Clock determination method and apparatus, terminal device, and network device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a clock determination method and apparatus, a terminal device, and a network device. The method comprises: a terminal device receives a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal is different from the second signal, and a clock of a signal to be transmitted of the terminal device is determined on the basis of difference information between the first signal and the second signal.

Description

Clock determination method and device, terminal equipment, and network equipment Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of mobile communication technology, and specifically to a clock determination method and apparatus, terminal equipment, and network equipment. Background Art

[0002] Low-complexity, low-cost, and low-power end devices typically cannot maintain relatively precise timing and minimal frequency and / or time drift like traditional end devices. In other words, these end devices cannot maintain a precise local oscillator signal at the required frequency for an extended period of time.

[0003] Therefore, for low-complexity, low-cost, and low-power terminal devices, how to obtain the clock of the local signal to be transmitted in a low-power and low-cost manner is an urgent problem to be solved.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a clock determination method and apparatus, terminal equipment, and network equipment.

[0006] In a first aspect, the clock determination method provided by an embodiment of the present application includes:

[0007] A terminal device receives a first signal and a second signal; the first signal is different from the second signal; and a clock of a signal to be transmitted by the terminal device is determined based on difference information between the first signal and the second signal.

[0008] In a second aspect, the clock determination method provided by the embodiment of the present application includes:

[0009] A first network device sends a first signal to a terminal device, where the first signal is different from a second signal sent by a second network device to the terminal device, and the first signal and the second signal are used to determine a clock of a signal to be transmitted by the terminal device.

[0010] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a clock determination device, which is applied to a terminal device. The clock determination device includes:

[0011] A receiving unit is configured to receive a first signal and a second signal; the first signal is different from the second signal; and the clock of the signal to be transmitted of the terminal device is determined based on the difference information between the first signal and the second signal.

[0012] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a clock determination device, which is applied to a first network device. The clock determination device includes:

[0013] The sending unit is configured to send a first signal to the terminal device, where the first signal is different from the second signal sent by the second network device to the terminal device, and the first signal and the second signal are used to determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted by the terminal device.

[0014] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, the terminal device comprising a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to perform the above-mentioned clock determination method.

[0015] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a network device, the network device comprising a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to perform the above-mentioned clock determination method.

[0016] The chip provided in the embodiment of the present application is used to implement the above-mentioned clock determination method.

[0017] Specifically, the chip includes: a processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes the above-mentioned clock determination method.

[0018] The computer-readable storage medium provided in an embodiment of the present application is used to store a computer program, which enables a computer to execute the above-mentioned clock determination method.

[0019] The computer program product provided by the embodiment of the present application includes computer program instructions, which enable a computer to execute the above-mentioned clock determination method.

[0020] The computer program provided in the embodiment of the present application, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the above-mentioned clock determination method.

[0021] An embodiment of the present application provides a clock determination method, in which a network device can send different signals to a terminal device. In this way, the terminal device can determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted by the terminal device based on the difference information between the different signals received. In this way, the terminal device does not need to use a high-precision crystal oscillator to generate an accurate local clock, thereby reducing the power consumption and cost of the terminal device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0023] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a zero-power communication system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of a radio frequency energy harvesting module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a backscatter communication principle provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a resistive load modulation principle provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG6 is a flowchart of a clock determination method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG7 is a second flow chart of a clock determination method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a second-order intermodulation result provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a third-order intermodulation result provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG10 is a third flow chart of a clock determination method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a clock determination scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG12 is a second schematic diagram of a clock determination scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG13 is a third schematic diagram of a clock determination scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of a clock determination device 1400 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of a clock determination device 1500 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG16 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG17 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 18 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The following will describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0042] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of an embodiment of the present application.

[0043] As shown in Figure 1, a communication system 100 may include a terminal device 110 and a network device 120. The network device 120 may communicate with the terminal device 110 via an air interface. The terminal device 110 and the network device 120 support multi-service transmission.

[0044] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are only illustrative of the communication system 100, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. That is, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Internet of Things (IoT) system, Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) system, enhanced Machine-Type Communications (eMTC) system, 5G communication system (also known as New Radio (NR) communication system), or future communication systems.

[0045] In the communication system 100 shown in Figure 1, the network device 120 may be an access network device that communicates with the terminal device 110. The access network device may provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area and may communicate with the terminal device 110 (eg, UE) located within the coverage area.

[0046] The network device 120 may be an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, or a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG RAN) device, or a base station (gNB) in an NR system, or a wireless controller in a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN), or the network device 120 may be a relay station, an access point, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a hub, a switch, a bridge, a router, or a network device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), etc.

[0047] The terminal device 110 may be any terminal device, including but not limited to a terminal device connected to the network device 120 or other terminal devices by wire or wireless connection.

[0048] For example, the terminal device 110 may refer to an access terminal, user equipment (UE), a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user apparatus. The access terminal may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, an IoT device, a satellite handheld terminal, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, or a terminal device in a future evolution network, etc.

[0049] The terminal device 110 can be used for device-to-device (D2D) communication.

[0050] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a core network device 130 that communicates with the network device 120. The core network device 130 may be a 5G core network (5G Core, 5GC) device, such as an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), an Authentication Server Function (AUSF), a User Plane Function (UPF), or a Session Management Function (SMF). Optionally, the core network device 130 may also be an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) device of an LTE network, such as a Session Management Function + Core Packet Gateway (SMF+PGW-C) device. It should be understood that SMF+PGW-C can simultaneously implement the functions that can be implemented by SMF and PGW-C. During the network evolution process, the above-mentioned core network device may also be called other names, or a new network entity may be formed by dividing the functions of the core network, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0051] The functional units in the communication system 100 may also establish connections and implement communication via next generation (NG) network interfaces.

[0052] For example, the terminal device establishes an air interface connection with the access network device through the NR interface for transmitting user plane data and control plane signaling; the terminal device can establish a control plane signaling connection with the AMF through the NG interface 1 (referred to as N1); the access network device, such as the next generation wireless access base station (gNB), can establish a user plane data connection with the UPF through the NG interface 3 (referred to as N3); the access network device can establish a control plane signaling connection with the AMF through the NG interface 2 (referred to as N2); the UPF can establish a control plane signaling connection with the SMF through the NG interface 4 (referred to as N4); the UPF can exchange user plane data with the data network through the NG interface 6 (referred to as N6); the AMF can establish a control plane signaling connection with the SMF through the NG interface 11 (referred to as N11); the SMF can establish a control plane signaling connection with the PCF through the NG interface 7 (referred to as N7).

[0053] Figure 1 exemplarily shows a network device, a core network device and two terminal devices. Optionally, the wireless communication system 100 may include multiple network devices and each network device may include other numbers of terminal devices within its coverage area, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0054] It should be noted that Figure 1 is merely an example of a system applicable to this application. Of course, the methods described in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to other systems. Furthermore, the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably herein. The term "and / or" herein simply describes an association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship. It should also be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association relationship. For example, "A indicates B" can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can obtain information through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can obtain information through C; or it can mean that A and B have an association relationship. It should also be understood that the "correspondence" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can mean that there is a direct or indirect correspondence between two objects, or that there is an association relationship between the two objects, or a relationship between an indicator and the indicated, a configuration and the configured, and so on. It should also be understood that the “predefined” or “predefined rules” mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in devices (for example, including terminal devices and network devices), and the present application does not limit its specific implementation method. For example, predefined can refer to what is defined in the protocol. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the “protocol” may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, such as LTE protocols, NR protocols, and related protocols used in future communication systems, and the present application does not limit this.

[0055] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the relevant technologies of the embodiments of the present application are described below. The following relevant technologies can be arbitrarily combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and they all fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0056] The development of communication technology will place higher requirements on the price and power consumption of terminal equipment. In particular, low-complexity, low-cost, low-power zero-power communication technology will become a key technology for future communication networks.

[0057] Referring to the zero-power communication system architecture diagram shown in Figure 2, the zero-power communication system can be composed of a network device and a zero-power terminal. Among them, the network device is used to send power supply signals and / or downlink communication signals to the zero-power terminal, and is also used to receive backscattered signals from the zero-power terminal. A basic zero-power terminal may include an energy collection module, a backscatter communication module, a low-power computing module, and a sensor module. In addition, the zero-power terminal may also have a memory for storing some basic information (such as item identification, etc.), as well as sensor data such as ambient temperature and ambient humidity.

[0058] The key technologies of zero-power communication mainly include RF power harvesting and backscattering communication.

[0059] Refer to the structural diagram of the radio frequency energy harvesting module shown in FIG3. The radio frequency energy harvesting module may include a diode, a capacitor C, and a resistor R L In practical applications, the RF energy harvesting module uses the principle of electromagnetic induction to collect electromagnetic wave energy from space, thereby obtaining the energy required to operate the zero-power terminal. For example, it is used to drive low-power demodulation and modulation modules, sensors, and memory reading. In other words, the zero-power terminal does not need a traditional battery module.

[0060] Refer to the schematic diagram of backscatter communication principle shown in Figure 4. The zero-power terminal receives the wireless signal sent by the network device, modulates the wireless signal, loads the information to be sent, and radiates the modulated signal from the antenna. This information transmission process is called backscatter communication.

[0061] It's important to note that backscatter and load modulation are closely linked. Load modulation achieves this by adjusting and controlling the circuit parameters of the zero-power terminal's oscillator circuit according to the data stream's rhythm, thereby changing parameters such as the electronic tag's impedance.

[0062] Load modulation technology can include two methods: resistance load modulation and capacitance load modulation. Referring to the resistance load modulation principle diagram shown in Figure 5, in resistance load modulation, the load R LA resistor R3 can be connected in parallel. This resistor R3 can be turned on or off based on the control of the binary data stream. The on-off switching of resistor R3 causes the circuit voltage to change, thereby implementing amplitude shift keying (ASK). This is achieved by adjusting the amplitude of the backscattered signal from the zero-power terminal to achieve signal modulation and transmission. Similarly, in capacitive load modulation, the on-off switching of the capacitor can change the circuit resonant frequency, achieving frequency shift keying (FSK). This is achieved by adjusting the operating frequency of the backscattered signal from the zero-power terminal to achieve signal modulation and transmission.

[0063] It can be seen that the zero-power terminal uses load modulation to modulate the incoming signal, thereby realizing the backscatter communication process. Therefore, the zero-power terminal has the following significant advantages:

[0064] (1) Zero-power terminals do not actively transmit signals, so they do not require complex RF links, such as amplifiers (PAs) and RF filters.

[0065] (2) Zero-power terminals do not need to actively generate high-frequency signals, so they do not require high-frequency crystal oscillators;

[0066] (3) With the help of backscatter communication, zero-power terminal signal transmission does not require the terminal's own energy consumption.

[0067] The following introduces the application scenarios of zero-power communication.

[0068] Due to its significant advantages such as extremely low cost, zero power consumption, and small size, zero-power communication can be widely used in various industries, such as logistics for vertical industries, smart warehousing, smart agriculture, energy and electricity, industrial Internet, etc.; it can also be applied to personal applications such as smart wearables and smart homes.

[0069] Based on the energy source and usage of zero-power terminals, zero-power terminals can be divided into the following types:

[0070] 1) Passive zero-power terminal

[0071] Zero-power terminals do not require internal batteries. When they approach a network node (such as an RFID reader), they are within the near-field radiation generated by the node's antenna. Consequently, the zero-power terminal's antenna generates an induced current through electromagnetic induction, which drives the low-power chip circuitry in the zero-power terminal. This enables forward link signal demodulation and backward link signal modulation. For backscatter links, the zero-power terminal uses backscattering to transmit signals.

[0072] It can be seen that the passive zero-power terminal does not require a built-in battery to drive either the forward link or the reverse link, and is a true zero-power terminal.

[0073] Passive zero-power terminals do not require batteries, and the RF circuit and baseband circuit are very simple. For example, they do not require low-noise amplifiers (LNA), power amplifiers (PA), crystal oscillators, analog-to-digital converters (ADC) and other devices. Therefore, they have many advantages such as small size, light weight, very low price and long service life.

[0074] 2) Semi-passive zero-power terminal

[0075] Semi-passive zero-power terminals do not have conventional batteries themselves, but instead use energy harvesting modules to collect ambient energy, such as radio frequency signals, solar energy, thermal energy, and mechanical vibration energy. This energy is then stored in an energy storage unit (such as a capacitor). This energy storage unit then drives the low-power chip circuitry of the zero-power terminal, performing tasks such as demodulating forward link signals and modulating backward link signals. For backscatter links, the zero-power terminal can transmit signals using either backscatter or active transmission.

[0076] It can be seen that the semi-passive zero-power terminal does not require a built-in battery to drive either the forward link or the reverse link. Although energy stored in capacitors is used during operation, the energy comes from the ambient energy collected by the energy harvesting module. Therefore, it is also a true zero-power terminal.

[0077] Semi-passive zero-power consumption terminals inherit many advantages of passive zero-power consumption terminals, so they have many advantages such as small size, light weight, very low price, and long service life.

[0078] 3) Active zero-power terminal

[0079] Zero-power terminals used in some scenarios can also be active zero-power terminals, which can have built-in batteries. The battery is used to drive the low-power chip circuits of the zero-power terminal, enabling tasks such as demodulating forward link signals and modulating backward link signals. However, for backscatter links, the zero-power terminal uses backscattering or active transmission to transmit signals. Although equipped with a built-in battery, this type of active zero-power terminal has extremely low power consumption and complexity, allowing for smaller battery capacity, resulting in lower cost and size. The built-in battery can also serve as an energy storage unit, allowing the energy harvesting module to store collected ambient energy, thereby achieving a longer maintenance cycle or even no maintenance.

[0080] Active zero-power terminals are powered by built-in batteries to extend their communication range and improve communication reliability. Therefore, they are used in scenarios with relatively high requirements for communication distance and read latency.

[0081] It should be noted that some zero-power terminals, such as semi-passive zero-power terminals or active zero-power terminals, may have the ability to actively transmit, that is, in addition to communicating through backscattering, the backward link can also use active transmission to communicate.

[0082] Based on the transmitter type of the zero-power terminal, zero-power terminals can be divided into the following types:

[0083] 1) Zero-power terminal based on backscattering

[0084] This type of zero-power terminal uses the aforementioned backscattering method to transmit uplink data. These terminals do not have an active transmitter, but only a backscattering transmitter. Therefore, when these terminals transmit data, they require network equipment to provide a carrier, which they then use to perform backscattering to achieve data transmission.

[0085] 2) Zero-power terminal based on active transmitter

[0086] This type of zero-power terminal uses an active transmitter with active transmission capabilities for uplink data transmission. Therefore, when sending data, this type of zero-power terminal can use its own active transmitter to send data without the need for network equipment to provide a carrier. Active transmitters suitable for zero-power terminals can be ultra-low-power ASK and ultra-low-power FSK transmitters. Based on current implementations, when transmitting a 100uW signal, the overall power consumption of this type of transmitter can be reduced to 400-600uW.

[0087] 3) Zero-power terminal with both backscatter and active transmitter

[0088] This type of terminal supports both backscatter and active transmitters. The terminal can determine which uplink signal transmission method to use: backscatter or active transmitter, based on various conditions (such as battery life and available ambient energy) or based on network device scheduling.

[0089] With the rapid development of cellular IoT, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has standardized IoT technologies such as NB-IoT, MTC, and RedCap. However, there are still many scenarios where IoT communication needs cannot be met using these technologies. For example, in demanding communication environments, scenarios that require extremely small terminal form factors, and scenarios that require extremely low-cost IoT communication cannot use these technologies to meet IoT communication needs.

[0090] Certain IoT scenarios may face extreme conditions such as high temperature, extremely low temperature, high humidity, high voltage, high radiation, or high-speed movement, especially in demanding communication environments. Examples include ultra-high voltage substations, high-speed train track monitoring, environmental monitoring in cold regions, and industrial production lines. In these scenarios, existing IoT terminals will not function due to the operating environment limitations of conventional power supplies. Furthermore, extreme operating environments are also detrimental to IoT maintenance, such as battery replacement.

[0091] Scenarios requiring extremely small terminals include food traceability, commodity distribution, and smart wearables, which require terminals to be extremely small for ease of use. For example, IoT terminals used for commodity management in the distribution process often use electronic tags, embedded in product packaging in a very compact form factor. Another example is lightweight wearable devices that can meet user needs while improving the user experience.

[0092] Furthermore, numerous IoT communication scenarios require IoT terminals to be sufficiently affordable to enhance their competitiveness compared to alternative technologies. For example, in logistics or warehousing scenarios, IoT terminals can be attached to individual items to facilitate the management of large numbers of circulating items. Communication between the terminal and the logistics network allows for precise management of the entire logistics process and lifecycle. These scenarios require IoT terminals to be competitively priced.

[0093] Therefore, in order to cover these unmet IoT communication needs, cellular networks also need to develop ultra-low-cost, extremely small-size, battery-free, and maintenance-free IoT, and zero-power IoT can just meet this need.

[0094] It's important to note that during standardization discussions, the term "zero-power IoT" is also referred to as "ambient power enabled IoT" (Ambient IoT). Ambient IoT refers to IoT devices that utilize various ambient energies, such as radio frequency energy, light energy, solar energy, thermal energy, and mechanical energy. These devices can have no energy storage capacity or very limited energy storage capacity (e.g., using capacitors with a capacity of tens of microfarads).

[0095] Zero-power terminals feature low complexity, low cost, and low power consumption, making them maintenance-free and battery-free. However, these low-complexity, low-cost, and low-power terminal devices cannot maintain relatively accurate timing or minimize frequency and time drift. In other words, these terminal devices cannot maintain a precise local oscillator signal at the required frequency for extended periods of time. The urgent challenge is to obtain a local clock for the transmitted signal using a low-power, low-cost method.

[0096] In particular, in some Wi-Fi communication scenarios, the AP cannot transmit signals on multiple channels simultaneously. For example, RFID protocols require that communication occupy only one signal and meet adjacent channel leakage constraints. In this scenario, the AP can only transmit signals using time division multiplexing (TDM). Currently, there is no solution for terminals in TDM communication scenarios to obtain the local clock for the transmitted signal in a low-power and low-cost manner.

[0097] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a clock determination method, in which a network device can send different signals to a terminal device, so that the terminal device can determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted by the terminal device based on the difference information between the different signals received. In this way, the terminal device does not need to use a high-precision crystal oscillator to generate an accurate local clock, thereby reducing the power consumption and cost of the terminal device.

[0098] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions of the present application are described in detail below through specific embodiments. The above related technologies can be combined arbitrarily with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and all of them fall within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application include at least part of the following contents.

[0099] FIG6 shows a clock determination method provided by an embodiment of the present application, which may include:

[0100] S110. The terminal device receives a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal is different from the second signal; and a clock of a signal to be transmitted by the terminal device is determined based on difference information between the first signal and the second signal.

[0101] It should be noted that the difference between the first signal and the second signal may mean that the frequencies thereof are different and / or the receiving times thereof are different.

[0102] In a possible implementation, the terminal device may receive the first signal and the second signal respectively at the same frequency but in different time units.

[0103] In another possible implementation, the terminal device may receive the first signal and the second signal respectively in the same time unit but at different frequencies.

[0104] In another possible implementation, the terminal device may receive the first signal and the second signal at different frequencies and in different time units, respectively.

[0105] It is understandable that the terminal device can receive different signals and determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted by the terminal device based on the difference information between the different signals.

[0106] It should be noted that the difference information may refer to frequency difference information of different signals and / or reception time difference information.

[0107] It should also be noted that the clock of the signal to be transmitted of the terminal device can also be called the local clock of the terminal device, and the two are equivalent or interchangeable.

[0108] It should also be noted that the "first signal" and "second signal" in the embodiments of the present application are used solely to distinguish between different signals. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of different signals received by the terminal device, nor the number of signals used to determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted. In other words, the terminal device may also receive three different signals and determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted based on the differences between the three signals, or receive another number of signals and determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted based on the differences between the signals, and the embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions on this.

[0109] In practical applications, a clock signal can be superimposed on a signal during transmission. Upon receiving the signal, the terminal device can extract the clock from the received signal. This process is generally referred to as clock regeneration or clock recovery. In embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted by the terminal device based on information about differences in frequency and / or reception time between different received signals, combined with the clocks of the different signals.

[0110] It should be noted that the clock determination method provided by the embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication scenarios, such as cellular communication scenarios and WiFi communication scenarios. In particular, in a TDM-based communication scenario, the network sends signals of different frequencies to the terminal device at different times via TDM. When the clock determination method provided by the embodiments of this application is applied to this scenario, the terminal device can determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted based on the difference in frequency and / or reception time between the different signals received.

[0111] It can be seen that in the clock determination method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted by the terminal device based on the difference information between the different signals received. In this way, the terminal device does not need to use a high-precision crystal oscillator to generate an accurate local clock, thereby reducing the power consumption and cost of the terminal device.

[0112] In some embodiments, the terminal devices mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be low-power, low-complexity, and low-cost terminals. Such low-power, low-complexity, and low-cost terminal devices may be zero-power terminals (e.g., AMP IoT terminals based on ambient energy), low-power terminals, low-cost terminals, and low-capability terminals (e.g., Redcap UEs), etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions on this.

[0113] Zero-power terminals can include ambient energy-based terminal devices, namely AMP IoT terminals. Ambient energy can include radio frequency energy, solar energy, thermal energy, mechanical energy, kinetic energy, and so on. From the perspective of energy harvesting, zero-power terminals can also be called energy harvesting devices. They can obtain the energy required for communication and support backscatter communication and / or active transmission communication.

[0114] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can receive the first signal and the second signal sent by the network device.

[0115] The network device can be a node that communicates with the terminal device. For example, the network device can be an AP in a WiFi system or a base station in a cellular system, or it can be an IoT node, sensor, or other device in the IoT. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0116] It should be noted that, when the terminal device is an AMP IoT terminal, the network device may include an environmental energy energizer (AMP Energizer).

[0117] In some embodiments, the first signal and the second signal may come from the same network device or from different network devices, and this embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0118] That is to say, the terminal device can receive the first signal and the second signal respectively sent by the same network device, and the terminal device can also receive the first signal sent by a network device (which can be recorded as the first network device in this embodiment of the application) and receive the second signal sent by another network device (which can be recorded as the second network device in this embodiment of the application).

[0119] Exemplarily, the terminal device can receive the first signal and the second signal respectively sent by the ambient energy stimulator (AMP Energizer); or, the terminal device can receive the first signal and the second signal respectively sent by the AP; or, the terminal device can receive the first signal sent by the AMP Energizer and the second signal sent by the AP; or, the terminal device can receive the first signal sent by the AP and the second signal sent by the AMP Energizer.

[0120] In some embodiments, the first signal and the second signal can be used to wake up the terminal device, or to supply power to the terminal device.

[0121] That is, the first signal and the second signal may be functional signals or wake-up signals.

[0122] It is understandable that low-power, low-complexity, and low-cost terminal devices can remain in a sleep state, communicating with network devices only after being awakened, and then returning to sleep after communication is complete, thus further reducing the power consumption of the terminal device. In addition, terminal devices based on ambient energy can collect ambient energy to obtain energy for subsequent communications.

[0123] Therefore, in order to ensure normal communication of the terminal device, the first signal and the second signal can be signals for waking up the terminal device, such as wake-up signals. The first signal and the second signal can also be signals for enabling functions of the terminal device, such as function signals.

[0124] It should be noted that the functions of the first signal and the second signal can be the same, for example, both are used to wake up the terminal device, or both are used to enable a function of the terminal device. The functions of the first signal and the second signal can also be different, for example, the first signal is used to wake up the terminal device, and the second signal is used to enable a function of the terminal device; or, the first signal is used to enable a function of the terminal device, and the second signal is used to wake up the terminal device. This embodiment of the application does not limit this.

[0125] In some embodiments, the first signal and the second signal may be of multiple signal types, wherein the first signal and / or the second signal may be one or more of a single-tone (SINE) signal, a reference signal, a synchronization signal, and a narrowband signal.

[0126] It is understandable that the first signal and the second signal can be single-tone signals, that is, signals with only one constant frequency. The first signal and the second signal can be single-tone sine wave signals or single-tone cosine wave signals, which are not limited in the present embodiment.

[0127] The first signal and the second signal may also be narrowband signals, that is, signals with a small frequency range. For example, the narrowband signal may be a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) signal. The first signal and the second signal may be narrowband continuous wave signals or narrowband non-continuous wave signals, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0128] In some embodiments, the first signal and the second signal may also be related signals specified in 3GPP.

[0129] In one example, the first signal and the second signal can be reference signals, such as a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a cell reference signal (CRS), a positioning reference signal, a phase tracking reference signal, etc., which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0130] In one example, the second signal of the first signal may also be a synchronization signal, such as the synchronization signal block (synchronization signal and PBCH block, SSB) in NR, the primary synchronization signal (Primary Synchronization Signal, PSS) in LTE, and the secondary synchronization signal (Secondary Synchronization Signal, SSS), etc. The embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0131] It should be noted that when performing clock regeneration or clock recovery on the first signal and / or the second signal, the requirements for the terminal device are simple when the signal type is a sinusoidal single-tone signal. If the signal type is a narrowband signal, correlation operations may be required, which is computationally complex and places higher requirements on the terminal device.

[0132] It should also be noted that the first signal and the second signal may be of the same signal type, for example, both being a single-tone signal / reference signal / synchronization signal / narrowband signal. The first signal and the second signal may also have different functions, for example, the first signal being a single-tone signal and the second signal being a reference signal; or the first signal being a reference signal and the second signal being a single-tone signal, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0133] In some embodiments, the first signal and the second signal may be signals in the same frequency band (intra-band) or signals in different frequency bands (inter-band), which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0134] Exemplarily, the first signal and the second signal may be signals of different bandwidth parts (Bandwidth Part, BWP), the first signal and the second signal may be signals on different subcarriers (subcarrier) on the same carrier (carrier), and the first signal and the second signal may also be signals of different physical resource blocks (Physical Resource Block, PRB), which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0135] It can be seen that in the embodiment of the present application, the functions, types, and frequency bands of the first signal and the second signal can include multiple ones, and the first signal and the second signal can be flexibly set to facilitate the terminal device to obtain the clock of the signal to be transmitted.

[0136] In one embodiment of the present application, in order to ensure that the terminal device successfully obtains the clock of the signal to be transmitted based on the difference information between the first signal and the second signal, the first signal and the second signal need to meet certain conditions.

[0137] The first signal and the second signal need to meet one or more of the following conditions:

[0138] A difference between the power of the first signal and the power of the second signal is less than or equal to a first threshold;

[0139] A frequency interval between the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal is less than or equal to a second threshold;

[0140] A time interval between a reception time of the first signal and a reception time of the second signal is less than or equal to a third threshold.

[0141] It is understandable that the terminal device needs to obtain the clock of the signal to be transmitted based on the difference information between the first signal and the second signal. Therefore, the terminal device is required to monitor the signal in different time domains and / or frequency domains, or in other words, the terminal device is required to be able to switch between different RF monitoring resources.

[0142] In fact, the capabilities of the terminal device are limited. In order to reduce the implementation complexity of the terminal device, the power difference (power balance / AGC processing capability) between the first signal and the second signal received by the terminal device can be set to be less than or equal to a certain threshold (referred to as the first threshold in the embodiment of the present application), and / or the frequency interval between the first signal and the second signal is less than or equal to a certain threshold (referred to as the second threshold in the embodiment of the present application), and / or the time interval between the first signal and the second signal (or referred to as the maximum reception time difference MRTD) is less than or equal to a certain threshold (referred to as the third threshold in the embodiment of the present application). In this way, the terminal device can switch the RF monitoring resource only within a smaller range to reduce the implementation complexity of the terminal device.

[0143] It should be noted that, due to different signal receiving and processing capabilities of different terminal devices, the conditions satisfied by the corresponding first signal and second signal may be different.

[0144] That is, the conditions that the first signal and the second signal need to meet can, to a certain extent, reflect the signal reception and processing capabilities of the terminal device. The stronger the signal reception and processing capabilities of the terminal device, the greater the difference between the first signal and the second signal that the terminal device can receive and process, and the corresponding first threshold, second threshold, and third threshold are larger. Conversely, the weaker the signal reception and processing capabilities of the terminal device, the smaller the difference between the first signal and the second signal that it can receive and process, and the corresponding first threshold, second threshold, and third threshold are smaller. In particular, at least for the power difference and / or time difference between the two signals, the smaller the power difference and / or time difference, the lower the complexity of the terminal device's signal reception and processing.

[0145] In some embodiments, terminal devices may be divided into different capability levels / types according to different values ​​of the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold corresponding to the terminal devices.

[0146] Exemplarily, terminal devices can be divided into high-capability terminal devices and low-capability terminal devices, wherein high-capability terminal devices can switch within a larger frequency range and / or time domain range and have stronger signal reception and processing capabilities; while low-capability terminal devices switch within a smaller frequency range and / or time domain range and have weaker signal reception and processing capabilities. Accordingly, the first threshold corresponding to the high-capability terminal device can be greater than the first threshold corresponding to the low-capability terminal device, and / or the second threshold corresponding to the high-capability terminal device can be greater than the second threshold corresponding to the low-capability terminal device, and / or the third threshold corresponding to the high-capability terminal device can be greater than the third threshold corresponding to the low-capability terminal device.

[0147] It should be noted that when classifying the capability levels / types of terminal devices, the classification can be carried out according to one or more of the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold corresponding to the terminal device. For example, the terminal device can be classified into different capability levels / types only according to the different values ​​of the first threshold; or, the terminal device can be classified into different capability levels / types only according to the different values ​​of the second threshold; or, the terminal device can be classified into different capability levels / types only according to the different values ​​of the third threshold. In addition, the terminal device can also be classified into different capability levels / types according to the different values ​​of the first threshold and the second threshold, or the terminal device can be classified into different capability levels / types according to the different values ​​of the first threshold and the third threshold, or the terminal device can be classified into different capability levels / types according to the different values ​​of the second threshold and the third threshold. Of course, the terminal device can also be classified into different capability levels / types according to the different values ​​of the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold.

[0148] In some embodiments, the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold corresponding to terminal devices of different capability levels / types can be reflected in a table. For example, the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold corresponding to terminal devices of different capability levels / types can be shown in Table 1.

[0149] Table 1

[0150] It should be noted that Table 1 only shows different values ​​of the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold corresponding to terminal devices of different capability levels / types. In actual applications, terminal devices of different capability levels / types can be divided only according to at least one of the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold. In other words, terminal devices of different capability levels / types can be indicated according to one or more of columns 2 to 4 (i.e., columns corresponding to the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold) in Table 1.

[0151] In an embodiment of the present application, referring to FIG. 7 , in the clock determination method provided in the embodiment of the present application, before the terminal device receives the first signal and the second signal at S110, the following steps may be further performed:

[0152] S100. The terminal device sends indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate the signal reception and processing capability of the terminal device. The conditions to be met for reception and processing of the first signal and the second signal corresponding to terminal devices with different capabilities are different.

[0153] It is understandable that different terminal devices may have different conditions for the first and second signals due to their different signal reception and processing capabilities. Before receiving the first and second signals, the terminal device may send indication information to the network device. This indication information informs the network device of the terminal device's signal reception and processing capabilities, so that the network device can send appropriate first and second signals to the terminal device based on the terminal device's signal reception and processing capabilities.

[0154] In some embodiments, the indication information may carry index information of the capability level / type of the terminal device, and the signal reception and processing capability of the terminal device may be indicated by the index information.

[0155] For example, as shown in reference Table 1, when the bit value of the indication information is mapped to 0, it can indicate that the capability level / type of the terminal device is capability level / type 1; when the bit value of the indication information is mapped to 1, it can indicate that the capability level / type of the terminal device is capability level / type 2; when the bit value of the indication information is mapped to 2, it can indicate that the capability level / type of the terminal device is capability level / type 3.

[0156] It can be understood that after the network device receives the indication information, it can determine the conditions that need to be met for receiving and processing the first signal and the second signal corresponding to the terminal device based on the index information of the capability level / type carried by the indication information, that is, determine the first threshold, second threshold, and third threshold supported by the terminal device, so as to send appropriate first signals and second signals to the terminal device.

[0157] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the values ​​of the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold corresponding to each capability level / type may be predefined. In addition, the values ​​of the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold corresponding to each capability level / type may also be reported in advance by the terminal device to the network device, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0158] In some embodiments, the indication information may directly carry specific values ​​of one or more of the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold supported by the terminal device, indicating the signal reception and processing capabilities of the terminal device through the specific values ​​of the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold.

[0159] Correspondingly, after receiving the indication information, the network device can directly send the appropriate first signal and second signal to the terminal device according to the first threshold, the second threshold, and the third threshold supported by the terminal device.

[0160] In some embodiments, because terminal devices with different capabilities must meet different conditions for receiving and processing the first and second signals, the network device can set the difference between the first and second signals to wake up terminal devices with different signal reception and processing capabilities. In other words, the network device can use the first and second signals to target and activate terminal devices with different signal reception and processing capabilities, thereby improving the flexibility of system communications.

[0161] Exemplarily, taking Table 1 as an example, if the network device needs to wake up a terminal device of capability level / type 1, the power difference between the first signal and the second signal can be set to be less than or equal to 6dB, the frequency interval between the first signal and the second signal can be set to be less than or equal to 10MHz, and the time interval between the first signal and the second signal can be set to be less than 260ns. If the network device needs to wake up a terminal device of capability level / type 2 within the communication coverage area, the power difference between the first signal and the second signal can be set to be less than 3dB, the frequency interval between the first signal and the second signal can be set to be greater than 80MHz and less than or equal to 2GHz, and the time interval between the first signal and the second signal can be set to be less than 260ns. If the network device needs to wake up all terminal devices within the communication coverage area, the power difference between the first signal and the second signal can be set to be less than 3dB, the frequency interval between the first signal and the second signal can be set to be less than or equal to 10MHz, and the time interval between the first signal and the second signal can be set to be less than 260ns.

[0162] The following describes in detail how the terminal device determines the clock of the signal to be transmitted based on the difference information between the first signal and the second signal.

[0163] In one embodiment of the present application, the clock of the signal to be transmitted by the terminal device may be determined by one or more of the following:

[0164] The clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined based on frequency difference information between the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal;

[0165] The clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined based on time difference information between a reception time of the first signal and a reception time of the second signal;

[0166] The clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined based on a correlation between a first clock of the first signal and a second clock of the second signal.

[0167] It should be noted that the frequency of the signal to be transmitted can be different from the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal. In one example, the frequency of the first signal is 915 MHz and the frequency of the second signal is 920 MHz, and the frequency of the signal to be transmitted can be 2.4 GHz. Alternatively, the frequency of the first signal is 920 MHz and the frequency of the second signal is 2.412 GHz, and the frequency of the signal to be transmitted can be 600 MHz. Alternatively, the frequency of the first signal is 2.402 GHz and the frequency of the second signal is 2.426 GHz, and the frequency of the signal to be transmitted can be 2.480 GHz.

[0168] In one possible implementation, the clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined based on frequency difference information between the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal, which can be implemented in the following manner:

[0169] Performing frequency mixing or frequency multiplication on the frequency difference between the first signal and the correlation signal of the second signal to obtain a third signal; wherein the correlation signal is the intermediate frequency signal of the first signal, the intermediate frequency signal of the second signal, the zero frequency signal of the first signal, the zero frequency signal of the second signal, and the high-order component signal after intermodulation or intermodulation between the first signal and the second signal;

[0170] Based on the clock of the third signal, the clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined.

[0171] It is understood that when there is a difference between the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal (the reception time of the first signal is the same as or different from the reception time of the second signal), the terminal device can process the first signal and the second signal to obtain a third signal. The third signal can be related to the signal to be transmitted, for example, the frequency of the third signal can be a multiple of the frequency of the signal to be transmitted, or the frequency of the third signal can be a submultiple of the frequency of the signal to be transmitted.

[0172] In some embodiments, processing the first signal and the second signal can be performed by obtaining the intermediate frequency signal / zero frequency signal of the first signal, obtaining the intermediate frequency signal / zero frequency signal of the second signal, and mixing or multiplying the intermediate frequency signal / zero frequency signal of the first signal and the intermediate frequency signal / zero frequency signal of the second signal to obtain a third signal.

[0173] In some embodiments, the first signal and the second signal are processed, and cross modulation or intermodulation processing is performed on the first signal and the second signal, and mixing or frequency multiplication processing is performed on the signals after cross modulation or intermodulation processing to obtain a third signal.

[0174] It should be noted that intermodulation (IM) is a process that occurs in nonlinear devices or transmission media. The spectral components of one or more input signals interact with each other, generating new components whose frequencies are linear combinations of integer multiples of the input signal components' frequencies. Furthermore, cross modulation (CSM) refers to the modulation of a desired signal by an unwanted signal generated by the interaction of signals in a nonlinear device, electrical network, or transmission media.

[0175] In practical applications, the input signal passing through a nonlinear transmission network (due to the nonlinear characteristics of RF devices) generates harmonic components. These harmonic components are integer multiples of the fundamental frequency f, such as 2f, 3f, and 4f. Generally speaking, the amplitude of these harmonics gradually decreases at higher frequencies.

[0176] For example, when two RF signals f1 and f2 pass through passive components, intermodulation signals of orders 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 are generated. Second-order intermodulation signals with frequencies 2f1, 2f2, (f1+f2), and (f2-f1) are also generated. Referring to the schematic diagram of the second-order intermodulation results shown in Figure 8, f1+f2 and f2-f1 are second-order intermodulation components, which can be represented by IM2(f2-f1) and IM2(f1+f2).

[0177] If the second-order signal components 2f1 and 2f2 are mixed with the first-order signal components f1 and f2, new frequencies are generated. Two of these frequencies are (2f1-f2) and (2f2-f1). These are called third-order intermodulation products. See Figure 9 for a schematic diagram of the third-order intermodulation results.

[0178] Furthermore, after obtaining the third signal, the terminal device may perform clock regeneration or clock recovery on the third signal to obtain the clock of the third signal. The terminal device may utilize a phase-locked loop (PLL) or a digital phase-locked loop (DLLL) to obtain the clock of the third signal from the third signal. Furthermore, the terminal device may obtain the clock of the signal to be transmitted based on the clock of the third signal and the relationship between the third signal and the signal to be transmitted.

[0179] In another possible implementation, the clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined based on the time difference between the reception time of the first signal and the reception time of the second signal, which can also be implemented in the following manner:

[0180] performing a correlation operation on the first signal and the second signal based on the time difference information to obtain correlation information between the first signal and the second signal;

[0181] Based on the relevant information, a clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined.

[0182] It can be understood that when there is a difference between the receiving time of the first signal and the receiving time of the second signal, in particular, the first signal and the second signal are periodic signals (for example, the first signal is SSB with period 1, and the second signal is SSB with period 2), the terminal device can perform correlation operations on the first signal and the second signal, and determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted based on the correlation operation results.

[0183] In yet another possible implementation, determining the clock of the signal to be transmitted based on an association between a first clock of the first signal and a second clock of the second signal includes:

[0184] extracting a first clock of the first signal and a second clock of the second signal;

[0185] Based on the first correlation relationship, the first clock and the second clock, the clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined; the first correlation relationship is determined based on the frequency relationship among the first signal, the second signal and the signal to be transmitted.

[0186] It can be understood that in this implementation, the terminal device may first perform clock regeneration or clock extraction on the first signal and the second signal respectively to obtain a first clock of the first signal and a second clock of the second signal.

[0187] The correlation between the frequencies of the first signal, the second signal, and the signal to be transmitted can, to a certain extent, reflect the correlation between the first clock, the second clock, and the clock of the signal to be transmitted. Therefore, after obtaining the first clock of the first signal and the second clock of the second signal, the terminal device can obtain the correlation between the first clock, the second clock, and the clock of the signal to be transmitted based on the correlation between the frequencies of the first signal, the second signal, and the signal to be transmitted. In this way, the terminal device can obtain the clock of the signal to be transmitted based on the correlation between the first clock, the second clock, and the clock of the signal to be transmitted, as well as the first clock and the second clock.

[0188] It should be noted that the terminal device can select one of the three aforementioned implementations to determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted based on the specific difference between the first signal and the second signal. For example, if the first signal and the second signal are received at the same time, but there is a difference in frequency between the first signal and the second signal, the terminal device can use the first implementation to determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted. If the first signal and the second signal have the same frequency, but the first signal and the second signal are received at a predetermined interval, the terminal device can use the second implementation to determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted. If there is a difference in both the frequency and the reception time between the first signal and the second signal, the terminal device can use the third implementation to determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted. Furthermore, when there is a difference in both the frequency and the reception time between the first signal and the second signal, the terminal device can use each of the three aforementioned implementations to determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted, thereby obtaining three clocks. The terminal device can then calculate the average of the three clocks to obtain the final clock of the signal to be transmitted. This embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific implementation of the terminal device.

[0189] To sum up, in the clock determination method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted by the terminal device based on the difference information between different signals received. In this way, the terminal device does not need to use a high-precision crystal oscillator to generate an accurate local clock, thereby reducing the power consumption and cost of the terminal device.

[0190] The above text combines Figures 6 and 7 to describe in detail the communication method of an embodiment of the present invention from the perspective of a terminal device. The following text combines Figure 10 to describe in detail the communication method of an embodiment of the present invention from the perspective of a network device. It should be understood that the steps executed by the network device correspond to the steps executed by the terminal device. For the sake of brevity, repeated descriptions are appropriately omitted below.

[0191] FIG10 shows a clock determination method provided by an embodiment of the present application, which may include:

[0192] S210. The first network device sends a first signal to the terminal device. The first signal is different from a second signal sent by the second network device to the terminal device. The first signal and the second signal are used to determine a clock of a signal to be transmitted by the terminal device.

[0193] In some embodiments, the first network device and the second network device may be the same network device or different network devices, and this embodiment of the present application does not limit this. In other words, the terminal device may receive the first signal and the second signal respectively sent by the same network device, and the terminal device may also receive the first signal sent by one network device (which may be referred to as the first network device in this embodiment of the present application) and receive the second signal sent by another network device (which may be referred to as the second network device in this embodiment of the present application).

[0194] In some embodiments, the first network device and the second network device can be nodes that communicate with the terminal device. For example, the first network device and the second network device can be APs in a WiFi system or base stations in a cellular system, or they can be IoT nodes, sensors, and other devices in the IoT. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0195] It should be noted that, when the terminal device is an AMP IoT terminal, the first network device and the second network device may include an environmental energy energizer (AMP Energizer).

[0196] Exemplarily, the first network device and the second network device may be the same AMP Energizer, which may respectively send a first signal and a second signal to the terminal device. Alternatively, the first network device and the second network device may be two different AMP Energizers, with AMP Energizer 1 sending the first signal to the terminal device and AMP Energizer 2 sending the second signal to the network device. Alternatively, the first network device may be an AMP Energizer, and the second network device may be an AP. The AMP Energizer sends the first signal to the terminal device, and the AP may send the second signal to the terminal device.

[0197] It should be noted that the difference between the first signal and the second signal may mean that the frequencies thereof are different and / or the receiving times thereof are different.

[0198] In a possible implementation, the first network device and the second network device may send the first signal and the second signal respectively at the same frequency but in different time units.

[0199] In another possible implementation, the first network device and the second network device may send the first signal and the second signal respectively in the same time unit but at different frequencies.

[0200] In yet another possible implementation, the first network device and the second network device may respectively send the first signal and the second signal at different frequencies and in different time units.

[0201] In this way, the terminal device can receive different signals and determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted by the terminal device based on the difference information between the different signals. The difference information here can refer to the frequency difference information of the different signals and / or the reception time difference information.

[0202] It should be noted that when the first network device and the second network device are different network devices, when it is necessary to send a signal to the terminal device so that the terminal device can determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted, the first network device and the second network device can also negotiate to determine the frequency and / or sending time of the first signal and the second signal.

[0203] It should also be noted that the "first signal" and "second signal" in the embodiment of the present application are only for distinguishing different signals. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of different signals sent by the network device and the number of signals used to determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted. In other words, the network device can send three different signals (the three different signals can be sent by the same network device or by different network devices) so that the terminal device can determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted based on the difference information between the three signals. Alternatively, the network device can send other numbers of different signals (different signals can be sent by the same network device or by different network devices) so that the terminal device can determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted based on the difference information between the number of signals. The embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0204] In practical applications, network devices can superimpose clock signals on transmitted signals. This allows terminal devices to extract the clock from received signals after receiving them. This process is commonly referred to as clock regeneration or recovery. In embodiments of the present application, a terminal device can determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted by the terminal device based on information about differences in frequency and / or reception time between received signals, combined with the clocks of the different signals.

[0205] In the clock determination method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the network device can send different signals to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted by the terminal device based on the difference information between the different signals received. In this way, the terminal device does not need to use a high-precision crystal oscillator to generate an accurate local clock, thereby reducing the power consumption and cost of the terminal device.

[0206] In some embodiments, the first signal and the second signal can be used to wake up the terminal device, or to supply power to the terminal device.

[0207] That is, the first signal and the second signal may be functional signals or wake-up signals.

[0208] It is understandable that low-power, low-complexity, and low-cost terminal devices can remain in a sleep state, communicating with network devices only after being awakened, and then returning to sleep after communication is complete, thus further reducing the power consumption of the terminal device. In addition, terminal devices based on ambient energy can collect ambient energy to obtain energy for subsequent communications.

[0209] Therefore, in order to ensure normal communication of the terminal device, the first signal and the second signal can be signals for waking up the terminal device, such as wake-up signals. The first signal and the second signal can also be signals for enabling functions of the terminal device, such as function signals.

[0210] It should be noted that the functions of the first signal and the second signal can be the same, for example, both are used to wake up the terminal device, or both are used to enable a function of the terminal device. The functions of the first signal and the second signal can also be different, for example, the first signal is used to wake up the terminal device, and the second signal is used to enable a function of the terminal device; or, the first signal is used to enable a function of the terminal device, and the second signal is used to wake up the terminal device. This embodiment of the application does not limit this.

[0211] In some embodiments, the first signal and the second signal may be of multiple signal types, wherein the first signal and / or the second signal may be one or more of a single-tone (SINE) signal, a reference signal, a synchronization signal, and a narrowband signal.

[0212] It is understandable that the first signal and the second signal can be single-tone signals, that is, signals with only one constant frequency. The first signal and the second signal can be single-tone sine wave signals or single-tone cosine wave signals, which are not limited in the present embodiment.

[0213] The first signal and the second signal may also be narrowband signals, that is, signals with a small frequency range. The first signal and the second signal may be narrowband continuous wave signals or narrowband non-continuous wave signals, which are not limited in the present embodiment.

[0214] In some embodiments, the first signal and the second signal may also be related signals specified in 3GPP.

[0215] In one example, the first signal and the second signal can be reference signals, such as channel state information reference signal, CSI-RS, CRS, positioning reference signal, phase tracking reference signal, etc., which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0216] In one example, the second signal of the first signal may also be a synchronization signal, such as SSB in NR, PSS and SSS in LTE, etc., which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0217] It should be noted that the first signal and the second signal may be of the same signal type, for example, both being a single-tone signal, a reference signal, a synchronization signal, or a narrowband signal. The first signal and the second signal may also have different functions, for example, the first signal being a single-tone signal and the second signal being a reference signal; or the first signal being a reference signal and the second signal being a single-tone signal, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0218] In some embodiments, the first signal and the second signal may be signals in the same frequency band (intra-band) or signals in different frequency bands (inter-band), which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0219] Exemplarily, the first signal and the second signal may be signals of different bandwidth parts (Bandwidth Part, BWP), the first signal and the second signal may be signals on different subcarriers (subcarrier) on the same carrier (carrier), and the first signal and the second signal may also be signals of different physical resource blocks (Physical Resource Block, PRB), which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0220] It can be seen that in the embodiment of the present application, the functions, types, and frequency bands of the first signal and the second signal can include multiple ones, and the network device can flexibly set the first signal and the second signal to facilitate the terminal device to obtain the clock of the signal to be transmitted.

[0221] In some embodiments, the first signal and the second signal satisfy one or more of the following conditions:

[0222] A difference between the power of the first signal and the power of the second signal is less than or equal to a first threshold;

[0223] A frequency interval between the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal is less than or equal to a second threshold;

[0224] A time interval between a reception time of the first signal and a reception time of the second signal is less than or equal to a third threshold.

[0225] In some embodiments, a first network device receives indication information sent by a terminal device; the indication information is used to indicate the capability of the terminal device; wherein the first signal and the second signal corresponding to terminal devices with different capabilities satisfy different conditions; the first signal and the second signal are sent based on the indication information.

[0226] In some embodiments, because terminal devices with different capabilities must meet different conditions for receiving and processing the first and second signals, the network device can set the difference between the first and second signals to wake up terminal devices with different signal reception and processing capabilities. In other words, the network device can use the first and second signals to target and activate terminal devices with different signal reception and processing capabilities, thereby improving the flexibility of system communications.

[0227] Exemplarily, taking Table 1 as an example, if the network device needs to wake up a terminal device of capability level / type 1, the power difference between the first signal and the second signal can be set to be less than or equal to 6dB, the frequency interval between the first signal and the second signal can be set to be less than or equal to 10MHz, and the time interval between the first signal and the second signal can be set to be less than 260ns. If the network device needs to wake up a terminal device of capability level / type 2 within the communication coverage area, the power difference between the first signal and the second signal can be set to be less than 3dB, the frequency interval between the first signal and the second signal can be set to be greater than 80MHz and less than or equal to 2GHz, and the time interval between the first signal and the second signal can be set to be less than 260ns. If the network device needs to wake up all terminal devices within the communication coverage area, the power difference between the first signal and the second signal can be set to be less than 3dB, the frequency interval between the first signal and the second signal can be set to be less than or equal to 10MHz, and the time interval between the first signal and the second signal can be set to be less than 260ns.

[0228] The clock determination method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described below in conjunction with specific application scenarios.

[0229] Example 1

[0230] In this embodiment, the zero-power consumption terminal is a device of capability level / type 1. The conditions for the zero-power consumption terminal to receive and process the first signal and the second signal need to meet one or more of the following:

[0231] The power difference between the first signal and the second signal cannot be higher than 6dB;

[0232] The frequency interval between the first signal and the second signal cannot be greater than 10MHz;

[0233] The maximum reception time difference between the first signal and the second signal cannot be greater than 260ns.

[0234] As shown in Figure 11, AMP Energizer can send a first signal and a second signal to the zero-power terminal. The first signal and the second signal are energy supply signals sent periodically or continuously by AMP Energizer. The frequency of the first signal can be 915 MHz, and the frequency of the second signal can be 920 MHz.

[0235] The zero-power terminal can simultaneously receive a first signal at a frequency of 915MHz and a second signal at a frequency of 920MHz, and extract the high-order components of the intermodulation or intermodulation of the two signals, such as the IM2 signal (5MHz). The zero-power terminal further multiplies the IM2 signal to obtain the clock of the signal to be transmitted at a frequency of 2.4GHz. The signal to be transmitted can be a signal that supports all or part of the WiFi protocol format, such as BLE, 802.11b / n protocol, etc. After determining the clock of the signal to be transmitted, the zero-power terminal can communicate with the AP on the 2.4GHz frequency band.

[0236] Example 2

[0237] In this embodiment, the zero-power consumption terminal is a device of capability level / type 2. The conditions for the zero-power consumption terminal to receive and process the first signal and the second signal need to meet one or more of the following:

[0238] The power difference between the first signal and the second signal cannot be higher than 3dB;

[0239] The frequency interval between the first signal and the second signal cannot be greater than 2 GHz;

[0240] The maximum reception time difference between the first signal and the second signal cannot be greater than 260ns.

[0241] As shown in Figure 12, under the control of the AP (via a control command), the AMP Energizer can send a first signal to the zero-power terminal. The first signal is an energy supply signal that the AMP Energizer periodically or continuously sends. The AP sends a second signal to the zero-power terminal. The second signal is a wake-up signal that the AP periodically or continuously sends. The frequency of the first signal can be 920 MHz, and the frequency of the second signal can be 2.412 GHz.

[0242] The zero-power terminal can simultaneously receive a first signal at 920MHz and a second signal at 2.412GHz, obtaining high-order components after intermodulation or intermodulation, such as the IM3 signal (2.412GHz-920MHz*2). The zero-power terminal then performs envelope detection on the IM3 signal to obtain the clock of the 600MHz signal to be transmitted (cellular signal). After determining the clock of the transmitted signal, the zero-power terminal can communicate with the base station on the 600MHz frequency band.

[0243] Example 3

[0244] In this embodiment, the zero-power consumption terminal is a device of capability level / type 3. The conditions for the zero-power consumption terminal to receive and process the first signal and the second signal need to meet one or more of the following:

[0245] The power difference between the first signal and the second signal cannot be higher than 3dB;

[0246] The frequency interval between the first signal and the second signal cannot be greater than 80MHz;

[0247] The maximum reception time difference between the first signal and the second signal cannot be greater than 160ms.

[0248] As shown in Figure 13, the AP can asynchronously send a first signal (frequency F1 time slot T1) and a second signal (frequency F2 time slot T2) to the zero-power terminal to wake up the zero-power terminal. The frequency of the first signal can be 2.402 GHz (for example, channel 37 in the Bluetooth protocol), and the frequency of the second signal can be 2.426 GHz (for example, channel 38 in the Bluetooth protocol).

[0249] The zero-power terminal can successively receive a first signal with a frequency of 2.402GHz and a second signal with a frequency of 2.426GHz to obtain a 2.4GHz intermediate frequency signal. After mixing, it obtains the clock of the signal to be transmitted at 2.480GHz (for example, channel 39 in the Bluetooth protocol); the signal to be transmitted can be a 2.480GHz Bluetooth signal.

[0250] The preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present application is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the technical concept of the present application, the technical solution of the present application can be subjected to a variety of simple modifications, and these simple modifications all fall within the scope of protection of the present application. For example, the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present application will no longer describe the various possible combinations separately. For another example, the various different embodiments of the present application can also be arbitrarily combined, as long as they do not violate the idea of ​​the present application, they should also be regarded as the contents disclosed in the present application. For another example, under the premise of no conflict, the various embodiments and / or the technical features in each embodiment described in the present application can be arbitrarily combined with the prior art, and the technical solution obtained after the combination should also fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0251] It should also be understood that in the various method embodiments of the present application, the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes do not imply a precedence in the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the terms "downlink," "uplink," and "sidelink" are used to indicate the transmission direction of signals or data, where "downlink" is used to indicate the first direction of transmission of signals or data from a site to a user equipment in a cell, "uplink" is used to indicate the second direction of transmission of signals or data from a user equipment in a cell to a site, and "sidelink" is used to indicate the third direction of transmission of signals or data from user equipment 1 to user equipment 2. For example, "downlink signal" indicates that the transmission direction of the signal is the first direction. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. Specifically, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0252] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a clock determination device 1400 provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a terminal device. As shown in FIG14 , the clock determination device 1400 includes:

[0253] The receiving unit 1401 is configured to receive a first signal and a second signal; the first signal is different from the second signal; and the clock of the signal to be transmitted of the terminal device is determined based on the difference information between the first signal and the second signal.

[0254] In some embodiments, a frequency of the first signal is different from a frequency of the second signal, and / or a reception time of the first signal is different from a reception time of the second signal.

[0255] In some embodiments, the first signal and the second signal satisfy one or more of the following conditions:

[0256] A difference between the power of the first signal and the power of the second signal is less than or equal to a first threshold;

[0257] A frequency interval between the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal is less than or equal to a second threshold;

[0258] A time interval between a time when the first signal is received and a time when the second signal is received is less than or equal to a third threshold.

[0259] In some embodiments, the clock determination device 1400 may further include a sending unit, which may be configured to send indication information, wherein the indication information is used to indicate the signal reception and processing capability of the terminal device, wherein the conditions to be met for receiving and processing the first signal and the second signal corresponding to terminal devices with different capabilities are different; the first signal and the second signal are sent based on the indication information.

[0260] In some embodiments, the first signal and / or the second signal is used to wake up the terminal device, or to supply power to the terminal device.

[0261] In some embodiments, the first signal and the second signal come from the same network device, or different network devices.

[0262] In some embodiments, the first signal and / or the second signal is any one of the following:

[0263] Single tone signal;

[0264] Reference signal;

[0265] Synchronous signal;

[0266] Narrowband signal.

[0267] In some embodiments, the first signal and the second signal are signals in the same frequency band, or signals in different frequency bands.

[0268] In some embodiments, the clock of the signal to be transmitted by the terminal device is determined based on difference information between the first signal and the second signal, including one or more of the following:

[0269] The clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined based on frequency difference information between the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal;

[0270] The clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined based on time difference information between a reception time of the first signal and a reception time of the second signal;

[0271] The clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined based on a correlation between a first clock of the first signal and a second clock of the second signal.

[0272] In some embodiments, the clock of the to-be-transmitted signal is determined based on frequency difference information between the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal, including:

[0273] performing frequency mixing or frequency multiplication processing on a frequency difference between the first signal and a correlation signal of the second signal to obtain a third signal;

[0274] The related signals are the intermediate frequency signal of the first signal, the intermediate frequency signal of the second signal, the zero frequency signal of the first signal, the zero frequency signal of the second signal, and the high-order component signals after intermodulation or intermodulation between the first signal and the second signal;

[0275] Based on the clock of the third signal, the clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined.

[0276] In some embodiments, the clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined based on time difference information between a reception time of the first signal and a reception time of the second signal, including:

[0277] performing a correlation operation on the first signal and the second signal based on the time difference information to obtain correlation information between the first signal and the second signal;

[0278] Based on the relevant information, a clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined.

[0279] In some embodiments, the clock of the to-be-transmitted signal is determined based on an association between a first clock of the first signal and a second clock of the second signal, including:

[0280] extracting a first clock of the first signal and a second clock of the second signal;

[0281] The clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined based on a first association relationship, the first clock, and the second clock; the first association relationship is determined based on a frequency relationship among the first signal, the second signal, and the signal to be transmitted.

[0282] In some embodiments, the terminal device is one or more of a zero-power consumption terminal, a low-power consumption terminal, a low-cost terminal, and a low-capability terminal.

[0283] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a clock determination apparatus 1500 provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a first network device. As shown in FIG15 , the clock determination apparatus 1500 includes:

[0284] The sending unit 1501 is configured to send a first signal to the terminal device, where the first signal is different from the second signal sent by the second network device to the terminal device, and the first signal and the second signal are used to determine the clock of the signal to be transmitted by the terminal device.

[0285] In some embodiments, a frequency of the first signal is different from a frequency of the second signal, and / or a reception time of the first signal is different from a reception time of the second signal.

[0286] In some embodiments, the first signal and the second signal satisfy one or more of the following conditions:

[0287] A difference between the power of the first signal and the power of the second signal is less than or equal to a first threshold;

[0288] A frequency interval between the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal is less than or equal to a second threshold;

[0289] A time interval between a time when the first signal is received and a time when the second signal is received is less than or equal to a third threshold.

[0290] In some embodiments, the clock determination device 1500 may further include a receiving unit configured to receive indication information sent by the terminal device; the indication information is used to indicate the signal reception and processing capability of the terminal device; wherein, the conditions to be met for receiving and processing the first signal and the second signal corresponding to terminal devices with different capabilities are different; the first signal and the second signal are sent based on the indication information.

[0291] In some embodiments, the first signal and / or the second signal is used to wake up the terminal device, or to supply power to the terminal device.

[0292] In some embodiments, the first network device and the second network device are the same device.

[0293] In some embodiments, the first signal and / or the second signal is any one of the following:

[0294] Single tone signal;

[0295] Reference signal;

[0296] Synchronous signal;

[0297] Narrowband signal.

[0298] In some embodiments, the first signal and the second signal are signals in the same frequency band, or signals in different frequency bands.

[0299] In some embodiments, the terminal device is one or more of a zero-power consumption terminal, a low-power consumption terminal, a low-cost terminal, and a low-capability terminal.

[0300] Those skilled in the art should understand that the relevant description of the above-mentioned clock determination device in the embodiment of the present application can be understood with reference to the relevant description of the clock determination method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0301] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of a communication device 1600 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device can be a terminal device or a network device. The communication device 1600 shown in Figure 16 includes a processor 1610, which can call and execute a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0302] Optionally, as shown in FIG16 , the communication device 1600 may further include a memory 1620. The processor 1610 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 1620 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0303] The memory 1620 may be a separate device independent of the processor 1610 , or may be integrated into the processor 1610 .

[0304] Optionally, as shown in FIG16 , the communication device 1600 may further include a transceiver 1630 , and the processor 1610 may control the transceiver 1630 to communicate with other devices, specifically, to send information or data to other devices, or to receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0305] The transceiver 1630 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 1630 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0306] Optionally, the communication device 1600 may specifically be a network device in an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 1600 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in each method in the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0307] Optionally, the communication device 1600 may specifically be a mobile terminal / terminal device of an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 1600 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the mobile terminal / terminal device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0308] Figure 17 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip 1700 shown in Figure 17 includes a processor 1710, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method according to the embodiment of the present application.

[0309] Optionally, as shown in FIG17 , the chip 1700 may further include a memory 1720. The processor 1710 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 1720 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0310] The memory 1720 may be a separate device independent of the processor 1710 , or may be integrated into the processor 1710 .

[0311] Optionally, the chip 1700 may further include an input interface 1730. The processor 1710 may control the input interface 1730 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0312] Optionally, the chip 1700 may further include an output interface 1740. The processor 1710 may control the output interface 1740 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0313] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in each method of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0314] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the mobile terminal / terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the mobile terminal / terminal device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0315] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system-on-chip chip, etc.

[0316] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer storage medium, which stores one or more programs. The one or more programs can be executed by one or more processors to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0317] FIG18 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system 1800 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG18 , the communication system 1800 includes a terminal device 1810 and a network device 1820 .

[0318] Among them, the terminal device 1810 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the terminal device in the above method, and the network device 1820 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the network device in the above method. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0319] It should be understood that the processor of the embodiments of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or software instructions. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0320] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus random access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0321] It should be understood that the above-mentioned memories are exemplary but not restrictive. For example, the memories in the embodiments of the present application may also be static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM RAM (DR RAM), etc. In other words, the memories in the embodiments of the present application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0322] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program.

[0323] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0324] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the mobile terminal / terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the mobile terminal / terminal device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0325] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions.

[0326] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program instructions enable the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0327] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the mobile terminal / terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program instructions enable the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the mobile terminal / terminal device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0328] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program.

[0329] Optionally, the computer program can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not described here.

[0330] Optionally, the computer program can be applied to the mobile terminal / terminal device in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program runs on the computer, the computer executes the corresponding processes implemented by the mobile terminal / terminal device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0331] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0332] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0333] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0334] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0335] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0336] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0337] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A clock determination method, the method comprising: The terminal device receives the first signal and the second signal; The first signal is different from the second signal; The clock of the signal to be transmitted by the terminal device is determined based on the difference information between the first signal and the second signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: A frequency of the first signal is different from a frequency of the second signal, and / or a receiving time of the first signal is different from a receiving time of the second signal.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first signal and the second signal satisfy one or more of the following conditions: A difference between the power of the first signal and the power of the second signal is less than or equal to a first threshold; A frequency interval between the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal is less than or equal to a second threshold; A time interval between a time when the first signal is received and a time when the second signal is received is less than or equal to a third threshold.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: Also includes: The terminal device sends indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate the signal receiving and processing capability of the terminal device, wherein the conditions for receiving and processing the first signal and the second signal corresponding to terminal devices with different capabilities are different; the first signal and the second signal are sent based on the indication information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The first signal and / or the second signal is used to wake up the terminal device, or to supply power to the terminal device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The first signal and the second signal come from the same network device or different network devices.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The first signal and / or the second signal is any one of the following: Single tone signal; Reference signal; Synchronous signal; Narrowband signal.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The first signal and the second signal are signals in the same frequency band, or signals in different frequency bands.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The clock of the signal to be transmitted by the terminal device is determined based on the difference information between the first signal and the second signal, including one or more of the following: The clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined based on frequency difference information between the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal; The clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined based on the time difference information between the reception time of the first signal and the reception time of the second signal; The clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined based on a correlation relationship between a first clock of the first signal and a second clock of the second signal.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined based on frequency difference information between the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal, including: Performing mixing or frequency multiplication processing on the frequency difference between the first signal and the related signal of the second signal to obtain a third signal; The related signals are the intermediate frequency signal of the first signal, the intermediate frequency signal of the second signal, the zero frequency signal of the first signal, the zero frequency signal of the second signal, and the high-order component signal after the first signal and the second signal are intermodulated or intermodulated; Based on the clock of the third signal, the clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein: The clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined based on time difference information between a reception time of the first signal and a reception time of the second signal, including: Performing a correlation operation on the first signal and the second signal based on the time difference information to obtain correlation information of the first signal and the second signal; Based on the relevant information, a clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein: The clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined based on an association relationship between a first clock of the first signal and a second clock of the second signal, including: extracting a first clock of the first signal and a second clock of the second signal; Based on a first association relationship, as well as the first clock and the second clock, a clock of the signal to be transmitted is determined; the first association relationship is determined based on a frequency relationship among the first signal, the second signal and the signal to be transmitted.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein: The terminal device is one or more of a zero-power consumption terminal, a low-power consumption terminal, a low-cost terminal, and a low-capability terminal.

14. A clock determination method, the method comprising: The first network device sends a first signal to the terminal device, where the first signal is different from a second signal sent by the second network device to the terminal device, and the first signal and the second signal are used to determine a clock of a signal to be transmitted by the terminal device.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: A frequency of the first signal is different from a frequency of the second signal, and / or a receiving time of the first signal is different from a receiving time of the second signal.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, wherein: The first signal and the second signal satisfy one or more of the following conditions: A difference between the power of the first signal and the power of the second signal is less than or equal to a first threshold; A frequency interval between the frequency of the first signal and the frequency of the second signal is less than or equal to a second threshold; A time interval between a time when the first signal is received and a time when the second signal is received is less than or equal to a third threshold.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein: The first network device receives indication information sent by the terminal device; the indication information is used to indicate the signal receiving and processing capability of the terminal device; wherein the conditions to be met for receiving and processing the first signal and the second signal corresponding to terminal devices with different capabilities are different; the first signal and the second signal are sent based on the indication information.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein: The first signal and / or the second signal is used to wake up the terminal device, or to supply power to the terminal device.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein: The first network device and the second network device are the same device.

20. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein: The first signal and / or the second signal is any one of the following: Single tone signal; Reference signal; Synchronous signal; Narrowband signal.

21. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein: The first signal and the second signal are signals in the same frequency band, or signals in different frequency bands.

22. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein: The terminal device is one or more of a zero-power consumption terminal, a low-power consumption terminal, a low-cost terminal, and a low-capability terminal.

23. A clock determination device, applied to a terminal device, the device comprising: A receiving unit configured to receive a first signal and a second signal; The first signal is different from the second signal; The clock of the signal to be transmitted by the terminal device is determined based on the difference information between the first signal and the second signal.

24. A clock determination device, applied to a first network device, the device comprising: The sending unit is configured to send a first signal to the terminal device, where the first signal is different from a second signal sent by the second network device to the terminal device, and the first signal and the second signal are used to determine a clock of a signal to be transmitted by the terminal device.

25. A terminal, comprising: A memory for storing computer executable instructions; A processor, connected to the memory, configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 by executing the computer executable instructions.

26. A network device comprising: A memory for storing computer executable instructions; A processor, connected to the memory, configured to implement the method of any one of claims 14 to 22 by executing the computer executable instructions.

27. A chip, comprising: A processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes a method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, or executes a method as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 22.

28. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program, when executed by at least one processor, implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, or implements the method according to any one of claims 14 to 22.

29. A computer program product, comprising a computer storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program comprises instructions executable by at least one processor, and when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 14 to 22 is implemented.

30. A computer program, the computer program causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, or to implement the method according to any one of claims 14 to 22.

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