Method for sending indication information, method for receiving indication information, and network device, terminal, system and medium

Abstract

A method for sending indication information, a method for receiving indication information, and a network device, a terminal, a system and a medium. The method for sending indication information comprises: a network device sending indication information to a terminal, wherein the indication information is configured to indicate waveform information used by a link for sending downlink information, and the terminal is an ambient IoT device that acquires energy from an environment. In the present method, the network device issues the indication information to indicate to the terminal the waveform information to be used for sending the downlink information, so that the terminal performs downlink reception on the basis of the indicated waveform information, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of the downlink reception.

Description

Method, network device, terminal, system and medium for sending and receiving indication information Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular to a method, network device, terminal, system, and medium for sending and receiving indication information. Background Art

[0002] The Ambient Internet of Things (Ambient-IoT) is a type of IoT. Compared to cellular-based Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) terminals, Ambient-IoT terminals are less complex, less expensive, and require less maintenance. Ambient-IoT terminals require energy from the external environment, such as through excitation and power from received electromagnetic signals or by harvesting external heat, kinetic energy, and other methods. Therefore, Ambient-IoT terminals are also called environmentally powered terminals or passive terminals.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] In the Ambient-IoT system, it is necessary to determine the modulation information of the link for sending downlink information.

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for sending and receiving indication information, a network device, a terminal, a system, and a medium.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for sending indication information, the method comprising:

[0007] The network device sends indication information to the terminal, where the indication information is used to indicate the waveform information used by the link for sending downlink information. The terminal is an Ambient IoT device that obtains energy from the environment.

[0008] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for receiving indication information, the method comprising:

[0009] The terminal receives indication information sent by the network device, where the indication information is used to indicate waveform information used by a link for sending downlink information. The terminal is an Ambient IOT device.

[0010] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a network device, including:

[0011] The transceiver module is used to send indication information to the terminal, where the indication information is used to indicate the waveform information used by the link for sending downlink information. The terminal is an Ambient IoT device that obtains energy from the environment.

[0012] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a terminal, including:

[0013] The transceiver module is used to receive indication information sent by the network device, where the indication information is used to indicate the waveform information used by the link for sending downlink information. The terminal is an Ambient IOT device.

[0014] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a network device, including:

[0015] one or more processors;

[0016] The network device is used to execute the method of the first aspect.

[0017] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a terminal, including:

[0018] one or more processors;

[0019] The terminal is used to execute the method of the second aspect.

[0020] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication system, including a terminal and a network device, wherein:

[0021] The network device is configured to implement the method of the first aspect;

[0022] The terminal is configured to implement the method of the second aspect.

[0023] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a storage medium, wherein the storage medium stores instructions, wherein:

[0024] When the instructions are executed on the communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the method of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0025] In the disclosed embodiment, the network device sends indication information to indicate to the terminal the waveform information to be used in sending downlink information, so as to facilitate the terminal to perform downlink reception based on the indicated waveform information, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of downlink reception. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following drawings required for describing the embodiments are introduced. The following drawings are merely some embodiments of the present disclosure and do not impose specific limitations on the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG1 is an exemplary schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] FIG2a is an exemplary interaction diagram of a method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] 2b to 2c are waveform diagrams provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] 3a to 3b are exemplary flowcharts of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] 4a and 4b are exemplary flowcharts of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] FIG5a is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG5b is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] FIG6a is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] FIG6 b is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for sending and receiving indication information, a network device, a terminal, a system, and a medium.

[0037] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for sending indication information, the method comprising:

[0038] The network device sends indication information to the terminal, where the indication information is used to indicate the waveform information used by the link for sending downlink information. The terminal is an Ambient IoT device that obtains energy from the environment.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the network device sends indication information to indicate to the terminal the waveform information to be used for sending downlink information, so that the terminal can perform downlink reception based on the indicated waveform information, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of downlink reception.

[0040] In conjunction with the embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the waveform information includes at least one of the following:

[0041] Modulation waveform;

[0042] The length of a time domain unit in the modulating waveform;

[0043] The duration of the high-level signal in the time domain unit;

[0044] The duration of the low-level signal within the time domain unit;

[0045] The duration ratio of high-level signals to low-level signals within a time domain unit.

[0046] In the above embodiment, the network device indicates one or more of the above waveform information to facilitate the terminal to perform reasonable downlink reception.

[0047] In combination with the embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the modulation waveform is a binary On-Off Keying (OOK) waveform or a pulse interval encoding (PIE) waveform.

[0048] In the above embodiment, based on different waveforms, the terminal can reasonably adjust the timing of downlink reception.

[0049] In combination with the embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the waveform information is one of multiple groups of candidate waveform information defined by the protocol.

[0050] In the above embodiment, multiple sets of candidate waveform information may be defined in a protocol-defined manner, and the network device indicates appropriate waveform information according to communication requirements or according to the communication terminal to ensure the effect of this communication.

[0051] In conjunction with the embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the network device sends indication information to the terminal, including:

[0052] The network device sends a preamble sequence to the terminal, where the preamble sequence includes indication information, wherein the preamble sequence is sent along with corresponding downlink information.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the network device indicates the waveform information through the preamble sequence sent along with the downlink information, so that the terminal can obtain the waveform information in time before receiving the downlink information, thereby accurately performing downlink reception.

[0054] In combination with the embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the preamble sequence includes a dynamic time domain unit, and the dynamic time domain unit is used to indicate waveform information.

[0055] In the above embodiment, the dynamic time domain unit in the preamble sequence is used to indicate the waveform information, thereby saving other signaling overheads.

[0056] In combination with the embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, different durations of the dynamic time domain unit may indicate different waveform information.

[0057] In the above embodiment, different waveform information is indicated by different durations of the dynamic time domain unit, so that the terminal selects an appropriate manner to receive downlink information according to the duration of the dynamic time domain unit.

[0058] In combination with the embodiment of the first aspect, in some embodiments, when the duration of the dynamic time domain unit is greater than or equal to the first duration, the modulation waveform included in the waveform information is a PIE waveform; or,

[0059] When the duration of the dynamic time domain unit is less than or equal to the second duration, the modulation waveform included in the waveform information is an OOK waveform; wherein the first duration is greater than the second duration.

[0060] In the above embodiment, based on the different durations of the dynamic time domain units, the above two waveforms may be indicated respectively, so as to facilitate the terminal to reasonably receive downlink information.

[0061] In combination with the embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the waveform information is the same as the waveform information corresponding to the waveform of the dynamic time domain unit.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the waveform information is directly carried by the dynamic time domain unit, thereby indicating the waveform information more intuitively.

[0063] In conjunction with the embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0064] The network device receives capability information sent by the terminal, where the capability information is used to indicate waveform information supported by the terminal; or,

[0065] Network devices obtain capability information from core network devices.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the network device can obtain the capability information of the terminal in different ways, so as to adopt an appropriate waveform for downlink transmission based on the waveform information supported by the terminal to ensure the communication quality.

[0067] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for receiving indication information, the method comprising:

[0068] The terminal receives indication information sent by the network device, where the indication information is used to indicate waveform information used by a link for sending downlink information. The terminal is an Ambient IOT device.

[0069] In the above embodiment, the terminal obtains the waveform information to be used for downlink information according to the indication information sent by the network device, so that the terminal can perform downlink reception based on the indicated waveform information, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of downlink reception.

[0070] In conjunction with the embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the waveform information includes at least one of the following:

[0071] Modulation waveform;

[0072] The length of a time domain unit in the modulating waveform;

[0073] The duration of the high-level signal in the time domain unit;

[0074] The duration of the low-level signal within the time domain unit;

[0075] The duration ratio of high-level signals to low-level signals within a time domain unit.

[0076] In combination with the embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the modulation waveform is an OOK waveform or a PIE waveform.

[0077] In conjunction with the embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the waveform information is one of multiple groups of candidate waveform information defined by the protocol.

[0078] In conjunction with the embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0079] The terminal receives downlink information sent by the network device according to the waveform information; or,

[0080] The terminal receives the downlink information sent by the network device according to the default waveform information defined by the protocol.

[0081] In conjunction with the embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the terminal receives the indication information sent by the network device, including:

[0082] The terminal receives a preamble sequence sent by a network device, where the preamble sequence includes indication information, wherein the preamble sequence is sent along with corresponding downlink information.

[0083] In combination with the embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the preamble sequence includes a dynamic time domain unit, and the dynamic time domain unit is used to indicate waveform information.

[0084] In combination with the embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, different durations of the dynamic time domain unit may indicate different waveform information.

[0085] In conjunction with the embodiment of the second aspect, in some embodiments, when the duration of the dynamic time domain unit is greater than or equal to the first duration, the modulation waveform included in the waveform information is a PIE waveform; or,

[0086] When the duration of the dynamic time domain unit is less than or equal to the second duration, the modulation waveform included in the waveform information is an OOK waveform;

[0087] Among them, the first duration is greater than the second duration.

[0088] In conjunction with the embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the waveform information is the same as the waveform information corresponding to the waveform of the dynamic time domain unit.

[0089] In conjunction with the embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0090] The terminal sends capability information to the network device, where the capability information is used to indicate waveform information supported by the terminal.

[0091] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a network device, including:

[0092] The transceiver module is used to send indication information to the terminal, where the indication information is used to indicate the waveform information used by the link for sending downlink information. The terminal is an Ambient IoT device that obtains energy from the environment.

[0093] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a terminal, including:

[0094] The transceiver module is used to receive indication information sent by the network device, where the indication information is used to indicate the waveform information used by the link for sending downlink information. The terminal is an Ambient IOT device.

[0095] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a network device, including:

[0096] one or more processors;

[0097] The network device is used to execute the method of the first aspect.

[0098] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a terminal, including:

[0099] one or more processors;

[0100] The terminal is used to execute the method of the second aspect.

[0101] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication system, including a terminal and a network device, wherein:

[0102] The network device is configured to implement the method of the first aspect;

[0103] The terminal is configured to implement the method of the second aspect.

[0104] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a storage medium, wherein the storage medium stores instructions, wherein:

[0105] When the instructions are executed on the communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the method of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0106] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a program product. When the program product is executed by a communication device, the communication device executes the method described in the optional implementation of the first and second aspects.

[0107] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the first and second aspects.

[0108] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a chip or a chip system, wherein the chip or chip system includes a processing circuit configured to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the first and second aspects above.

[0109] It is understandable that the above-mentioned terminals, network devices, communication systems, storage media, program products, computer programs, chips, or chip systems are all used to perform the methods proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects of the corresponding methods and will not be repeated here.

[0110] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive and are merely illustrative of some embodiments, and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In the absence of contradiction, each step in a certain embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a certain embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily exchanged. In addition, the optional implementation methods in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; in addition, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined. For example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0111] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified or provided for by logic, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0112] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0113] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, elements expressed in the singular, such as "a", "an", "the", "above", "said", "the", "the", etc., may mean "one and only one", or "one or more", "at least one", etc. For example, when using articles such as "a", "an", "the" in English in translation, the noun following the article may be understood as a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0114] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, “plurality” refers to two or more.

[0115] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one," "one or more," "a plurality of," "multiple," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0116] In some embodiments, descriptions such as "at least one of A and B," "A and / or B," "A in one case, B in another case," or "in response to one case A, in response to another case B" may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); and in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0117] In some embodiments, "A or B" and other descriptions may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0118] The prefixes such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different description objects and do not constitute any restriction on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. For the statement of the description object, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and no unnecessary restriction should be constituted due to the use of prefixes. For example, if the description object is a "field", the ordinal number before the "field" in the "first field" and the "second field" does not limit the position or order between the "fields". "First" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they limit the order of the "first field" and the "second field". For another example, if the description object is a "level", the ordinal number before the "level" in the "first level" and the "second level" does not limit the priority between the "levels". For another example, the number of description objects is not limited by the ordinal number and can be one or more. Taking "first device" as an example, the number of "devices" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the description object is "device", then the "first device" and the "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different; for another example, if the description object is "information", then the "first information" and the "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their contents can be the same or different.

[0119] In some embodiments, “including A,” “comprising A,” “used to indicate A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0120] In some embodiments, terms such as "in response to...", "in response to determining...", "in the case of...", "at the time of...", "when...", "if...", "if...", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0121] In some embodiments, terms such as "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not less than", and "above" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", and "below" can be replaced with each other.

[0122] In some embodiments, devices and equipment can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to the names recorded in the embodiments. In some cases, they can also be understood as "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "subject", etc.

[0123] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in the network, such as access network equipment, core network equipment, etc.

[0124] In some embodiments, "access network device (AN device)" may also be referred to as "radio access network device (RAN device)", "base station (BS)", "radio base station", "fixed station", and in some embodiments may also be understood as "node", "access point", "transmission point (TP)", "reception point (RP)", "transmission and / or reception point (TRP)" "panel", "antenna panel", "antenna array", "cell", "macro cell", "small cell", "femto cell", "pico cell", "sector", "cell group", "serving cell", "carrier", "component carrier", "bandwidth part (BWP)", etc.

[0125] In some embodiments, "terminal" or "terminal device" may be referred to as "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal" "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, etc.

[0126] In some embodiments, obtaining data, information, etc. may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the data is obtained.

[0127] In some embodiments, data, information, etc. may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0128] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in the table of the embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of any elements, any rows, and any columns can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0129] FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0130] As shown in Figure 1, a communication system 100 includes a terminal 101 and a network device 102. Optionally, the communication system 100 may further include at least one of the following devices: a first device configured to provide an excitation signal to the terminal 101 so that the terminal 101 can transmit information using the excitation signal. The first device may be, for example, a continuous wave node (CW node or CWN) 103; a second device configured to provide energy to the terminal, such as an energy source node (ESN) 104; and a third device configured to receive uplink information from the terminal, such as an uplink receiver (UR) 105.

[0131] Among them, the terminal 101 can be an Ambient-IoT terminal; the network device 102 can also be understood as a network node, and the network device 102 can be a node (Downlink Signal Node, DSN) that sends downlink information, such as a base station, or a relay device such as a relay UE. CWN103 is used to send electromagnetic waves so that the terminal 101 can use electromagnetic waves to send uplink information based on backscattering; ESN104 is used to power the terminal 101; UR105 can be other terminals or user equipment (UE) other than the terminal 101, and is used to receive uplink information sent by the Ambient-IoT terminal 101. For example, the receiving terminal 101 sends uplink information based on the backscattering communication method.

[0132] As shown in Figure 1, the Ambient-IoT communication system includes four links: Link 1 for sending downlink information, Link 2 for receiving uplink information, Link 3 for sending CW, and Link 4 for sending charging signals. The network devices 102, CWN 103, ESN 104, and UR 105 involved in these four links can be independently configured, or they can be the same node or device, or two, three, or four of them can be configured as a single node or device.

[0133] ESN 104 or Link 4 can be controlled by the network. For example, network device 102 can control ESN 104 to enable or disable charging of Terminal 101. This charging energy can come from electromagnetic waves or non-electromagnetic waves. When ESN 104 is controlled by the network, it is believed that ESN 104 can better coordinate with network scheduling and other functions to ensure that Terminal 101 is charged while minimizing the impact on Terminal 101's communication. Alternatively, ESN 104 is not controlled by the network. Terminal 101 can flexibly collect energy based on its own capabilities and energy sources in the actual environment, such as electromagnetic waves or non-electromagnetic waves that are not controlled by the network. In this case, there is no specific ESN node, and Link 4 may not exist.

[0134] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 includes, for example, a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things device, a car with communication function, a smart car, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, and at least one of a wireless terminal device in a smart home, but is not limited thereto.

[0135] In some embodiments, the power acquisition and storage capabilities of the terminal 101 vary depending on the type and operating mode of the terminal 101. For example, the types of the terminal 101 include:

[0136] Device A: cannot independently generate or amplify signals. For example, Device A uses backscattering transmission, also known as backscatter communications.

[0137] Device B: Has energy storage capabilities but cannot independently generate signals. For example, Device B uses backscattering, where the stored energy is used to amplify reflected signals.

[0138] Device C: has energy storage capabilities and can independently generate signals, such as a radio frequency (RF) module that actively sends signals.

[0139] Among the three types of Ambient-IoT terminals 101 described above, device C has the strongest capabilities and the highest terminal cost. Devices A and B have weaker capabilities and lower terminal costs. Furthermore, since devices A and B can only operate in backscatter mode and cannot actively transmit signals, their supported coverage range is smaller. However, the power consumption of device A or device B in this operating mode is much lower than that of device C.

[0140] For devices A and B, link 3 is necessary for uplink information transmission; however, for device C, since it has the ability to actively send information, link 3 is not required.

[0141] In some embodiments, the network device 102 may include at least one of an access network device and a core network device. Alternatively, the network device 102 may also be a relay device, such as a relay UE.

[0142] In some embodiments, the access network device is, for example, a node or device that accesses a terminal to a wireless network. The access network device may include an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation evolved NodeB (ng-eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a node B (NB), a home node B (HNB), a home evolved nodeB (HeNB), a wireless backhaul device, a radio network controller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a base band unit (BBU), a mobile switching center, a base station in a 6G communication system, an open base station (Open RAN), a cloud base station (Cloud RAN), a base station in other communication systems, and at least one of an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, but is not limited thereto.

[0143] In some embodiments, the technical solution of the present disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between or within the access network devices involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of the Open RAN, and the processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented through software or programs.

[0144] In some embodiments, the access network device can be composed of a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), where the CU can also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can be used to split the protocol layer of the access network device, with the functions of some protocol layers centrally controlled by the CU, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU, but is not limited to this.

[0145] In some embodiments, the core network device can be a device including one or more network elements, or it can be multiple devices or device groups, each including all or part of one or more network elements. The network element can be virtual or physical. The core network includes, for example, at least one of the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), the 5G Core Network (5GCN), and the Next Generation Core (NGC). Alternatively, the core network device refers to a network element with a specific function, such as the Access Management Function (AMF), the Service Management Function (SMF), etc.

[0146] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of the system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0147] The following embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1 , or a part of the main body thereof, but are not limited thereto.

[0148] The entities shown in Figure 1 are examples. The communication system may include all or part of the entities in Figure 1, and may also include other entities outside of Figure 1. The number and form of the entities are arbitrary. The connection relationship between the entities is an example. The entities may be connected or disconnected, and the connection may be in any manner, which may be direct or indirect, and may be wired or wireless.

[0149] The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), future radio access (FRA), new radio access technology (RAT), new radio (NR), new radio access (NX), future generation radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM (registered trademark)), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), systems utilizing other communication processing methods, and next-generation systems based on and extending these. Furthermore, multiple systems may be combined (for example, a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0150] In the disclosed embodiment, the terminal 101 can communicate based on the backscattering method. Backscatter communication is an extremely low-power modulation and transmission technology that uses the backscattering principle of radio frequency signals, and is a means to achieve the intelligent connection of all things. In backscatter communication, CWN103 sends a radio frequency signal such as an electromagnetic wave, and the terminal 101 receives the electromagnetic wave. The internal circuit of the terminal 101 modulates the information to be transmitted on the basis of the incident electromagnetic wave through load impedance modulation and other methods, and then sends out the modulated electromagnetic wave carrying the information. There are many ways to modulate information, such as amplitude shift keying (ASK), frequency shift keying (FSK) or phase shift keying (PSK).

[0151] In the disclosed embodiments, CWN 103 may be a single node with a constant amplitude, or a node communicating with terminal 101. The frequency of electromagnetic waves reflected by terminal 101 may be the same as the frequency transmitted by CWN 103, or there may be an offset. The offset may be related to the hardware characteristics of terminal 101 and may be a fixed value or a dynamically adjusted value.

[0152] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for determining a waveform used by a downlink information transmission link.

[0153] Figure 2a is an interactive diagram of a method for sending and receiving indication information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2a, an embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a method for sending and receiving indication information, the method comprising:

[0154] Step S2101 : Terminal 101 sends capability information to network device 102 .

[0155] Optionally, the terminal 101 may also be referred to as an Ambient IOT device, an Ambient IOT terminal, or a device.

[0156] Optionally, capability information is used to indicate waveform information supported by terminal 101. In one example, the protocol defines multiple waveform candidates, which may be applicable to different terminals 101. The waveform information supported in the capability information of terminal 101 may be one or more of the multiple waveform candidates defined by the protocol. In another example, terminal 101 may support default waveform information defined by the protocol, which does not need to be reported in the capability information.

[0157] Optionally, the terminal 101 may report the capability information based on the air interface, and the network device 102 receives the capability information.

[0158] Optionally, step S2101 may be omitted, and the network device 102 may obtain the above capability information from the core network device.

[0159] In step S2102 , the network device 102 sends instruction information to the terminal 101 .

[0160] Optionally, the indication information is used to indicate waveform information used by a link for sending downlink information.

[0161] Optionally, as shown in FIG1 , the link for sending downlink information may be link 1 .

[0162] Optionally, the waveform information indicated by the network device 102 includes: a modulation waveform used by a link for sending downlink information and / or waveform parameter information related to the modulation waveform.

[0163] In some embodiments, the waveform information includes at least one of the following:

[0164] Modulation waveform;

[0165] The length of a time domain unit in the modulating waveform;

[0166] The duration of the high-level signal in the time domain unit;

[0167] The duration of the low-level signal within the time domain unit;

[0168] The duration ratio of high-level signals to low-level signals within a time domain unit.

[0169] Optionally, the modulation waveform is an OOK waveform or a PIE waveform.

[0170] In one example, the candidate waveforms of the modulation waveform that can be defined in the protocol include an OOK waveform and a PIE waveform, and the network device 102 indicates that one of the waveforms is used for this communication according to the communication requirements.

[0171] Optionally, the time domain units occupied by each modulation waveform or the durations occupied by the high and low level signals are different. The time domain unit can be a time slot, a symbol, or a millisecond. The disclosed embodiments are described using an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol as an example of a time domain unit.

[0172] In one example, as shown in FIG2b, the OOK waveform includes data1 and data0, where data1 represents a high-level signal and data0 represents a low-level signal. The duration of data1 or the duration of data0 can be one OFDM symbol, and the symbol corresponding to data0 can also be called an OFF symbol. The duration of an OFDM symbol can have multiple possibilities. For example, when the network device 102 modulates the OOK waveform information in an OFDM manner, when the subcarrier spacing (SCS) is 15kHz, the duration of an OFDM symbol is approximately 71 microseconds (μs).

[0173] In this example, for device B and device C type terminals 101, which have energy storage devices, they can use the energy storage to work during the OOF symbol. For device A type terminal 101, the duration of the OFF symbol may be greater than its energy endurance. For example, if Manchester encoding with a code rate of 0.5 is used, there will be a maximum of two consecutive OFF symbols, with a duration of about 142μs. During the OFF symbol duration, the network device 101 does not send downlink information or the signal power of the downlink information is very low. The device A type terminal 101 may be exhausted and unable to normally receive the downlink information in the OOK waveform.

[0174] In another example, as shown in Figure 2c, the PIE waveform includes data1 and data0. Data1 includes Part 1 and Part 2, where Part 1 is a high-level signal portion and Part 2 is a low-level signal portion; data0 also includes Part 1 of a high-level signal and Part 2 of a low-level signal portion. The duration of data1 and data0 in the PIE waveform is different, and the duration of the high-level signal in the two is also different. For example, the duration of data0 can be the reference OFDM symbol duration, and the duration of data1 is greater than the reference OFDM symbol duration, such as the duration of data1 is twice the reference OFDM symbol duration. For another example, the duration of data0 and the duration of data1 are distinguished by the reference duration, but the reference duration is not the duration of the OFDM symbol, but is set to other time domain lengths, such as setting the reference duration to 36μs.

[0175] In this example, the duration of Part 2 in data1 and data0 is limited and not too long, which allows device A to remain activated during downlink reception and perform downlink reception normally.

[0176] Optionally, based on the description of the above embodiments, the OOK waveform has a higher data rate and better detection performance, and can be applied to a terminal 101 of device B or device C, but is not applicable to a terminal 101 of device A, especially when the OOK symbol is long. The PIE waveform can be applied to a terminal 101 of device A, device B, or device C. Since the high-level signal duration in the PIE waveform accounts for a large proportion, it is suitable for charging or providing energy to the terminal 101 during downlink communication. However, the data1 duration is longer and the data rate is lower than that of the OOK waveform. Moreover, since the duration of part2 is shorter, it is more susceptible to channel influences and distortion, and thus the detection performance is inferior to OOK.

[0177] Therefore, in different communication scenarios, a suitable waveform can be selected based on the characteristics of the two waveforms. For example, when the network device 102 communicates with the terminal 101 of device A type, the PIE waveform is used; when the network device 102 communicates with the terminal 101 of device B or device C type, the OOK or PIE waveform is used.

[0178] In some embodiments, information related to the waveforms in FIG. 2 b or FIG. 2 c may be determined based on instructions from the network device 102 or based on protocol definitions.

[0179] Optionally, the modulation waveform and the waveform parameters are indicated by the network device 102 .

[0180] Optionally, the protocol defines multiple groups of candidate waveform information, and the waveform information indicated by the network device 102 is one of the groups.

[0181] For example, the protocol defines the following two sets of candidate waveform information: OOK waveform and its corresponding waveform parameters, PIE waveform and its corresponding waveform parameters. The protocol defines the waveform parameters corresponding to each modulation waveform, such as defining at least one of the following items corresponding to the OOK waveform: the length of a time domain unit, the duration of a high-level signal within a time domain unit, the duration of a low-level signal within a time domain unit, and the ratio of the duration of a high-level signal to a low-level signal within a time domain unit. At this time, the indication information can only indicate the modulation waveform, and the terminal 101 can obtain other waveform parameters associated with the modulation waveform based on the indication information and the protocol.

[0182] In some embodiments, as described in the preceding embodiments, when network device 102 issues instruction information, it may be targeted at terminals 101 of specific types or capabilities. For example, when network device 102 communicates with terminals 101 of device B or device C types, it issues instruction information so that terminals 101 can obtain waveform information. However, when communicating with terminals 101 of device A type, step S2102 may be omitted, and communication with terminals 101 of device A type may default to using the OOK waveform.

[0183] Optionally, when the terminal 101 of device type A receives indication information indicating that the waveform is not supported, it may ignore reception of corresponding downlink information.

[0184] In some embodiments, the waveform information indicated by the network device 102 may be applied to unicast, multicast, or broadcast downlink information.

[0185] In some embodiments, step S2102 may include the following step S2102-1, specifically:

[0186] Step S2102-1: The network device sends a preamble sequence to the terminal, where the preamble sequence includes indication information.

[0187] Optionally, the preamble sequence is sent along with the corresponding downlink information, wherein the time domain position of the preamble sequence is before the downlink information corresponding to the preamble sequence, and the preamble sequence is sent along with the downlink information.

[0188] Optionally, the preamble sequence may be used to activate the terminal 101, such as activating a terminal 101 of device A or device B type. The activation may be signal stimulation or energy activation, so that the terminal 101 may enter a communication state.

[0189] Optionally, the preamble sequence includes a dynamic time domain unit, and the dynamic time domain unit is used to indicate waveform information.

[0190] The preamble sequence includes fixed time-domain units and dynamic time-domain units. The fixed time-domain unit includes a fixed waveform whose various waveform parameters (such as the corresponding waveform duration, the duration of high-level and low-level signals, and the duration ratio of high-level and low-level signals) remain unchanged. The duration of the dynamic time-domain unit is adjustable, and the duration of the high-level and low-level signals or the duration ratio of the high-level and low-level signals in the dynamic time-domain unit can also be adjusted. The time-domain unit can still be represented by a symbol, for example, by the dynamic symbol of the preamble sequence indicating the waveform information.

[0191] In one example, different durations of the dynamic time-domain unit indicate different waveform information.

[0192] In this example, the waveform information is indicated by the duration of the dynamic time domain unit. For example, when the duration of the dynamic time domain unit is greater than or equal to the first duration T1, the modulated waveform included in the waveform information is a PIE waveform; or, when the duration of the dynamic time domain unit is less than or equal to the second duration T2, the modulated waveform included in the waveform information is an OOK waveform; wherein the first duration is greater than the second duration.

[0193] In another example, the waveform information is the same as the waveform information corresponding to the waveform of the dynamic time-domain unit.

[0194] In this example, the leading sequence directly carries waveform information, and the waveform of its dynamic time domain unit part is the same as the modulation waveform indicated by the network device 102, and the relevant waveform parameters of the waveform of the dynamic time domain unit part are also the same as the waveform parameters indicated by the network device 102, thereby more directly indicating the waveform information.

[0195] For example, referring to Figure 2b or Figure 2c, the waveform of the dynamic time domain unit part can carry the waveform corresponding to data1 or data0. After receiving the leading sequence, the terminal 101 can determine the waveform of the dynamic time domain unit part, that is, determine the modulation waveform indicated by the network device 102.

[0196] In some embodiments, the waveform information indicated in the preamble sequence may be applied in the subsequent transmission process of the corresponding downlink information, or may be applied in the subsequent transmission processes of multiple downlink information.

[0197] In some embodiments, the network device 102 may send the indication information by broadcast, multicast, or unicast. If the indication information is sent by broadcast, the indication information may apply to all terminals 101 or devices covered by the network device; if the indication information is sent by multicast, the indication information applies to the terminals 101 or devices in the indicated group; if the indication information is sent by unicast, the indication information applies to the indicated terminal 101 or device.

[0198] In step S2103 , the terminal 101 receives downlink information sent by the network device 102 according to the waveform information.

[0199] Optionally, the waveform information may be sent by the network device 102 via indication information.

[0200] Optionally, if the network device 102 does not indicate waveform information, the waveform information may be default waveform information defined by the protocol.

[0201] For example, the default waveform information is the PIE waveform and its corresponding waveform parameters.

[0202] In some embodiments, after receiving the indication information from the network device 102 , the terminal 101 may continue to use the waveform information in the indication information for downlink reception until an indication of updated waveform information is received.

[0203] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc. are not limited to the names described in the embodiments, and terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", and "field" can be used interchangeably.

[0204] In some embodiments, "obtain", "get", "get", "receive", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be interchangeable, and can be interpreted as receiving from other entities, obtaining from protocols, obtaining from higher layers, obtaining by self-processing, autonomous implementation, etc.

[0205] In some embodiments, terms such as "send", "transmit", "report", "download", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be used interchangeably.

[0206] In some embodiments, the terms "radio", "wireless", "radio access network (RAN)", "access network (AN)", "RAN-based" and the like may be used interchangeably.

[0207] In some embodiments, terms such as "moment", "time point", "time", and "time position" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "duration", "period", "time window", "window", and "time" can be replaced with each other.

[0208] In some embodiments, the terms "component carrier (CC)", "cell", "frequency carrier", "carrier frequency" and the like can be used interchangeably.

[0209] In some embodiments, terms such as "certain", "preset", "preset", "setting", "indicated", "a certain", "any", and "first" can be interchangeable. "Specific A", "preset A", "preset A", "setting A", "indicated A", "a certain A", "any A", and "first A" can be interpreted as A pre-specified in a protocol, etc., or as A obtained through setting, configuration, or indication, etc., or as specific A, a certain A, any A, or first A, etc., but not limited to this.

[0210] In some embodiments, the determination or judgment can be performed by a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), or by a true or false value (Boolean value) represented by true or false, or by comparison of numerical values ​​(for example, comparison with a predetermined value), but is not limited thereto.

[0211] In some embodiments, "not expecting to receive" can be interpreted as not receiving on time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources, or as not performing subsequent processing on the data after receiving it; "not expecting to send" can be interpreted as not sending, or as sending but not expecting the recipient to respond to the content sent.

[0212] The method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S2101 to S2103, such as the method including step S2102.

[0213] In some embodiments, at least one of steps S2101 and S2103 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0214] In some embodiments, reference may be made to other optional implementations described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 2 a .

[0215] FIG3a is a schematic diagram of a method for sending indication information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3a, an embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a method for sending indication information, which is executed by a network device 102, and the method includes:

[0216] Step S3101, obtaining capability information.

[0217] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S3101 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2101 and will not be repeated here.

[0218] Optionally, the network device 102 may obtain capability information of the terminal 101 or other entities.

[0219] Step S3102, sending instruction information.

[0220] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S3102 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2102 and will not be repeated here.

[0221] Optionally, the network device 102 may send indication information to the terminal 101 or other entities.

[0222] The method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S3101 to S3102, such as the method including step S3102.

[0223] In some embodiments, reference may be made to other optional implementations described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 3 a .

[0224] FIG3b is a schematic diagram of a method for sending indication information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3b, an embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a method for sending indication information, which is executed by the network device 102, and the method includes:

[0225] Step S3201, sending instruction information to terminal 101.

[0226] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S3201 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2102 and will not be repeated here.

[0227] Optionally, the indication information is used to indicate waveform information used by a link for sending downlink information, and the terminal is an Ambient IOT device that obtains energy from the environment.

[0228] In some embodiments, the waveform information includes at least one of the following:

[0229] Modulation waveform;

[0230] The length of a time domain unit in the modulating waveform;

[0231] The duration of the high-level signal in the time domain unit;

[0232] The duration of the low-level signal within the time domain unit;

[0233] The duration ratio of high-level signals to low-level signals within a time domain unit.

[0234] Optionally, the modulation waveform is a binary on-off keying (OOK) waveform or a pulse width encoding (PIE) waveform.

[0235] In some embodiments, the waveform information is one of multiple sets of candidate waveform information defined by a protocol.

[0236] In some embodiments, the network device sends instruction information to the terminal, including:

[0237] The network device sends a preamble sequence to the terminal, where the preamble sequence includes indication information, wherein the preamble sequence is sent along with corresponding downlink information.

[0238] Optionally, the preamble sequence includes a dynamic time domain unit, and the dynamic time domain unit is used to indicate waveform information.

[0239] Optionally, different durations of the dynamic time domain unit may indicate different waveform information.

[0240] Optionally, when the duration of the dynamic time domain unit is greater than or equal to the first duration, the modulation waveform included in the waveform information is a PIE waveform; or,

[0241] When the duration of the dynamic time domain unit is less than or equal to the second duration, the modulation waveform included in the waveform information is an OOK waveform; wherein the first duration is greater than the second duration.

[0242] Optionally, the waveform information is the same as the waveform information corresponding to the waveform of the dynamic time domain unit.

[0243] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0244] The network device receives capability information sent by the terminal, where the capability information is used to indicate waveform information supported by the terminal; or,

[0245] Network devices obtain capability information from core network devices.

[0246] In some embodiments, reference may be made to other optional implementations described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 3 b .

[0247] FIG4a is a schematic diagram of a method for receiving indication information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG4a, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a method for receiving indication information, which is executed by terminal 101 and includes:

[0248] Step S4101: Send capability information.

[0249] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S4101 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2101 and will not be repeated here.

[0250] Optionally, the terminal 101 may send capability information to the network device 102 or other entities.

[0251] Step S4102, obtain instruction information.

[0252] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S4102 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2102 and will not be repeated here.

[0253] Optionally, the terminal 101 may obtain indication information from the network device 102 or other entities.

[0254] Step S4103: Receive downlink information sent by the network device 102 according to the waveform information.

[0255] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S4103 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2103 and will not be repeated here.

[0256] The method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S4101 to S4103, such as the method including step S4102.

[0257] In some embodiments, reference may be made to other optional implementations described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 4 a .

[0258] FIG4b is a schematic diagram of a method for receiving indication information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG4b, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a method for receiving indication information, which is executed by terminal 101, and the method includes:

[0259] Step S4201: Receive instruction information sent by the network device.

[0260] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S4201 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2102 and will not be repeated here.

[0261] Optionally, the indication information is used to indicate waveform information used by a link for sending downlink information, and the terminal is an Ambient IOT device.

[0262] In some embodiments, the waveform information includes at least one of the following:

[0263] Modulation waveform;

[0264] The length of a time domain unit in the modulating waveform;

[0265] The duration of the high-level signal in the time domain unit;

[0266] The duration of the low-level signal within the time domain unit;

[0267] The duration ratio of high-level signals to low-level signals within a time domain unit.

[0268] Optionally, the modulation waveform is an OOK waveform or a PIE waveform.

[0269] In some embodiments, the waveform information is one of multiple sets of candidate waveform information defined by a protocol.

[0270] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0271] The terminal receives downlink information sent by the network device according to the waveform information; or,

[0272] The terminal receives the downlink information sent by the network device according to the default waveform information defined by the protocol.

[0273] In some embodiments, the terminal receives the indication information sent by the network device, including:

[0274] The terminal receives a preamble sequence sent by a network device, where the preamble sequence includes indication information, wherein the preamble sequence is sent along with corresponding downlink information.

[0275] Optionally, the preamble sequence includes a dynamic time domain unit, and the dynamic time domain unit is used to indicate waveform information.

[0276] Optionally, different durations of the dynamic time domain unit may indicate different waveform information.

[0277] Optionally, when the duration of the dynamic time domain unit is greater than or equal to the first duration, the modulation waveform included in the waveform information is a PIE waveform; or,

[0278] When the duration of the dynamic time domain unit is less than or equal to the second duration, the modulation waveform included in the waveform information is an OOK waveform;

[0279] Among them, the first duration is greater than the second duration.

[0280] Optionally, the waveform information is the same as the waveform information corresponding to the waveform of the dynamic time domain unit.

[0281] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0282] The terminal sends capability information to the network device, where the capability information is used to indicate waveform information supported by the terminal.

[0283] In some embodiments, reference may be made to other optional implementations described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 4 b .

[0284] The present disclosure provides a method for determining the waveform used by a downlink information transmission link in an Ambient IoT. To facilitate understanding of the present disclosure, the following examples are provided:

[0285] Example 1:

[0286] The network instructs the device to use a waveform for a downlink information transmission link, wherein the waveform is one of multiple waveforms supported by the protocol for the downlink information transmission link.

[0287] Optionally, the network may indicate to device B or device C the waveform to use for downlink information transmission. Specifically, for unicast, multicast, or broadcast downlink information, if the target recipient of the downlink information is device B or device C, the network may indicate the waveform to use for downlink information transmission. The waveform is one of multiple waveforms defined by the protocol for downlink information transmission links. The multiple waveforms defined by the protocol for downlink information transmission links may include OOK waveforms and PIE waveforms.

[0288] Optionally, Device A can use only protocol-defined waveforms, and the network does not need to indicate the waveform to be used for downlink information sent by Device A. That is, for unicast, multicast, or broadcast downlink information, if the target recipient is a device of type Device A, the network does not need to indicate the waveform to be used for the downlink information. In other words, if a device of type Device A receives an indication of an unsupported waveform, it will ignore the reception of the downlink information.

[0289] Optionally, the waveform information indicated by the network also includes parameter information under a specific waveform. For example, if the network indicates the use of a PIE waveform, it is also necessary to indicate the low-level duration and high-level duration in a symbol in the PIE waveform or the symbol duration and the (high) low-level duration ratio. If the network indicates the use of an OOK waveform, it is also necessary to indicate the duration of the OOK symbol. Optionally, the parameter information of each waveform may also be a unique value defined by the protocol.

[0290] Optionally, the network may send the waveform information in a preamble that accompanies the downlink information. The waveform information indicated in the preamble can be used in subsequent downlink information transmissions or in multiple subsequent downlink information transmissions. A preamble is a leading sequence that precedes the downlink information in the time domain and is sent along with the downlink information. A preamble can be used to activate a device (particularly, to activate device A or device B).

[0291] Optionally, the preamble includes some fixed time-domain symbols and some dynamically adjustable time-domain symbols (e.g., symbols with variable duration and a variable ratio of high-level to low-level durations). The dynamic time-domain symbols in the preamble can carry information indicating waveforms. For example, if the time-domain symbol duration is greater than or equal to T1, a PIE waveform is used; if the time-domain symbol duration is less than or equal to T2, an OOK waveform is used.

[0292] Optionally, the preamble can directly carry the waveform used by data 0 or data 1. After receiving the preamble, the device can directly determine the waveform corresponding to data 0 or data 1.

[0293] Optionally, after receiving the waveform indication from the network, the device will continue to receive downlink information using the original waveform until it receives a new waveform indication to change it.

[0294] Example 2:

[0295] The protocol defines the default waveform for downlink information transmission links. For example, the default waveform is defined as PIE.

[0296] Optionally, if the device does not receive the waveform of the downlink information sending link indicated by the network, the device considers that the downlink information sending link uses a default waveform.

[0297] Example 3:

[0298] In the above example, the OOK waveform can be used in the Ambient IoT downlink, but it may not be suitable for device A. For example, the base station generates OOK information using OFDM signal modulation. Under the condition of SCS = 15kHz, the length of an OOK symbol is approximately 71us. If Manchester coding with a code rate of 0.5 is used, the maximum number of consecutive OFF symbols is two, lasting approximately 142us. Because during the OFF period, the DSN (network device 102) does not transmit downlink signals to the device or transmits very low signal power, the ambient IoT device type A is likely to run out of energy during the OFF period and be unable to properly receive downlink information.

[0299] Optionally, the OOK waveform can be applied to devices B and C. Since devices B and C have energy storage devices, they can also use the energy storage to operate normally during the OOK OFF symbol period.

[0300] Optionally, the OOK waveform may refer to that shown in FIG2b.

[0301] In the above example, the PIE waveform can carry information through different pulse durations. As shown in Figure 2c, the time-domain pulse waveforms corresponding to Data 0 and Data 1 both contain Part 1 and Part 2, where Part 1 is the high-level signal portion and Part 2 is the low-level signal portion. Typically, the duration of Part 2 needs to be limited and cannot be too long to ensure that Device A remains active during downlink reception.

[0302] Optionally, the symbol durations of Data 0 and Data 1 are different, and the durations of the corresponding high-level pulses are also different.

[0303] Optionally, with the OFDM symbol duration as a reference, the OFDM symbol duration is set as the reference duration, the OOK symbol duration and the data 0 symbol duration in the PIE waveform are equal to the reference duration, and the data 1 symbol duration is greater than the reference duration (for example, equal to 2 times the reference duration). Alternatively, instead of using the OFDM symbol duration as the reference duration, other time domain lengths can be set as the reference duration. For example, the reference duration can be set to 36us, which is not associated with the OFDM symbol duration.

[0304] Optionally, different waveforms are used in different communication scenarios. When the network side communicates with device type A, the PIE waveform is used, and when the network side communicates with device type B / C, the OOK waveform is used.

[0305] The characteristics of the two waveforms can be found in the table below:

[0306] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a terminal in any of the above methods. For another example, another apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network function node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0307] It should be understood that the division of the various units or modules in the above device is merely a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they may be fully or partially integrated into a physical entity, or they may be physically separated. In addition, the units or modules in the device may be implemented in the form of a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor, the processor is connected to a memory, and the memory stores instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or implement the functions of the various units or modules of the above device, wherein the processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory within the device or a memory outside the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits, and the functions of some or all of the units or modules can be realized by designing the hardware circuits. The above-mentioned hardware circuits can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which realizes the functions of some or all of the above units or modules by designing the logical relationship of the components in the circuit; for example, in another implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit can be realized by a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by configuring the configuration file, thereby realizing the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. All units or modules of the above devices can be realized in the form of software called by the processor, or in the form of hardware circuits, or in part by the form of software called by the processor, and the rest by hardware circuits.

[0308] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and execution capabilities, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationship of the hardware circuit. The logical relationship of the above-mentioned hardware circuit is fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and implementing the hardware circuit configuration can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), etc.

[0309] Figure 5a is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 5a, terminal 5100 may include at least one of a transceiver module 5101 and a processing module 5102. In some embodiments, transceiver module 5101 is configured to receive indication information sent by a network device, indicating the waveform information used by the link for transmitting downlink information. The terminal is an ambient IoT device.

[0310] Optionally, the transceiver module 5101 is configured to execute at least one of the communication steps of sending and / or receiving performed by the terminal 101 in any of the above methods, which are not described in detail here. Optionally, the processing module 5102 is configured to execute at least one of the other steps performed by the terminal 101 in any of the above methods, which are not described in detail here.

[0311] Alternatively, the transceiver module 5101 is configured to receive first information sent by a relay device, where the first information includes access information of the relay device, and the terminal is an Internet of Things terminal that obtains energy from the environment.

[0312] FIG5 b is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG5 b , the network device 5200 may include at least one of a transceiver module 5201 and a processing module 5202 .

[0313] In some embodiments, when the network device 5200 is a network device, the above-mentioned transceiver module 5201 is used to send indication information to the terminal, the indication information is used to indicate the waveform information used by the link for sending downlink information, and the terminal is an Ambient IOT device that obtains energy from the environment.

[0314] Optionally, the transceiver module 5201 is configured to execute at least one of the communication steps of sending and / or receiving performed by the network device in any of the above methods, which are not described in detail here. Optionally, the processing module 5202 is configured to execute at least one of the other steps performed by the network device 102 in any of the above methods, which are not described in detail here.

[0315] In some embodiments, the transceiver module may include a transmitting module and / or a receiving module, and the transmitting module and the receiving module may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the transceiver module may be interchangeable with the transceiver.

[0316] In some embodiments, the processing module can be a single module or can include multiple submodules. Optionally, the multiple submodules respectively execute all or part of the steps required to be executed by the processing module. Optionally, the processing module can be interchangeable with the processor.

[0317] Figure 6a is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 6100 proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Communication device 6100 can be a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network device, etc.), a terminal (e.g., a user equipment, etc.), a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports a network device implementing any of the above methods, or a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports a terminal implementing any of the above methods. Communication device 6100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiments.

[0318] As shown in Figure 6a, the communication device 6100 includes one or more processors 6101. The processor 6101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device (such as a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. Optionally, the communication device 6100 is used to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, one or more processors 6101 are used to call instructions to enable the communication device 6100 to perform any of the above methods.

[0319] In some embodiments, the communication device 6100 further includes one or more transceivers 6102. When the communication device 6100 includes one or more transceivers 6102, the transceiver 6102 performs at least one of the communication steps, such as sending and / or receiving, in the above-described method, and the processor 6101 performs at least one of the other steps. In an optional embodiment, the transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, and the receiver and transmitter may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, interface circuit, and interface may be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, and transmitting circuit may be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, and receiving circuit may be used interchangeably.

[0320] In some embodiments, the communication device 6100 further includes one or more memories 6103 for storing data. Alternatively, all or part of the memories 6103 may be located outside the communication device 6100. In alternative embodiments, the communication device 6100 may include one or more interface circuits 6104. Optionally, the interface circuits 6104 are connected to the memories 6103 and may be configured to receive data from the memories 6103 or other devices, or to send data to the memories 6103 or other devices. For example, the interface circuits 6104 may read data stored in the memories 6103 and send the data to the processor 6101.

[0321] The communication device 6100 described in the above embodiment may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 6100 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 6100 may not be limited by FIG. 6a. The communication device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: 1) an independent integrated circuit IC, or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the above IC collection may also include a storage component for storing data or programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, an intelligent terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handheld device, a mobile unit, an in-vehicle device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0322] FIG6b is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip 6200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. If the communication device 6100 can be a chip or a chip system, reference can be made to the schematic diagram of the structure of the chip 6200 shown in FIG6b , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0323] The chip 6200 includes one or more processors 6201. The chip 6200 is configured to execute any of the above methods.

[0324] In some embodiments, chip 6200 further includes one or more interface circuits 6202. Terms such as interface circuit, interface, and transceiver pins may be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, chip 6200 further includes one or more memories 6203 for storing data. Alternatively, all or part of memory 6203 may be located external to chip 6200. Optionally, interface circuit 6202 is connected to memory 6203 and may be used to receive data from memory 6203 or other devices, or may be used to send data to memory 6203 or other devices. For example, interface circuit 6202 may read data stored in memory 6203 and send the data to processor 6201.

[0325] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 6202 performs at least one of the communication steps, such as sending and / or receiving, in the above-described method. For example, the interface circuit 6202 performing the communication steps, such as sending and / or receiving, in the above-described method means that the interface circuit 6202 performs data exchange between the processor 6201, the chip 6200, the memory 6203, or the transceiver device. In some embodiments, the processor 6201 performs at least one of the other steps.

[0326] The modules and / or devices described in various embodiments, such as virtual devices, physical devices, and chips, can be arbitrarily combined or separated according to circumstances. Optionally, some or all steps can also be performed collaboratively by multiple modules and / or devices, which is not limited here.

[0327] The present disclosure also proposes a storage medium having instructions stored thereon. When the instructions are executed on the communication device 6100, the communication device 6100 executes any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a transient storage medium.

[0328] The present disclosure also provides a program product, which, when executed by the communication device 6100, enables the communication device 6100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0329] The present disclosure also proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform any one of the above methods. Industrial Applicability

[0330] The network device sends an indication message to indicate to the terminal the waveform information to be used for sending downlink information, so that the terminal can receive downlink information based on the indicated waveform information, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of downlink reception.

Claims

1. A method for sending indication information, the method comprising: A network device sends indication information to a terminal, where the indication information is used to indicate waveform information used by a link for sending downlink information, and the terminal is an Ambient Internet of Things (IOT) device that obtains energy from the environment.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The waveform information includes at least one of the following: A modulation waveform; The length of a time domain unit in the modulation waveform; The duration of a high-level signal within the time domain unit; The duration of a low-level signal within the time domain unit; The duration ratio of the high-level signal to the low-level signal within the time domain unit.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The modulation waveform is a binary on-off keying (OOK) waveform or a pulse width encoding (PIE) waveform.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The waveform information is one of multiple groups of candidate waveform information defined by the protocol.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The network device sending the indication information to the terminal includes: The network device sends a preamble sequence to the terminal, where the preamble sequence includes the indication information, and the preamble sequence is sent along with the corresponding downlink information.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein The preamble sequence includes a dynamic time domain unit, and the dynamic time domain unit is used to indicate the waveform information.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein When the durations of the dynamic time domain units are different, the indicated waveform information is different.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein When the duration of the dynamic time domain unit is greater than or equal to a first duration, the modulation waveform included in the waveform information is a PIE waveform; or When the duration of the dynamic time domain unit is less than or equal to a second duration, the modulation waveform included in the waveform information is an OOK waveform; where the first duration is greater than the second duration.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein The waveform information is the same as the waveform information corresponding to the waveform of the dynamic time domain unit.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, The method further includes: The network device receives capability information sent by the terminal, where the capability information is used to indicate the waveform information supported by the terminal; or The network device obtains the capability information from a core network device.

11. A method for receiving indication information, the method comprising: A terminal receives indication information sent by a network device, where the indication information is used to indicate waveform information used by a link for sending downlink information, and the terminal is an Ambient IOT device.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The waveform information includes at least one of the following: A modulation waveform; The length of a time domain unit in the modulation waveform; The duration of a high-level signal within the time domain unit; The duration of a low-level signal within the time domain unit; The duration ratio of the high-level signal to the low-level signal within the time domain unit.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein The modulation waveform is an OOK waveform or a PIE waveform.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein The waveform information is one of multiple groups of candidate waveform information defined by the protocol.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The method further includes: The terminal receives downlink information sent by the network device according to the waveform information; or The terminal receives the downlink information sent by the network device according to the default waveform information defined by the protocol.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The terminal receives the indication information sent by the network device, including: The terminal receives the preamble sequence sent by the network device, and the preamble sequence includes the indication information, where The preamble sequence is sent along with the corresponding downlink information.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein The preamble sequence includes a dynamic time domain unit, and the dynamic time domain unit is used to indicate the waveform information.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein The waveform information indicated by the dynamic time domain unit is different when the duration of the dynamic time domain unit is different.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein When the duration of the dynamic time domain unit is greater than or equal to a first duration, the modulation waveform included in the waveform information is a PIE waveform; or, When the duration of the dynamic time domain unit is less than or equal to a second duration, the modulation waveform included in the waveform information is an OOK waveform; Wherein, the first duration is greater than the second duration.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein The waveform information is the same as the waveform information corresponding to the waveform of the dynamic time domain unit.

21. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 20, wherein The method further includes: The terminal sends capability information to the network device, and the capability information is used to indicate the waveform information supported by the terminal.

22. A network device, including: A transceiver module, configured to send indication information to a terminal, where the indication information is used to indicate the waveform information used by the link for sending downlink information, and the terminal is an Internet of Things Ambient IOT device that obtains energy from the environment.

23. A terminal, including: A transceiver module, configured to receive the indication information sent by the network device, where the indication information is used to indicate the waveform information used by the link for sending downlink information, and the terminal is an Ambient IOT device.

24. A network device, including: One or more processors; Wherein, the network device is configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

25. A terminal, including: One or more processors; Wherein, the terminal is configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 11 to 21.

26. A communication system, including a terminal and a network device, wherein The network device is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10; The terminal is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 11 to 21.

27. A storage medium, wherein the storage medium stores instructions, and When the instructions run on a communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or 11 to 21.

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