device may further transmit the first UWB signal without segmentation.

[0285] S440: The responder device transmits a second UWB signal to the initiator device, or the initiator device receives a second UWB signal from the responder device.

[0286] Specifically, in the data measurement process, when the initiator device transmits a first UWB signal to the responder device, the responder device also needs to transmit a second UWB signal to the initiator device, for example, the responder device replies to the second UWB signal in a segment transmission manner in the intermediate period between two consecutive first segment signals transmitted by the initiator device.

[0287] For example, transmitting a second UWB signal in a segment in the same manner as transmitting a first UWB signal in a segment includes:

[0288] the responder device divides the second UWB signal into a plurality of second segment signals, where each second segment signal has a time length less than a first threshold (e.g., less than 1 millisecond); Responder The device transmits one second segment signal to the initiator device every millisecond on the first UWB channel, where the time at which the second segment signal is transmitted is the period between when two adjacent first segment signals are received.

[0289] For example, the use of a first UWB signal and a second UWB signal to complete ranging can be understood as follows: the initiator device transmits a first UWB signal at an instant T1, the responder device estimates T2 (the arrival time of the ranging initiation signal) based on the first UWB signal, the responder device transmits a second UWB signal at an instant T3, and the initiator device estimates T4 (the arrival time of the response ranging signal) based on the ranging signal transmitted by the responder device. After transmitting the ranging signal, the responder device transmits a data frame carrying T2 and T3. The distance between the initiator device and the responder device is calculated as follows:

[0290]

number

[0291] where c is the speed of light.

[0292] The use of the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal to complete detection is similar to the use of the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal to complete ranging. The difference is that during ranging, only the propagation time of the shortest path matters, and information of other multipath signals does not matter, while during detection, the transmission delay, incidence angle and other information of different multipath propagation signals need to be measured separately, which information may be obtained through calculation based on CIR, and the responder device may directly feed back the CIR result to the initiator device, or may feed back the estimated result of detection information after calculation based on the CIR result.

[0293] That is, in ranging scenarios, the measurement results may refer to T2 and T3 above, and in sensing scenarios, the measurement results may refer to CIR results or estimated results of the sensing information.

[0294] It should be noted that the above only describes how the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal are used to complete ranging or detection by using an example, and does not constitute any restriction on the scope of protection of the present application. In this embodiment of the present application, the specific principle of the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal used to complete ranging or detection is not limited. For details, please refer to the current related description of performing ranging or detection by using UWB signals.

[0295] Specifically, in this embodiment, a trigger frame can be sent to trigger the measurement result reporting procedure. Depending on whether the moment when the trigger frame is sent is after the moment when the transmission of the UWB signal is completed, there are two ways:

[0296] Method 1: After the data measurement is completed, the measurement result reporting procedure is triggered.

[0297] It should be understood that the measurement results need to be reported after the data measurement is completed.

[0298] In one possible implementation, completion of data measurement may be understood as completion of reception and transmission of UWB signals.

[0299] For example, the reception and transmission of both the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal are completed, and the data measurement result of the current measurement period is obtained through measurement.

[0300] In another possible implementation, completion of data measurement may be understood as completion of data measurement in the measurement period preceding the current measurement data period.

[0301] For example, even if both the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal are in the transmission process, the data measurement in the measurement period before the current period is completed. The fact that both the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal are in the transmission process includes at least the following two cases:

[0302] (1) When a UWB signal is transmitted in segments, the UWB signal being in the transmission process can be understood as the fact that not all of the transmissions of the multiple segment signals have been completed. For example, if a UWB signal is divided into three segment signals (segment signal #1, segment signal #2, and segment signal #3), and the transmissions of segment signal #1 and segment signal #2 have been completed but the transmission of segment signal #3 has not yet started, it can be understood that the UWB signal is still in the transmission process.

[0303] (2) When a UWB signal is not transmitted in a segment, the UWB signal being in the transmission process can be understood as the transmission of the UWB signal not ending. For example, the transmission of the UWB signal starts at instant #1, and the transmission ends at instant #2, and the moments between instant #1 and instant #2 can be understood as the moments when the UWB signal is still in the transmission process.

[0304] Other possible cases are not listed here.

[0305] In the manner 1, in order to avoid failure of the measurement result report, the measurement result may be reported after the measurement result report procedure is triggered, to ensure the execution of the measurement result report.

[0306] In Scheme 1, the procedure of the method shown in FIG. 4 further includes the following steps:

[0307] S450: The initiator device transmits a first prompt frame to the responder device, or the responder device receives a first prompt frame from the initiator device.

[0308] Specifically, the initiator device transmits a first prompting frame to the responder device over the second narrowband channel. The first prompting frame is used to prompt the responder device to report a first measurement result. The first measurement result includes all or part of a data measurement result, and the data measurement result may be a measurement result of a current measurement period or a measurement result of another measurement period prior to the current period.

[0309] The first trigger frame is sent to trigger a measurement report procedure, which can substantially improve the reliability of the measurement report and substantially avoid reporting failures when the measurement result is reported directly on the first narrowband channel.

[0310] For example, the second narrowband channel is the first narrowband channel. For example, in the process of measuring data based on the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal, the first narrowband channel is not occupied by another device.

[0311] For example, the second narrowband channel is a different narrowband channel than the first narrowband channel.

[0312] Optionally, the first trigger frame includes information indicating the content included in the first measurement result and / or the format of the first measurement result. The content included in the first measurement result may be CIR, different results of CIR, estimated sensing parameters including information such as the incident direction, delay, and Doppler of each transmission path, and timestamp information of the arrival and departure of the channel. The format of the first measurement result may be a format in which the first measurement result is reported, for example, a binary format or a hexadecimal format.

[0313] For ease of understanding, the timeline relationships between transmitting the first prompting frame, transmitting the first frame, receiving the second frame, transmitting the first UWB signal, and receiving the second UWB signal will be described with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5 is a diagram of a transmission timeline corresponding to the first prompting frame according to this embodiment of the present application.

[0314] It can be seen from FIG. 5 that the initiator device transmits a first prompt frame to the responder device after finishing transmitting the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal.

[0315] For example, to ensure that the responder device can correctly receive the first trigger frame, the initiator device and the responder device may negotiate a second narrowband channel for transmitting the first trigger frame. When the initiator device transmits the first trigger frame to the responder device on the second narrowband channel, the responder device can receive the first trigger frame on the second narrowband channel. The method procedure shown in FIG. 4 further includes the following steps.

[0316] S460: The initiator device transmits first indication information to the responder device, or the responder device receives first indication information from the initiator device.

[0317] The first indication information indicates a narrowband channel for transmitting the trigger frame, the trigger frame includes a first trigger frame, and the narrowband channel includes a second narrowband channel.

[0318] Specifically, the trigger frame may be transmitted on a corresponding narrowband channel, and different trigger frames may be transmitted on different narrowband channels. The first indication information indicating the narrowband channel of the trigger frame may be understood as the first indication information indicating the frequency hopping operation mode of the narrowband system.

[0319] In one possible implementation form, the first indication information indicating the frequency hopping operation manner of the narrowband system includes:

[0320] The first indication information includes information indicating a start instant of frequency hopping operation of the narrowband system, information indicating a frequency hopping start frequency band, information indicating a frequency hopping end frequency band, information indicating a frequency hopping frequency band interval of the narrowband system, and information indicating a frequency hopping time interval.

[0321] For example, the first indication information may include information indicating moment #1, frequency band #1, frequency band #2, frequency hopping frequency band interval #1, and frequency hopping time interval #1, where moment #1 may be information indicating the moment of end of transmission of the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal, i.e., the moment of start of frequency hopping operation of the narrowband system, frequency band #1 is a frequency hopping start frequency band (e.g., 10 MHz to 20 MHz), frequency band #2 is a frequency hopping end frequency band (e.g., 50 MHz to 60 MHz), the frequency hopping frequency band interval is #110 MHz, and the frequency hopping time interval #1 is 600 μs.

[0322] In this example, the frequency hopping operation scheme for the narrowband system includes the following:

[0323] The narrowband system may operate in frequency band #1 at instant #1 and transmit a prompt frame on narrowband channel #1 corresponding to frequency band #1, and the narrowband system may operate in frequency band #3 after frequency hopping time interval #1 of instant #1 (e.g., instant #1 + 600 μs) and transmit a prompt frame on narrowband channel #2 corresponding to frequency band #3 (e.g., 20 MHz to 30 MHz).

[0324] In another possible implementation form, the first indication information indicating the frequency hopping operation manner of the narrowband system includes:

[0325] The first indication information includes information indicating a start instant of frequency hopping operation of the narrowband system, information indicating a frequency band, and information indicating a frequency hopping time interval.

[0326] For example, the first indication information includes information indicating moment #1, frequency band #1, frequency band #2, frequency band #3, and frequency hopping time interval #1, where moment #1 may be information indicating the moment when the transmission of the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal ends, i.e., the moment when the frequency hopping operation of the narrowband system begins, and frequency band #1, frequency band #2, and frequency band #3 are information indicating frequency bands, indicating that the frequency bands in which the narrowband system operates may sequentially hop from frequency band #1 to frequency band #2, then from frequency band #2 to frequency band #3, then from frequency band #3 to frequency band #1... and frequency hopping time interval #1 is 600 μs.

[0327] In this example, the frequency hopping operation scheme for the narrowband system includes the following:

[0328] The narrowband system may operate in frequency band #1 at instant #1 and transmit a prompt frame on narrowband channel #1 corresponding to frequency band #1, and the narrowband system may operate in frequency band #2 after frequency hopping time interval #1 of instant #1 (e.g., instant #1+600 μs) and transmit a prompt frame on narrowband channel #2 corresponding to frequency band #2.

[0329] In yet another possible implementation form, the first indication information indicating a frequency hopping operation manner of the narrowband system includes:

[0330] The first indication information includes information indicating a start instant of frequency hopping operation of the narrowband system, information indicating a frequency hopping start frequency band, information indicating an amount of frequency band for frequency hopping of the narrowband system, and information indicating a frequency hopping time interval.

[0331] It should be understood that the above only describes how the first indication information indicates the frequency hopping operation mode of the narrowband system by using an example, and does not constitute any restriction on the protection scope of the present application. Other information that can indicate the frequency hopping operation mode of the narrowband system also falls within the protection scope of the present application.

[0332] Additionally, the measurement result and the corresponding response to the triggering frame may be associated with the same narrowband channel for transmission, rather than being transmitted according to the frequency hopping time sequence indicated by the first indication information. For example, after triggering frame #1 used to trigger the reporting of measurement result #1 is sent on narrowband channel #1, the frequency hopping time arrives and the narrowband system needs to perform frequency hopping to narrowband channel #2 for operation. Measurement result #1 may still be reported on narrowband channel #1, and there is no need to perform frequency hopping to narrowband channel #2.

[0333] In one possible implementation, the first indication information may be carried in a first frame and transmitted to the responder device.

[0334] It should be understood that the responder device transmits the first measurement result to the initiator device only after receiving the first trigger frame. The method procedure shown in Figure 4 further includes the following steps.

[0335] S470: The responder device sends the first measurement result to the initiator device, or the initiator device receives the first measurement result from the responder device.

[0336] Specifically, the responder device transmits a first measurement result that satisfies the content and / or format of the measurement result to the initiator device based on the content and / or format of the measurement result indicated by the first prompt frame.

[0337] Based on the above technical solution, the initiator device transmits a first trigger frame on the second narrowband channel, which is used to trigger a report of a first measurement result, and the responder device reports the first measurement result on the narrowband channel within a time period for receiving the first trigger frame, which ensures the validity of the report of the first measurement result.

[0338] In one possible implementation, the above procedure of sending trigger frames and receiving measurement results may be repeated multiple times.

[0339] For example, in the case of a failure to report a measurement result, when the initiator device fails to receive a first measurement result, the initiator device may re-acquire the measurement result by re-sending a prompt frame and receiving the measurement result until the measurement result is successfully acquired, and the re-sent prompt frame may be transmitted on the first narrowband channel, or the second narrowband channel for transmitting the first prompt frame, or another narrowband channel different from the first narrowband channel and the second narrowband channel.

[0340] In another example, when measurement results are reported multiple times in a segment, a trigger frame may trigger the reporting of only a portion of the measurement results, and obtaining all of the measurement results may be performed by sending multiple trigger frames and reporting the measurement results multiple times. The measurement results may be reported in segments. That is, each trigger frame may specify a portion of the measurement results for reporting, and the responder device does not need to feed back all of the measurement results at once. When the amount of data of the measurement results is large, the efficiency and reliability of feeding back the results can be substantially improved, and the flexibility of the strategy can be improved.

[0341] In this implementation, the method procedure shown in FIG. 4 further includes the following steps:

[0342] S480: The initiator device transmits a second prompt frame to the responder device, or the responder device receives a second prompt frame from the initiator device.

[0343] Specifically, the second trigger frame is transmitted on a third narrowband channel, the third narrowband channel being different from the second narrowband channel.

[0344] S490: The responder device sends the second measurement result to the initiator device, or the initiator device receives the second measurement result from the responder device.

[0345] Specifically, the second measurement is transmitted on a third narrowband channel.

[0346] Optionally, if the measurement fails to be reported, the second measurement is the first measurement.

[0347] Optionally, if the measurement is reported multiple times in a segment, the second measurement is all or part of the measurement other than the first measurement among the currently measured data measurements.

[0348] It should be understood that the above-mentioned sending of the second trigger frame and receiving the second measurement result are merely illustrative examples. The procedure of sending the trigger frame and receiving the measurement result may be repeated multiple times, and is not limited to the scope of protection of the present application. For example, the trigger frame may be sent more than twice. The details will not be described again here.

[0349] As described in Scheme 1, after the measurement procedure is completed, a trigger frame is sent to trigger the measurement result reporting procedure. This avoids reporting failure when the measurement result is reported directly. This embodiment provides another scheme. In the data measurement process, to support the measurement result reporting of some responder devices that cannot feed back the measurement result in time, a trigger frame is sent to trigger the procedure of reporting the measurement result of the previous measurement period. Being in the data measurement process can be understood as the UWB signal being in the transmission process.

[0350] A description of Scheme 2 is given below.

[0351] Method 2: The procedure for reporting the measurement results of the previous measurement period is triggered in the data measurement process of the current measurement period.

[0352] In Scheme 2, the method procedure shown in FIG. 4 further includes the following steps:

[0353] S451: The initiator device transmits a third prompt frame to the responder device, or the responder device receives a third prompt frame from the initiator device.

[0354] Specifically, in the process of transmitting the first UWB signal, the initiator device transmits a third trigger frame on the first narrowband channel, and the third trigger frame is used to trigger the reporting of a third measurement result, where the third measurement result includes all or part of the data measurement result in the second period, and the second period is the measurement period before the first period.

[0355] In one possible implementation, when a UWB signal is transmitted in segments, the UWB signal being in the transmission process (e.g., the above-described process of transmitting a first UWB signal) may be understood as the transmission of all of the segment signals not being completed. For example, if the UWB signal is divided into three segment signals (segment signal #1, segment signal #2, and segment signal #3), and the transmission of segment signal #1 and segment signal #2 has been completed, but the transmission of segment signal #3 has not yet started. In this case, it may be understood that the UWB signal is still in the transmission process.

[0356] In another possible implementation, if a UWB signal is not transmitted in a segment, the UWB signal being in the transmission process can be understood as the UWB signal not having finished transmitting. For example, the transmission of the UWB signal starts at instant #1 and ends at instant #2, and the moments between instant #1 and instant #2 can be understood as the moments when the UWB signal is still in the transmission process. In the transmission process of the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal, the third trigger frame is sent to trigger the procedure for reporting the measurement results of another period before the current measurement period, and the reporting of the measurement results of the previous period is triggered in the current measurement period. This helps responder devices that have not completed reporting the measurement results in the previous period to report the measurement results. In addition, UWB signals and narrowband signals can be received / transmitted simultaneously, which improves measurement efficiency.

[0357] It should be understood that the first period and the second period are different ranging time blocks as described above.

[0358] It should be understood that the above process of transmitting the first UWB signal may be understood as the time when the first UWB signal is transmitted, or may be understood as the time before the transmission of the first UWB signal ends.

[0359] From the above, it can be seen that in the process of transmitting the first UWB signal, the initiator device can transmit a third trigger frame on the first narrowband channel to trigger the reporting of the third measurement result. Since the channel for transmitting the UWB signal is different from the channel for transmitting the third trigger frame and the channel for transmitting the third measurement result, the UWB signal and the narrowband signal are transmitted simultaneously, which improves measurement efficiency.

[0360] Optionally, the third trigger frame includes at least one of the following information: information indicating the content contained in the third measurement result, information indicating the format of the third measurement result, or information indicating the second period.

[0361] For ease of understanding, the timeline relationship between transmitting the third prompting frame, transmitting the first frame, receiving the second frame, transmitting the first UWB signal, and receiving the second UWB signal will be described with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a diagram of a transmission timeline corresponding to the third prompting frame according to this embodiment of the present application.

[0362] 6, it can be seen that the initiator device transmits a third trigger frame to the responder device in the transmission process of the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal of the first period. It should be noted that the initiator device may also transmit a trigger frame to the responder device in the transmission process of the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal of the second period to trigger the procedure of reporting the measurement results of the measurement period before the second period.

[0363] Optionally, to ensure that the responder device can correctly receive the third trigger frame, the initiator device and the responder device may negotiate a first narrowband channel for transmitting the third trigger frame. When the initiator device transmits the third trigger frame to the responder device on the first narrowband channel, the responder device can receive the third trigger frame on the first narrowband channel. The method procedure shown in FIG. 4 further includes the following steps:

[0364] S461: The initiator device sends second indication information to the responder device, or the responder device receives second indication information from the initiator device.

[0365] The second indication information indicates a narrowband channel for transmitting the trigger frame, the trigger frame includes a third trigger frame, and the narrowband channel includes the first narrowband channel.

[0366] In one possible implementation, the second indicia information may be carried in the first frame and transmitted to the responder device.

[0367] It should be understood that the responder device transmits the third measurement result to the initiator device only after receiving the third trigger frame. The method procedure shown in Figure 4 further includes the following steps.

[0368] S471: The responder device sends a third measurement result to the initiator device, or the initiator device receives a third measurement result from the responder device.

[0369] Specifically, the responder device transmits a third measurement result that satisfies the content and / or format of the measurement result to the initiator device based on the content and / or format of the measurement result indicated by the third prompt frame.

[0370] Similar to the procedure of Scheme 1, the above procedure of sending a trigger frame and receiving measurement results can be repeated multiple times.

[0371] S481: The initiator device transmits a fourth prompt frame to the responder device, or the responder device receives a fourth prompt frame from the initiator device.

[0372] Specifically, the fourth trigger frame is transmitted on a first narrowband channel, and the first narrowband channel is different from the aforementioned first narrowband channel.

[0373] S491: The responder device sends a fourth measurement result to the initiator device, or the initiator device receives a fourth measurement result from the responder device.

[0374] Specifically, the fourth measurement is transmitted on the first narrowband channel.

[0375] Optionally, if the measurement result report fails, the fourth measurement result is a data measurement result measured in the second period. The initiator device may send a prompt frame on a different channel to prompt the measurement result report. This greatly increases the robustness of the system.

[0376] Optionally, when the measurement results are reported multiple times in a segment, the fourth measurement result is all or a part of the measurement results other than the third measurement result among the data measurement results measured in the second period. The measurement results may be reported in segments. That is, a trigger frame sent each time may specify a part of the measurement results for reporting, and the responder device does not need to feed back all of the measurement results at once. When the amount of data of the measurement results is large, the efficiency and reliability of feeding back the results can be substantially improved, and the flexibility of the strategy can be improved.

[0377] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication method. In a scenario of UWB measurement data supported by a narrowband protocol, after a transmitting end device sends a first frame triggering data measurement to trigger a current round of measurement, a responder device reports a measurement report of the previous round by responding with a second frame of the first frame. This substantially simplifies the narrowband interaction procedure and reduces the air interface transmission time. A description is given below with reference to Figure 7. Figure 7 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

[0378] S710: The initiator device transmits a first frame to the responder device, or the responder device receives a first frame from the initiator device.

[0379] For a related description of the first frame, please refer to the description of the first frame in step S410 in Fig. 4. The difference is that the first frame in this embodiment can be used to trigger reporting feedback of the data measurement results of the measurement round before the current measurement round, in addition to implementing the function of the first frame in step S410 to trigger data measurement of the current measurement round. For example, the first frame is used to trigger data measurement in the third period and to trigger feedback of the data measurement results in the fourth period.

[0380] Furthermore, after receiving the first frame, the responder device may feed back a second frame to the initiator device in response to the first frame. The method procedure shown in Figure 7 further includes the following steps.

[0381] S720: The responder device sends a second frame to the initiator device, or the initiator device receives a second frame from the responder device. For a related description of the second frame, please refer to the description of the second frame in step S420 in FIG. 4. The difference is that the second frame in this embodiment can be used to implement the function of reporting the measurement results of the previous measurement round in addition to being used to implement the function of the second frame in step S420. Specifically,

[0382] The second frame includes a fifth measurement, which includes all or part of the data measurements in a fourth period, the fourth period being the measurement period before the third period.

[0383] For example, the fourth cycle being the measurement cycle before the third cycle may be understood as the second frame may carry a measurement report of a previous round of ranging or detection measurements at the responder.

[0384] A new measurement result feedback procedure is defined in the embodiment shown in Figure 7. Delayed feedback of measurement reports can be supported. In the next round of ranging or sensing measurements, a response frame responding to the poll frame carries the measurement report. This substantially simplifies the narrowband interaction procedure and reduces the air interface transmission time.

[0385] In one possible implementation, if the fifth measurement result fails to be transmitted (e.g., the fifth measurement result obtained by the initiator from the second frame fails to be transmitted), the initiator may retransmit the first frame to obtain the fifth measurement result.

[0386] In another possible implementation, if the fifth measurement result is part of the data measurement result in the fourth period (e.g., the fifth measurement result is the first part of the data measurement result in the fourth period), the initiator may retransmit the first frame to obtain another part of the data measurement result in the fourth period.

[0387] That is, the interactive process of poll frames and response frames may be repeated multiple times to address failure to obtain a report, or each time a portion of the report content is obtained in response to the transmission of a report segment.

[0388] Furthermore, after receiving the second frame, the initiator device may start data measurement. The method procedure shown in Figure 7 further includes the following steps.

[0389] S730: The initiator device transmits a first UWB signal to the responder device, or the responder device receives a first UWB signal from the initiator device. For a related description of the first UWB signal, please refer to the description of the first UWB signal in step S430 of Figure 4. The details will not be described again here.

[0390] S740: The responder device transmits a second UWB signal to the initiator device, or the initiator device receives a second UWB signal from the responder device. For a related description of the second UWB signal, please refer to the description of the second UWB signal in step S440 of Figure 4. The details will not be described again here.

[0391] In each round of ranging or detection measurements, the initiator device may repeat the measurement procedure shown in Figure 7 with multiple different responder devices to perform one-to-many station ranging or detection. The narrowband systems in each round of measurements may be on the same channel or on different channels.

[0392] For ease of understanding, the timeline relationships between transmitting the first frame, receiving the second frame, transmitting the first UWB signal, and receiving the second UWB signal will be described with reference to Figure 8, which is a diagram of a frame transmission timeline according to this embodiment of the present application.

[0393] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication method. In a narrowband protocol-assisted UWB measurement data scenario, communications of a narrowband system may have multiple different modulation and mapping schemes and different data rates, and different narrowband physical layer protocol data units (PPDUs) may have different Start-of-Frame Delimiter (SFD) sequences. Therefore, before narrowband-assisted UWB measurement data (such as ranging or detection) is performed, an initialization and handshake negotiation process may be used to determine the configuration of parameters in the measurement procedure. How parameters are negotiated in the measurement procedure is described below with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart of yet another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

[0394] S910: The initiator device transmits a fourth frame to the responder device, or the responder device receives a fourth frame from the initiator device.

[0395] Specifically, the initiator device transmits a fourth frame (e.g., an Advertisement Poll (ADV-POLL) frame) to the responder device, where the fourth frame instructs the responder device to negotiate parameters in the measurement procedure. For example, the fourth frame carries parameters in the measurement procedure supported by the initiator device.

[0396] Furthermore, in this embodiment, after receiving the fourth frame, the responder device may respond to the fourth frame by using a fifth frame. The method procedure shown in Figure 9 further includes the following steps.

[0397] S920: The responder device transmits a fifth frame to the initiator device, or the initiator device receives a fifth frame from the responder device.

[0398] Specifically, the responder device sends a fifth frame (e.g., an Advertisement response (ADV-RESP) frame) to the initiator device, where the fifth frame includes parameters supported by the responder device and the initiator device.

[0399] For example, after receiving the fifth frame, the initiator device may transmit a sixth frame and agree to start measurement after a certain period of time. That is, the method procedure shown in FIG. 9 may further include the following steps:

[0400] S930: The initiator device transmits a sixth frame to the responder device, or the responder device receives a sixth frame from the initiator device.

[0401] Specifically, the sixth frame instructs the measurement to start a first duration after the sixth frame. After the negotiation is completed, the responder device and the initiator device may perform measurements based on the negotiated parameters. For specific measurement procedures, please refer to the description of the communication method shown in Figure 4 and / or Figure 7. Details will not be described again here.

[0402] For ease of understanding, the time sequence relationship between the fourth, fifth, and sixth frames will be described with reference to Fig. 10(a), which is a diagram of another frame transmission time sequence according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0403] Optionally, the parameters in the measurement procedure include, but are not limited to, initial channel information, UWB measurement channel information, or physical layer rate information.

[0404] For ease of understanding, possible parameter information for narrowband-assisted UWB measurement procedure is briefly described with reference to Table 1a.

[0405] [Table 1A]

[0406] [Table 1B]

[0407] The first through fifth values ​​of the physical layer rate (PHY rate) field in Table 1a (i.e., #1 through #5 in Table 1a), respectively, indicate five different rate configuration parameter combinations for narrowband transmission when the default symbol-to-chip mapping is used. The sixth value (i.e., #6 in Table 1a) and the seventh value (i.e., #7 in Table 1a) of the PHY rate field may be reserved or for other indications. The eighth through twelfth values ​​of the PHY rate field (i.e., #8 through #12 in Table 1a), respectively, indicate five different rate configuration parameter combinations for narrowband transmission when an alternative symbol-to-chip mapping is used.

[0408] For ease of understanding, the form of the five different speed configuration parameter combinations in this embodiment will be briefly explained with reference to Table 1b (Table 2) to Table 1d (Table 4).

[0409] Specifically, there may be multiple different options for the preamble length of the PPDU, the SF of the SFD field, the PHR length, the SF of the payload part, and the payload coding scheme in a narrowband system. Based on different speeds, the following five configuration combinations are preferred. The parameters of the specific combinations are shown in Table 1b below.

[0410] [Table 2]

[0411] It should be noted that the default symbol-to-chip mapping table is based on Table 12-1 or Table 21-16 in the IEEE 802.15.4-2020 standard document. Mapping tables of lengths 32 and 16 are shown in Table 1c (Table 3) and Table 1d (Table 4) below, which can be used as alternative symbol-to-chip mapping relationship tables.

[0412] [Table 3A]

[0413] [Table 3B]

[0414] [Table 4]

[0415] Specifically, the structure of a PPDU in a narrowband system in a narrowband-aided ranging or sensing system is shown in Figure 10(b), and includes a preamble, SFD, PHR, and payloads. In addition, when a length 16 symbol-to-chip mapping table is used, an odd number of symbols are used in Table 1d (Table 4) above, and an even number of symbols are used in the reverse sequence of the sequence corresponding to Table 1d (Table 4) above. Details are shown in Figure 10(c) below.

[0416] A 13th value in the PHY rate field (i.e., #13 in Table 1a) indicates that the narrowband system uses the default symbol-to-chip mapping, and the specific rate configuration must be determined by using the narrowband SFD field. A 14th value in the PHY rate field (i.e., #14 in Table 1a) indicates that the narrowband system uses an alternative symbol-to-chip mapping, and the specific rate configuration must be determined by using the narrowband SFD field. During narrowband transmission, a dynamic SFD value may indicate the data rate of the payload, with different SFD values ​​indicating different transmission rates of the payload portion.

[0417] It should be noted that during narrowband data modulation and mapping, a group of symbol-to-chip mapping tables (called default symbol-to-chip mapping) is defined in the existing standard, including three different mappings with chip lengths of 32, 16, and 8. In addition, a group of new symbol-to-chip mapping tables (called alternative symbol-to-chip mapping) is defined in the existing standard, including two different mappings with chip lengths of 32 and 16. When an alternative symbol-to-chip mapping scheme is selected, if a length-8 symbol-to-chip mapping table needs to be used, the length-8 mapping table in the default symbol-to-chip mapping can be used.

[0418] In addition, the symbol-to-chip mapping scheme can alternatively be indicated separately by using another field (e.g., the mapping type field), so that the specific narrowband modulation and mapping scheme can be jointly determined based on the PHY rate and mapping type fields. Corresponding parameter information is shown in Table 2 below.

[0419] [Table 5]

[0420] Alternatively, whether the dynamic SFD indicates rate and symbol-to-chip mapping may be indicated separately by using another field, and the corresponding parameter information is shown in Table 3.

[0421] [Table 6]

[0422] Alternatively, whether to use dynamic SFD indication may be used as a separate field for indication, and the corresponding parameter information is shown in Table 4 below.

[0423] [Table 7]

[0424] It should be understood that Table 1a (Table 1) to Table 4 (Table 7) are merely examples for describing possible forms of negotiated parameters and do not constitute any constraints on the scope of protection of the present application. For example, functions indicated by some values ​​in fields (e.g., PHY rate field or SFD field) in Table 1a (Table 1) to Table 4 (Table 7) are used, and functions indicated by other remaining values ​​are not used. For example, only the 8th and 11th values ​​exist in the 8th to 12th values ​​of the PHY rate field (i.e., #8 to #12 in Table 1a). This is still within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0425] In the communication method shown in FIG. 9, the responder device and the initiator device can initialize and negotiate parameter settings through handshake in the narrowband-assisted UWB measurement procedure by using the fourth and fifth frames, and can determine the modulation and mapping scheme corresponding to each field of the PPDU in the narrowband system by using the corresponding field design. This reduces signaling overhead through multiplexing and joint indication, and supports multiple different mappings and dynamic SFD functions. It should be noted that without negotiation, the narrowband-assisted UWB measurement procedure may use fixed default parameters, so initial measurement may be performed. In addition, during the narrowband-assisted UWB measurement process, corresponding parameters and configuration information may also be updated using the initialization and handshake negotiation procedure. The specific update procedure is similar to the negotiation procedure shown in FIG. 9, and details will not be described again.

[0426] It should be understood that the sequence numbers of the above processes do not mean the execution order, and the execution order of the processes should be determined based on the functions and internal logic of the processes, and should not be regarded as any constraint on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0427] It should be further understood that in the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise stated or there is no logical contradiction, the terms and / or descriptions in various embodiments are consistent and may be cross-referenced, and the technical features in different embodiments may be combined based on their internal logical relationships to form new embodiments.

[0428] It should be further understood that in some of the above embodiments, devices in a conventional network architecture (e.g., an initiator device and a responder device) are mainly used as examples for explanation. It should be understood that the specific form of the device is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, all devices that can implement the same functions in the future are applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0429] In the above-described method embodiments, it may be understood that the methods and operations performed by a device (e.g., an initiator device and a responder device) may also be performed by a component (e.g., a chip or circuit) of the device.

[0430] The above describes in detail the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application with reference to Figure 4. The above communication method is mainly described in terms of the interaction between the initiator device and the responder device. It can be understood that to implement the above functions, the initiator device and the responder device include corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for performing the functions.

[0431] Those skilled in the art should recognize that the combination of example units and algorithm steps described in the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented by hardware, or by a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed by hardware or by hardware driven by computer software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but the implementation form should not be considered to go beyond the scope of the present application.

[0432] The following describes in detail the communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application with reference to Figures 11 and 12. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment. Therefore, for the contents that are not explained in detail, please refer to the above-mentioned method embodiment. For the sake of brevity, some contents will not be explained again.

[0433] In an embodiment of the present application, an initiator device or a responder device may be divided into functional modules based on the example of the aforementioned method. For example, each functional module may be obtained through division based on its corresponding function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional module. It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, the division into modules is an example and is merely a logical division of functions. In an actual implementation, another division scheme may be used. The following description is given by using an example in which each functional module is obtained through division based on its corresponding function.

[0434] 11 is a block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 11, the device 700 may include a transceiver unit 710 and a processing unit 720. The transceiver unit 710 may communicate with the outside, and the processing unit 720 is configured to process data. The transceiver unit 710 may also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0435] Optionally, the apparatus 700 may further include a storage unit. The storage unit may be configured to store instructions and / or data. The processing unit 720 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the apparatus implements the above-described method embodiments.

[0436] The apparatus 700 may be configured to perform the actions performed by transceiver devices (e.g., initiator and responder devices) in the above-described method embodiments. In this case, the apparatus 700 may be a transceiver device or a component that may be configured in a transceiver device. The transceiver unit 710 is configured to perform reception- and transmission-related operations of the transceiver device in the above-described method embodiments, and the processing unit 720 is configured to perform processing-related operations of the transceiver device in the above-described method embodiments.

[0437] In one design, apparatus 700 is configured to perform the actions performed by the initiator device in the method embodiments described above.

[0438] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 710 is configured to transmit a first frame on a first narrowband channel, the first frame being used to trigger a data measurement. The transceiver unit 710 is configured to transmit a first ultra-wideband UWB signal on a first ultra-wideband UWB channel and receive a second UWB signal on the first UWB channel, the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal being used to perform data measurement and obtain data measurement results. The transceiver unit 710 is configured to transmit a first trigger frame on the second narrowband channel, the first trigger frame being used to trigger reporting of a first measurement result, the first measurement result including all or a portion of the data measurement result.

[0439] In another possible implementation, the transceiver unit 710 is configured to transmit a first frame on a first narrowband channel, the first frame being used to trigger data measurement in a first period. The transceiver unit 710 is configured to transmit a first ultra-wideband UWB signal on a first ultra-wideband UWB channel and receive a second UWB signal on the first UWB channel, the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal being used to perform data measurement and obtain data measurement results. The transceiver unit 710 is configured to transmit a third triggering frame on the first narrowband channel when transmitting the first UWB signal, the third triggering frame being used to trigger reporting of third measurement results, the third measurement results including all or a portion of the data measurement results in a second period, the second period being a measurement period prior to the first period.

[0440] In yet another possible implementation, the transceiver unit 710 is configured to transmit a first frame on the first narrowband channel, the first frame being used to trigger data measurements in a third period and to trigger feedback of data measurement results in a fourth period. The transceiver unit 710 is configured to receive a second frame on the first narrowband channel, the second frame being used to respond to the first frame, the second frame including fifth measurement results, the fifth measurement results including all or part of the data measurement results in the fourth period, the fourth period being a measurement period prior to the third period.

[0441] In yet another possible implementation, the transceiver unit 710 is configured to transmit a fourth frame on the first narrowband channel, the fourth frame indicating parameters in the negotiation measurement procedure, the fourth frame including parameters supported by the initiator device, the transceiver unit 710 is configured to receive a fifth frame on the first narrowband channel, the fifth frame being used to respond to the fourth frame, the fifth frame including parameters supported by the responder device and the initiator device.

[0442] The apparatus 700 may perform steps or procedures performed by an initiator device in a method embodiment according to an embodiment of the present application. The apparatus 700 may include units configured to perform the method performed by the initiator device in a method embodiment. In addition, the units in the apparatus 700 and other operations and / or functions described above may be used separately to perform corresponding procedures of the method embodiment of the initiator device in the method embodiment.

[0443] When the apparatus 700 is configured to perform the method of FIG. 4, the transceiver unit 710 may be configured to perform the receiving and transmitting steps in the method, e.g., steps S410, S420, S430, S440, S450, S460, S470, S480, S490, S451, S461, S471, S481, and S491, and the processing unit 720 may be configured to perform the processing steps in the method.

[0444] When the apparatus 700 is configured to perform the method of FIG. 7, the transceiver unit 710 may be configured to perform the receiving and transmitting steps in the method, e.g., steps S710, S720, S730, and S740, and the processing unit 720 may be configured to perform the processing steps in the method.

[0445] When the apparatus 700 is configured to perform the method of FIG. 9, the transceiver unit 710 may be configured to perform the receiving and transmitting steps in the method, e.g., steps S910, S920, and S930, and the processing unit 720 may be configured to perform the processing steps in the method.

[0446] It should be understood that the specific process by which the unit performs the above-mentioned corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and for the sake of brevity, the details will not be described herein. In addition, the beneficial effects brought about by the unit performing the above-mentioned corresponding steps have been described in detail in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and the details will not be described again here.

[0447] In another design, apparatus 700 is configured to perform the actions performed by the responder device in the method embodiments described above.

[0448] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 710 is configured to receive a first frame on a first narrowband channel, the first frame being used to trigger a data measurement. The transceiver unit 710 is configured to receive a first ultra-wideband UWB signal on a first ultra-wideband UWB channel and transmit a second UWB signal on the first UWB channel, the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal being used to perform a data measurement and obtain a data measurement result. Upon completion of transmission of the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal, the transceiver unit 710 is configured to receive a first trigger frame on the second narrowband channel, the first trigger frame being used to trigger a report of a first measurement result, the first measurement result including all or a portion of the data measurement result.

[0449] In another possible implementation, the transceiver unit 710 is configured to receive a first frame on a first narrowband channel, the first frame being used to trigger data measurement in a first period. The transceiver unit 710 is configured to receive a first ultra-wideband UWB signal on a first ultra-wideband UWB channel and transmit a second UWB signal on the first UWB channel, the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal being used to perform data measurement and obtain data measurement results. The transceiver unit 710 is configured to receive a third triggering frame on the first narrowband channel when receiving the first UWB signal, the third triggering frame being used to trigger reporting of third measurement results, the third measurement results including all or a portion of the data measurement results in a second period, the second period being a measurement period prior to the first period.

[0450] In yet another possible implementation, the transceiver unit 710 is configured to receive a first frame on the first narrowband channel, the first frame being used to trigger data measurements in a third period and to trigger feedback of data measurement results in a fourth period. The transceiver unit 710 is configured to transmit a second frame on the first narrowband channel, the second frame being used to respond to the first frame, the second frame including fifth measurement results, the fifth measurement results including all or part of the data measurement results in the fourth period, the fourth period being a measurement period prior to the third period.

[0451] In yet another possible implementation, the transceiver unit 710 is configured to receive a fourth frame over the first narrowband channel, the fourth frame indicating parameters in a negotiation measurement procedure, the fourth frame including parameters supported by the initiator device, the transceiver unit 710 is configured to transmit a fifth frame over the first narrowband channel, the fifth frame being used to respond to the fourth frame, the fifth frame including parameters supported by the responder device and the initiator device.

[0452] The apparatus 700 may perform steps or procedures performed by a responder device in a method embodiment according to an embodiment of the present application. The apparatus 700 may include units configured to perform the method performed by the responder device in a method embodiment. In addition, the units in the apparatus 700 and other operations and / or functions described above may be used separately to perform corresponding procedures of the method embodiment of the responder device in a method embodiment.

[0453] When the apparatus 700 is configured to perform the method of FIG. 4, the transceiver unit 710 may be configured to perform the receiving and transmitting steps in the method, e.g., steps S410, S420, S430, S440, S450, S460, S470, S480, S490, S451, S461, S471, S481, and S491, and the processing unit 720 may be configured to perform the processing steps in the method.

[0454] When the apparatus 700 is configured to perform the method of FIG. 7, the transceiver unit 710 may be configured to perform the receiving and transmitting steps in the method, e.g., steps S710, S720, S730, and S740, and the processing unit 720 may be configured to perform the processing steps in the method.

[0455] When the apparatus 700 is configured to perform the method of FIG. 9, the transceiver unit 710 may be configured to perform the receiving and transmitting steps in the method, e.g., steps S910, S920, and S930, and the processing unit 720 may be configured to perform the processing steps in the method.

[0456] It should be understood that the specific processes by which the units perform the corresponding steps described above are described in detail in the above method embodiments, and for the sake of brevity, the details will not be described herein.

[0457] The processing unit 720 in the above-described embodiments may be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuitry. The transceiver unit 710 may be implemented by using a transceiver or transceiver-related circuitry. The storage unit may be implemented by at least one memory.

[0458] As shown in Figure 12, an embodiment of the present application further provides an apparatus 800. The apparatus 800 includes a processor 810 and may further include one or more memories 820. The processor 810 is coupled to the memory 820. The memory 820 is configured to store a computer program or instructions and / or data. The processor 810 is configured to execute the computer program or instructions and / or data stored in the memory 820 so that the method in the above-described method embodiment is performed. Optionally, the apparatus 800 includes one or more processors 810.

[0459] Optionally, the memory 820 and the processor 810 may be integrated together or may be located separately.

[0460] 12, the apparatus 800 may further include a transceiver 830. The transceiver 830 is configured to receive and / or transmit signals. For example, the processor 810 is configured to control the transceiver 830 to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0461] In one approach, the apparatus 800 is configured to perform the operations performed by transceiver devices (eg, initiator and responder devices) in the method embodiments described above.

[0462] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium that stores computer instructions used to implement the methods performed by the transceiver devices (e.g., the initiator device and the responder device) in the above-described method embodiments.

[0463] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can perform the methods performed by the transceiver devices (eg, initiator devices and responder devices) in the method embodiments described above.

[0464] Certain embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product including instructions that, when executed by a computer, enable the computer to perform the methods performed by transceiver devices (e.g., initiator and responder devices) in the method embodiments described above.

[0465] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes the initiator device and the responder device in the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0466] For the description of the relevant contents and beneficial effects of any one of the devices provided above, please refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and the details will not be described again here.

[0467] It should be understood that the processor referred to in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (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 another programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or the processor may be any conventional processor, etc.

[0468] It can be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application can be volatile or 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). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM may include several of the following forms: static random access memory (static RAM, SRAM), dynamic random access memory (dynamic RAM, DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (synchronous DRAM, SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (double data rate SDRAM, DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (enhanced SDRAM, ESDRAM), synchlink dynamic random access memory (synchlink DRAM, SLDRAM), and direct rambus random access memory (direct rambus RAM, DR RAM).

[0469] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or another programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) may be integrated into the processor.

[0470] It should further be noted that memory as described herein is intended to include, without being limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0471] In combination with the examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, those skilled in the art can recognize that the units and steps can be implemented by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether a function is performed by hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but the implementation form should not be considered to exceed the protection scope of the present application.

[0472] In some embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods may be implemented in other manners. For example, the described device embodiments are merely examples. For example, the division into units is merely a logical division of functions, and other divisions may be used in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted or not implemented. In addition, the mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections shown or discussed may be implemented through some interface. Indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be implemented electronically, mechanically, or in other forms.

[0473] Units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts shown as units may or may not be physical units, located in one location or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected based on the actual requirements for implementing the solutions provided in this application.

[0474] In addition, the functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one unit, each of the units may exist physically alone, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0475] All or part of the foregoing embodiments may be implemented by using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When software is used to implement the embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded into a computer and executed, all or part of the procedures or functions according to the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. For example, the computer may be a personal computer, a server, a network device, etc. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from a computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from a website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, or digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, radio, or microwave) methods. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium or data storage device that can be accessed by a computer, for example, a server or a data center including one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid-state disk (SSD)), etc. For example, the available medium may include, but is not limited to, any medium that can store program code, for example, 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.

[0476] The above description is merely a specific implementation of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Any modifications or replacements that are easily understood 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 shall be determined by the scope of protection of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0477] 101 System 102 System 700 equipment 710 Transceiver Unit 720 Processing Unit 800 equipment 810 processor 820 memory 830 Transceiver

Claims

1. A communication method applied by an initiator, comprising: sending a fourth frame to a responder, the fourth frame being used to indicate measurement parameters supported by the initiator, the measurement parameters comprising initial channel information; receiving a fifth frame from the responder, the fifth frame being used to indicate measurement parameters supported by the initiator and the responder; transmitting a first frame to the responder, the first frame being transmitted on a first narrowband channel indicated by the initial channel information included in the measurement parameters, the first frame being used to trigger ranging or detection; transmitting a first ultra-wideband (UWB) signal to the responder; receiving a second UWB signal from the responder; A communication method, wherein the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal are used to perform ranging or sensing.

2. The measurement parameters are: UWB measurement channel information or physical layer speed information and further comprising at least one of: The UWB measurement channel information is used to indicate a first UWB channel; The method of claim 1 , wherein physical layer rate information is used to indicate a data rate and a corresponding modulation and mapping scheme.

3. The method comprises: transmitting the first UWB signal on the UWB channel to the responder based on the measurement parameters; and receiving the second UWB signal from the responder on the first UWB channel.

4. The method further comprises: The method of claim 1 , comprising receiving a first measurement result, the first measurement result comprising all or a portion of a ranging or sensing result.

5. The first frame: identifier information of the responder, information indicating the duration of the first UWB signal in milliseconds, information indicating a sequence used for generating the first UWB signal, information indicating an amount of segments of the first UWB signal, information indicating a time length of the first UWB signal, and information indicating a feedback type of a ranging or detection result. The method of claim 1 , comprising at least one of:

6. The method further comprises: receiving a second frame, the second frame being used to respond to the first frame; The second frame is information indicating the duration of the second UWB signal in milliseconds, information indicating a sequence used to generate the second UWB signal, information indicating the amount of segments of the second UWB signal, information indicating the time length of the second UWB signal, or information indicating a measurement period The method of claim 1 , comprising at least one of:

7. The method further comprises:

2. The method of claim 1, comprising transmitting a sixth frame to the responder after receiving the fifth frame, the sixth frame instructing the responder to begin ranging or sensing a first time duration after the sixth frame.

8. A communication device, a transmitting unit configured to transmit a fourth frame, the fourth frame being used to indicate measurement parameters supported by an initiator, the measurement parameters comprising initial channel information; and a receiving unit configured to receive a fifth frame, the fifth frame being used to indicate measurement parameters supported by the initiator and responder; the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit a first frame, the first frame being transmitted on a first narrowband channel indicated by the initial channel information included in the measurement parameters, the first frame being used to trigger ranging or detection; the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit a first ultra-wideband (UWB) signal; the receiving unit is further configured to receive a second UWB signal; A communications device, wherein the first UWB signal and the second UWB signal are used to perform ranging or sensing.

9. The measurement parameters are: UWB measurement channel information or physical layer speed information, and further comprising at least one of: The UWB measurement channel information is used to indicate a first UWB channel; 10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein physical layer rate information is used to indicate a data rate and a corresponding modulation and mapping scheme.

10. the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit the first UWB signal on the first UWB channel based on the measurement parameters; 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the receiving unit is further configured to receive the second UWB signal on the first UWB channel.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the transmitting unit is further configured to receive a first measurement result, the first measurement result comprising all or part of a ranging or sensing result.

12. The first frame: identifier information of the responder, information indicating the duration of the first UWB signal in milliseconds, information indicating a sequence used for generating the first UWB signal, information indicating an amount of segments of the first UWB signal, information indicating a time length of the first UWB signal, and information indicating a feedback type of a ranging or detection result. The apparatus of claim 8, comprising at least one of:

13. the receiving unit is further configured to receive a second frame, the second frame being used to respond to the first frame; The second frame is information indicating the duration of the second UWB signal in milliseconds, information indicating a sequence used to generate the second UWB signal, information indicating the amount of segments of the second UWB signal, information indicating the time length of the second UWB signal, or information indicating a measurement period The apparatus of claim 8, comprising at least one of:

14. 10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit a sixth frame, the sixth frame instructing ranging or sensing to begin a first duration after the sixth frame.

15. A communications device comprising a transceiver and a processor, the communications device being configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 7.

16. A communication device, a memory configured to store a computer program; a processor configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory to enable the communication device to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 7.

17. 8. A chip comprising at least one processor and an interface, the processor configured to read and execute instructions stored in a memory, the instructions, when executed, enabling the chip to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 7.

18. 8. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, the computer program comprising program instructions that, when executed by a computer, enable the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 7.

19. A computer program which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to carry out a method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

20. 8. An apparatus configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 7.

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