Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of communications. Provided are a communication method and apparatus. In the method, when the sum of a cyclic prefix length and a symbol length of a signal is unchanged, there are a plurality of symbol structures for cyclic prefix lengths, for example, the cyclic prefix length of a first symbol structure is not equal to the cyclic prefix length of a second symbol structure, the symbol length of the first symbol structure is not equal to the symbol length of the second symbol structure, and the sum of the cyclic prefix length and the symbol length of the first symbol structure is equal to the sum of the cyclic prefix length and the symbol length of the second symbol structure. Therefore, when a sub-carrier spacing is unchanged, the cyclic prefix length can be dynamically adjusted, such that a sensing distance is flexible and adjustable, and various scenarios can be met during actual application.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on August 31, 2023, with application number 202311132851.7 and application name “Communication Method and Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a communication method and device. Background Art

[0003] Harmonized communication and sensing (HCS), also known as integrated communication and sensing technology, is considered a key technology for expanding the service capabilities of mobile communication networks as fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication systems evolve towards 5G-advanced (5G-A). The core concept of this technology is to add sensing capabilities to mobile communication networks, building the ability to detect, track, and image targets, thereby integrating communication and sensing capabilities into a single network.

[0004] Currently, 5G typically uses orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols with a cyclic prefix (CP), also known as CP-OFDM symbols. When using CP-OFDM symbols for sensing, the sensing distance is directly limited by the CP length, which limits practical applications.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus to achieve flexible and adjustable perception distance of CP-OFDM symbols, which can meet various scenarios of practical applications.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: receiving indication information from a network device, receiving a first signal from the network device according to the indication information, or sending the first signal to the network device according to the indication information. The indication information is used to indicate a symbol structure of the first signal, the symbol structure comprising a cyclic prefix length and a symbol length, and the symbol structure of the first signal is one of at least two symbol structures, wherein the at least two symbol structures comprise a first symbol structure and a second symbol structure, the cyclic prefix length of the first symbol structure is not equal to the cyclic prefix length of the second symbol structure, the symbol length of the first symbol structure is not equal to the symbol length of the second symbol structure, and the sum of the cyclic prefix length and the symbol length of the first symbol structure is equal to the sum of the cyclic prefix length and the symbol length of the second symbol structure.

[0009] As can be seen, the cyclic prefix length and symbol length of a symbol structure in the prior art are fixed, that is, the sum of the lengths of the cyclic prefix and symbol of the signal is fixed, and the perception of the signal is also fixed. In contrast, the present application defines symbol structures with multiple cyclic prefix lengths when the sum of the lengths of the cyclic prefix and symbol of the signal remains unchanged, such as when the cyclic prefix length of the first symbol structure is not equal to the cyclic prefix length of the second symbol structure, when the symbol length of the first symbol structure is not equal to the symbol length of the second symbol structure, and when the sum of the cyclic prefix length and symbol length of the first symbol structure is equal to the sum of the cyclic prefix length and symbol length of the second symbol structure. Therefore, the cyclic prefix length can be dynamically adjusted when the subcarrier spacing remains unchanged, so as to achieve flexible and adjustable perception distance, which can meet various scenarios of practical applications.

[0010] It is understood that the symbols mentioned in the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, refer to OFDM symbols, or any other possible symbols. Since the sum of the lengths of the cyclic prefix and the symbol of the signal remains unchanged, the length can be equal to the CP-OFDM symbol defined in the prior art to be compatible with the existing frame structure without affecting the existing configuration.

[0011] It is also understood that the method described in the first aspect can be performed by a first communication device, which can be a terminal, an apparatus including a terminal, or a chip within a terminal. Alternatively, the first communication device can be a network device, an apparatus including a network device, or a chip within a network device. For ease of description, the following description uses the method described in the first aspect performed by the first communication device as an example.

[0012] In a possible design scheme, indication information is used to indicate the symbol structure of the first signal, including: indication information is used to indicate at least one of a cyclic prefix length of the first signal, a symbol length of the first signal, a ratio of the symbol length of the first signal to the first symbol length, or a ratio of the cyclic prefix length of the first signal to the first cyclic prefix length. The specific selection can be flexibly made based on actual conditions and is not limited thereto. The first symbol length and / or the second cyclic prefix length are predetermined and may also be referred to as a reference symbol length and / or a reference cyclic prefix length, or may also be referred to as a symbol length and / or cyclic prefix length defined by 3GPP, or may have any other possible naming, which is not limited thereto.

[0013] Optionally, in the case where the indication information indicates the ratio of the symbol length of the first signal to the first symbol length, the ratio is one of at least two values, and the at least two values ​​are at least two of 1 / 2, 3 / 4, 1 / 4, 7 / 8, 5 / 8, 3 / 8, 1 / 8, 15 / 16, 13 / 16, 11 / 16, 9 / 16, 7 / 16, 5 / 16, 3 / 16 and 1 / 16, or at least two of 1 / 2, 3 / 4, 7 / 8, 5 / 8, 15 / 16, 13 / 16, 11 / 16 and 9 / 16, or at least two of 1 / 2, 3 / 4, 5 / 8, 15 / 16 and 9 / 16.

[0014] It is understandable that, because OFDM symbols are usually generated by fast Fourier transform (FFT), the number of FFT points is usually required to be a power of 2. Considering that the computational complexity of 3 points and 5 points in FFT operations is also relatively low, the denominator of the above ratio can be a multiple of 2, or a multiple of a smaller odd number such as 3 or 5, so as to minimize the complexity of signal transmission and reception.

[0015] In one possible design, the indication information is carried in a broadcast message or a unicast message. For example, the broadcast message or unicast message may have a scheduling relationship with a first signal transmitted or received by the terminal, so that the terminal can modulate or demodulate the first signal based on the symbol result indicated by the indication information.

[0016] Optionally, if the indication information is carried in the physical broadcast channel PBCH of the broadcast message, the first signal is the physical downlink control channel PDCCH scheduled by the PBCH, so that the terminal can respond according to the indication information. Alternatively, if the indication information is carried in the radio resource control RRC message of the unicast message or the media access control-control unit MAC-CE message, the first signal is the channel state information reference signal CSI-RS scheduled by the RRC message or MAC-CE message; or, if the indication information is carried in the downlink control information DCI message of the unicast message, the first signal is the demodulation reference signal DMRS scheduled by the DCI message. The specific selection can be made according to the actual situation and is not limited to this. In addition, there can be other implementations and are not limited to this.

[0017] According to a second aspect, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: a network device sending indication information to a terminal, receiving a first signal sent by the terminal, or sending the first signal to the terminal. The indication information is used to indicate a symbol structure of the first signal, the symbol structure comprising a cyclic prefix length and a symbol length, and the symbol structure of the first signal is one of at least two symbol structures, wherein the at least two symbol structures comprise a first symbol structure and a second symbol structure, the cyclic prefix length of the first symbol structure is not equal to the cyclic prefix length of the second symbol structure, the symbol length of the first symbol structure is not equal to the symbol length of the second symbol structure, and the sum of the cyclic prefix length and the symbol length of the first symbol structure is equal to the sum of the cyclic prefix length and the symbol length of the second symbol structure.

[0018] A possible design scheme, in which indication information is used to indicate the symbol structure of a first signal, includes: indication information is used to indicate at least one of a cyclic prefix length of the first signal, a symbol length of the first signal, a ratio of the symbol length of the first signal to the first symbol length, or a ratio of the cyclic prefix length of the first signal to the first cyclic prefix length, wherein the first symbol length and / or the second cyclic prefix length are predetermined.

[0019] Optionally, in the case where the indication information indicates the ratio of the symbol length of the first signal to the first symbol length, the ratio is one of at least two values, and the at least two values ​​are at least two of 1 / 2, 3 / 4, 1 / 4, 7 / 8, 5 / 8, 3 / 8, 1 / 8, 15 / 16, 13 / 16, 11 / 16, 9 / 16, 7 / 16, 5 / 16, 3 / 16 and 1 / 16, or at least two of 1 / 2, 3 / 4, 7 / 8, 5 / 8, 15 / 16, 13 / 16, 11 / 16 and 9 / 16, or at least two of 1 / 2, 3 / 4, 5 / 8, 15 / 16 and 9 / 16.

[0020] In a possible design solution, the indication information is carried in a broadcast message or a unicast message.

[0021] Optionally, if the indication information is carried in the physical broadcast channel PBCH of the broadcast message, the perception signal is the physical downlink control channel PDCCH scheduled by the PBCH; or, if the indication information is carried in the radio resource control RRC message of the unicast message or the media access control-control unit MAC-CE message, the perception signal is the channel state information reference signal CSI-RS scheduled by the RRC message or MAC-CE message; or, if the indication information is carried in the downlink control information DCI message of the unicast message, the perception signal is the demodulation reference signal DMRS scheduled by the DCI message.

[0022] A possible design scheme is that when the network device receives the first signal sent by the terminal, the method described in the second aspect also includes: the network device receives an echo signal of the first signal to achieve perception.

[0023] It can be understood that the relevant technical effects of the method described in the second aspect can also refer to the relevant introduction of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0024] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes: a module for executing the method described in any one of aspects 1 to 2, such as a transceiver module and a processing module. For example, the transceiver module is configured to indicate the transceiver function of the communication device, and the processing module is configured to perform functions of the communication device other than the transceiver function.

[0025] Optionally, the transceiver module may include a sending module and a receiving module, wherein the sending module is used to implement the sending function of the communication device described in the third aspect, and the receiving module is used to implement the receiving function of the communication device described in the third aspect.

[0026] Optionally, the communication device described in the third aspect may further include a storage module, wherein the storage module stores a program or instruction. When the processing module executes the program or instruction, the communication device may execute the method described in any one of the first aspect to the second aspect.

[0027] It can be understood that the communication device described in the third aspect can be a terminal or a network device, or a chip (system) or other parts or components that can be set in a terminal or a network device, or a device that includes a terminal or a network device. This application does not limit this.

[0028] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device described in the third aspect can refer to the technical effects of the other aspects mentioned above and will not be repeated here.

[0029] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor configured to execute the method described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0030] In one possible design solution, the communication device described in the fourth aspect may further include a transceiver. The transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver may be used for the communication device described in the fourth aspect to communicate with other communication devices.

[0031] In one possible design, the communication device described in the fourth aspect may further include a memory. The memory may be integrated with the processor or provided separately. The memory may be used to store the computer program and / or data involved in the method described in any one of the first and second aspects.

[0032] In an embodiment of the present application, the communication device described in the fourth aspect can be the terminal or network device described in any one of the first to second aspects, or a chip (system) or other parts or components that can be set in the terminal or network device, or a device that includes the terminal or network device.

[0033] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device described in the fourth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the methods described in any one of the first aspect to the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0034] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor coupled to a memory, the processor configured to execute a computer program stored in the memory, so that the communication device performs the method described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0035] In one possible design solution, the communication device described in the fifth aspect may further include a transceiver. The transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver may be used for the communication device described in the fifth aspect to communicate with other communication devices.

[0036] In an embodiment of the present application, the communication device described in the fifth aspect can be the terminal or network device described in any one of the first to second aspects, or a chip (system) or other parts or components that can be set in the terminal or network device, or a device that includes the terminal or network device.

[0037] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device described in the fifth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the methods described in any one of the first aspect to the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0038] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, the communication device executes the method described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0039] In one possible design solution, the communication device described in the sixth aspect may further include a transceiver. The transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver may be used for the communication device described in the sixth aspect to communicate with other communication devices.

[0040] In an embodiment of the present application, the communication device described in the sixth aspect can be the terminal or network device described in any one of the first aspect to the second aspect, or a chip (system) or other parts or components that can be set in the terminal or network device, or a device that includes the terminal or network device.

[0041] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device described in the sixth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the methods described in any one of the first aspect to the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0042] In a seventh aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising: a first communication device for executing the method according to the first aspect, and a second communication device for executing the method according to the second aspect.

[0043] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising: a computer program or instructions; when the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0044] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program or instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute the method described in any one of the first to second aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a scene in the perception mode;

[0046] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a CP-OFDM symbol;

[0047] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a CP-OFDM symbol of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG6 is a first structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG7 is a second structural diagram of the communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] For ease of understanding, the technical terms involved in the embodiments of this application are first introduced below.

[0053] 1. Sensing

[0054] Perception can refer to the communication entity in a wireless network determining information about the surrounding environment by sending and receiving signals that have passed through objects. The information about the surrounding environment may include information about one or more objects in the environment. The information about the object may include the position, speed, size, or shape of the object. These objects can change the transmission characteristics of the signal, for example, they can change the transmission direction of the signal, change the transmission gain of the signal, change the transmission delay of the signal, or change the frequency of the signal. Therefore, the communication entity can achieve perception by obtaining changes in the signal transmission characteristics. For example, the channel response information obtained through channel estimation can feedback the changes in the signal after passing through different transmission environments (or channels). Then, when the signal passes through the above-mentioned object, the channel response information can feedback the changes in the signal transmission characteristics caused by the object.

[0055] Exemplarily, the channel response information may include a channel impulse response (CIR), a channel frequency response (CFR), or channel state information (CSI), etc., which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0056] It should be understood that the "signal after being affected by an object" mentioned above may include: the signal after being reflected by the object; the signal after being refracted by the object; the signal after being scattered by the object; the signal after being diffracted by the object; or the signal after being transmitted through the object, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0057] It is understood that the aforementioned objects can be moving or stationary, and can be active or passive. Active objects can refer to objects with data processing capabilities, such as base stations, mobile phones, routers, vehicles, drones, and radio frequency identification (RFID) devices. Passive objects can refer to objects without data processing capabilities, such as humans, animals, plants, vehicles, and buildings.

[0058] It should be understood that an "object" may also be referred to as a "scatterer," "reflector," "refractor," "blocker," or "obstacle." In other words, in the embodiments of the present application, "object," "scatterer," "reflector," "refractor," "blocker," and "obstacle" may be used interchangeably and are described herein for the purposes of this disclosure. Detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0059] It should also be understood that the above-mentioned "communication entity" may also be referred to as a "network entity," "communication device," "communication equipment," "communication node," or "site." In other words, in the embodiments of the present application, "communication entity," "network entity," "communication device," "communication equipment," "communication node," and "site" may be used interchangeably and will not be further described below.

[0060] 2. HCS:

[0061] HCS, also known as integrated communication and perception technology, is considered a key technology for expanding the service capabilities of mobile communication networks during the evolution from 5G to enhanced 5G technology. The core concept of this technology is to add perception capabilities to mobile communication networks, building the ability to detect, track, and image targets. This allows communication and perception capabilities to be integrated into a single network, achieving harmonious coexistence and even mutual benefit.

[0062] The technical principles of perception differ somewhat from those of communication. In communication, a transmitter modulates information onto radio waves and transmits them to a receiver, which then demodulates the signal carried on the radio waves to retrieve the information. Perception, on the other hand, requires the transmitter to send radio waves in a specific direction. When these waves strike a target surface, they reflect back, which the receiver then processes to obtain information such as the target's location, speed, and type.

[0063] Perception can generally be categorized into two modes: single-station sensing and dual-station sensing. In single-station sensing, the transmitter and receiver of the sensing signal are the same device. In terms of the sensing signal process, the sensing station both transmits the sensing signal and receives the signal reflected from the target surface. Therefore, the single-station sensing mode is also known as the self-transmitting, self-receiving mode. In dual-station sensing, the transmitter and receiver of the sensing signal are different devices. In terms of the sensing signal process, after sensing station A transmits the sensing signal, the signal reflected from the target surface is received by sensing station B. Therefore, the dual-station sensing mode is also known as the A-transmitting, B-receiving mode.

[0064] As shown in Figure 1, in the current 3GPP SA1 discussion, it has been determined that the perception modes can be divided into the following six modes:

[0065] 1) Base station self-transmission and self-reception: The sensing signal is sent by the base station, reflected by the target in the environment, and then the echo signal is received by the base station.

[0066] 2) Base station A transmits and base station B receives: The sensing signal is sent by base station A, reflected by the target in the environment, and then the echo signal is received by base station B.

[0067] 3) Base station sends and terminal receives: The sensing signal is sent by the base station, reflected by the target in the environment, and then the echo signal is received by the terminal.

[0068] 4) Terminal sends and base station receives: The sensing signal is sent by the terminal, reflected by the target in the environment, and then the echo signal is received by the base station.

[0069] 5) Terminal self-transmission and self-reception: The sensing signal is sent by the terminal, reflected by the target in the environment, and then the echo signal is received by the terminal.

[0070] 6) Terminal A sends and terminal B receives: The perception signal is sent by terminal A, reflected by the target in the environment, and the echo signal is received by terminal B.

[0071] 3. Wireless communication:

[0072] In wireless communication systems, communications can be divided into different types according to the types of sending nodes and receiving nodes. Generally, sending information from a network device to a terminal device is called downlink communication, and sending information from a terminal device to a network device is called uplink communication. In long term evolution (LTE) / long term evolution advanced (LTE-A) communication systems and new radio (NR) systems, communications can be mainly divided into frequency division duplex (FDD) mode and time division duplex (TDD) mode according to the different duplex modes. For wireless communication systems operating in TDD mode, the downlink carrier and uplink carrier of the system are carriers of the same carrier frequency. The multiple access method usually adopts the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access (OFDMA) method of OFDM. The main feature of OFDMA is that it divides transmission resources into mutually orthogonal time-frequency resource elements (REs). The signals sent by the transmitter are all carried on the REs and transmitted to the receiver. Because different REs are orthogonal to each other, the receiver can receive the signal sent on each RE separately.

[0073] 4. OFDM:

[0074] Systems using OFDM waveforms typically add a CP before the OFDM symbol to combat multipath delay in the wireless channel. As shown in Figure 2, an OFDM symbol without a CP typically consists of N sampling points in the digital domain, where N is an integer greater than , denoted by x1, x2, …, xN. The CP typically selects the last M sampling points of the OFDM symbol, such as xN-M+1, xN-M+2, …, xN. These N sampling points are added before the OFDM symbol to form a CP-OFDM symbol, denoted by xN-M+1, xN-M+2, …, xN, x1, x2, …, xN, for a total of N+M sampling points.

[0075] The length of the CP and OFDM symbols is related to the subcarrier spacing (SCS). NR supports multiple subcarrier spacings, such as 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, 240 kHz, 480 kHz, and 960 kHz. The subcarrier spacing configuration can be expressed as μ, as shown in Table 1.

[0076] Table 1

[0077] On this basis, Indicates the OFDM symbol length, It represents the CP length, as shown in the following formula (1)-formula (2):

[0078] Among them, κ can be 64, It can represent the cyclic shift code length of the extended CP. It can represent the cyclic shift code length of a normal CP, where the normal CP can be the CP of the first symbol in a subframe. It can represent the cyclic shift code length of a regular CP, which can be the CP of a non-first symbol in a subframe. Based on the above formulas 1 and 2, some typical CPs and OFDM symbol lengths can be shown in Table 2 below:

[0079] Table 2

[0080] As can be seen, the CP length in a CP-OFDM symbol is directly related to the subcarrier spacing. Once the subcarrier spacing is determined, the CP length cannot be changed. However, when using CP-OFDM symbols for sensing, the sensing range is directly limited by the CP length, and the detection range remains fixed. It cannot adaptively change the sensing range based on the movement of the sensed target, which limits its practical application.

[0081] In response to the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present application propose the following technical solutions.

[0082] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0083] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as wireless network (Wi-Fi) systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, Internet of Vehicles communication systems, fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication systems such as LTE systems, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, 5G such as NR systems, and future communication systems.

[0084] In the embodiment of the present application, "indication" may include direct indication and indirect indication, and may also include explicit indication and implicit indication. The information indicated by a certain information (such as the first indication information, the second indication information, or the third indication information below) is called information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as but not limited to, the information to be indicated can be directly indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or the index of the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, wherein the other information and the information to be indicated have an association relationship. It is also possible to indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of specific information can be achieved by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (such as specified in the protocol), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. At the same time, the common parts of each information can be identified and indicated uniformly to reduce the indication overhead caused by indicating the same information separately.

[0085] In addition, the specific indication method can also be various existing indication methods, such as but not limited to the above-mentioned indication methods and various combinations thereof. The specific details of the various indication methods can be referred to the prior art and will not be repeated herein. As can be seen from the above, for example, when it is necessary to indicate multiple information of the same type, there may be a situation where the indication methods for different information are different. In the specific implementation process, the required indication method can be selected according to specific needs. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the selected indication method. In this way, the indication method involved in the embodiment of the present application should be understood to cover various methods that can enable the party to be indicated to obtain the information to be indicated.

[0086] It should be understood that the information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately, and the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different. The specific sending method is not limited in the embodiments of this application. The sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be predefined, for example, predefined according to a protocol, or can be configured by the transmitting device by sending configuration information to the receiving device.

[0087] "Pre-definition" or "pre-configuration" can be implemented by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation method. Among them, "saving" can mean saving in one or more memories. The one or more memories can be set separately or integrated in an encoder or decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The one or more memories can also be partially set separately and partially integrated in a decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0088] The "protocol" involved in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a protocol family in the communication field, a standard protocol with a similar protocol family frame structure, or a related protocol used in future communication systems. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0089] In the embodiments of the present application, descriptions such as "when...", "in the case of...", "if" and "if" all mean that the device will perform corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances. It does not limit the time, nor does it require the device to perform judgment actions when implemented, nor does it mean that there are other limitations.

[0090] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated with each other are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" in the embodiments of the present application is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" refers to two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. In addition, in order to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between identical or similar items with basically the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art will understand that words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit differences. At the same time, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete way for easy understanding.

[0091] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field will know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0092] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, a communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application is first described in detail using the communication system shown in Figure 3 as an example. For example, Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0093] As shown in FIG3 , the communication system mainly includes: terminals and network equipment.

[0094] A terminal may also be called user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a user station, a mobile station (MS), a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user device. The terminal in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a wireless data card, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a handheld device (handset), a laptop computer, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a smart home device (for example, a refrigerator, a television, an air conditioner, an electric meter, etc.), an intelligent robot, a robotic arm, a workshop equipment, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical care, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, a vehicle-mounted terminal, a roadside unit with terminal function, or a wireless terminal in a smart city. The terminal device of the present application may also be an onboard module, onboard module, onboard component, onboard chip or onboard unit built into a vehicle as one or more components or units. The terminal device may also be other devices with terminal functions, for example, the terminal device may also be a device that functions as a terminal in D2D communication.

[0095] The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form factor of the terminal. The device used to implement the terminal's function can be a terminal; it can also be a device that supports the terminal in implementing the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal or used in conjunction with the terminal. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete components.

[0096] The network device may be a radio access network (RAN) device, also known as an access network device. The access network device may specifically be a next-generation mobile communication system, such as a 6G access network device, such as a 6G base station, or in the next-generation mobile communication system, the access network device may also have other naming methods, all of which are included in the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application, and the present application does not impose any restrictions on this. Alternatively, the access network device may also include 5G, such as a gNB in ​​a new radio (NR) system, or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in 5G, or a network node constituting a gNB, a transmission point (TRP or transmission point, TP) or a transmission measurement function (TMF), such as a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), an RSU with base station function, or a wired access gateway, or a 5G core network element, etc. Alternatively, the access network device may also include: an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small stations), relay stations, access points, wearable devices, vehicle-mounted devices, etc.

[0097] Among them, the CU and DU can be set separately, or can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU) or a remote radio head (RRH). It can be understood that the network device can be a CU node, a DU node, or a device including a CU node and a DU node. In addition, the CU can be divided into a network device in the access network RAN, or the CU can be divided into a network device in the core network CN, and there is no limitation here.

[0098] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0099] In this communication system, it is defined that there are multiple symbol structures with different cyclic prefix lengths under the condition that the sum of the lengths of the cyclic prefix and the symbol of the signal remains unchanged, such as the cyclic prefix length of the first symbol structure is not equal to the cyclic prefix length of the second symbol structure, the symbol length of the first symbol structure is not equal to the symbol length of the second symbol structure, and the sum of the cyclic prefix length and the symbol length of the first symbol structure is equal to the sum of the cyclic prefix length and the symbol length of the second symbol structure. Therefore, the terminal or network equipment can dynamically adjust the cyclic prefix length under the condition that the subcarrier spacing remains unchanged, so as to achieve flexible and adjustable perception distance and meet various scenarios of actual applications.

[0100] The following will specifically describe the interaction process between each network element / device in the above communication system through a method embodiment in conjunction with Figures 4 and 5. The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the above communication system and specifically applied to various scenarios mentioned in the above communication system, which will be described in detail below.

[0101] FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication method is applicable to the above-mentioned communication system and mainly involves the interaction between the terminal and the network device. As shown in FIG4 , the flow of the communication method is as follows:

[0102] S401: A network device sends instruction information to a terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the instruction information from the network device.

[0103] The indication information may be used to indicate a symbol structure of the first signal, such as one of at least two symbol structures.

[0104] The first signal may be a signal used only for perception, or a signal used for both perception and communication. Specifically, when the first signal is used for both perception and communication, the first signal may be one of a broadcast channel, a control channel, a data channel, and a reference signal. For example, the first signal may be a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), or may be a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), or may be a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). Alternatively, the first signal may be a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), or a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS), or a reference signal for other communication functions.

[0105] The symbol structure may include a cyclic prefix length and a symbol length. The cyclic prefix may be a CP. The cyclic prefix length, also known as the CP length, may be expressed in terms of time or a normalized number of sampling points, with no limitation. The symbol may be an OFDM symbol or any other possible symbol, with no limitation. The symbol length, also known as the OFDM symbol length, may be expressed in terms of time or a normalized number of sampling points, with no limitation.

[0106] It is understandable that the symbol structure may also include other parameters for describing the symbol, such as SCS, etc. In addition, the symbol structure may also be replaced by any other possible expression, such as symbol configuration, or any other possible expression, which is not limited.

[0107] At least two symbol structures have a constant sum of the cyclic prefix and symbol lengths, while the cyclic prefix length and symbol length change dynamically, that is, the cyclic prefix length is flexibly adjustable. For ease of understanding, take two symbol structures as an example, such as the first symbol structure and the second symbol structure, wherein the cyclic prefix length of the first symbol structure is not equal to the cyclic prefix length of the second symbol structure, the symbol length of the first symbol structure is not equal to the symbol length of the second symbol structure, and the sum of the cyclic prefix length and symbol length of the first symbol structure is equal to the sum of the cyclic prefix length and symbol length of the second symbol structure. That is, since the sum of the cyclic prefix and symbol lengths remains constant, it can be equal to the length of the CP-OFDM symbol defined in the prior art, so as to be compatible with the existing frame structure and not affect the existing configuration.

[0108] In the embodiment of the present application, the indication information may be used to indicate at least one of the cyclic prefix length of the first signal, the symbol length of the first signal, the ratio of the symbol length of the first signal to the first symbol length, or the ratio of the cyclic prefix length of the first signal to the first cyclic prefix length. The specific selection may be flexibly made based on actual conditions and is not limited thereto. The first symbol length and / or the second cyclic prefix length are predetermined and may also be referred to as a reference symbol length and / or a reference cyclic prefix length, or may also be referred to as a symbol length and / or a cyclic prefix length defined by 3GPP, such as a symbol length and / or a cyclic prefix length defined by 3GPP under the SCS corresponding to the first signal, or may be any other possible naming and is not limited thereto.

[0109] For example, taking the ratio of the symbol length of the first signal to the first symbol length indicated by the indication information as an example, other implementations can be understood by reference. Specifically, the length of the CP-OFDM symbol can be expressed as T0=T1+T2, T1 is the OFDM symbol length defined by 3GPP, and T2 is the CP length defined by 3GPP, such as SCS=60kHz, the OFDM symbol length is T1=1 / 60ms, and the CP length is T2=3 / 2560ms. Taking the OFDM symbol length defined by 3GPP as the first symbol length, the symbol length S1 of the first signal can be expressed as S1=T1*Xms, where X represents the ratio of the symbol length of the first signal to the first symbol length, and the ratio indicated by the indication information can be one of at least two values ​​of X. X can be a real number greater than 0 and less than 1, and the at least two possible values ​​of X can be at least two of 1 / 2, 3 / 4, 1 / 4, 7 / 8, 5 / 8, 3 / 8, 1 / 8, 15 / 16, 13 / 16, 11 / 16, 9 / 16, 7 / 16, 5 / 16, 3 / 16, and 1 / 16. Alternatively, X can be a real number greater than 1 / 2 and less than 1, and the at least two possible values ​​of X can be at least two of 1 / 2, 3 / 4, 7 / 8, 5 / 8, 15 / 16, 13 / 16, 11 / 16, and 9 / 16, or at least two of 1 / 2, 3 / 4, 5 / 8, 15 / 16, and 9 / 16, or 1 / 2 and 3 / 4, to minimize the number of optional symbol structures, reduce configuration complexity, and reduce configuration overhead.

[0110] As shown in Figure 5, the cyclic prefix length S2 of the first signal is S2 = T2 + T1 - S1, which increases the CP length to improve the perception distance. For example, if the SCS is 15kHz and the CP length is 4.6*10-6 seconds (s), the perception distance is L = (3*108)*(4.6*10-6) = 1490 meters. If the CP length is increased to 29.6*10-6 seconds, the perception distance is L = (3*108)x(29.6*10-6) = 9690 meters, significantly improving the perception distance. For another example, if the SCS is 30kHz and the CP length is 2.3*10-6s, the perception distance L = (3*108)*(2.3*10-6) = 745 meters. If the CP length is increased to 10.6*10-6s, the perception distance L = (3*108)*(10.6*10-6) = 3434 meters, which can also greatly improve the perception distance.

[0111] It is understandable that, because OFDM symbols are usually generated by fast Fourier transform (FFT), the number of FFT points is usually required to be a power of 2. Considering that the computational complexity of 3 points and 5 points in FFT operations is also relatively low, the denominator of the above ratio can be a multiple of 2, or a multiple of a smaller odd number such as 3 or 5, so as to minimize the complexity of signal transmission and reception.

[0112] The network device may pre-configure various ratios of the symbol length of the first signal to the first symbol length, so that the network device can select a suitable ratio according to actual perception requirements and generate indication information accordingly.

[0113] Specifically, the indication information is carried in a broadcast message or a unicast message. This broadcast message or unicast message may have a scheduling relationship with the first signal transmitted or received by the terminal, so that the terminal can modulate or demodulate the first signal based on the symbol length indicated by the indication information. Therefore, when the network device selects a message to transmit the indication information, the ratio of the symbol length of the first signal indicated by the indication information to the first symbol length can be determined from the table entry corresponding to the message.

[0114] For example, if the indication information is carried in a radio resource control (RRC) message or a media access control-control element (MAC-CE) message of a unicast message, the first signal is the CSI-RS scheduled by the RRC message or the MAC-CE message. Since the RRC layer and the MAC layer are not sensitive to the number of bits of the indication information, more bits can be used to indicate the value of X, that is, the value of X can have more options. An example can be shown in Table 3 below.

[0115] Table 3

[0116] That is, the 16 values ​​of X are indicated by a 4-bit bitmap.

[0117] For another example, if the indication information is carried in a unicast downlink control information (DCI) message, the first signal is the DMRS scheduled by the DCI message. Considering that DCI is sensitive to the number of bits of the indication information, that is, it is necessary to indicate with as few bits as possible while maintaining a certain degree of flexibility, the value of X can be 4 of the above-mentioned values, such as {1, 1 / 2, 3 / 4, 5 / 8} or {1, 1 / 2, 3 / 4, 9 / 16}. An example can be shown in Tables 4 and 5 below.

[0118] Table 4

[0119] Table 5

[0120] That is, the four values ​​of X are indicated by a 2-bit bitmap.

[0121] For another example, if the indication information is carried in the PBCH of a broadcast message, the first signal is the PDCCH scheduled by the PBCH. Considering that the PBCH has a limited number of bits available for carrying indication information, a single bit of indication information is typically used in the PBCH to indicate the value of X in the PDCCH, such as two of the various values ​​described above, such as {1, 1 / 2}. An example can be shown in Table 6 below.

[0122] Table 6

[0123] That is to say, the network device can determine the indication information corresponding to the required value of X from the corresponding table items in Tables 3 to 6 above according to the signal type used for perception, such as CSI-RS, DMRS, or PDCCH, encapsulate the indication information into the corresponding unicast or broadcast message, and send it to the terminal.

[0124] It can be understood that the above indication information is only some examples of the symbol structure indication method and is not intended to be limiting. For example, the indication information may also indirectly or implicitly indicate relevant information of the symbol configuration, such as indicating the subcarrier spacing or the value index of X. In addition, the network device may further indicate the SCS of the first signal to the terminal, such as indicating the SCS first and then indicating the symbol structure, so that the terminal can determine the frame structure configuration or reference.

[0125] S402: The network device receives a first signal sent by the terminal, or sends a first signal to the terminal. Accordingly, the terminal receives the first signal from the network device according to the instruction information, or sends the first signal to the network device according to the instruction information.

[0126] That is, the terminal may transmit the first signal having the symbol structure indicated by the indication information according to the indication information. Alternatively, the network device may transmit the first signal having the symbol structure indicated by the indication information according to the indication information, without limitation. If the network device transmits the first signal, the network device may also receive an echo signal of the first signal to achieve perception.

[0127] In summary, the cyclic prefix length and symbol length of a symbol structure in the prior art are fixed, that is, the sum of the lengths of the cyclic prefix and symbol of the signal is determined, and the perception of the signal is also determined. Different from this, the present application defines symbol structures with multiple cyclic prefix lengths when the sum of the lengths of the cyclic prefix and symbol of the signal remains unchanged, such as when the cyclic prefix length of the first symbol structure is not equal to the cyclic prefix length of the second symbol structure, when the symbol length of the first symbol structure is not equal to the symbol length of the second symbol structure, and when the sum of the cyclic prefix length and symbol length of the first symbol structure is equal to the sum of the cyclic prefix length and symbol length of the second symbol structure. Therefore, it is possible to dynamically adjust the cyclic prefix length while keeping the subcarrier spacing unchanged, so as to achieve flexible and adjustable perception distance, which can meet various scenarios of actual applications.

[0128] The method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with Figures 4 and 5. The communication device for executing the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 6 and 7.

[0129] Figure 6 is a structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 6 , the communication device 600 includes a transceiver module 601 and a processing module 602. For ease of illustration, Figure 6 only shows the main components of the communication device.

[0130] The transceiver module 601 is used to perform the transceiver function of the method shown in FIG. 6 , and the processing module 602 is used to perform other functions of the method shown in FIG. 4 except the transceiver function.

[0131] Optionally, the transceiver module 601 may include a sending module (not shown in FIG6 ) and a receiving module (not shown in FIG6 ). The sending module is used to implement the sending function of the communication device 600 , and the receiving module is used to implement the receiving function of the communication device 600 .

[0132] Optionally, the communication device 600 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG6 ) storing a program or instruction. When the processing module 602 executes the program or instruction, the communication device 600 may perform the functions of the terminal or network device in the method shown in FIG4 in the above method.

[0133] It can be understood that the communication device 600 can be a terminal or a network device, or a chip (system) or other parts or components that can be set in the terminal or network device, or a device that includes a terminal or network device. This application does not limit this.

[0134] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device 600 can refer to the technical effects of the communication method shown in Figure 4, and will not be repeated here.

[0135] FIG7 is a second structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Exemplarily, the communication device may be a terminal, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly that can be provided in a terminal. As shown in FIG7 , a communication device 700 may include a processor 701. Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include a memory 702 and / or a transceiver 703. The processor 701 is coupled to the memory 702 and the transceiver 703, such as by a communication bus.

[0136] The following is a detailed introduction to the various components of the communication device 700 with reference to FIG7 :

[0137] The processor 701 is the control center of the communication device 700 and can be a single processor or a collective term for multiple processing elements. For example, the processor 701 can be one or more central processing units (CPUs), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of the present application, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs) or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0138] Optionally, the processor 701 may execute various functions of the communication device 700 , such as executing the communication method shown in FIG. 4 , by running or executing a software program stored in the memory 702 and calling data stored in the memory 702 .

[0139] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 701 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 shown in FIG. 7 .

[0140] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 700 may also include multiple processors, such as the processor 701 and the processor 704 shown in FIG7 . Each of these processors may be a single-core processor (single-CPU) or a multi-core processor (multi-CPU). The processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0141] Among them, the memory 702 is used to store the software program for executing the solution of this application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 701. The specific implementation method can refer to the above method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0142] Alternatively, the memory 702 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, an optical disc storage (including a compact disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory 702 may be integrated with the processor 701 or exist independently and be coupled to the processor 701 via an interface circuit (not shown in FIG. 7 ) of the communication device 700. This embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0143] Transceiver 703 is used for communication with other communication devices. For example, if communication device 700 is a terminal, transceiver 703 can be used to communicate with a network device or another terminal device. For another example, if communication device 700 is a network device, transceiver 703 can be used to communicate with a terminal or another network device.

[0144] Optionally, the transceiver 703 may include a receiver and a transmitter (not shown separately in FIG7 ), wherein the receiver is used to implement a receiving function, and the transmitter is used to implement a sending function.

[0145] Optionally, the transceiver 703 may be integrated with the processor 701 or exist independently and be coupled to the processor 701 through an interface circuit (not shown in FIG. 7 ) of the communication device 700 . This embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0146] It is understandable that the structure of the communication device 700 shown in FIG7 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device, and an actual communication device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0147] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device 700 can refer to the technical effects of the methods described in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0148] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0149] It should also be 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 random access memory (RAM) are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0150] The above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware (such as circuits), firmware or any other combination. When implemented using software, the above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer program are loaded or executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that contains one or more available media sets. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (for example, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium can be a solid-state drive.

[0151] It should be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein simply describes a relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A alone, A and B together, or B alone. A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, the character " / " as used herein generally indicates an "or" relationship between the associated objects, but it may also indicate an "and / or" relationship. For specific understanding, please refer to the context.

[0152] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "plurality" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or plural.

[0153] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean 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.

[0154] 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.

[0155] 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.

[0156] 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.

[0157] 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.

[0158] 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.

[0159] 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.

[0160] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Receiving indication information from a network device, the indication information is used to indicate a symbol structure of a first signal, the symbol structure includes a cyclic prefix length and a symbol length, and the symbol structure of the first signal is one of at least two symbol structures, wherein the at least two symbol structures include a first symbol structure and a second symbol structure, the cyclic prefix length of the first symbol structure is not equal to the cyclic prefix length of the second symbol structure, the symbol length of the first symbol structure is not equal to the symbol length of the second symbol structure, and the sum of the cyclic prefix length and the symbol length of the first symbol structure is equal to the sum of the cyclic prefix length and the symbol length of the second symbol structure; The first signal is received from the network device according to the indication information, or the first signal is sent to the network device according to the indication information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The indication information is used to indicate a symbol structure of the first signal, including: The indication information is used to indicate at least one of a cyclic prefix length of the first signal, a symbol length of the first signal, a ratio of the symbol length of the first signal to a first symbol length, or a ratio of the cyclic prefix length of the first signal to a first cyclic prefix length, wherein the first symbol length and / or the second cyclic prefix length are predetermined.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that In the case where the indication information indicates the ratio of the symbol length of the first signal to the first symbol length, the ratio is one of at least two values, and the at least two values ​​are at least two of 1 / 2, 3 / 4, 1 / 4, 7 / 8, 5 / 8, 3 / 8, 1 / 8, 15 / 16, 13 / 16, 11 / 16, 9 / 16, 7 / 16, 5 / 16, 3 / 16 and 1 / 16, or at least two of 1 / 2, 3 / 4, 7 / 8, 5 / 8, 15 / 16, 13 / 16, 11 / 16 and 9 / 16, or at least two of 1 / 2, 3 / 4, 5 / 8, 15 / 16 and 9 / 16.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The indication information is carried in a broadcast message or a unicast message.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that If the indication information is carried in the physical broadcast channel PBCH of the broadcast message, the first signal is the physical downlink control channel PDCCH scheduled by the PBCH; or, if the indication information is carried in the radio resource control RRC message or the media access control-control unit MAC-CE message of the unicast message, the first signal is the channel state information reference signal CSI-RS scheduled by the RRC message or the MAC-CE message; or, if the indication information is carried in the downlink control information DCI message of the unicast message, the first signal is the demodulation reference signal DMRS scheduled by the DCI message.

6. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The network device sends indication information to the terminal, where the indication information is used to indicate a symbol structure of a first signal, where the symbol structure includes a cyclic prefix length and a symbol length, and the symbol structure of the first signal is one of at least two symbol structures, where the at least two symbol structures include a first symbol structure and a second symbol structure, the cyclic prefix length of the first symbol structure is not equal to the cyclic prefix length of the second symbol structure, the symbol length of the first symbol structure is not equal to the symbol length of the second symbol structure, and the sum of the cyclic prefix length and the symbol length of the first symbol structure is equal to the sum of the cyclic prefix length and the symbol length of the second symbol structure; The network device receives the first signal sent by the terminal, or sends the first signal to the terminal.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The indication information is used to indicate a symbol structure of the first signal, including: The indication information is used to indicate at least one of a cyclic prefix length of the first signal, a symbol length of the first signal, a ratio of the symbol length of the first signal to a first symbol length, or a ratio of the cyclic prefix length of the first signal to a first cyclic prefix length, wherein the first symbol length and / or the second cyclic prefix length are predetermined.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that In the case where the indication information indicates the ratio of the symbol length of the first signal to the first symbol length, the ratio is one of at least two values, and the at least two values ​​are at least two of 1 / 2, 3 / 4, 1 / 4, 7 / 8, 5 / 8, 3 / 8, 1 / 8, 15 / 16, 13 / 16, 11 / 16, 9 / 16, 7 / 16, 5 / 16, 3 / 16 and 1 / 16, or at least two of 1 / 2, 3 / 4, 7 / 8, 5 / 8, 15 / 16, 13 / 16, 11 / 16 and 9 / 16, or at least two of 1 / 2, 3 / 4, 5 / 8, 15 / 16 and 9 / 16.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that: The indication information is carried in a broadcast message or a unicast message.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that If the indication information is carried in the physical broadcast channel PBCH of the broadcast message, the perception signal is the physical downlink control channel PDCCH scheduled by the PBCH; or, if the indication information is carried in the radio resource control RRC message or the media access control-control unit MAC-CE message of the unicast message, the perception signal is the channel state information reference signal CSI-RS scheduled by the RRC message or the MAC-CE message; or, if the indication information is carried in the downlink control information DCI message of the unicast message, the perception signal is the demodulation reference signal DMRS scheduled by the DCI message.

11. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that: In a case where the network device receives the first signal sent by the terminal, the method further includes: The network device receives an echo signal of the first signal.

12. A communication device, characterized in that: The apparatus comprises: a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1-11.

13. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises: a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store computer instructions, and when the processor executes the instructions, the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1-11.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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