Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and a communication apparatus. The method comprises: a terminal sending terminal capability information to a first network element, receiving a first reference signal from an access network device, and sending a second reference signal to the access network device; and sending carrier phase information of the first reference signal to the first network element, wherein the carrier phase information of the first reference signal is obtained by means of measuring the received first reference signal. The present application can implement the measurement of the deformation amount of a target device in an NLOS scenario by means of the assistance of a terminal, thereby improving the accuracy of the measurement of the deformation amount of the target device.

Description

Communication method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application with application number 202311735809.4 filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on December 15, 2023, and priority to the Chinese patent application with the invention name “A Communication Method and Communication Device”, all contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0003] Traditional cellular positioning is absolute, requiring the calculation of the absolute position of the terminal / target based on measurement results. Traditional positioning methods include triangulation, hyperbola positioning, and round trip time (RTT). These methods utilize measurements such as time of arrival (TOA), angle of arrival (AOA), and carrier phase. The positioning / sensing center calculates the terminal's location based on known access network device locations and measurement information.

[0004] Deformation detection belongs to relative positioning. There is no need to calculate the absolute position of the target, but only to detect the relative position movement of the target. Compared with traditional absolute positioning, the complexity is greatly reduced (it is more robust to access network equipment parameters, hardware non-idealities, initial phases, etc.). The main detection method is to continuously send fixed-phase signals, collect echo signals at different times, perform coherent processing on the signals at different times, and obtain the phase change, which corresponds to the deformation of the target device. For tiny deformation detection (micro-deformation in the following text, that is, the deformation of the target device), that is, deformation at the centimeter or even millimeter level, it has a wide range of application scenarios in various fields such as bridge detection and industrial scenarios.

[0005] Currently, the use of access network equipment to perform network-aware micro-deformation detection is being considered, which can reduce detection costs and improve measurement accuracy. However, in industrial scenarios, there may be a lack of direct line of sight (LOS) between the transmitting and receiving access network equipment. Therefore, how to achieve micro-deformation detection in non-line of sight (NLOS) scenarios is a pressing technical problem. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention provides a communication method and apparatus. In this embodiment, the change in the carrier phase of a reference signal of a device to be detected is determined, combined with terminal capability information, to more accurately detect the target device's deformation. Therefore, the terminal can assist in detecting the target device's deformation in NLOS scenarios, thereby improving the accuracy of target device deformation detection.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a terminal, or by a module (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the terminal, or by a logical node, logical module, or software that implements all or part of the terminal's functions. The method may include: sending terminal capability information to a first network element; receiving a first reference signal from an access network device, and sending a second reference signal to the access network device; and sending carrier phase information of the first reference signal to the first network element, where the carrier phase information of the first reference signal is obtained by measuring the received first reference signal.

[0008] In the solution provided by the present application, the terminal can report terminal capability information, so that the first network element can configure the time interval for sending and receiving signals between the terminal and the access network device according to the terminal capability information (the terminal mentioned in this embodiment sends a second reference signal to the access network device, and the access network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal), so as to avoid sending and receiving signals with the access network device during the time period when the terminal performance is unstable, so that the first network element can determine the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the signal reported by the terminal and the access network device. It is accurate; or the first network element can compensate for the carrier phase information of the signal reported by the terminal and the access network device based on the terminal capability information to determine the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined, combined with the terminal capability information, so that the deformation of the target device is detected more accurately. The detection of the deformation of the target device in the NLOS scenario can be achieved with the assistance of the terminal, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection of the deformation of the target device.

[0009] In one possible embodiment, the terminal capability information includes at least one of the initial phase stability capability and the clock drift stability capability. By implementing this possible embodiment, the terminal can report at least one of the initial phase stability capability and the clock drift stability capability, so that the first network element can configure the time interval for sending and receiving signals between the terminal and the access network device according to at least one of the initial phase stability capability and the clock drift stability capability, thereby avoiding sending and receiving signals with the access network device during the time period when the terminal performance is unstable as much as possible, so that the first network element can determine the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the signal reported by the terminal and the access network device. The change is accurate. In the process of determining the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected, the initial phase stability capability and / or the clock drift stability capability of the terminal are combined, so that the deformation of the target device can be detected more accurately.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the initial phase stability capability includes at least one of an indication of whether the initial phase of the terminal is stable and an indication of a time range in which the initial phase of the terminal is stable.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the clock drift stability capability includes at least one of an indication of whether the clock drift of the terminal is stable and an indication of a time range within which the clock drift of the terminal is stable.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the terminal capability information includes a change in the initial phase. By implementing this possible implementation, the terminal can report the change in the initial phase, allowing the first network element to determine the change in the carrier phase of the reference signal of the device to be detected based on the change in the initial phase and the carrier phase information of the signals reported by the terminal and the access network device. The change in the carrier phase of the reference signal of the device to be detected is incorporated into the determination of the change in the carrier phase of the reference signal of the device to be detected, thereby more accurately detecting the deformation of the target device.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the variation of the initial phase includes the variation of the initial phase corresponding to a time range.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the change in the initial phase is between 0 and 2π.

[0015] In one possible embodiment, receiving a first reference signal from an access network device and sending a second reference signal to the access network device includes: receiving a first reference signal from the access network device and sending a second reference signal to the access network device based on the terminal capability information. By implementing this possible embodiment, the terminal can transmit and receive signals with the access network device based on the terminal capability information. For example, after receiving the first reference signal, the terminal sends a second reference signal to the access network device according to the time interval determined by the terminal capability information. The terminal measures the first reference signal and reports the measured carrier phase information of the first reference signal to the first network element. The access network device measures the second reference signal and reports the measured carrier phase information of the second reference signal to the first network element, so that the first network element determines the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected. Therefore, in this embodiment, the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined in combination with the terminal capability information, so that the deformation amount of the target device is detected more accurately.

[0016] In one possible implementation, based on the terminal capability information, a first reference signal is received from the access network device, and a second reference signal is sent to the access network device, including: receiving the first reference signal from the access network device, and sending the second reference signal to the access network device according to a time interval, where the time interval is determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information.

[0017] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is a time interval between the terminal receiving the first reference signal and sending the second reference signal.

[0018] In one possible implementation, based on the terminal capability information, a first reference signal is received from the access network device, and a second reference signal is sent to the access network device, including: based on a time interval, N rounds of receiving the first reference signal from the access network device and sending the second reference signal to the access network device, where N is a positive integer and the time interval is determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information. By implementing this possible implementation, one or more rounds of signal transmission and reception can be performed between the terminal and the access network device (one round can be understood as the access network device sending the first reference signal to the terminal, and the terminal sending the second reference signal to the access network device). The multiple rounds can be applicable to the scenario of round-trip time (RTT) carrier phase measurement, for example. In this way, the scenario in which the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined in combination with the terminal capability information is more applicable.

[0019] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is a time interval between two adjacent second reference signal transmissions among the N times the terminal transmits the second reference signal.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the method further includes receiving first configuration information from an access network device, the first configuration information configuring resources for the second reference signal, the first configuration information including a time interval. By implementing this possible implementation, the time interval determined by the terminal capability information can be included in the first configuration information and sent to the terminal, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0021] In one possible embodiment, based on the terminal capability information, a first reference signal is received from the access network device, and a second reference signal is sent to the access network device, including: sending the second reference signal to the access network device, receiving the first reference signal from the access network device, the first reference signal being the second reference signal received by the access network device from the terminal, and sent to the terminal according to a time interval, and the time interval is determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information. By implementing this possible embodiment, the access network device can transmit and receive signals with the terminal based on the terminal capability information, such as after receiving the second reference signal, sending the first reference signal to the terminal according to the time interval determined by the terminal capability information, the terminal measures the first reference signal and reports the measured carrier phase information of the first reference signal to the first network element, so that the first network element determines the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected. Therefore, in this embodiment, the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined in combination with the terminal capability information, so that the deformation amount of the target device is detected more accurately.

[0022] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is a time interval between the access network device receiving the second reference signal and sending the first reference signal.

[0023] In one possible implementation, based on the terminal capability information, a first reference signal is received from the access network device, and a second reference signal is sent to the access network device, including: based on a time interval, N rounds of sending the second reference signal to the access network device and receiving the first reference signal from the access network device, where the time interval is determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information, and N is a positive integer.

[0024] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is a time interval between two adjacent first reference signal transmissions of the first reference signal by the access network device N times.

[0025] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving second configuration information from the first network element, where the second configuration information configures resources of the first reference signal.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the carrier phase information of the first reference signal includes terminal capability information. By implementing this possible implementation, the terminal capability information can be included in the measurement result of the terminal measuring the first reference signal (the carrier phase information of the first reference signal) and reported, which can improve the accuracy of the next detection of the target device deformation; or if the terminal has not reported this part of the terminal capability information before (such as during the initialization access process), the terminal capability information can also be included in the carrier phase information of the first reference signal and reported, which can improve the accuracy of the next detection of the target device deformation; or the terminal capability information is reported only in the RTT carrier phase scenario, and reported on demand, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0027] In a possible implementation, the first reference signal is a positioning reference signal (PRS), and the second reference signal is a sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0028] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a first network element, or by a module (such as a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the first network element, or by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first network element. The method may include: receiving terminal capability information from a terminal; receiving carrier phase information of a first reference signal from the terminal, where the carrier phase information of the first reference signal is obtained by measuring the received first reference signal by the terminal; receiving carrier phase information of a second reference signal from an access network device, where the carrier phase information of the second reference signal is obtained by measuring the received second reference signal by the access network device; the first reference signal is sent and received by the terminal and the access network device according to the terminal capability information, or the second reference signal is sent and received by the terminal and the access network device according to the terminal capability information; and determining a change in the carrier phase of the reference signal of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the first reference signal and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal.

[0029] In the solution provided by the present application, the first network element can receive terminal capability information from the terminal, so that the time interval for sending and receiving signals between the terminal and the access network device can be configured according to the terminal capability information, so as to avoid sending and receiving signals with the access network device during the time period when the terminal performance is unstable (the terminal mentioned in this embodiment sends a second reference signal to the access network device, and the access network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal), so that the first network element determines the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the signal reported by the terminal and the access network device. It is accurate. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined, combined with the terminal capability information, so that the deformation of the target device is detected more accurately. The detection of the deformation of the target device in the NLOS scenario can be achieved with the assistance of the terminal, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection of the deformation of the target device.

[0030] It should be understood that the executor of the second aspect can be the first network element, the specific content of the second aspect corresponds to the content of the first aspect, the corresponding features of the second aspect and the beneficial effects achieved can refer to the description of the first aspect. To avoid repetition, the detailed description is appropriately omitted here.

[0031] In one possible embodiment, the terminal capability information includes at least one of the initial phase stability capability and the clock drift stability capability. By implementing this possible embodiment, the first network element can receive at least one of the initial phase stability capability and the clock drift stability capability reported by the terminal, so that the first network element can configure the time interval for sending and receiving signals between the terminal and the access network device according to at least one of the initial phase stability capability and the clock drift stability capability, thereby avoiding sending and receiving signals with the access network device during the time period when the terminal performance is unstable as much as possible, so that the first network element can determine the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the signal reported by the terminal and the access network device. The change is accurate. In the process of determining the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected, the initial phase stability capability and / or the clock drift stability capability of the terminal are combined, so that the deformation of the target device can be detected more accurately.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the initial phase stability capability includes at least one of an indication of whether the initial phase of the terminal is stable and an indication of a time range in which the initial phase of the terminal is stable.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the clock drift stability capability includes at least one of an indication of whether the clock drift of the terminal is stable and an indication of a time range within which the clock drift of the terminal is stable.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the method may further include determining a time interval based on terminal capability information. By implementing this possible implementation, the first network element can determine the time interval based on the terminal capability information and send the time interval to the terminal and / or access network device, so that the terminal and / or access network device can transmit and receive reference signals based on the time interval. Incorporating the terminal capability information can more accurately detect the deformation of the target device.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the first reference signal is sent and received by the terminal and the access network device based on the terminal capability information, including: the first reference signal is received by the access network device from the terminal, and the second reference signal is sent to the terminal according to a time interval. By implementing this possible implementation, after receiving the first reference signal, the terminal can send the second reference signal to the access network device according to the time interval determined by the terminal capability information. The access network device measures the second reference signal and reports the measured carrier phase information of the second reference signal to the first network element, so that the first network element determines the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected. Therefore, in this embodiment, the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined in combination with the terminal capability information, making the detection of the deformation of the target device more accurate.

[0036] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is a time interval between the access network device receiving the second reference signal and sending the first reference signal.

[0037] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is a time interval between two adjacent first reference signal transmissions of the first reference signal by the access network device N times.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the method may further include: sending third configuration information to the access network device, where the third configuration information configures resources for the first reference signal, and the third configuration information includes a time interval. By implementing this possible implementation, the time interval determined by the terminal capability information may be included in the third configuration information sent to the access network device, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the second reference signal is sent and received by the terminal and the access network device based on the terminal capability information, including: the second reference signal is received by the terminal from the access network device, and sent to the access network device according to a time interval. By implementing this possible implementation, after receiving the first reference signal, the terminal can send the second reference signal to the access network device according to the time interval determined by the terminal capability information. The access network device measures the second reference signal and reports the measured carrier phase information of the second reference signal to the first network element, so that the first network element determines the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected. Therefore, in this embodiment, the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined in combination with the terminal capability information, making the detection of the deformation of the target device more accurate.

[0040] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is a time interval between the terminal receiving the first reference signal and sending the second reference signal.

[0041] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is a time interval between two adjacent second reference signal transmissions among the N times the terminal transmits the second reference signal.

[0042] In a possible implementation, the method may further include: sending second configuration information to the terminal, where the second configuration information configures resources of the first reference signal.

[0043] In a possible implementation manner, the carrier phase information of the first reference signal includes terminal capability information.

[0044] In a possible implementation manner, the first reference signal is a PRS, and the second reference signal is an SRS.

[0045] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a first network element, or by a module (such as a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the first network element, or by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first network element. The method may include: receiving terminal capability information from a terminal, receiving carrier phase information of a first reference signal from the terminal, where the carrier phase information of the first reference signal is obtained by measuring the received first reference signal by the terminal; receiving carrier phase information of a second reference signal from an access network device, where the carrier phase information of the second reference signal is obtained by measuring the received second reference signal by the access network device; and determining a change in the carrier phase of the reference signal of the device to be detected based on the terminal capability information, the carrier phase information of the first reference signal, and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal.

[0046] In the solution provided by the present application, the first network element can receive terminal capability information from the terminal, so that the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected can be determined based on the terminal capability information and the carrier phase information of the signal reported by the terminal and the access network device, or it can be understood that the first network element uses the terminal capability information reported by the terminal to compensate for the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined, combined with the terminal capability information, so that the deformation of the target device is detected more accurately. The detection of the deformation of the target device in the NLOS scenario can be achieved with the assistance of the terminal, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection of the deformation of the target device.

[0047] It should be understood that the executor of the third aspect can be the first network element, the specific content of the third aspect corresponds to the content of the first aspect, and the corresponding features and beneficial effects achieved by the third aspect can refer to the description of the first aspect. To avoid repetition, the detailed description is appropriately omitted here.

[0048] In one possible implementation, the terminal capability information includes a change in the initial phase. By implementing this possible implementation, the first network element can receive the change in the initial phase of the terminal reported by the terminal, so that the first network element can determine the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the change in the initial phase and the carrier phase information of the signal reported by the terminal and the access network device. Or it can be understood that the first network element uses the change in the initial phase to compensate for the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected. In the process of determining the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected, the change in the initial phase of the terminal is combined, so that the deformation amount of the target device is detected more accurately.

[0049] In a possible implementation, the variation of the initial phase includes the variation of the initial phase corresponding to a time range.

[0050] In a possible implementation, the change in the initial phase is between 0 and 2π.

[0051] In a possible implementation, the method may further include: sending second configuration information to the terminal, where the second configuration information configures resources of a second reference signal.

[0052] In a possible implementation, the method may further include: sending third configuration information to the access network device, where the third configuration information configures resources of the first reference signal.

[0053] In a possible implementation manner, the carrier phase information of the first reference signal includes terminal capability information.

[0054] In a possible implementation manner, the first reference signal is a PRS, and the second reference signal is an SRS.

[0055] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by an access network device, or by a module (such as a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the access network device, or by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device. The method may include: receiving a second reference signal from a terminal, sending a first reference signal to the terminal; and sending carrier phase information of the second reference signal to a first network element, where the carrier phase information of the second reference signal is obtained by measuring the received second reference signal.

[0056] In the solution provided by the present application, the first network element can receive terminal capability information from the terminal, so that the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected can be determined based on the terminal capability information and the carrier phase information of the signal reported by the access network device, or it can be understood that the first network element uses the terminal capability information reported by the terminal to compensate for the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined, combined with the terminal capability information, so that the deformation of the target device is detected more accurately. The detection of the deformation of the target device in the NLOS scenario can be achieved with the assistance of the terminal, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection of the deformation of the target device.

[0057] It should be understood that the executor of the fourth aspect can be an access network device, and the specific content of the fourth aspect corresponds to the content of the first aspect. The corresponding features of the fourth aspect and the beneficial effects achieved can refer to the description of the first aspect. To avoid repetition, the detailed description is appropriately omitted here.

[0058] In one possible embodiment, the method further includes: receiving terminal capability information from the terminal. By implementing this possible embodiment, the terminal can report the terminal capability information, so that the access network device can configure the time interval for sending and receiving signals between the terminal and the access network device according to the terminal capability information (the terminal mentioned in this embodiment sends a second reference signal to the access network device, and the access network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal), so as to avoid sending and receiving signals with the access network device during the time period when the terminal performance is unstable, so that the first network element determines the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the signal reported by the terminal and the access network device. It is accurate; or the first network element can compensate for the carrier phase information of the signal reported by the terminal and the access network device based on the terminal capability information to determine the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined, combined with the terminal capability information, so that the deformation of the target device is detected more accurately. The detection of the deformation of the target device in the NLOS scenario can be achieved with the assistance of the terminal, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection of the deformation of the target device.

[0059] In one possible embodiment, receiving a second reference signal from the terminal and sending a first reference signal to the terminal includes: receiving a second reference signal from the terminal and sending a first reference signal to the terminal according to the terminal capability information. By implementing this possible embodiment, the first network element can configure the time interval for sending and receiving signals between the access network device and the terminal (the terminal mentioned in this embodiment sends a second reference signal to the access network device, and the access network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal) according to the terminal capability information reported by the terminal, so as to avoid sending and receiving signals between the access network device and the terminal during the time period when the terminal performance is unstable as much as possible, so that the first network element determines the change in the carrier phase of the reference signal of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the signal reported by the terminal and the access network device. It is accurate. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the change in the carrier phase of the reference signal of the device to be detected is determined, combined with the terminal capability information, so that the deformation variable of the target device is detected more accurately. The detection of the deformation variable of the target device in the NLOS scenario can be achieved with the assistance of the terminal, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection of the deformation variable of the target device.

[0060] In one possible embodiment, the terminal capability information includes at least one of the initial phase stability capability and the clock drift stability capability. By implementing this possible embodiment, the first network element can receive at least one of the initial phase stability capability and the clock drift stability capability reported by the terminal, so that the first network element can configure the time interval for sending and receiving signals between the access network device and the terminal according to at least one of the initial phase stability capability and the clock drift stability capability, thereby avoiding as much as possible the time period when the terminal performance is unstable, and the access network device and the terminal send and receive signals, so that the first network element determines that the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is accurate based on the carrier phase information of the signal reported by the terminal and the access network device. In the process of determining the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected, the initial phase stability capability and / or the clock drift stability capability of the terminal are combined, so that the deformation amount of the target device is detected more accurately.

[0061] In one possible implementation, the initial phase stability capability includes at least one of an indication of whether the initial phase of the terminal is stable and an indication of a time range in which the initial phase of the terminal is stable.

[0062] In one possible implementation, the clock drift stability capability includes at least one of an indication of whether the clock drift of the terminal is stable and an indication of a time range within which the clock drift of the terminal is stable.

[0063] In one possible embodiment, based on the terminal capability information, receiving the second reference signal from the terminal, and sending the first reference signal to the terminal include: receiving the second reference signal from the terminal, and sending the first reference signal to the terminal according to a time interval, where the time interval is determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information. By implementing this possible embodiment, the access network device can transmit and receive signals with the terminal based on the terminal capability information. For example, after receiving the second reference signal, the first reference signal is sent to the terminal according to the time interval determined by the terminal capability information. The terminal measures the first reference signal and reports the measured carrier phase information of the first reference signal to the first network element, so that the first network element determines the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected. Therefore, in this embodiment, the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined in combination with the terminal capability information, so that the deformation amount of the target device is detected more accurately.

[0064] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is a time interval between the access network device receiving the second reference signal and sending the first reference signal.

[0065] In one possible implementation, based on the terminal capability information, receiving a second reference signal from the terminal and sending a first reference signal to the terminal include: based on a time interval, performing N rounds of receiving the second reference signal from the terminal and sending the first reference signal to the terminal, where N is a positive integer and the time interval is determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information. By implementing this possible implementation, one or more rounds of signal transmission and reception can be performed between the access network device and the terminal (one round can be understood as the access network device sending the first reference signal to the terminal, and the terminal sending the second reference signal to the access network device). The multiple rounds can be applicable, for example, to the RTT carrier phase measurement scenario. In this way, the determination of the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected in combination with the terminal capability information is applicable to a wider range of scenarios.

[0066] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is a time interval between two adjacent first reference signal transmissions of the first reference signal by the access network device N times.

[0067] In one possible embodiment, based on the terminal capability information, receiving a second reference signal from the terminal, and sending a first reference signal to the terminal include: sending a first reference signal to the terminal, receiving a second reference signal from the terminal, the second reference signal being the first reference signal received by the terminal from the access network device, and sent to the access network device according to a time interval, and the time interval is determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information. By implementing this possible embodiment, the terminal can transmit and receive signals with the terminal based on the terminal capability information, such as after receiving the first reference signal, sending a second reference signal to the access network device according to the time interval determined by the terminal capability information, the access network device measures the second reference signal and reports the measured carrier phase information of the second reference signal to the first network element, so that the first network element determines the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected. Therefore, in this embodiment, the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined in combination with the terminal capability information, so that the deformation amount of the target device is detected more accurately.

[0068] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is a time interval between the terminal receiving the first reference signal and sending the second reference signal.

[0069] In one possible implementation, based on the terminal capability information, receiving a second reference signal from the terminal and sending a first reference signal to the terminal include: based on a time interval, sending the first reference signal to the terminal and receiving the second reference signal from the terminal in N rounds, where the time interval is determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information, and N is a positive integer.

[0070] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is a time interval between two adjacent second reference signal transmissions among the N times the terminal transmits the second reference signal.

[0071] In a possible implementation, the method may further include: sending first configuration information to the terminal, where the first configuration information configures resources of the second reference signal.

[0072] In a possible implementation, the method may further include: sending first configuration information to the terminal, where the first configuration information configures resources of the second reference signal, and the first configuration information includes a time interval.

[0073] In a possible implementation, the method may further include: receiving third configuration information from the first network element, where the third configuration information configures resources of the first reference signal, and the third configuration information includes a time interval.

[0074] In a possible implementation manner, the first reference signal is a PRS, and the second reference signal is an SRS.

[0075] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising a module / unit for performing any of the methods described in the first aspect and its possible implementations. The device may be a terminal, or a module applied to a terminal (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a processor), or a logical node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal functions.

[0076] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communications device, comprising a module / unit for performing any of the methods described in the second aspect and its possible implementations, and the third aspect and its possible implementations. The device may be a first network element, or a module (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a processor) applied to the first network element, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first network element.

[0077] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising a module / unit for performing any of the methods described in the third aspect and its possible implementations. The device may be an access network device, or a module (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a processor) applied to an access network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0078] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a terminal, or a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the terminal to implement the above-mentioned method, or a logical node, a logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions. Among them, the communication device may also be a chip system. The communication device may execute the method described in the first aspect. The functions of the communication device may be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the above-mentioned functions. The unit may be software and / or hardware. The operations and beneficial effects performed by the communication device can refer to the methods and beneficial effects described in the first aspect above, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0079] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a first network element, or a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the first network element to implement the above-mentioned method, or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first network element. Among them, the communication device may also be a chip system. The communication device may execute the method described in the second or third aspect. The functions of the communication device may be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the above-mentioned functions. The unit may be software and / or hardware. The operations and beneficial effects performed by the communication device may refer to the methods and beneficial effects described in the second or third aspect above, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0080] In the tenth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be an access network device, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the access network device to implement the above-mentioned method, or a logical node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device. Among them, the communication device may also be a chip system. The communication device can execute the method described in the fourth aspect. The functions of the communication device can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the above-mentioned functions. The unit may be software and / or hardware. The operations and beneficial effects performed by the communication device can refer to the method and beneficial effects described in the fourth aspect above, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0081] In the eleventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which is used to store computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed, the method executed by the terminal in the method described in the first aspect is implemented; or, the method executed by the first network element in the method described in the second aspect is implemented; or, the method executed by the first network element in the method described in the third aspect is implemented; or, the method executed by the access network device in the method described in the fourth aspect is implemented.

[0082] In the twelfth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising a computer program. When the computer program is executed, the method executed by the terminal in the method described in the first aspect is implemented; or, the method executed by the first network element in the method described in the second aspect is implemented; or, the method executed by the first network element in the method described in the third aspect is implemented; or, the method executed by the access network device in the method described in the fourth aspect is implemented.

[0083] In the thirteenth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which includes a communication device (such as a terminal) for executing the method described in the first aspect above, a communication device (such as a first network element) for executing the second and third aspects above, and a communication device (such as an access network device) for executing the fourth aspect above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0084] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 used in an embodiment of the present application;

[0085] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0086] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of micro-deformation detection based on RTT carrier phase provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0087] Figures 4 to 10 are interactive diagrams of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0088] 11 and 12 are schematic structural diagrams of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0089] The specific embodiments of the present application are further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0090] The terms "first" and "second" and the like in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are used to distinguish between different objects, not to describe a particular order. Furthermore, the terms "including" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus comprising a series of steps or elements is not limited to the listed steps or elements, but may optionally include steps or elements not listed, or may optionally include other steps or elements inherent to the process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0091] References herein to "embodiments" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor does it constitute an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It is understood, both explicitly and implicitly, by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0092] In this application, "at least one (item)" refers to one or more, "more than one" refers to two or more, "at least two (items)" refers to two or three and more than three, and "and / or" is used to describe the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist at the same time, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0093] In this application, "sending information" can be understood as one device sending information to another device, or as one logical module within a device sending information to another logical module. For example, "an access network device sending information" can be understood as an access network device sending information to another device (such as a terminal), or as logical module 1 within an access network device sending information to logical module 2 within the access network device.

[0094] In this application, "receiving information" can be understood as one device receiving information from another device, or as a logical module within a device receiving information from another logical module. For example, "an access network device receiving information" can be understood as the access network device receiving information from another device (such as a terminal), or as logical module 1 within the access network device receiving information from logical module 2 within the access network device.

[0095] In this application, "sending information to... (e.g., a terminal)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal. This can include sending information to the terminal directly or indirectly. "Receiving information from... (e.g., a terminal)" or "receiving information from... (e.g., a terminal)" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal, which can include receiving information from the terminal directly or indirectly. The information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination of the information, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood similarly and will not be repeated here.

[0096] To better understand the embodiments of the present application, the following first introduces the system architecture involved in the embodiments of the present application:

[0097] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to communication systems evolved after 5G, such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, fifth generation mobile communication (5G) systems, sixth generation mobile communication (6G) systems, satellite communications, and short-range wireless communication systems. Among them, the wireless communication systems mentioned in the embodiments of the present application include but are not limited to: three major application scenarios of 5G / 6G mobile communication systems: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra reliable low latency communication (URLLC) and massive machine type communication (mMTC), long range Internet of Things (LoRa) systems or vehicle networking systems. The wireless communication system may include one or more access network devices, and one or more terminal devices.

[0098] The following explanation uses the system architecture shown in Figure 1 as an example. As shown in Figure 1, communications system 1000 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100, a core network (CN) 200, and the Internet 300. RAN 100 includes at least one access network device (e.g., 110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (e.g., 120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to access network device 110. Access network device 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to core network 200. The core network devices in core network 200 and access network device 110 in RAN 100 can be separate physical devices, or they can be a single physical device that integrates core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0099] It should be noted that RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), for example, a 4G or 5G mobile communication system, or an evolved system after 5G (for example, a 6G mobile communication system). RAN 100 can also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), etc. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that is a fusion of two or more of the above systems. It should be stated that the number of access network devices and terminal devices in Figure 1 is only for illustration and should not be regarded as a specific limitation on the present application. The terminal devices and network devices involved in the system architecture are described in detail below.

[0100] 1. Terminal Equipment

[0101] Terminal devices can also be called user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc. They are devices used to provide voice or data connectivity to users, or they can be IoT devices. For example, terminal devices include handheld devices with wireless connectivity, in-vehicle devices, etc. Currently, terminal devices can include: mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices (such as smart watches, smart bracelets, pedometers, etc.), vehicle-mounted devices (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), satellite terminals, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, smart point-of-sale (POS) machines, customer-premises equipment (CPE), wireless terminals in industrial control, smart home devices (such as refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), intelligent robots, robotic arms, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in unmanned driving, wireless terminals in telemedicine, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, and flying devices (such as intelligent robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes). Terminal devices can also be other devices with terminal functions, for example, terminal devices can also be devices that function as terminals in D2D communication.

[0102] The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form factor of the terminal. The device used to implement the functions of the terminal device can be the terminal device; it can also be a device that supports the terminal device to implement the functions, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal device or used in conjunction with the terminal device. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips or include chips and other discrete devices.

[0103] 2. Access Network Equipment

[0104] An access network device is a node in a radio access network (RAN), and can also be referred to as a network device or a RAN node (or device). An access network device is used to help terminals achieve wireless access. The multiple access network devices 110 in the communication system 1000 can be nodes of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of the access network device 110 and the terminal 120 are relative. For example, the network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or a drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For the terminal 120j that accesses the RAN 100 through the network element 120i, the network element 120i is a base station; but for the base station 110a, the network element 120i is a terminal. The access network device 110 and the terminal 120 are sometimes referred to as communication devices. For example, the network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and the network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0105] In one possible scenario, an access network device can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, a satellite, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a mobile switching center, or an access network device in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system, i.e., it can be deployed on a high-altitude platform or satellite. The access network device can be a macro base station (such as 110a in Figure 1), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in Figure 1), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. The access network device can also function as a base station in device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, drone communication, or machine communication. Optionally, the access network device may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an onboard device, etc. For example, the access network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU).

[0106] All or part of the functions of the access network device in this application may also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The access network device in this application may also be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0107] In another possible scenario, multiple access network devices collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different access network devices respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the access network device can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they 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 access 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 an access network device in the access network RAN, or the CU can be divided into an access network device in the core network CN, which is not limited here.

[0108] 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.

[0109] In the embodiments of the present application, the form of the access network device is not limited. The device used to implement the functions of the access network device can be the access network device; it can also be a device that supports the access network device to implement the functions, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the access network device or used in conjunction with the access network device.

[0110] 3. Core Network Equipment

[0111] Core network equipment may include access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements and location management function (LMF) network elements. Among them:

[0112] The access and mobility management function network element mainly performs functions such as mobility management and access authentication / authorization. In a 5G communication system, the session management network element may be an AMF network element. In future communication systems, the access and mobility management function network element may still be an AMF network element, or it may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0113] The session management function network element is mainly used for session management, terminal Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and management of user plane functions, policy control and charging function interface termination points, and downlink data notification. In 5G communication systems, this session management network element can be an SMF network element. In future communication systems, the session management network element can still be an SMF network element, or it can have other names, which are not limited in this application. In the embodiment of this application, the SMF network element can provide awareness functions for the terminal.

[0114] The positioning management function network element is primarily responsible for calculating and providing feedback on location information within the network, providing functions such as positioning process management, terminal capability acquisition, auxiliary data provision, and terminal location estimation. In 5G communication systems, the positioning management function network element may be an LMF network element. In future communication systems, the access and mobility management function network element may still be an LMF network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application. In the embodiments of this application, the LMF network element may provide positioning functions for the terminal.

[0115] Further, please refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of a network architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2, in a positioning scenario, the terminal can send a positioning service request to the access network device, and the access network device forwards the terminal's positioning service request to the AMF network element in the core network. After receiving the positioning service request, the AMF network element can send the request to the LMF network element. The LMF network element is responsible for processing the received positioning request and initiating related positioning processes. In an embodiment of the present application, reference signals can be sent and received between the terminal and the access network device, and the received reference signals can be measured to obtain the carrier phase information of the reference signal and reported to the AMF network element in the core network. After the AMF network element receives the carrier phase information of the reference signal from the terminal and the access network device, it can be sent to the LMF network element. The LMF network element determines the change in the carrier phase of the reference signal of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the reference signal from the terminal and the access network device.

[0116] Optionally, the terminal may also include a user equipment location management function (UE-LMC). UE-LMC is a possible deployment method and is a component / application with partial LMF functions deployed on the terminal device to support positioning services on the PC5 port. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to the communication between the remote terminal (remote UE) and the relay terminal (relay UE) in the terminal-to-network relay (UE-to-network relay) scenario, and can also be applied to the communication between the source terminal (source UE) and the relay terminal (relay UE) in the terminal-to-terminal relay (UE-to-UE relay) scenario, and can also be applied to the communication between the relay terminal (relay UE) and the target terminal (target UE). The embodiments of the present application are described using the scenario of application to NR communication as an example, and the application scenario is not limited.

[0117] It should be noted that the number and types of access network devices, core networks, and terminals included in the network architecture shown in FIG1 are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. For example, more or fewer terminals communicating with the access network devices may be included. For example, more or fewer access network devices communicating with the terminals may be included. For example, a single or multiple access network devices and a single or multiple terminals may be included. A single access network device may transmit data or control signaling to a single or multiple terminals, and multiple access network devices may also transmit data or control signaling to a single terminal simultaneously. For the sake of simplicity, each of these is not described in detail in the accompanying drawings. In addition, in the system architecture shown in FIG1 , although access network devices, terminals, and core networks are shown, this application scenario is not limited to including access network devices, terminals, and core networks. For example, devices used to carry virtualized network functions may also be included. These are obvious to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail here.

[0118] In order to facilitate the understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the technical problems to be specifically solved by the present application are further analyzed and proposed.

[0119] Currently, in industrial scenarios, there may be a lack of direct LOS between the transmitting and receiving access network devices. Considering that terminal mobility can assist in the detection of micro-deformation in NLOS scenarios, there are currently multiple technical solutions for assisting in the detection of micro-deformation in NLOS scenarios through terminal mobility. The following are some examples:

[0120] Micro-deformation detection is performed by measuring the RTT carrier phase between the terminal and the access network equipment. The micro-deformation is determined by the change in the RTT carrier phase at different times. The specific implementation method is as follows:

[0121] Please refer to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of a micro-deformation detection based on RTT carrier phase provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3:

[0122] On the access network equipment side, the two measured phases are:

[0123] in, They represent the phases measured twice on the access network device side, τ(t1) and τ(t2) represent the time delays between the terminal, the detection object and the access network device at two moments, Δ(t1) and Δ(t2) represent the time synchronization errors between the terminal and the access network device at different moments, represent the random initial phase and clock drift deviation of the transmitter and receiver respectively.

[0124] For the terminal side, the two measured phases are:

[0125] in, Respectively represent the phases measured twice on the terminal side, represent the random initial phase and clock drift deviation of the transmitter and receiver respectively.

[0126] The measured RTT phases need to be summed to obtain the RTT carrier phases at the two moments:

[0127] in, and Represents the RTT carrier phase at two moments respectively.

[0128] Eliminating the time synchronization error, if it is assumed that the initial phase of transmission and reception does not change in a short period of time, the random initial phase error can be eliminated. Then the deformation variable Δd of the reflector can be calculated by the difference of the RTT carrier phase at different times:

[0129] However, if there is a random initial phase and clock drift that varies with time and cannot be eliminated by summing the RTT carrier phase, then the RTT carrier phase can be as follows:

[0130] The deformation of the reflector calculated by the RTT carrier phase difference at different times has deviations and cannot accurately reflect the magnitude of the deformation:

[0131] Disadvantages of this implementation method: Although micro-deformation detection in NLOS scenarios can be assisted by terminal movement, the accuracy and effectiveness of micro-deformation detection are low.

[0132] Therefore, the technical problems to be solved by the present application may include: detecting the deformation amount of the target device in the NLOS scenario with the assistance of the terminal, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection of the deformation amount of the target device.

[0133] The present application proposes a communication method that can realize the detection of the deformation of the target device in the NLOS scenario with the assistance of the terminal, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection of the deformation of the target device. The following embodiments will be described separately. In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified and there is no logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment according to their internal logical relationship.

[0134] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described below. It can be understood that the present application uses the access network device, the terminal and the first network element as examples of the execution subjects of the interaction diagram, but the present application does not limit the execution subjects of the interaction diagram. For example, the method executed by the access network device in the present application can also be executed by a module (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor) applied to the access network device, and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module or software that can realize all or part of the access network device function; the method executed by the terminal in the present application can also be executed by a module (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor) applied to the terminal, and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module or software that can realize all or part of the terminal function; the method executed by the first network element in the present application can also be executed by a module (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor) applied to the first network element, and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module or software that can realize all or part of the first network element function. Among them, the first network element can be a session management network element (such as an SMF network element) or a positioning management network element (such as an LMF network element). The following description takes the first network element as an example.

[0135] Please refer to Figure 4, which is an interactive diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, the communication method may include at least the following steps.

[0136] S401: A terminal sends terminal capability information to a first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the terminal capability information from the terminal.

[0137] The terminal capability information may indicate the capabilities of the terminal. The terminal capability information may include the capability information of the terminal to transmit and receive reference signals, transmit and receive reference signals, transmit and receive reference signals multiple times, or transmit and receive reference signals multiple times (hereinafter, the terminal transmitting and receiving reference signals is used as an example). Specific embodiments will be described in detail below.

[0138] Terminal capability information may include at least one of initial phase stability capability, clock drift stability capability, and initial phase variation. Initial phase stability capability can reflect the phase variation between the terminal's transmitted and received reference signals. Low stability indicates a carrier phase measurement deviation, leading to degraded perceived performance. Clock drift stability capability can reflect the clock jumps between the terminal's transmitted and received reference signals. Clock variations can cause phase variations. Low stability indicates a carrier phase measurement deviation, leading to degraded perceived performance. Initial phase variation can reflect the phase variation between different transmitted and received reference signals, between transmitted and received signals, between multiple transmitted and received signals, or between multiple transmitted and received signals.

[0139] In a first possible implementation, the terminal capability information includes an initial phase stability capability and / or a clock drift stability capability. The initial phase stability capability may include at least one of an indication of whether the terminal's initial phase is stable and an indication of a time range within which the terminal's initial phase is stable. Exemplarily, the terminal may indicate to the first network element whether the terminal's initial phase is stable (i.e., the initial phase stability capability). For example, the terminal may indicate whether the terminal's initial phase variation is less than a threshold value to indicate the terminal's initial phase stability capability. The terminal may also indicate to the first network element different times and the corresponding time ranges within which the initial phase is stable or unstable. The clock drift stability capability includes at least one of an indication of whether the terminal's clock drift is stable and an indication of a time range within which the terminal's clock drift is stable. Exemplarily, the terminal may indicate to the first network element whether the terminal's clock drift is stable (i.e., the clock drift stability capability). For example, the terminal may indicate whether the terminal's clock drift variation is less than a threshold value to indicate the terminal's clock drift stability capability. The terminal may also indicate to the first network element different times and the corresponding time ranges within which the clock drift is stable or unstable.

[0140] In a second possible implementation, the terminal capability information includes a change in the initial phase. The change in the initial phase can be between 0 and 2π (360°), such as 90°, 180°, or 270°. The change in the initial phase includes a change in the initial phase corresponding to a time range. For example, the terminal can indicate to the first network element the time period within which the change in the terminal's initial phase reaches a specific value.

[0141] The terminal sends terminal capability information to the first network element. In one possible implementation, the terminal can carry the terminal capability information in the carrier phase information of the first reference signal (such as S404). Alternatively, it can be understood that the terminal capability information can be included in the measurement result of the terminal measuring the first reference signal (the carrier phase information of the first reference signal) and reported, which can improve the accuracy of the next detection of the target device deformation; or if the terminal has not reported this part of the terminal capability information before (such as during the initialization access process), the terminal capability information can also be included in the carrier phase information of the first reference signal and reported, which can improve the accuracy of the next detection of the target device deformation; or the terminal capability information is reported only in the RTT carrier phase scenario, and reported on demand, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0142] S402: The access network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first reference signal from the access network device.

[0143] S403: The terminal sends a second reference signal to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the second reference signal from the terminal.

[0144] The reference signal may be a PRS, an SRS, or other reference signals. For example, the first reference signal is a PRS, and the second reference signal is an SRS. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of the reference signal.

[0145] Reference signals can be exchanged between the terminal and the access network device. For example, S402 can be executed first and then S403. The access network device can first send a first reference signal to the terminal, and after the terminal receives the first reference signal, it can send a second reference signal to the access network device. For example, S403 can be executed first and then S402. The terminal first sends a second reference signal to the access network device, and after the access network device receives the second reference signal, it can send the first reference signal to the terminal. For another example, executing S402 first and then S403 or executing S403 first and then S402 can be called a round of transmitting and receiving reference signals between the terminal and the access network device. Optionally, one or more rounds of transmitting and receiving reference signals can be performed between the terminal and the access network device. For each round of transmitting and receiving reference signals in multiple rounds, the terminal can first send the second reference signal to the access network device, or the access network device can first send the first reference signal to the terminal, without limitation.

[0146] S404: The terminal sends carrier phase information of the first reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the first reference signal from the terminal.

[0147] After receiving a first reference signal from an access network device, the terminal may measure the first reference signal to obtain carrier phase information of the first reference signal and report it to the first network element. Optionally, the terminal may transparently transmit the carrier phase information of the first reference signal to the first network element via the access network device (for example, via an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) message). Optionally, the carrier phase information of the first reference signal may include terminal capability information.

[0148] S405: The access network device sends the carrier phase information of the second reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the second reference signal from the access network device.

[0149] After the access network device receives the second reference signal from the terminal, it can measure the second reference signal to obtain the carrier phase information of the second reference signal and report it (for example, through the NR positioning protocol (NR positioning protocol annex, NRPPA) message) to the first network element.

[0150] S406: The first network element determines a change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the first reference signal and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal.

[0151] After the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the first reference signal from the terminal and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal from the access network device, it can determine the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the first reference signal and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal. Or it can be understood that the first network element determines the deformation amount of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the first reference signal and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal, or it can be understood that the first network element performs deformation detection on the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the first reference signal and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal, wherein the detection of tiny deformations can also be called micro-deformation detection. It can be understood that the embodiments of the present application are not limited to the detection of micro-deformations, but can also be applied to scenarios such as RTT carrier phase positioning, and this is not limited to this.

[0152] In the embodiment of the present application, the variation of the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined, and the terminal capability information is combined to make the deformation of the target device detected more accurate. Specifically, the following two implementation methods are used as examples for exemplary description:

[0153] In a first possible implementation, the first network element may receive terminal capability information from the terminal and, based on the terminal capability information, configure the time intervals for transmitting and receiving signals between the terminal and the access network device. For example, the time interval between the terminal receiving a first reference signal and transmitting a second reference signal, or the time interval between the access device receiving a second reference signal and transmitting a first reference signal, can be configured. This minimizes signal transmission and reception with the access network device during periods of unstable terminal performance. This ensures that the first network element accurately determines the change in the carrier phase of the reference signal of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the signals reported by the terminal and the access network device.

[0154] In the second possible implementation method, the first network element can receive terminal capability information from the terminal, so as to compensate the carrier phase information of the signal reported by the terminal and the access network device according to the terminal capability information to determine the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected, so as to detect the deformation amount of the target device more accurately.

[0155] It should be understood that the various numbers used in the embodiments of the present application are merely for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not necessarily imply a specific order of execution. For example, the execution of S402 and S403 is not limited to a specific order, and the execution of S404 and S405 is also not limited to a specific order. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

[0156] In summary, through the communication method shown in Figure 4, the terminal can report the terminal capability information, so that the first network element can configure the time interval for sending and receiving signals between the terminal and the access network device according to the terminal capability information (the terminal mentioned in this embodiment sends a second reference signal to the access network device, and the access network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal), so as to avoid sending and receiving signals with the access network device during the time period when the terminal performance is unstable, so that the first network element can determine the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the signal reported by the terminal and the access network device. It is accurate; or the first network element can compensate for the carrier phase information of the signal reported by the terminal and the access network device based on the terminal capability information to determine the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined, combined with the terminal capability information, so that the deformation of the target device is detected more accurately. The detection of the deformation of the target device in the NLOS scenario can be achieved with the assistance of the terminal, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection of the deformation of the target device.

[0157] For the method embodiment shown in FIG4 , some specific implementation methods and beneficial effects can be referred to the description of FIG5 to FIG10 below. That is, the embodiments shown in FIG5 to FIG10 are specific implementations of the embodiment shown in FIG4 . To avoid redundancy, they are not described in detail in the embodiment of FIG4 . Among them, the method embodiments of FIG5 to FIG6 can correspond to the first possible implementation method of the terminal capability information in step S401 above, that is, the terminal can receive the first reference signal from the access network device and send the second reference signal to the access network device based on the terminal capability information; the method embodiments of FIG7 to FIG8 can correspond to the first possible implementation method of the terminal capability information in step S401 above, that is, the access network device can receive the second reference signal from the terminal and send the first reference signal to the terminal based on the terminal capability information; the method embodiments of FIG9 to FIG10 can correspond to the second possible implementation method of the terminal capability information in step S401 above.

[0158] The following describes a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. Please refer to Figure 5, which is an interactive diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, the access network device may first send a first reference signal to the terminal. After receiving the first reference signal, the terminal may send a second reference signal to the access network device. As shown in Figure 5, the communication method may include at least the following steps.

[0159] S501: A terminal sends terminal capability information to a first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the terminal capability information from the terminal.

[0160] It can be understood that S501 corresponds to S401. For the relevant description of S501, reference can be made to the description of S401 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0161] S502: The access network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first reference signal from the access network device.

[0162] It can be understood that S502 corresponds to S402. For the relevant description of S502, reference can be made to the above description of S402, which will not be repeated here.

[0163] S503: The terminal sends a second reference signal to the access network device at a time interval determined by the terminal capability information. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the second reference signal from the terminal.

[0164] After receiving the first reference signal from the access network device, the terminal may send a second reference signal to the access network device according to a time interval determined by the terminal capability information (e.g., a time interval determined based on initial phase stability capability and / or clock drift stability capability). This time interval may be understood as being determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information, and the time interval is the time interval between the terminal receiving the first reference signal and sending the second reference signal.

[0165] Optionally, the access network device may send first configuration information to the terminal. The first configuration information configures resources for the second reference signal, thereby enabling the terminal to send the second reference signal to the access network device according to the first configuration information. The first configuration information may include the aforementioned time interval. That is, the first network element may determine, based on the terminal capability information, the time interval between the terminal receiving the first reference signal and sending the second reference signal, and then send the time interval to the access network device. The access network device may then send the time interval to the terminal by including the time interval in the first configuration information configuring the second reference signal resources. Optionally, the first network element may send the time interval to the access network device by including the time interval in third configuration information configuring the first reference signal resources. The access network device then sends the time interval to the terminal. Optionally, the first network element may send second configuration information to the terminal. The second configuration information configures resources for the first reference signal, thereby enabling the terminal to receive the first reference signal from the access network device according to the second configuration information. The second configuration information may include the aforementioned time interval. That is, the first network element may determine, based on the terminal capability information, the time interval between the terminal receiving the first reference signal and sending the second reference signal, and then send the time interval to the terminal.

[0166] S504: The terminal sends carrier phase information of the first reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the first reference signal from the terminal.

[0167] It can be understood that S504 corresponds to S404. For the relevant description of S504, reference can be made to the above description of S404, which will not be repeated here.

[0168] S505: The access network device sends carrier phase information of the second reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the second reference signal from the access network device.

[0169] It can be understood that S505 corresponds to S405. For the relevant description of S505, please refer to the description of S405 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0170] S506: The first network element determines a change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the first reference signal and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal.

[0171] It can be understood that S506 corresponds to S406. For the relevant description of S506, please refer to the description of S406 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0172] In summary, through the communication method shown in Figure 5, the terminal can transmit and receive signals with the access network device according to the terminal capability information. For example, after receiving the first reference signal, the terminal transmits a second reference signal to the access network device according to the time interval determined by the terminal capability information. The terminal measures the first reference signal and reports the measured carrier phase information of the first reference signal to the first network element. The access network device measures the second reference signal and reports the measured carrier phase information of the second reference signal to the first network element, so that the first network element determines the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected. Therefore, the terminal transmits the second reference signal to the access network device according to the time interval, so as to avoid transmitting and receiving signals with the access network device during the time period when the terminal performance is unstable as much as possible, so that the first network element determines the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the signals reported by the terminal and the access network device. The change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected in this embodiment is determined in combination with the terminal capability information, so that the deformation amount of the target device is detected more accurately.

[0173] The following describes a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Please refer to Figure 6, which is an interactive diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, the access network device may first send a first reference signal to the terminal, and after receiving the first reference signal, the terminal sends a second reference signal to the access network device. Multiple rounds of signal transmission and reception can be performed between the terminal and the access network device. The multiple rounds can be applicable to, for example, RTT carrier phase measurement scenarios. As shown in Figure 6, the communication method may include at least the following steps.

[0174] S601: A terminal sends terminal capability information to a first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the terminal capability information from the terminal.

[0175] It can be understood that S601 corresponds to S401. For the relevant description of S601, reference can be made to the description of S401 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0176] S602: The access network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first reference signal from the access network device.

[0177] It can be understood that S602 corresponds to S402. For the relevant description of S602, reference can be made to the description of S402 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0178] S603: The terminal sends a second reference signal to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the second reference signal from the terminal.

[0179] It can be understood that S603 corresponds to S403. For the relevant description of S603, reference can be made to the description of S403 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0180] In addition, in a possible implementation, the terminal may also send the second reference signal to the access network device according to a time interval determined by the terminal capability information. For a detailed description, please refer to the description of S503 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0181] S604: The terminal sends carrier phase information of the first reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the first reference signal from the terminal. It is understood that S604 corresponds to S404. For the relevant description of S604, refer to the description of S404 above and are not repeated here.

[0182] S605: The access network device sends carrier phase information of the second reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the second reference signal from the access network device. It will be appreciated that S605 corresponds to S405. For the relevant description of S605, refer to the description of S405 above and will not be repeated here.

[0183] S602-S605 can be understood as a round of signal transmission and reception between the terminal and the access network device. S606-S609 and S610-S613 described below correspond to S602-S605 and represent multiple rounds of signal transmission and reception between the terminal and the access network device. This refers to multiple rounds of signal transmission and reception between the terminal and the access network device. The difference lies in that in each round, the terminal may transmit the second reference signal to the access network device based on the time interval between the first reference signal received, or in two adjacent rounds of the multiple rounds, the terminal may transmit the second reference signal based on the time interval between the second reference signal transmitted in the previous round. S607 and S611 described below use the time interval between two adjacent second reference signal transmissions as an example.

[0184] S606: The access network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first reference signal from the access network device.

[0185] It can be understood that S606 corresponds to S402. For the relevant description of S606, reference can be made to the description of S402 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0186] S607: The terminal sends a second reference signal to the access network device at a time interval determined by the terminal capability information. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the second reference signal from the terminal.

[0187] During each of multiple rounds of signal transmission and reception between the terminal and the access network device, after receiving the first reference signal from the access network device, the terminal may transmit a second reference signal to the access network device according to a time interval determined by the terminal capability information. This time interval may be understood as being determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information, and the time interval is the time interval between two adjacent second reference signal transmissions by the terminal (e.g., the time interval between S607 and S603) during the N times the terminal transmits the second reference signal.

[0188] S608: The terminal sends carrier phase information of the first reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the first reference signal from the terminal. It is understood that S608 corresponds to S404. The relevant description of S608 can be found in the description of S404 above and is not repeated here.

[0189] S609: The access network device sends the carrier phase information of the second reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the second reference signal from the access network device. It will be appreciated that S609 corresponds to S405. The relevant description of S609 can be found in the description of S405 above and is not repeated here.

[0190] It can be understood that in the multiple rounds of signal transmission and reception between the terminal and the access network device, S610-S613 are repeated execution steps of S606-S609, and therefore will not be repeated here.

[0191] S614: The first network element determines a change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the first reference signal and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal.

[0192] After the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the first reference signal from the terminal and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal from the access network device multiple times, it can determine the change in the carrier phase of the reference signal of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of multiple first reference signals and the carrier phase information of multiple second reference signals.

[0193] In summary, through the communication method shown in FIG6 , the terminal can perform multiple rounds of signal transmission and reception with the access network device based on the terminal capability information. The multiple rounds can be applicable to the scenario of RTT carrier phase measurement, for example. In this way, the scenario in which the variation of the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined in combination with the terminal capability information is more applicable. At the same time, the terminal sends the second reference signal to the access device according to the time interval between each two adjacent transmissions of the second reference signal in the multiple transmissions determined by the terminal capability information, thereby avoiding as much as possible the transmission and reception of signals with the access network device during the time period when the terminal performance is unstable, so that the first network element determines the variation of the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the signal reported by the terminal and the access network device to be accurate. In this embodiment, the variation of the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined in combination with the terminal capability information, so that the deformation amount of the target device is detected more accurately.

[0194] The following describes a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. Please refer to Figure 7, which is an interactive diagram of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, the terminal may first send a second reference signal to the access network device. After receiving the second reference signal, the access network device sends the first reference signal to the terminal. As shown in Figure 7, the communication method may include at least the following steps.

[0195] S701: A terminal sends terminal capability information to a first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the terminal capability information from the terminal.

[0196] It can be understood that S701 corresponds to S401. For the relevant description of S701, please refer to the description of S401 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0197] S702: The terminal sends a second reference signal to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the second reference signal from the terminal.

[0198] S703: The access network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal at a time interval determined by the terminal capability information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first reference signal from the access network device.

[0199] After receiving the second reference signal from the terminal, the access network device may send the first reference signal to the terminal according to a time interval determined by the terminal capability information. This time interval may be understood as being determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information, and the time interval is the time interval between the access network device receiving the second reference signal and sending the first reference signal.

[0200] Optionally, the access network device may send first configuration information to the terminal, where the first configuration information configures resources for the second reference signal, thereby enabling the terminal to send the second reference signal to the access network device based on the first configuration information. Optionally, the first network element may send third configuration information to the access network device, where the third configuration information configures resources for the first reference signal, thereby enabling the access network device to send the first reference signal based on the third configuration information. The third configuration information may include the aforementioned time interval. In other words, the first network element may determine the time interval between the access network device receiving the second reference signal and sending the first reference signal based on the terminal capability information, and send the time interval to the access network device via the third configuration information.

[0201] S704: The terminal sends carrier phase information of the first reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the first reference signal from the terminal. It is understood that S704 corresponds to S404. For the relevant description of S704, refer to the description of S404 above and are not repeated here.

[0202] S705: The access network device sends carrier phase information of the second reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the second reference signal from the access network device. It will be appreciated that S705 corresponds to S405. For the relevant description of S705, refer to the description of S405 above and will not be repeated here.

[0203] S706: The first network element determines a change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the first reference signal and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal. It is understood that S706 corresponds to S406. For a description of S706, refer to the description of S406 above and will not be repeated here.

[0204] In summary, through the communication method shown in Figure 7, the access network device can transmit and receive signals with the terminal according to the terminal capability information. For example, after receiving the second reference signal, the first reference signal is sent to the terminal according to the time interval determined by the terminal capability information. The terminal measures the first reference signal and reports the measured carrier phase information of the first reference signal to the first network element. The access network device measures the second reference signal and reports the measured carrier phase information of the second reference signal to the first network element, so that the first network element determines the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected. Therefore, the access network device sends the first reference signal to the terminal according to the time interval, so that it can avoid transmitting and receiving signals with the access network device as much as possible during the time period when the terminal performance is unstable, so that the first network element can determine the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the signals reported by the terminal and the access network device. The change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected in this embodiment is determined in combination with the terminal capability information, so that the deformation amount of the target device is detected more accurately.

[0205] A communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application is described below. Please refer to Figure 8, which is an interactive diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, the terminal may first send a second reference signal to the access network device, and the access network device may send a first reference signal to the terminal after receiving the second reference signal. Multiple rounds of signal transmission and reception can be performed between the terminal and the access network device. The multiple rounds can be applicable to the RTT carrier phase measurement scenario, for example. As shown in Figure 8, the communication method may include at least the following steps.

[0206] S801: A terminal sends terminal capability information to a first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the terminal capability information from the terminal.

[0207] It can be understood that S801 corresponds to S401. For the relevant description of S801, please refer to the description of S401 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0208] S802: The terminal sends a second reference signal to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the second reference signal from the terminal.

[0209] It can be understood that S802 corresponds to S403. For the relevant description in S802, reference can be made to the description of S403 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0210] S803: The access network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first reference signal from the access network device.

[0211] It can be understood that S803 corresponds to S402. For the relevant description of S803, reference can be made to the description of S402 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0212] In addition, in a possible implementation, the access network device may also send the first reference signal to the terminal according to a time interval determined by the terminal capability information. For a detailed description, please refer to the description of S703 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0213] S804: The terminal sends carrier phase information of the first reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the first reference signal from the terminal. It is understood that S804 corresponds to S404. For the relevant description of S804, refer to the description of S404 above and are not repeated here.

[0214] S805: The access network device sends carrier phase information of the second reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the second reference signal from the access network device. It will be appreciated that S805 corresponds to S405. For the relevant description of S805, refer to the description of S405 above and will not be repeated here.

[0215] Among them, S802-S805 can be understood as a round of signal transmission and reception between the access network device and the terminal. The following S806-S809 and S810-S813 correspond to S802-S805 and represent multiple rounds of signal transmission and reception between the access network device and the terminal, i.e., multiple rounds of signal transmission and reception between the access network device and the terminal. The difference is that in each round, the access network device can send the first reference signal to the terminal based on the time interval between the second reference signal and the access network device, or in two adjacent rounds of the multiple rounds, the access network device can send the first reference signal based on the time interval between the first reference signal sent in the previous round. The following S807 and S811 are explained using the time interval between two adjacent transmissions of the first reference signal as an example.

[0216] S806: The terminal sends a second reference signal to the access network device. Accordingly, the access network device receives the second reference signal from the terminal. It is understood that S806 corresponds to S403. For the relevant description of S806, refer to the description of S403 above and will not be repeated here.

[0217] S807: The access network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal at a time interval determined by the terminal capability information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first reference signal from the access network device.

[0218] During each of multiple rounds of signal transmission and reception between the access network device and the terminal, after receiving the second reference signal from the terminal, the access network device may transmit a first reference signal to the terminal according to a time interval determined by the terminal capability information. This time interval may be understood as being determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information, and the time interval is the time interval between two adjacent transmissions of the first reference signal by the access network device (e.g., the time interval between S807 and S803) during each of the N transmissions of the first reference signal by the access network device.

[0219] S808: The terminal sends carrier phase information of the first reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the first reference signal from the terminal. It is understood that S808 corresponds to S404. The relevant description of S808 can be found in the description of S404 above and is not repeated here.

[0220] S809: The access network device sends the carrier phase information of the second reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the second reference signal from the access network device. It will be appreciated that S809 corresponds to S405. The relevant description of S809 can be found in the description of S405 above and is not repeated here.

[0221] It can be understood that in the multiple rounds of signal transmission and reception between the terminal and the access network device, S810-S813 are repeated execution steps of S806-S809, so they are not repeated here.

[0222] S814. The first network element determines a change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the first reference signal and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal.

[0223] After the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the first reference signal from the terminal and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal from the access network device multiple times, it can determine the change in the carrier phase of the reference signal of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of multiple first reference signals and the carrier phase information of multiple second reference signals.

[0224] In summary, through the communication method shown in FIG8 , the access network device can perform multiple rounds of signal transmission and reception with the terminal based on the terminal capability information. The multiple rounds can be applied to the scenario of RTT carrier phase measurement, for example. In this way, the scenario in which the variation of the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined in combination with the terminal capability information is more applicable. At the same time, the access network device sends the first reference signal to the terminal according to the time interval between each two adjacent transmissions of the first reference signal in the multiple transmissions determined by the terminal capability information, thereby avoiding as much as possible the transmission and reception of signals with the access network device during the time period when the terminal performance is unstable, so that the first network element determines the variation of the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the carrier phase information of the signal reported by the terminal and the access network device. The variation of the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected in this embodiment is determined in combination with the terminal capability information, so that the deformation amount of the target device is detected more accurately.

[0225] A communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application is described below. Please refer to Figure 9, which is an interactive schematic diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the terminal may first send a second reference signal to the access network device, and the access network device may send a first reference signal to the terminal after receiving the second reference signal. Alternatively, the access network device may first send a first reference signal to the terminal, and the terminal may send a second reference signal to the access network device after receiving the first reference signal. Figure 9 illustrates an example in which the terminal may first send a second reference signal to the access network device, and the access network device may send a first reference signal to the terminal after receiving the second reference signal. As shown in Figure 9, the communication method may include at least the following steps.

[0226] S901: A terminal sends terminal capability information to a first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the terminal capability information from the terminal.

[0227] It can be understood that S901 corresponds to S401. For the relevant description of S901, please refer to the description of S401 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0228] S902: The terminal sends a second reference signal to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the second reference signal from the terminal.

[0229] It can be understood that S902 corresponds to S403. For the relevant description in S902, please refer to the description of S403 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0230] S903: The access network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first reference signal from the access network device.

[0231] It can be understood that S903 corresponds to S402. For the relevant description of S903, reference can be made to the description of S402 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0232] S904: The terminal sends carrier phase information of the first reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the first reference signal from the terminal.

[0233] It can be understood that S904 corresponds to S404. For the relevant description in S904, please refer to the description of S404 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0234] S905: The access network device sends carrier phase information of the second reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the second reference signal from the access network device.

[0235] It can be understood that S905 corresponds to S405. For the relevant description in S905, please refer to the description of S405 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0236] S906: The first network element determines a change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the terminal capability information, the carrier phase information of the first reference signal, and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal.

[0237] After receiving the carrier phase information of the first reference signal from the terminal and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal from the access network device, the first network element can determine the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the terminal capability information, the carrier phase information of the first reference signal, and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal. Alternatively, the first network element can use the terminal capability information reported by the terminal to compensate for the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected, for example, by compensating for the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the change in the initial phase.

[0238] In summary, through the communication method shown in Figure 9, the first network element can receive terminal capability information from the terminal, so that the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected can be determined based on the terminal capability information and the carrier phase information of the signal reported by the terminal and the access network device, or it can be understood that the first network element uses the terminal capability information reported by the terminal to compensate for the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined, combined with the terminal capability information, so that the deformation of the target device is detected more accurately. The detection of the deformation of the target device in the NLOS scenario can be achieved with the assistance of the terminal, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection of the deformation of the target device.

[0239] A communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application is described below. Please refer to Figure 10, which is an interactive diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the terminal may first send a second reference signal to the access network device, and the access network device may send a first reference signal to the terminal after receiving the second reference signal. Alternatively, the access network device may first send a first reference signal to the terminal, and the terminal may send a second reference signal to the access network device after receiving the first reference signal. Figure 10 illustrates an example in which the terminal may first send a second reference signal to the access network device, and the access network device may send a first reference signal to the terminal after receiving the second reference signal. Multiple rounds of signal transmission and reception can be performed between the terminal and the access network device, and the multiple rounds may be applicable to the RTT carrier phase measurement scenario, for example. As shown in Figure 10, the communication method may include at least the following steps.

[0240] S1001: A terminal sends terminal capability information to a first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the terminal capability information from the terminal.

[0241] It can be understood that S1001 corresponds to S401. For the relevant description of S1001, please refer to the description of S401 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0242] S1002: The terminal sends a second reference signal to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the second reference signal from the terminal.

[0243] It can be understood that S1002 corresponds to S403. For the relevant description in S1002, please refer to the description of S403 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0244] S1003: The access network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first reference signal from the access network device.

[0245] It can be understood that S1003 corresponds to S402. For the relevant description of S1003, reference can be made to the description of S402 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0246] S1004: The terminal sends carrier phase information of a first reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the first reference signal from the terminal.

[0247] It can be understood that S1004 corresponds to S404. For the relevant description in S1004, please refer to the description of S404 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0248] S1005: The access network device sends carrier phase information of the second reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the second reference signal from the access network device.

[0249] It can be understood that S1005 corresponds to S405. For the relevant description in S1005, please refer to the description of S405 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0250] Among them, S1002-S1005 can be understood as one round of signal transmission and reception between the terminal and the access network device. The following S1006-S1009 and S1010-S1013 and S1002-S1005 are corresponding to multiple rounds of signal transmission and reception between the terminal and the access network device, that is, multiple rounds of signal transmission and reception between the terminal and the access network device.

[0251] S1006: The terminal sends a second reference signal to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the second reference signal from the terminal.

[0252] It can be understood that S1006 corresponds to S403. For the relevant description in S1006, please refer to the description of S403 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0253] S1007: The access network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first reference signal from the access network device.

[0254] It can be understood that S1007 corresponds to S402. For the relevant description in S1007, please refer to the description of S402 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0255] S1008: The terminal sends carrier phase information of the first reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the first reference signal from the terminal.

[0256] It can be understood that S1008 corresponds to S404. For the relevant description in S1008, please refer to the description of S404 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0257] S1009: The access network device sends carrier phase information of the second reference signal to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the carrier phase information of the second reference signal from the access network device.

[0258] It can be understood that S1009 corresponds to S405. For the relevant description in S1009, please refer to the description of S405 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0259] It can be understood that in the multiple rounds of signal transmission and reception between the terminal and the access network device, S1010-S1013 are repeated execution steps of S1006-S1009, so they are not repeated here.

[0260] S1014. The first network element determines a change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the terminal capability information, the carrier phase information of the first reference signal, and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal.

[0261] After the first network element receives multiple times the carrier phase information of the first reference signal from the terminal and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal from the access network device, it can determine the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the terminal capability information, the carrier phase information of the multiple first reference signals, and the carrier phase information of the multiple second reference signals. Alternatively, the first network element can use the terminal capability information reported by the terminal to compensate for the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected, for example, compensating for the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected based on the change in the initial phase.

[0262] In summary, through the communication method shown in Figure 10, the first network element can receive terminal capability information from the terminal, so that the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected can be determined based on the terminal capability information and the carrier phase information of the signal reported by the terminal and the access network device, or it can be understood that the first network element uses the terminal capability information reported by the terminal to compensate for the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined, combined with the terminal capability information, so that the deformation of the target device is detected more accurately. The detection of the deformation of the target device in the NLOS scenario can be achieved with the assistance of the terminal, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection of the deformation of the target device.

[0263] It is understood that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the terminal and access network equipment include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that, in conjunction with the units and method steps of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or in a manner driven by computer software depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0264] Figures 11 and 12 are schematic diagrams of the structures of possible communication devices provided in the embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal, access network device or first network element in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above-mentioned method embodiments. The communication device can be a terminal, an access network device or a first network element. The communication device includes a module or unit corresponding one-to-one to the method / operation / step / action performed by the terminal, access network device or first network element in the above-mentioned method embodiments. The unit can be a hardware circuit, or software, or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be one of the terminals 120a-120j shown in Figure 1, or the access network device 110a or 110b shown in Figure 1, or the core network 200 shown in Figure 1, or a module (such as a chip) applied to the terminal, access network device or first network element.

[0265] As shown in Figure 11, a communication device 1100 may include a transceiver unit 1101 and a processing unit 1102. The communication device 1100 is used to implement the functions of a terminal, an access network device, or a first network element in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4 above.

[0266] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 10 :

[0267] The transceiver unit 1101 is configured to send terminal capability information;

[0268] The transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to receive a first reference signal from an access network device and send a second reference signal to the access network device;

[0269] The transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to send carrier phase information of the first reference signal to the first network element, where the carrier phase information of the first reference signal is obtained by measuring the received first reference signal.

[0270] In a possible implementation manner, the terminal capability information includes at least one of initial phase stability capability and clock drift stability capability.

[0271] In one possible implementation, the initial phase stability capability includes indicating at least one of whether the initial phase of the terminal is stable and indicating a time range within which the initial phase of the terminal is stable.

[0272] In one possible implementation, the clock drift stability capability includes at least one of an indication of whether the clock drift of the terminal is stable and an indication of a time range within which the clock drift of the terminal is stable.

[0273] In a possible implementation, the terminal capability information includes a change in the initial phase.

[0274] In a possible implementation, the variation of the initial phase includes the variation of the initial phase corresponding to a time range.

[0275] In one possible implementation, the change in the initial phase is between 0 and 2π.

[0276] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1101 receives a first reference signal from the access network device and sends a second reference signal to the access network device, specifically for: receiving the first reference signal from the access network device and sending the second reference signal to the access network device based on the terminal capability information.

[0277] In one possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1101 receives a first reference signal from the access network device and sends a second reference signal to the access network device based on the terminal capability information. It is specifically used to: receive the first reference signal from the access network device and send the second reference signal to the access network device according to a time interval, where the time interval is determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information.

[0278] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is a time interval between the terminal receiving the first reference signal and sending the second reference signal.

[0279] In one possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1101 receives a first reference signal from the access network device and sends a second reference signal to the access network device based on the terminal capability information. Specifically, it is used to: receive the first reference signal from the access network device and send the second reference signal to the access network device in N rounds according to the time interval, where N is a positive integer and the time interval is determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information.

[0280] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is a time interval between two adjacent second reference signal transmissions of the second reference signal by the terminal in N times of transmission of the second reference signal.

[0281] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to receive first configuration information from an access network device, where the first configuration information configures resources of a second reference signal, and the first configuration information includes a time interval.

[0282] In one possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1101 receives a first reference signal from the access network device and sends a second reference signal to the access network device based on the terminal capability information. It is specifically used to: send the second reference signal to the access network device and receive the first reference signal from the access network device. The first reference signal is the second reference signal received by the access network device from the terminal and sent to the terminal according to a time interval, and the time interval is determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information.

[0283] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is the time interval between the access network device receiving the second reference signal and sending the first reference signal.

[0284] In one possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1101 receives a first reference signal from the access network device and sends a second reference signal to the access network device based on the terminal capability information. Specifically, it is used to: send the second reference signal to the access network device and receive the first reference signal from the access network device in N rounds according to the time interval. The time interval is determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information, and N is a positive integer.

[0285] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is the time interval between two adjacent transmissions of the first reference signal by the access network device in N transmissions of the first reference signal.

[0286] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to receive second configuration information from the first network element, where the second configuration information configures resources of the first reference signal.

[0287] In a possible implementation manner, the carrier phase information of the first reference signal includes terminal capability information.

[0288] In a possible implementation, the first reference signal is a PRS, and the second reference signal is an SRS.

[0289] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement the function of the first network element in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 10 :

[0290] The transceiver unit 1101 is configured to receive terminal capability information from a terminal;

[0291] The transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to receive carrier phase information of a first reference signal from a terminal, where the carrier phase information of the first reference signal is obtained by the terminal measuring the received first reference signal;

[0292] The transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to receive carrier phase information of a second reference signal from the access network device, where the carrier phase information of the second reference signal is obtained by measuring the received second reference signal by the access network device; the first reference signal is transmitted and received by the terminal and the access network device based on the terminal capability information, or the second reference signal is transmitted and received by the terminal and the access network device based on the terminal capability information;

[0293] The processing unit 1102 is configured to determine a change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected according to the carrier phase information of the first reference signal and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal.

[0294] In a possible implementation manner, the terminal capability information includes at least one of initial phase stability capability and clock drift stability capability.

[0295] In one possible implementation, the initial phase stability capability includes at least one of indicating whether the initial phase of the terminal is stable and indicating a time range within which the initial phase of the terminal is stable.

[0296] In one possible implementation, the clock drift stability capability includes at least one of an indication of whether the clock drift of the terminal is stable and an indication of a time range in which the clock drift of the terminal is stable.

[0297] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 1102 is further configured to determine the time interval according to the terminal capability information.

[0298] In a possible implementation, the first reference signal is sent and received by the terminal and the access network device according to the terminal capability information, including: the first reference signal is received by the access network device from the terminal and the second reference signal is sent to the terminal according to a time interval.

[0299] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is the time interval between the access network device receiving the second reference signal and sending the first reference signal.

[0300] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is the time interval between two adjacent transmissions of the first reference signal by the access network device in N transmissions of the first reference signal.

[0301] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to send third configuration information to the access network device, where the third configuration information configures resources of the first reference signal, and the third configuration information includes a time interval.

[0302] In one possible implementation, the second reference signal is sent and received by the terminal and the access network device according to the terminal capability information, including: the second reference signal is received by the terminal from the access network device as a first reference signal and sent to the access network device according to a time interval.

[0303] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is a time interval between the terminal receiving the first reference signal and sending the second reference signal.

[0304] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is a time interval between two adjacent second reference signal transmissions of the second reference signal by the terminal in N times of transmission of the second reference signal.

[0305] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to send second configuration information to the terminal, where the second configuration information configures resources of the first reference signal.

[0306] In a possible implementation manner, the carrier phase information of the first reference signal includes terminal capability information.

[0307] In a possible implementation, the first reference signal is a PRS, and the second reference signal is an SRS.

[0308] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement the function of the first network element in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 10 :

[0309] The transceiver unit 1101 is configured to receive terminal capability information from a terminal and receive carrier phase information of a first reference signal from the terminal, where the carrier phase information of the first reference signal is obtained by the terminal measuring the received first reference signal;

[0310] The transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to receive carrier phase information of a second reference signal from the access network device, where the carrier phase information of the second reference signal is obtained by measuring the received second reference signal by the access network device;

[0311] The processing unit 1102 is configured to determine a change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected according to the terminal capability information, the carrier phase information of the first reference signal, and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal.

[0312] In a possible implementation, the terminal capability information includes a change in the initial phase.

[0313] In a possible implementation, the variation of the initial phase includes the variation of the initial phase corresponding to a time range.

[0314] In one possible implementation, the change in the initial phase is between 0 and 2π.

[0315] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to send second configuration information to the terminal, where the second configuration information configures resources of a second reference signal.

[0316] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to send third configuration information to the access network device, where the third configuration information configures resources of the first reference signal.

[0317] In a possible implementation manner, the carrier phase information of the first reference signal includes terminal capability information.

[0318] In a possible implementation, the first reference signal is a PRS, and the second reference signal is an SRS.

[0319] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement the functions of the access network device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 10 :

[0320] The transceiver unit 1101 is configured to receive a second reference signal from a terminal and send a first reference signal to the terminal;

[0321] The transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to send carrier phase information of the second reference signal to the first network element, where the carrier phase information of the second reference signal is obtained by measuring the received second reference signal.

[0322] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1101 receives the second reference signal from the terminal and sends the first reference signal to the terminal, and is specifically configured to: receive the second reference signal from the terminal and send the first reference signal to the terminal according to the terminal capability information.

[0323] In a possible implementation manner, the terminal capability information includes at least one of initial phase stability capability and clock drift stability capability.

[0324] In one possible implementation, the initial phase stability capability includes at least one of indicating whether the initial phase of the terminal is stable and indicating a time range within which the initial phase of the terminal is stable.

[0325] In one possible implementation, the clock drift stability capability includes at least one of an indication of whether the clock drift of the terminal is stable and an indication of a time range in which the clock drift of the terminal is stable.

[0326] In one possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1101 receives a second reference signal from the terminal and sends a first reference signal to the terminal based on the terminal capability information. It is specifically used to: receive the second reference signal from the terminal and send the first reference signal to the terminal according to a time interval, where the time interval is determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information.

[0327] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is the time interval between the access network device receiving the second reference signal and sending the first reference signal.

[0328] In one possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1101 receives a second reference signal from the terminal and sends a first reference signal to the terminal based on the terminal capability information. Specifically, it is used to: receive the second reference signal from the terminal and send the first reference signal to the terminal in N rounds according to the time interval, where N is a positive integer and the time interval is determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information.

[0329] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is the time interval between two adjacent transmissions of the first reference signal by the access network device in N transmissions of the first reference signal.

[0330] In one possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1101 receives a second reference signal from the terminal and sends a first reference signal to the terminal based on the terminal capability information. It is specifically used to: send a first reference signal to the terminal and receive a second reference signal from the terminal. The second reference signal is the first reference signal received by the terminal from the access network device and is sent to the access network device according to a time interval. The time interval is determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information.

[0331] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is a time interval between the terminal receiving the first reference signal and sending the second reference signal.

[0332] In one possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1101 receives a second reference signal from the terminal and sends a first reference signal to the terminal based on the terminal capability information. Specifically, it is used to: send the first reference signal to the terminal and receive the second reference signal from the terminal in N rounds according to the time interval, where the time interval is determined by the first network element based on the terminal capability information, and N is a positive integer.

[0333] In a possible implementation manner, the time interval is a time interval between two adjacent second reference signal transmissions of the second reference signal by the terminal in N times of transmission of the second reference signal.

[0334] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to send first configuration information to the terminal, where the first configuration information configures resources for the second reference signal.

[0335] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to send first configuration information to the terminal, where the first configuration information configures resources of the second reference signal, and the first configuration information includes a time interval.

[0336] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to receive third configuration information from the first network element, where the third configuration information configures resources of the first reference signal, and the third configuration information includes a time interval.

[0337] In a possible implementation, the first reference signal is a PRS, and the second reference signal is an SRS.

[0338] For a more detailed description of the transceiver unit 1101 and the processing unit 1102 , reference may be made to the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 10 .

[0339] As shown in FIG12 , a communication device 1200 is provided, configured to implement the functions of the aforementioned terminal, access network device, or first network element. The device may be a communication device or a device used in a communication device, which may be a terminal, access network device, or first network element. The device used in a communication device may be a system-on-chip (SoC) or chip within the communication device. The SoC may consist of a chip alone or may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0340] The communication device 1200 includes at least one processor 1210 for implementing the processing functions of the device (e.g., a terminal, an access network device, or a first network element) in the method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1200 may also include a communication interface 1220 for implementing the transceiver operation of the device (e.g., a terminal, an access network device, or a first network element) in the method provided in an embodiment of the present application. In an embodiment of the present application, the communication interface may be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, or other types of communication interfaces for communicating with other devices via a transmission medium. For example, the communication interface 1220 is used for the device in the communication device 1200 to communicate with other devices. The processor 1210 uses the communication interface 1220 to send and receive data, and is used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment.

[0341] The communication device 1200 may also include at least one memory 1230 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 1230 is coupled to the processor 1210. The coupling in the embodiments of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, and is used for information exchange between the devices, units, or modules. The processor 1210 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1230. The processor 1210 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 1230. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor.

[0342] The specific connection medium between the communication interface 1220, processor 1210, and memory 1230 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In Figure 12, the embodiment of the present application shows that the memory 1230, processor 1210, and communication interface 1220 are connected via a bus. The bus is represented by a bold line in Figure 12. The connection method between other components is only for schematic illustration and is not limiting. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one bold line is used in Figure 12, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0343] When the communication device 1200 is specifically a device for a device (such as a terminal, an access network device, or a first network element), for example, when the communication device 1200 is specifically a chip or a chip system, the communication interface 1220 may output or receive a baseband signal. When the communication device 1200 is specifically a device (such as a terminal, an access network device, or a first network element), the communication interface 1220 may output or receive a radio frequency signal. In an embodiment of the present application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, and may implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application may be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or may be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0344] It should be noted that the above-mentioned communication interface 1220 can be used to perform the functions of the above-mentioned transceiver unit 1101, and the above-mentioned processor 1210 can be used to perform the functions of the above-mentioned processing unit 1102, which will not be repeated here.

[0345] When the above-mentioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above-mentioned method embodiment, and the terminal chip receives information from other network elements; or, the terminal chip sends information to other network elements.

[0346] When the communication device is a chip used in an access network device, the access network device chip implements the functions of the access network device in the above method embodiment. The access network device chip receives information from other network elements; or the access network device chip sends information to other network elements.

[0347] When the above-mentioned communication device is a chip applied to the first network element, the first network element chip implements the function of the first network element in the above-mentioned method embodiment, and the first network element chip receives information from other network elements; or, the first network element chip sends information to other network elements.

[0348] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0349] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, mobile hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in an access network device or a terminal. Of course, the processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in a terminal or access network device.

[0350] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it 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 programs or instructions. When the computer program or instruction is loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is executed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer program or instruction may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted via the computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a tape; it may also be an optical medium, such as a DVD; it may also be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid state disk (SSD).

[0351] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0352] It is understood that the various numbers used in the embodiments of this application are merely for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not necessarily imply a specific order of execution; the order of execution of the processes should be determined by their functions and inherent logic.

[0353] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer execution instructions. When the computer execution instructions are executed, the method executed by the terminal, access network device or first network element in the above method embodiment is implemented.

[0354] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program. When the computer program is executed, the method executed by the terminal, access network device or first network element in the above method embodiment is implemented.

[0355] The present application also provides a communication system including a terminal, an access network device, or a first network element. The terminal is configured to execute the method executed by the terminal in the above method embodiment, the access network device is configured to execute the method executed by the access network device in the above method embodiment, and the first network element is configured to execute the method executed by the first network element in the above method embodiment.

[0356] It should be noted that for the aforementioned method embodiments, for the sake of simplicity, they are all expressed as a series of action combinations, but those skilled in the art should be aware that this application is not limited by the order of the actions described, because according to this application, certain steps can be performed in other orders or simultaneously. Secondly, those skilled in the art should also be aware that the embodiments described in the specification are all preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily required by this application.

[0357] The descriptions of the various embodiments provided in this application can refer to each other. The descriptions of each embodiment have their own focus. For parts not described in detail in a particular embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments. For the convenience and brevity of description, for example, the functions and execution steps of the various devices and equipment provided in the embodiments of this application can refer to the relevant descriptions of the method embodiments of this application. The various method embodiments and the various device embodiments can also refer to, be combined with, or quote each other.

[0358] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some or all of the technical features therein. These modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Sending terminal capability information to the first network element; receiving a first reference signal from an access network device, and sending a second reference signal to the access network device; The carrier phase information of the first reference signal is sent to the first network element, where the carrier phase information of the first reference signal is obtained by measuring the received first reference signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The terminal capability information includes at least one of an initial phase stability capability and a clock drift stability capability.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The terminal capability information includes the change amount of the initial phase.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The receiving a first reference signal from an access network device and sending a second reference signal to the access network device includes: A first reference signal is received from the access network device according to the terminal capability information, and a second reference signal is sent to the access network device.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The receiving, according to the terminal capability information, a first reference signal from the access network device, and sending a second reference signal to the access network device comprises: receiving a first reference signal from the access network device, and sending a second reference signal to the access network device according to a time interval, where the time interval is determined by the first network element according to the terminal capability information; or A second reference signal is sent to the access network device, and a first reference signal is received from the access network device, where the first reference signal is received by the access network device from the terminal and is sent to the terminal according to a time interval, and the time interval is determined by the first network element according to the terminal capability information.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The time interval is a time interval between the terminal receiving the first reference signal and sending the second reference signal, or the time interval is a time interval between the access network device receiving the second reference signal and sending the first reference signal.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: First configuration information is received from the access network device, where the first configuration information configures resources of a second reference signal, and the first configuration information includes the time interval.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Second configuration information is received from the first network element, where the second configuration information configures resources of a first reference signal.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The carrier phase information of the first reference signal includes the terminal capability information.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The first reference signal is a positioning reference signal PRS, and the second reference signal is a sounding reference signal SRS.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: include: receiving terminal capability information from the terminal; Receiving carrier phase information of a first reference signal from the terminal, where the carrier phase information of the first reference signal is obtained by measuring the received first reference signal by the terminal; receiving carrier phase information of a second reference signal from the access network device, where the carrier phase information of the second reference signal is obtained by measuring the received second reference signal by the access network device; the first reference signal is sent and received by the terminal and the access network device according to the terminal capability information, or the second reference signal is sent and received by the terminal and the access network device according to the terminal capability information; The change amount of the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined according to the carrier phase information of the first reference signal and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The terminal capability information includes at least one of an initial phase stability capability and a clock drift stability capability.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Determining a time interval according to the terminal capability information; The first reference signal is sent and received by the terminal and the access network device according to the terminal capability information, including: the first reference signal is a second reference signal received by the access network device from the terminal and sent to the terminal according to the time interval; The second reference signal is sent and received by the terminal and the access network device according to the terminal capability information, including: the second reference signal is a first reference signal received by the terminal from the access network device and sent to the access network device according to the time interval.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The time interval is a time interval between the access network device receiving the second reference signal and sending the first reference signal; or the time interval is a time interval between the terminal receiving the first reference signal and sending the second reference signal.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send third configuration information to the access network device, where the third configuration information configures resources of the first reference signal, and the third configuration information includes the time interval.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Second configuration information is sent to the terminal, where the second configuration information configures resources of the first reference signal.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that: The carrier phase information of the first reference signal includes the terminal capability information.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that: The first reference signal is a positioning reference signal PRS, and the second reference signal is a sounding reference signal SRS.

19. A communication method, characterized in that: include: receiving terminal capability information from the terminal; Receiving carrier phase information of a first reference signal from the terminal, where the carrier phase information of the first reference signal is obtained by measuring the received first reference signal by the terminal; Receiving carrier phase information of a second reference signal from the access network device, where the carrier phase information of the second reference signal is obtained by measuring the received second reference signal by the access network device; A change amount of the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected is determined according to the terminal capability information, the carrier phase information of the first reference signal, and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The terminal capability information includes the change amount of the initial phase.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that The method further comprises: Second configuration information is sent to the terminal, where the second configuration information configures resources of a second reference signal.

22. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 21, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Send third configuration information to the access network device, where the third configuration information configures resources of the first reference signal.

23. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 22, characterized in that: The carrier phase information of the first reference signal includes the terminal capability information.

24. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 23, characterized in that: The first reference signal is a positioning reference signal PRS, and the second reference signal is a sounding reference signal SRS.

25. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A transceiver unit, configured to send terminal capability information to the first network element; The transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first reference signal from an access network device and send a second reference signal to the access network device; The transceiver unit is further configured to send carrier phase information of the first reference signal to the first network element, where the carrier phase information of the first reference signal is obtained by measuring the received first reference signal.

26. The device according to claim 25, characterized in that The terminal capability information includes at least one of an initial phase stability capability and a clock drift stability capability.

27. The device according to claim 25, characterized in that The terminal capability information includes the change amount of the initial phase.

28. The device according to any one of claims 25 to 27, characterized in that The transceiver unit receives a first reference signal from an access network device and sends a second reference signal to the access network device, specifically configured to: A first reference signal is received from the access network device according to the terminal capability information, and a second reference signal is sent to the access network device.

29. The device according to claim 28, characterized in that The transceiver unit receives a first reference signal from the access network device according to the terminal capability information, and sends a second reference signal to the access network device, specifically for: receiving a first reference signal from the access network device, and sending a second reference signal to the access network device according to a time interval, where the time interval is determined by the first network element according to the terminal capability information; or A second reference signal is sent to the access network device, and a first reference signal is received from the access network device, where the first reference signal is a second reference signal received by the access network device from the terminal and is sent to the terminal according to a time interval, and the time interval is determined by the first network element according to the terminal capability information.

30. The device according to claim 29, characterized in that The time interval is a time interval between when the terminal receives the first reference signal and sends the second reference signal, or the time interval is a time interval between when the access network device receives the second reference signal and sends the first reference signal.

31. The device according to claim 30, characterized in that The transceiver unit is further configured to receive first configuration information from the access network device, where the first configuration information configures resources of a second reference signal, and the first configuration information includes the time interval.

32. The device according to any one of claims 25 to 31, characterized in that The transceiver unit is further configured to receive second configuration information from the first network element, where the second configuration information configures resources of the first reference signal.

33. The device according to any one of claims 25 to 32, characterized in that The carrier phase information of the first reference signal includes the terminal capability information.

34. The device according to any one of claims 25 to 33, characterized in that The first reference signal is a positioning reference signal PRS, and the second reference signal is a sounding reference signal SRS.

35. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A transceiver unit, used for receiving terminal capability information from a terminal; The transceiver unit is further configured to receive carrier phase information of a first reference signal from the terminal, where the carrier phase information of the first reference signal is obtained by measuring the received first reference signal by the terminal; The transceiver unit is further used to receive carrier phase information of a second reference signal from the access network device, where the carrier phase information of the second reference signal is obtained by measuring the received second reference signal by the access network device; the first reference signal is sent and received by the terminal and the access network device according to the terminal capability information, or the second reference signal is sent and received by the terminal and the access network device according to the terminal capability information; A processing unit is used to determine a change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected according to the carrier phase information of the first reference signal and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal.

36. The device according to claim 35, characterized in that The terminal capability information includes at least one of an initial phase stability capability and a clock drift stability capability.

37. The device according to claim 35 or 36, characterized in that The processing unit is further configured to determine a time interval according to the terminal capability information; The first reference signal is sent and received by the terminal and the access network device according to the terminal capability information, including: the first reference signal is a second reference signal received by the access network device from the terminal and sent to the terminal according to the time interval; The second reference signal is sent and received by the terminal and the access network device according to the terminal capability information, including: the second reference signal is a first reference signal received by the terminal from the access network device and sent to the access network device according to the time interval.

38. The device according to claim 37, characterized in that The time interval is a time interval between the access network device receiving the second reference signal and sending the first reference signal; or the time interval is a time interval between the terminal receiving the first reference signal and sending the second reference signal.

39. The device according to claim 37 or 38, characterized in that The transceiver unit is further configured to send third configuration information to the access network device, where the third configuration information configures resources of the first reference signal, and the third configuration information includes the time interval.

40. The device according to any one of claims 35 to 39, characterized in that The transceiver unit is further configured to send second configuration information to the terminal, where the second configuration information configures resources of the first reference signal.

41. The device according to any one of claims 35 to 40, characterized in that The carrier phase information of the first reference signal includes the terminal capability information.

42. The device according to any one of claims 35 to 41, characterized in that The first reference signal is a positioning reference signal PRS, and the second reference signal is a sounding reference signal SRS.

43. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A transceiver unit, used for receiving terminal capability information from a terminal; The transceiver unit is further configured to receive carrier phase information of a first reference signal from the terminal, where the carrier phase information of the first reference signal is obtained by measuring the received first reference signal by the terminal; The transceiver unit is further configured to receive carrier phase information of a second reference signal from the access network device, where the carrier phase information of the second reference signal is obtained by measuring the received second reference signal by the access network device; A processing unit is used to determine a change in the reference signal carrier phase of the device to be detected according to the terminal capability information, the carrier phase information of the first reference signal, and the carrier phase information of the second reference signal.

44. The device according to claim 43, characterized in that The terminal capability information includes the change amount of the initial phase.

45. The device according to claim 43 or 44, characterized in that The transceiver unit is further configured to send second configuration information to the terminal, where the second configuration information configures resources of a second reference signal.

46. ​​The device according to any one of claims 43 to 45, characterized in that The transceiver unit is further configured to send third configuration information to the access network device, where the third configuration information configures resources of the first reference signal.

47. The device according to any one of claims 43 to 46, characterized in that The carrier phase information of the first reference signal includes the terminal capability information.

48. The device according to any one of claims 43 to 47, characterized in that The first reference signal is a positioning reference signal PRS, and the second reference signal is a sounding reference signal SRS.

49. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, wherein the processor is coupled to a memory, wherein the memory is used to store programs or instructions, and when the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, the device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

50. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The storage medium stores a computer program or instruction, and when the computer program or instruction is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24 is implemented.

51. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises a computer program code, and when the computer program code is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24 is implemented.

52. A communication system, characterized in that: It includes a terminal and a first network element, the terminal is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 1-10, and the first network element is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 11-24.

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