Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, which are applied in the technical field of communications. The method comprises: a first communication apparatus receiving a first signal, and sending first information to a second communication apparatus on the basis of the first signal, wherein the first signal is used for sensing, the second communication apparatus is a communication apparatus for performing sensing, and the first information is used for assisting with sensing. In the embodiments of the present application, a first communication apparatus sends first information to a second communication apparatus on the basis of a first signal, so that the second communication apparatus can take more information into consideration (i.e., taking the first information into consideration) when performing sensing processing on the basis of an echo signal of the first signal, wherein the first information is related to the first signal. Compared with the solution of a second communication apparatus performing sensing processing on the basis of an echo signal of a first signal only, the embodiments of the present application are conductive to improving the sensing performance.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on February 4, 2024, with application number 202410167209.0 and application name "A Communication Method and Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and device. Background Art

[0004] As fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication systems evolve towards 5G-advanced (5G-A) technology, integrated communication and perception technology is considered one of the key technologies for expanding the service capabilities of mobile communication networks. The core concept of this integrated communication and perception technology is to add perception capabilities to mobile communication networks, building capabilities such as target detection, tracking, and imaging. This allows communication and perception capabilities to coexist harmoniously and benefit from each other within a single network. The principle of perception technology is that a transmitting device sends radio waves (i.e., perception signals) in a specific direction. When these radio waves strike the surface of a perceived target, they generate reflected radio waves (i.e., echo signals of the perception signals). The receiving device then receives and processes these reflected waves to obtain perception data, such as the target's location, velocity, or type. Improving perception performance is currently a key research topic. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus for considering more information when performing perception processing based on an echo signal of a perception signal, which is beneficial to improving perception performance.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a first communication device, or can also be performed by a device including the first communication device, or can also be performed by a chip system (or, chip) or other functional module, which can implement the functions of the first communication device, for example, the chip system or functional module is set in the first communication device. For example, the first communication device can be a network device, or it can also be a terminal device, without limitation.

[0007] Taking a first communication device as an example, the method may include: the first communication device receiving a first signal, and sending first information to a second communication device based on the first signal. The first signal is used for sensing, and the second communication device is a communication device used to perform sensing. The first information is used to assist in sensing, or the first information is used to assist the second communication device in performing sensing.

[0008] Alternatively, a first communication device receives a first signal, determines a first resource, and sends first information to a second communication device based on the first signal. The first signal is used for sensing, the first information occupies the first resource, and the second communication device is a communication device that performs sensing. The first information is used to assist in sensing, or the first information is used to assist the second communication device in performing sensing.

[0009] In the above embodiment, the first communication device sends the first information to the second communication device based on the first signal, so that the second communication device can consider more information (i.e., the first information) when performing perception processing based on the echo signal of the first signal. The first information is related to the first signal. For example, the first information can reflect the communication environment of the first signal, which helps the second communication device perform perception processing. Therefore, compared to a solution in which the second communication device performs perception processing based only on the echo signal of the first signal, the embodiment of the present application is conducive to improving perception performance.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the first information may occupy a first resource. In the time domain, the first resource belongs to the first time unit that is at least one time unit later. The at least one time unit may be the time unit occupied by the first signal, allowing the first communication device to promptly feedback the first information and reduce signal interference between feedback information. Alternatively, the at least one time unit may be a coherent processing interval, which includes the time unit occupied by the first signal, thereby reducing resource overhead.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the first time unit may be the first time unit after at least one time unit, or the first time unit may be the second time unit after at least one time unit. For example, a time unit may be a time slot. With this implementation, the first communication device can provide feedback of the first information in a timely manner.

[0012] In one possible implementation, a first communication device may determine a first resource for carrying the first information. For example, the first communication device may receive second information from a third communication device, and the second information may be used to indicate the first resource. In this implementation, the first resource may be determined by the first communication device itself or by another communication device, providing flexibility in implementation.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the second information may also be used to indicate that the first resource is associated with the first signal, so that the first communication device can determine which time domain resources the first resource is used to carry information associated with the first signal.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the first information may include received power information corresponding to the first signal, or transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal, or both received power information and transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal. Both received power and transmission delay can reflect the communication environment of the first signal. This allows the second communication device to consider more environmental information when acquiring perception data based on the echo signal of the first signal, thereby improving perception performance.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the first signal may reach the first communication device via multiple transmission paths, and the received power information corresponding to the first signal may include: the received power of the first signal on at least one transmission path, where the at least one transmission path is a transmission path among the multiple transmission paths having a received power greater than or equal to a first threshold; or the received power of the first signal on N transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths, where N is a positive integer. Optionally, the first threshold may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation. N may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the first signal may reach the first communication device via multiple transmission paths. The transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal may include: the transmission delay of the first signal on at least one transmission path, where the at least one transmission path is a transmission path among the multiple transmission paths having a received power greater than or equal to a second threshold; or the transmission delay of the first signal on M transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths, where M is a positive integer. Optionally, the second threshold may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation. M may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation.

[0017] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a second communication device, or can also be performed by a device including the second communication device, or can also be performed by a chip system (or, chip) or other functional module, which can implement the functions of the second communication device, for example, the chip system or functional module is set in the second communication device. For example, the second communication device can be a network device, or it can also be a terminal device, without limitation.

[0018] Taking a second communication device as an example, the method may include: the second communication device receiving an echo signal of a first signal, receiving first information from the first communication device, and performing perception processing based on the echo signal of the first signal and the first information. The first information is used to assist perception, or the first information is used to assist the second communication device in performing perception.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the first information may occupy a first resource. The first resource belongs to the first time unit after at least one time unit in the time domain, where the at least one time unit is the time unit occupied by the first signal, or the at least one time unit is a coherent processing interval, and the coherent processing interval includes the time unit occupied by the first signal. For example, the first time unit may be the first time unit after the at least one time unit, or the first time unit may be the second time unit after the at least one time unit. For example, a time unit may be a time slot.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the first information may occupy a first resource, and the second communication device may also send second information to the first communication device; alternatively, the second communication device may also receive second information from a third communication device. The second information indicates the first resource. In other words, the first resource may be configured by the second communication device or the third communication device, providing flexibility in implementation.

[0021] In a possible implementation manner, the second information may also be used to indicate that the first resource is associated with the first signal.

[0022] In a possible implementation manner, the second communication device may further send the first signal.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the first information may include reception power information corresponding to the first signal, or transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal, or both reception power information corresponding to the first signal and transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the first signal may reach the first communication device via multiple transmission paths, and the received power information corresponding to the first signal may include: the received power of the first signal on at least one transmission path, where the at least one transmission path is a transmission path among the multiple transmission paths having a received power greater than or equal to a first threshold; or the received power of the first signal on N transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths, where N is a positive integer. Optionally, the first threshold may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation. N may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the first signal may reach the first communication device via multiple transmission paths. The transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal may include: the transmission delay of the first signal on at least one transmission path, where the at least one transmission path is a transmission path among the multiple transmission paths having a received power greater than or equal to a second threshold; or the transmission delay of the first signal on M transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths, where M is a positive integer. Optionally, the second threshold may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation. M may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation.

[0026] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a third communication device, or can also be performed by a device including the third communication device, or can also be performed by a chip system (or, chip) or other functional module, which can implement the functions of the third communication device, for example, the chip system or functional module is set in the third communication device. For example, the third communication device can be a network device, or it can also be a terminal device, without limitation.

[0027] Taking the third communication device as the execution subject as an example, the method may include: the third communication device sends second information, the second information is used to indicate the first resource, the first resource is used to carry the first information, and the first information is used to assist perception.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the second information may also be used to indicate that the first resource is associated with the first signal, and the first signal is used for perception.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the first information may occupy a first resource. The first resource belongs to the first time unit after at least one time unit in the time domain, where the at least one time unit is the time unit occupied by the first signal, or the at least one time unit is a coherent processing interval, and the coherent processing interval includes the time unit occupied by the first signal. For example, the first time unit may be the first time unit after the at least one time unit, or the first time unit may be the second time unit after the at least one time unit. For example, a time unit may be a time slot.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the third communication device may further send a first signal, where the first signal is used for sensing.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the first information may include reception power information corresponding to the first signal, or transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal, or both reception power information corresponding to the first signal and transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the first signal may reach the first communication device via multiple transmission paths, and the received power information corresponding to the first signal may include: the received power of the first signal on at least one transmission path, where the at least one transmission path is a transmission path among the multiple transmission paths having a received power greater than or equal to a first threshold; or the received power of the first signal on N transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths, where N is a positive integer. Optionally, the first threshold may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation. N may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the first signal may reach the first communication device via multiple transmission paths. The transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal may include: the transmission delay of the first signal on at least one transmission path, where the at least one transmission path is a transmission path among the multiple transmission paths having a received power greater than or equal to a second threshold; or the transmission delay of the first signal on M transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths, where M is a positive integer. Optionally, the second threshold may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation. M may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation.

[0034] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which can be used to execute the method described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof. The communication device can be, for example, a first communication device.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the communication device may include a baseband device and a radio frequency device.

[0036] In another possible implementation, the communication device may include a processing module (sometimes also referred to as a processing unit) and a transceiver module (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver unit). The transceiver module can implement both sending and receiving functions. When the transceiver module implements the sending function, it may be referred to as a sending module (sometimes also referred to as a sending unit); when the transceiver module implements the receiving function, it may be referred to as a receiving module (sometimes also referred to as a receiving unit). The sending module and the receiving module may be the same functional module, referred to as a transceiver module, which is capable of both sending and receiving functions; alternatively, the sending module and the receiving module may be different functional modules, with the transceiver module being a general term for these functional modules.

[0037] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which can be used to execute the method described in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof. The communication device can be, for example, the second communication device.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the communication device may include a baseband device and a radio frequency device.

[0039] In another possible implementation, the communication device may include a processing module (sometimes also referred to as a processing unit) and a transceiver module (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver unit). The transceiver module can implement both sending and receiving functions. When the transceiver module implements the sending function, it may be referred to as a sending module (sometimes also referred to as a sending unit); when the transceiver module implements the receiving function, it may be referred to as a receiving module (sometimes also referred to as a receiving unit). The sending module and the receiving module may be the same functional module, referred to as a transceiver module, which is capable of both sending and receiving functions; alternatively, the sending module and the receiving module may be different functional modules, with the transceiver module being a general term for these functional modules.

[0040] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which can be used to execute the method described in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof. The communication device can be, for example, a third communication device.

[0041] In a possible implementation, the communication device may include a baseband device and a radio frequency device.

[0042] In another possible implementation, the communication device may include a processing module (sometimes also referred to as a processing unit) and a transceiver module (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver unit). The transceiver module can implement both sending and receiving functions. When the transceiver module implements the sending function, it may be referred to as a sending module (sometimes also referred to as a sending unit); when the transceiver module implements the receiving function, it may be referred to as a receiving module (sometimes also referred to as a receiving unit). The sending module and the receiving module may be the same functional module, referred to as a transceiver module, which is capable of both sending and receiving functions; alternatively, the sending module and the receiving module may be different functional modules, with the transceiver module being a general term for these functional modules.

[0043] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which includes one or more of the following: the communication device described in the fourth aspect, the communication device described in the fifth aspect, or the communication device described in the sixth aspect.

[0044] In an eighth aspect, the present application further provides a communication device. The communication device may include one or more processors. Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory. The memory is configured to store one or more computer programs or instructions. The one or more processors are configured to execute the one or more computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, so that the communication device performs the method described in any one of the first to third aspects above and any possible implementation thereof.

[0045] In the ninth aspect, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which is used to store a computer program. When the computer program is run on a computer, the computer executes the method described in any one of the first to third aspects above and any possible implementation thereof.

[0046] In the tenth aspect, the present application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program. When the computer program is run on a computer, it enables the computer to execute the method described in any one of the first to third aspects above and any possible implementation method thereof.

[0047] The technical effects that can be achieved by the above-mentioned second to tenth aspects and any possible implementation methods thereof may refer to the technical effects that can be achieved by the above-mentioned first aspect and any possible implementation methods thereof, and no repetition will be given. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of a communication system;

[0049] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a communication-awareness integration scenario;

[0050] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a perception scenario;

[0051] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a sensing signal being transmitted through multiple transmission paths;

[0052] FIG5 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of time domain resources occupied by first information provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of time domain resources occupied by first information provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of time domain resources occupied by first information provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG9 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0061] The network architecture and business scenarios described in this application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application. Ordinary technicians in this field will know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0062] In the embodiments of the present application, "multiple" may refer to two or more. In view of this, in the embodiments of the present application, "multiple" may also be understood as "at least two". "At least one" may be understood as one or more, for example, one, two or more. For example, "including at least one" means including one, two or more. For example, including at least one of A, B and C, then included may be A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A, B and C. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects. Specifically, there may be three relationships. For example, A and / or B may represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / ", unless otherwise specified, generally indicates that the previous and subsequent associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0063] In addition, the terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present application may be used interchangeably, and "according to" and "based on" may be used interchangeably.

[0064] In the embodiments of this application, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" are generally used to distinguish different objects and are not used to define the order, timing, priority, or importance of multiple objects. For example, in the embodiments of this application, the first communication device, the second communication device, the third communication device, and the fourth communication device are used to distinguish four communication devices and do not define the priority or importance of these four communication devices.

[0065] The embodiments of the present application will be presented around a system including multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood that the system may include other devices, components, modules, etc. not mentioned, or may only include some of the devices, components, or modules, etc. mentioned in the embodiments.

[0066] The following first introduces a communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable.

[0067] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example, universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), wireless local area network (WLAN), short-range wireless communication systems (such as sidelink, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, etc.), wired networks, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, Internet of Vehicles communication systems, 4th generation (4G) mobile communication systems (such as long term evolution (LTE) systems), LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, fifth generation (5G) mobile communication systems (such as new radio (NR) systems), future communication systems (such as sixth generation (6G) systems), and the like. The present invention relates to a mobile communication system (generation, 6G) or other similar communication systems, without limitation. The embodiments of the present application are described using the communication system shown in FIG1 as an example. When the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application are applied to other communication systems, the devices, components, modules, etc. in the embodiments can be replaced with corresponding devices, components, modules in other communication systems without limitation.

[0068] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system used in the embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes an access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system may also include the Internet 300. The access network 100 may include at least one radio access network (RAN) node, such as 110a and 110b in Figure 1, and may also include at least one terminal device, such as 120a-120j in Figure 1. 110a is a base station, 110b is a micro station, 120a, 120e, 120f, and 120j are mobile phones, 120b is a car, 120c is a gas pump, 120d is a home access point (HAP) arranged indoors or outdoors, 120g is a laptop, 120h is a printer, and 120i is a drone. The same terminal device or network device can provide different functions in different application scenarios. For example, in FIG1 , there are mobile phones 120 a , 120 e , 120 f , and 120 j . Mobile phone 120 a can access base station 110 a , connect to car 120 b , communicate directly with mobile phone 120 e , and access HAP. Car 120 b can access HAP and communicate directly with mobile phone 120 a . Mobile phone 120 f can access micro station 110 b , connect to laptop computer 120 g , and connect to printer 120 h . Mobile phone 120 j can control drone 120 i .

[0069] A network device is a network-side device with wireless transceiver functions. The network device may be a device in a radio access network (RAN) that provides wireless communication functions for terminal devices, referred to as a RAN device; or the network device may also be a core network device. For ease of understanding, the following description takes the network device as a RAN device as an example. The RAN may be an access network in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4G, 5G, or the future-oriented 6G network. The RAN may also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a communication network of two or more of the above networks. The RAN device may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, an access node in a Wi-Fi system, a wireless relay node, or a wireless backhaul node, etc.

[0070] The RAN device can also be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of the base station, for example, it can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). The CU here performs the functions of the radio resource control protocol and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also perform the function of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU performs the functions of the radio link control layer and medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also perform some or all of the physical layer functions. For detailed descriptions of the above-mentioned protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can be included in the same network element, such as the baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). In different systems, CU, DU or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, and RU may also be called O-RU. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. The network device may be a macro base station (such as 110a in Figure 1), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in Figure 1), a relay node or a donor node, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device.

[0071] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the network device may be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the network device, or by a control subsystem that includes the network device functions. The control subsystem that includes the network device functions may be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, and smart city.

[0072] A terminal device is a user-side device with wireless transceiver capabilities. A terminal device may also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), user terminal, user device, user unit, user station, access terminal, access station, UE station, remote station, wireless communication device, mobile station, or mobile terminal. Terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as D2D communication, V2X communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication or machine-type communication (MTC), the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, self-driving, remote medical, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, and smart city. Terminal devices can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, and more.

[0073] In the embodiments of the present application, the apparatus for implementing the functions of the terminal device may be the terminal device, or may be an apparatus capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing the functions, such as a chip system or a combination of devices or components capable of implementing the functions of the terminal device, and the apparatus may be installed in the terminal device. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology or specific device form adopted by the terminal device.

[0074] Network devices and terminal devices can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water; and in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of network devices and terminal devices.

[0075] Network devices and terminal devices can communicate via an air interface protocol. The air interface can be referred to as an air interface. Network devices can communicate with each other via an interface protocol between network devices. Terminal devices can communicate with each other via an interface protocol between terminal devices. Network devices and terminal devices, network devices and network devices, and terminal devices can communicate via licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both, without limitation.

[0076] The roles of network devices and terminal devices can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile network device. To terminal devices 120j accessing the wireless access network 100 via 120i, terminal device 120i is a network device. However, to network device 110a, 120i is a terminal device, meaning that communication between 110a and 120i occurs via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, communication between 110a and 120i can also occur via an interface protocol between network devices. In this case, 120i is also a network device relative to 110a. Therefore, both network devices and terminal devices can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with network device functionality, while 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with terminal device functionality.

[0077] Next, the technical features involved in the embodiments of this application are introduced.

[0078] As 5G mobile communication systems evolve towards 5G-A technology, integrated communication and perception technology is considered a key technology for expanding the service capabilities of mobile communication networks. The core concept of this integrated communication and perception technology is to add perception capabilities to mobile communication networks, building capabilities such as target detection, tracking, and imaging. This allows communication and perception capabilities to be integrated into a single network, achieving harmonious coexistence and mutual benefit. Figure 2 illustrates a scenario of integrated communication and perception. In Figure 2, solid lines represent communication, and dashed lines represent perception, as an example. As shown in Figure 2, network devices can perceive other objects through autonomous transmission and reception, or while simultaneously communicating with terminal devices. Figure 2 uses a smartphone as the terminal device and drones, pedestrians, and vehicles as examples.

[0079] Sensing technology can generally be divided into two modes: single-station sensing and dual-station sensing. In the single-station sensing mode, the transmitting device of the sensing signal and the receiving device of the echo signal of the sensing signal are the same device. In other words, in the single-station sensing mode, the transmitting device must both transmit the sensing signal and receive the echo signal reflected from the sensing signal on the sensing target surface. Therefore, the single-station sensing mode can also be referred to as the self-transmitting and self-receiving mode, without limitation. The dual-station sensing mode means that the transmitting device of the sensing signal and the receiving device of the echo signal of the sensing signal are two different devices. In other words, sensing station A transmits the sensing signal, and the echo signal reflected from the sensing target surface is received by sensing station B. Therefore, the dual-station sensing mode can also be referred to as the A-transmitting, B-receiving mode. It should be noted that the echo signal of the sensing signal is obtained by reflecting the sensing signal from the sensing target surface, so this echo signal can still be referred to as the sensing signal.

[0080] FIG3 exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of a perception scenario applicable to the embodiment of the present application. FIG3 provides six perception scenarios applicable to the embodiment of the present application, namely: a scenario in which network device A sends and receives a perception signal by itself, that is, a scenario in which network device A sends a perception signal and receives an echo signal, as shown in (1) in FIG3; a scenario in which terminal device A sends and receives a perception signal by itself, that is, a scenario in which terminal device A sends a perception signal and receives an echo signal, as shown in (2) in FIG3; a scenario in which network device A sends a perception signal and network device B receives an echo signal, as shown in (3) in FIG3; a scenario in which terminal device A sends a perception signal and terminal device B receives an echo signal, as shown in (4) in FIG3; a scenario in which network device A sends a perception signal and terminal device A receives an echo signal, as shown in (5) in FIG3; a scenario in which terminal device A sends a perception signal and network device A receives an echo signal, as shown in (6) in FIG3. FIG3 takes the case where the perception target is a vehicle and the terminal device is a smartphone as an example.

[0081] The sensing target may also be referred to as a target, a detected target, a sensed object, a detected object, or a sensed device, etc., without limitation. The sensing target may be any tangible object in the environment that can reflect electromagnetic waves. For example, the sensing target may be a stationary object such as a mountain, a forest, or a building. For another example, the sensing target may also be a movable object such as a vehicle, a drone, a pedestrian, or a terminal device. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation form of the sensing target.

[0082] In one possible implementation, the perception signal can play the role of a communication signal, that is, the perception signal may be received as a communication signal by a terminal device in the environment; alternatively, the communication signal can play the role of the perception signal, that is, multiplexing the communication signal (e.g., a reference signal) for perception. Taking the example of a network device transmitting and receiving independently, the network device sends a perception signal and receives an echo signal of the perception signal; at the same time, the perception signal may reach the terminal device through multiple transmission paths, that is, the terminal device receives the perception signal, as shown in Figure 4. Figure 4 shows an example in which the perception signal reaches the terminal device through transmission path 1 and transmission path 2, the terminal device is a mobile phone, and the perception target is a vehicle.

[0083] The measurement parameters of perception performance may include but are not limited to: accuracy, or resolution, etc. Among them, accuracy can be used to describe the error between the perception result and the ideal real result. Taking distance perception as an example, the distance between the perception target and the perception device obtained through the perception signal is 6 meters, but the actual distance between the perception target and the perception device is 5 meters, then the perception error is 1 meter, that is, the accuracy is 1 meter. Resolution can be used to describe the minimum ability of perception to distinguish two different perception targets. Taking distance perception as an example, a distance resolution of 1 meter means that if the distance between the two perception targets is greater than or equal to 1 meter, the perception device can distinguish that there are two perception targets; if the distance between the two perception targets is less than 1 meter, the perception device cannot distinguish that there are two perception targets.

[0084] Improving perception performance is currently an important research topic. In light of this, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus for considering more information when performing perception processing based on the echo signal of a perception signal, thereby improving perception performance. The method and apparatus described herein are based on the same technical concept. Since the method and apparatus solve similar problems, the implementation of the apparatus and method can be referenced in conjunction with each other, and any repetitions will not be repeated.

[0085] The following is an introduction to the technical terms involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0086] The first signal can be used for perception. The first signal can also be called a perception signal. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific name of the first signal. The first signal is used for perception can be replaced by: the first signal is used to perform perception; or it can also be replaced by: the first signal is used to perform perception, etc. Optionally, the first signal can be a reference signal, such as a positioning reference signal (PRS). The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific implementation form of the first signal.

[0087] The first communication device can be used to receive a first signal and send first information according to the first signal. The first communication device can be a network device or a component in the network device (such as a DU or RU); or the first communication device can also be a terminal device or a component in the terminal device.

[0088] The second communication device may be a communication device that performs (or carries out) perception. For example, the second communication device may be used to receive the echo signal of the first signal and perform perception processing according to the echo signal of the first signal. The second communication device may be a network device or a component in the network device (such as DU or RU, etc.); or the second communication device may also be a terminal device or a component in the terminal device. For example, the second communication device may be the network device A shown in (1) or (6) in FIG. 3 , or a component in the network device A; or the second communication device may also be the terminal device A shown in (2) or (5) in FIG. 3 , or a component in the terminal device A; or the second communication device may also be the network device B shown in (3) in FIG. 3 , or a component in the network device B; or the second communication device may also be the terminal device B shown in (4) in FIG. 3 , or a component in the terminal device B.

[0089] The third communication device may be used to determine (or configure) a first resource, where the first resource is used to carry the first information. The third communication device may be a network device or a component in the network device (such as a DU or RU); or the third communication device may be a terminal device or a component in the terminal device.

[0090] A fourth communication device can be used to send the first signal. The fourth communication device can be a network device or a component in the network device (such as a DU or RU, etc.); or the fourth communication device can also be a terminal device or a component in the terminal device. For example, the fourth communication device can be the network device A shown in any one of (1), (3) or (5) in Figure 3, or a component in the network device A; or the fourth communication device can also be the terminal device A shown in any one of (2), (4) or (6) in Figure 3, or a component in the terminal device A.

[0091] Among them, the description of the network device and the terminal device can refer to the relevant content shown in Figure 1, which will not be repeated here.

[0092] In one possible implementation, the first communication device can also implement the function of the third communication device, that is, the first communication device can also be used to determine (or configure) the first resource; or, the third communication device can also implement the function of the first communication device, that is, the third communication device can also be used to receive the first signal and send the first information according to the first signal; or, the first communication device and the third communication device are the same communication device.

[0093] In one possible implementation, the second communication device can also implement the function of the third communication device, that is, the second communication device can also be used to determine (or configure) the first resource; or, the third communication device can also implement the function of the second communication device, that is, the third communication device can also be used to perform (or conduct) perception processing; or, the second communication device and the third communication device are the same communication device.

[0094] In one possible implementation, the fourth communication device can also implement the function of the third communication device, that is, the third communication device can also be used to determine (or configure) the first resource; or, the third communication device can also implement the function of the fourth communication device, that is, the third communication device can also be used to send the first signal; or, the fourth communication device and the third communication device are the same communication device.

[0095] In one possible implementation, the second communication device can also implement the function of the fourth communication device, that is, the second communication device can also be used to send the first signal; or, the fourth communication device can also implement the function of the second communication device, that is, the fourth communication device can also be used to perform (or conduct) perception processing; or, the second communication device and the fourth communication device are the same communication device, such as the network device A shown in (1) in Figure 3, or the terminal device A shown in (2) in Figure 3.

[0096] A first resource may be used to carry the first information. The first resource may include a time domain resource. For example, the time domain resource may include a symbol, a slot, a mini-slot, a partial slot, a sub-frame, a radio frame, or a sensing slot, without limitation.

[0097] In the embodiment of the present application, time domain resources are described with time units as the granularity. The time unit can be one or more symbols, or one or more time slots, or one or more mini-slots, or one or more subframes, or one or more frames, etc. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the time domain granularity. Among them, multiple time units can be continuous or discrete in time, without limitation. For example, one time unit can be one time slot.

[0098] Symbols may also be referred to as modulation symbols, symbol groups, modulation symbol sequences, modulation symbol streams, modulation symbol strings, or modulation symbol sets, without limitation. The present application does not limit the modulation scheme of the symbols. For example, a symbol may be an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol.

[0099] In one possible implementation, the first resource may further include a frequency domain resource. For example, the frequency domain resource may include a resource element (RE), a resource block (RB), an RB set, a subchannel, a resource pool, a bandwidth part (BWP), a carrier, a channel, or an interlace, etc., without limitation.

[0100] The coherent processing interval (CPI), which may also be referred to as the coherent processing time, or the related processing interval, or the related processing time, etc., may be understood as a time period. In an embodiment of the present application, the related processing interval may be understood as a time period related to the perception processing. The coherent processing interval may include the time domain resources occupied by the first signal (such as recorded as at least one time unit); or the coherent processing interval may include the sending period of the first signal, during which the fourth communication device sends one or more first signals. Exemplarily, the coherent processing interval may be understood as the time period occupied by a complete perception processing process. For example, within the coherent processing interval, the fourth communication device sends multiple first signals in the same beam direction; the second communication device receives the echo signal of each first signal, and performs coherent merging processing on the echo signals of all the first signals sent by the fourth communication device within the coherent processing interval, thereby realizing perception processing such as ranging and speed measurement of the perception target. Among them, coherent merging can be understood as performing matched filtering and Fourier transform and other processing on the echo signals of all the first signals within the coherent processing interval, without limitation.

[0101] Figure 5 exemplarily shows a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5 , the communication method may include the following contents.

[0102] S501: The fourth communication device sends a first signal.

[0103] Accordingly, the second communication device receives the echo signal of the first signal. And the first communication device receives the first signal.

[0104] The first signal can be used for perception. Exemplarily, the fourth communication device can transmit a first signal in a beam direction; the first signal first reaches the perception target via wireless transmission, and then is reflected by the perception target and reaches the second communication device, i.e., the second communication device can receive the echo signal of the first signal, as shown in S501a and S501b in Figure 5. In this embodiment of the present application, the first signal can also reach the first communication device via one or more transmission paths, i.e., the first communication device can receive the first signal, as shown in S501c in Figure 5. Figure 5 uses a straight line to represent the first signal reaching the first communication device via one or more transmission paths. For ease of understanding, this embodiment of the application describes an example of a first signal reaching the first communication device via multiple transmission paths. For example, the first signal can be emitted by multiple objects in the communication environment and reach the first communication device, and accordingly, the first communication device can receive the first signal from multiple transmission paths. For example, the first communication device is located near the perception target, or the first communication device is located near the second communication device, etc. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the location of the first communication device. It should be understood that the first signal may also directly reach the first communication device via wireless transmission, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific implementation of the multiple transmission paths.

[0105] Among them, the terms such as the first signal, the first communication device, the second communication device, and the fourth communication device please refer to the content of the aforementioned terminology introduction, which will not be repeated here.

[0106] S502: The first communication device sends first information to the second communication device according to the first signal.

[0107] Accordingly, the second communication device receives the first information from the first communication device.

[0108] The first information may also be referred to as auxiliary information, or perception auxiliary information, etc., without limitation. In an embodiment of the present application, the first information may be used to assist perception. The first information used for perception may be replaced by: the first information is used to assist in the execution of perception; or it may also be replaced by: the first information is used to assist the second communication device in performing perception; or it may also be replaced by: the first information is used to assist the second communication device in performing perception processing, etc. Exemplarily, the first signal reaches the first communication device through multiple transmission paths, and the first communication device may measure the first signals on the multiple transmission paths, obtain the first information, and send the first information to the second communication device.

[0109] In an embodiment of the present application, the first information may occupy the first resource, or the first information may be carried by the first resource (i.e., the first resource is used to carry the first information). For a description of the first resource, please refer to the terminology introduction section, which will not be repeated here. For example, the first communication device may send the first information to the second communication device on the first resource according to the first signal; accordingly, the second communication device may receive the first information on the first resource. For example, the first communication device may determine the first resource and send the first information to the second communication device on the first resource according to the first signal.

[0110] The first resource may be configured (or determined) by the first communication device, or may be configured (or determined) by other communication devices (e.g., a third communication device), or may be predefined and is not limited. In one example, the first communication device may determine the first resource and send the second information to the second communication device. In another example, the third communication device may send the second information to the first communication device; accordingly, the first communication device receives the second information from the third communication device. Further, the first communication device may determine the first resource based on the second information. Optionally, the third communication device may also send the second information to the second communication device; accordingly, the second communication device receives the second information from the third communication device. Further, the second communication device may determine the first resource based on the second information. The second information may be used to indicate the first resource. Please refer to the aforementioned term description for the third communication device and will not be repeated here.

[0111] In one possible implementation, the first resource may belong to the first time unit after at least one time unit in the time domain. The first resource belonging to the first time unit in the time domain may also be expressed as: the first time unit includes the resources of the first resource in the time domain; or may also be expressed as: the first time unit includes the time domain resources of the first resource. For example, if the first resource occupies at least one sub-time unit in the time domain, then the first time unit includes the at least one sub-time unit. A time unit may be composed of multiple sub-time units. For example, a time unit may be a time slot, and a sub-time unit may be an OFDM symbol, without limitation.

[0112] In one example, the at least one time unit may be the time unit occupied by the first signal. That is, the first communication device may send the first information to the second communication device within the first time unit after receiving the first signal. In other words, the first communication device may send the first information to the second communication device within the first time unit after each first signal is received. Through this example, the first communication device can report the first information for each first signal, and the feedback is timely, so that the second communication device can obtain more communication environment information. Optionally, the first time unit may be the first time unit after the at least one time unit; or, the first time unit may be the second time unit after the at least one time unit, so that the first information can be fed back in a timely manner. For example, the first time unit may be the first uplink-downlink conversion time slot after the downlink time slot occupied by the first signal; or the first time unit may also be the first uplink time slot after the downlink time slot occupied by the first signal, without limitation.

[0113] For example, assuming that a time unit is a time slot, the frame structure is: DDDSU. Among them, D represents the downlink time slot, which is used for downlink transmission and is recorded as the D time slot; U represents the uplink time slot, which is used for uplink transmission and is recorded as the U time slot; S represents the time slot for uplink and downlink conversion and is recorded as the S time slot. The fourth communication device can send a first signal in at least one D time slot in a frame structure; accordingly, the first communication device receives the first signal in the at least one D time slot. Furthermore, the first communication device can send the first information to the second communication device in the first S time slot after the at least one D time slot, as shown in (1) in Figure 6; or, the first communication device can also send the first information to the second communication device in the first U time slot after the at least one D time slot, as shown in (2) in Figure 6. In this example, the time slot occupied by the first information and the at least one D time slot are in the same frame structure period; in other words, the first information is associated with the first signal received in the frame structure period where the time slot it occupies is located, as indicated by a curved arrow in Figure 6. FIG6 shows an example in which the CPI includes 18 time slots and the fourth communication device sends the first signal in three D time slots in a period of a frame structure.

[0114] In another example, the at least one time unit may be a CPI, where CPI1 includes the time unit occupied by the first signal. That is, the first communication device may send the first information to the second communication device within the first time unit after the CPI. Alternatively, the first communication device may send the first information to the second communication device within the first time unit after a complete sensing process. During a complete sensing process, the fourth communication device may send multiple first signals; alternatively, a complete sensing process includes multiple first signal transmission cycles. For a description of the CPI, please refer to the aforementioned terminology introduction and will not be repeated here. In this example, the first communication device may report the first information after the CPI, which reduces network overhead compared to reporting each first signal. Optionally, the first time unit may be the first time unit after the at least one time unit, or the second time unit after the at least one time unit, thereby enabling timely feedback of the first information. For example, the first time unit may be the first uplink / downlink switching time slot after the CPI, or the first uplink time slot after the CPI, without limitation.

[0115] For example, assuming that a time unit is a time slot, the CPI includes 18 time slots, and the frame structure is: DDDSU. Among them, D represents the downlink time slot, which is used for downlink transmission and is recorded as the D time slot; U represents the uplink time slot, which is used for uplink transmission and is recorded as the U time slot; S represents the time slot for uplink and downlink conversion and is recorded as the S time slot. The fourth communication device can send the first signal in at least one D time slot in the CPI; accordingly, the first communication device receives the first signal in at least one D time slot in the CPI. Furthermore, the first communication device can send the first information to the second communication device in the first S time slot after the CPI, as shown in (1) in Figure 7; or, the first communication device can also send the first information to the second communication device in the first U time slot after the CPI, as shown in (2) in Figure 7. In this example, the first information is associated with the first signal received in the CPI it occupies, which is represented by a curved arrow in Figure 7. Figure 7 takes the example of the fourth communication device sending the first signal in two D time slots in a frame structure period.

[0116] It is worth noting that the embodiments shown in Figures 6 and 7 use the DDDSU frame structure as an example, but the specific implementation of the frame structure in the embodiments of the present application is not limited to this. For example, the frame structure may also be DSUUU; or the frame structure may also be DDSUU; or the frame structure may also be DSUUU; or the frame structure may also be DDDSUDDSUU; or the frame structure may also be DDDSUUDDDD, etc.

[0117] It is mentioned above that the second information can be used to indicate the first resource. In one possible implementation, the second information can be used to indicate the time domain resources occupied by the first information (for example, recorded as at least one sub-time unit), and the time domain resources occupied by the first information are included in the first resource. The first time unit can be predefined or preconfigured, without limitation. For example, the second information can include a first field and a second field, and the first field and the second field can be used to indicate the at least one sub-time unit. The first field can be used to indicate the starting sub-time unit occupied by the first information, and the second field can be used to indicate the number of sub-time units continuously occupied by the first information, as shown in Table 1. Alternatively, the first field can be used to indicate the starting sub-time unit occupied by the first information, and the second field can be used to indicate the ending sub-time unit occupied by the first information. Alternatively, the first field can be used to indicate the ending sub-time unit occupied by the first information, and the second field can be used to indicate the number of sub-time units continuously occupied by the first information. Table 1 takes the sub-time unit as an OFDM symbol, and the first field and the second field both occupy 4 bits as an example.

[0118] Table 1

[0119] In another possible implementation, the second information can be used to indicate at least one sub-time unit occupied by the first information within the first time unit. That is, the second information can also be used to indicate the first time unit. For example, the second information may include a first field, a second field, and a third field, and the third field can be used to indicate the first time unit. Please refer to the aforementioned content for the first field and the second field and will not be described in detail. As an example, the third field can be used to indicate the time unit after the time unit occupied by the first signal, as shown in Table 2. Table 2 takes the example of the third field occupying 2 bits and one time unit being one time slot.

[0120] Table 2

[0121] In another example, the third field may be used to indicate a time unit after the CPI, as shown in Table 3. Table 3 takes the example that the third field occupies 2 bits and one time unit is one time slot.

[0122] Table 3

[0123] Optionally, the second information can also be used to indicate the frequency domain resources occupied by the first information (for example, recorded as at least one resource block (RB)), that is, the first resources can also include frequency domain resources. For example, the second information can also include a fourth field and a fifth field, and the fourth field and the fifth field can be used to indicate at least one RB occupied by the first information. Among them, the fourth field can be used to indicate the starting RB occupied by the first information, and the fifth field can be used to indicate the number of RBs occupied by the first information, as shown in Table 4. Alternatively, the fourth field can be used to indicate the starting RB occupied by the first information, and the fifth field can be used to indicate the ending RB occupied by the first information. Alternatively, the fourth field can be used to indicate the ending RB occupied by the first information, and the fifth field can be used to indicate the number of RBs occupied by the first information. Among them, Table 4 takes the example of the fourth field occupying 8 bits and the fifth field occupying 6 bits.

[0124] Table 4

[0125] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific implementation method of the second information indicating the first resource. For example, the second information can also indicate the first resource in the form of a bitmap.

[0126] In one possible implementation, the second information may also be used to indicate that the first resource is associated with the first signal, such as the curved arrows in FIG6 or FIG7 , so that the first communication device can determine which time domain resources are used to feedback (or report, or send) the first information associated with the first signal received using the first resource. The second information may also be used to indicate that the first resource is associated with the first signal, which can be replaced by: the second information may also be used to indicate that the first resource is used to carry information associated with the first signal; or it may also be replaced by: the second information may also be used to indicate that the information carried by the first resource is associated with the first signal received on which time domain resources.

[0127] As an example, if the first communication device sends the first information after the time unit occupied by the first signal (as shown in Figure 6), then the second information may include a first field, a second field, and a sixth field. The sixth field can be used to indicate which time domain resources the information carried by the first resource is associated with the first signal received on. As shown in Table 5, please refer to the above content for the first field and the second field, and no further details are given. Table 5 shows an example in which the sixth field occupies 2 bits. Figure 6 shows an example in which the first information is associated with the first signal that was fed back to the current reception.

[0128] Table 5

[0129] As another example, if the first communication device sends the first information after the CPI, the second information may include a first field, a second field, and a sixth field. The sixth field may be used to indicate that the information carried by the first resource is associated with the first signal received in one or more CPIs, as shown in Table 6. For details about the first and second fields, please refer to the aforementioned content and will not be repeated here. Table 6 illustrates an example in which the sixth field occupies 2 bits. Figure 7 illustrates an example in which the first information is associated with the first signal received from the previous CPI to the current CPI.

[0130] Table 6

[0131] In one possible implementation, the first resource may be applicable only to the first communication device, or may be adapted to multiple communication devices. The multiple communication devices include the first communication device. In other words, the first resource may be a dedicated resource for the first communication device, or the first resource may be a shared resource for multiple communication devices. That is, the resource for feeding back the associated information of the first signal may be configured for each feedback communication device, as shown in (1) in FIG8 . In this way, reserving a portion of resources for each feedback communication device can reduce the interference of the first information fed back between the feedback communication devices. Alternatively, the resource for feeding back the associated information of the first signal may also be configured for multiple feedback communication devices, as shown in (2) in FIG8 . Given that not all feedback communication devices can obtain valid information, reserving shared resources for multiple feedback communication devices so that the multiple feedback communication devices can all use the shared resources for feedback, which can reduce resource overhead. FIG8 takes the multiple feedback communication devices including UE1, UE2 and UE3, and the frame structure of DDDSU as an example.

[0132] In an embodiment of the present application, the first information is related to the first signal and can reflect the communication environment of the first signal. Exemplarily, the first information may include the receiving power information corresponding to the first signal, or the first information may include the transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal, or the first information may include the receiving power information corresponding to the first signal and the transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal. Among them, the receiving power information corresponding to the first signal can be understood as: the receiving power of the first signal on some or all of the transmission paths in multiple transmission paths. The transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal can be understood as: the transmission delay of the first signal on some or all of the transmission paths in multiple transmissions. It should be understood that if the first signal reaches the first communication device only through one transmission path, then the receiving power information corresponding to the first signal is the receiving power of the first signal on this transmission path, and the transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal is the transmission delay of the first signal on this transmission path.

[0133] In one example, the first information includes received power information corresponding to the first signal, and the received power information corresponding to the first signal may include the received power of the first signal on at least one transmission path. The at least one transmission path is a transmission path among the multiple transmission paths whose received power is greater than or equal to a first threshold. The first threshold may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation. Exemplarily, the first communication device receives the first signal via multiple transmission paths and determines the received power of the first signal on the multiple transmission paths. If the received power of the first signal on the multiple transmission paths is greater than or equal to the first threshold (or in other words, the received power of the first signal on the multiple transmission paths is not less than the first threshold), the first information includes the received power of the first signal on the multiple transmission paths. That is, the first communication device sends the received power of the first signal on the multiple transmission paths to the second communication device. Alternatively, if the received power of the first signal on a portion of the multiple transmission paths is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the first information includes the received power of the first signal on the portion of the transmission paths. That is, the first communication device sends the received power of the first signal on the portion of the transmission paths to the second communication device. Alternatively, if the received powers of the first signal in the multiple transmission paths are all less than the first threshold, the first communication device may not send the information associated with the first signal.

[0134] In another example, the first information includes received power information corresponding to the first signal, and the received power information corresponding to the first signal may include the received power of the first signal on N transmission paths among multiple transmission paths. N is a positive integer. N may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation. Optionally, the received power of the first signal on the N transmission paths is greater than or equal to the received power of the first signal on transmission paths other than the N transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths. Exemplarily, the first communication device receives the first signal via multiple transmission paths and determines the received power of the first signal on the multiple transmission paths. If the number of the multiple transmission paths is greater than N (i.e., the number of transmission paths of the first signal identified by the first communication device is less than N), the first information includes the received power of the first signal on N transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths. That is, the first communication device sends the received power of the first signal on the N transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths to the second communication device. For example, the first communication device may send the first N received power values ​​of the first signal on the multiple transmission paths to the second communication device. Alternatively, if the number of the plurality of transmission paths is less than or equal to N, the first information includes the reception power of the first signal on the plurality of transmission paths. That is, the first communication device sends the reception power of the first signal on the plurality of transmission paths to the second communication device.

[0135] In another example, the first information includes transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal, and the transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal may include the transmission delay of the first signal along at least one transmission path. The at least one transmission path is a transmission path among the multiple transmission paths whose received power is greater than or equal to a second threshold. The first threshold may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation. The second threshold may be the same as or different from the first threshold, without limitation. Exemplarily, the first communication device receives the first signal through multiple transmission paths and determines the received power and transmission delay of the first signal along the multiple transmission paths. If the received power of the first signal along the multiple transmission paths is greater than or equal to the second threshold (or in other words, the received power of the first signal along the multiple transmission paths is not less than the second threshold), the first information includes the transmission delay of the first signal along the multiple transmission paths. That is, the first communication device sends the transmission delay of the first signal along the multiple transmission paths to the second communication device. Alternatively, if the received power of the first signal along some of the multiple transmission paths is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the first information includes the transmission delay of the first signal along these some of the transmission paths. That is, the first communication device sends the transmission delay of the first signal on the portion of the transmission path to the second communication device. Alternatively, if the received power of the first signal on the multiple transmission paths is less than the second threshold, the first communication device may not send the information associated with the first signal.

[0136] In another example, the first information includes transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal, and the transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal may include the transmission delays of the first signal on M transmission paths among multiple transmission paths. M is a positive integer. M may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation. M and N may be the same or different, without limitation. Optionally, the received power of the first signal on the M transmission paths is greater than or equal to the received power of the first signal on transmission paths other than the M transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths. Exemplarily, the first communication device receives the first signal via multiple transmission paths and determines the received power and transmission delay of the first signal on the multiple transmission paths. If the number of the multiple transmission paths is greater than M (i.e., the number of transmission paths of the first signal identified by the first communication device is greater than M), the first information includes the transmission delays of the first signal on the M transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths. That is, the first communication device sends the transmission delays of the first signal on the M transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths to the second communication device. For example, the first communication device may send, to the second communication device, the transmission delays of the transmission paths corresponding to the first M received powers among the received powers of the first signal on multiple transmission paths. Alternatively, if the number of the multiple transmission paths is less than or equal to M (i.e., the number of transmission paths of the first signal identified by the first communication device is less than or equal to M), the first information includes the transmission delays of the first signal on the multiple transmission paths. In other words, the first communication device sends the transmission delays of the first signal on the multiple transmission paths to the second communication device.

[0137] It should be pointed out that the first communication device can determine which one or more transmission paths to report the corresponding information based on the received power (or signal strength); or, the first communication device can also determine which one or more transmission paths to report the corresponding information based on the transmission delay; or, the first communication device can also determine which one or more transmission paths to report the corresponding information based on the received power and transmission delay, without restriction.

[0138] Exemplarily, the first information may include at least one group of fields, and at least one group of fields corresponds to at least one transmission path. That is, a group of fields corresponds to one transmission path. Each group of fields includes a seventh field, or includes an eighth field, or includes a seventh field and an eighth field. Among them, the seventh field can be used to indicate the received power of the first signal on a transmission path, and the eighth field can be used to indicate the transmission delay of the first signal on a transmission path, as shown in Table 7. Table 7 is shown as an example in which the seventh field occupies 7 bits and the eighth field occupies 8 bits. Among them, T can be 1 nanosecond, or it can also be T S , or T C , or it can be a predefined time unit without limitation.S and T C For the meaning of , please refer to the relevant content in 3GPP protocol 38.211.4.1.

[0139] Table 7

[0140] In one implementation, the first information may also be used to indicate the number of transmission paths for feedback, or the first information may also be used to indicate the number of transmission paths corresponding to the first information. For example, the first information may further include a ninth field, which is used to indicate the number of transmission paths corresponding to the first information, as shown in Table 8. Table 8 illustrates an example in which the ninth field occupies 3 bits.

[0141] Table 8

[0142] It should be noted that the data in any table in Table 1 to Table 8 is only an example, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0143] S503: The second communication device performs perception processing based on the echo signal of the first signal and the first information.

[0144] S503 can also be expressed as: the second communication device processes the echo signal of the first signal according to the first information.

[0145] The second communication device can process the echo signal of the first signal according to the first information to obtain perception data, such as the position, speed and other data of the perception target, without limitation. For example, the second communication device can process the echo signal of the first signal according to the receiving power information corresponding to the first signal; or the second communication device can process the echo signal of the first signal according to the transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal; or the second communication device can process the echo signal of the first signal according to the receiving power information corresponding to the first signal and the transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal. It should be pointed out that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific implementation process of the second communication device processing the echo signal of the first signal according to the first information. In addition, the number of feedback communication devices can be multiple, and the second communication device can process the echo signal of the first signal according to the first information of the multiple feedback communication devices.

[0146] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 , the first communication device sends first information to the second communication device based on the first signal. This allows the second communication device to consider more information (i.e., the first information) when performing perception processing based on the echo signal of the first signal. This first information is related to the first signal. For example, the first information can reflect the communication environment of the first signal, which helps assist the second communication device in performing perception processing. Therefore, compared to a solution in which the second communication device performs perception processing based solely on the echo signal of the first signal, the embodiment of the present application helps improve perception performance.

[0147] In the embodiment shown in FIG5 , the fourth communication device and the second communication device are different communication devices. For example, the fourth communication device may be the network device A in (3) of FIG3 , the second communication device may be the network device B in (3) of FIG3 , and the first communication device may be a network device other than the network device A and the network device B or a terminal device; or, the fourth communication device may be the terminal device A in (4) of FIG3 , the second communication device may be the terminal device B in (4) of FIG3 , and the first communication device may be a network device or a terminal device other than the terminal device A and the terminal device B; or, the fourth communication device may be the network device A in (5) of FIG3 , the second communication device may be the terminal device A in (5) of FIG3 , and the first communication device may be a network device other than the network device A or a terminal device other than the terminal device A; or, the fourth communication device may be the terminal device A in (6) of FIG3 , the second communication device may be the network device A in (6) of FIG3 , and the first communication device may be a network device other than the network device A or a terminal device other than the terminal device A.

[0148] In another possible implementation, the fourth communication device and the second communication device may be the same communication device. For example, the second communication device and the fourth communication device may be network device A in (1) of FIG. 3 , and the first communication device may be a network device other than network device A or a terminal device; or the second communication device and the fourth communication device may be terminal device A in (2) of FIG. 3 , and the first communication device may be a network device or a terminal device other than terminal device A.

[0149] Please refer to Figure 9, which is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. In this example, the second communication device, the third communication device and the fourth communication device are the same communication device, all of which are network devices, and the first communication device is a terminal device. In other words, in this example, the perception scenario shown in (1) in Figure 3 is used as an example. It should be understood that the specific implementation process of the embodiment of the present application applied to the perception scenario shown in (2) in Figure 3 can refer to the content in this example. As shown in Figure 9, the method may include the following content.

[0150] S901: The network device sends second information to the terminal device.

[0151] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second information from the network device.

[0152] S901 is an optional step, indicated by a dotted line in Figure 9. The second information is used to indicate the first resource. The first resource can be used to carry the first information. In the time domain, the first resource can belong to the first time unit after at least one time unit. The at least one time unit can be a time unit occupied by the first signal or a CPI. Optionally, the second information can also be used to indicate that the first resource is associated with the first signal. For descriptions of the second information, first resource, etc., please refer to the relevant content in S502 and will not be repeated here.

[0153] S902: The network device sends a first signal.

[0154] Correspondingly, the network device receives the echo signal of the first signal, and the terminal device receives the first signal.

[0155] The first signal can be used for perception. Exemplarily, the network device can send a first signal in a beam direction; the first signal first reaches the perception target through wireless transmission, and then reaches the network device after being reflected by the perception target, that is, the network device can receive the echo signal of the first signal, as shown in S902a and S902b in Figure 9. In an embodiment of the present application, the first signal can also reach the terminal device through one or more transmission paths, that is, the terminal device can receive the first signal, as shown in S902c in Figure 9. A straight line is used in Figure 9 to indicate that the first signal reaches the terminal device through one or more transmission paths.

[0156] For the specific implementation process of S902, please refer to the description of S501 and will not be repeated here.

[0157] S903: The terminal device sends first information to the network device according to the first signal.

[0158] Accordingly, the network device receives the first information from the terminal device.

[0159] For example, the terminal device sends first information to the network device on the first resource based on the first signal. The first information may also be referred to as auxiliary information, or perception-assisted information, etc., without limitation. In an embodiment of the present application, the first information may be used to assist perception. Optionally, the first information may include received power information corresponding to the first signal, or transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal, or both received power information of the first signal and transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal.

[0160] For the specific implementation process of S903, please refer to the description of S502 and will not be repeated here.

[0161] S904: The network device processes the echo signal of the first signal according to the first information.

[0162] S904 can also be described as: the network device performs (or executes) perception processing according to the first signal and the echo signal of the first signal.

[0163] The network device can process the echo signal of the first signal according to the first information to obtain perception data, such as the position, speed and other data of the perception target, without limitation. For example, the network device can process the echo signal of the first signal according to the receiving power information corresponding to the first signal; or the network device can process the echo signal of the first signal according to the transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal; or the network device can process the echo signal of the first signal according to the receiving power information corresponding to the first signal and the transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal. It should be pointed out that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific implementation process of the network device processing the echo signal of the first signal according to the first information. In addition, the number of feedback terminal devices can be multiple, and the network device can process the echo signal of the first signal according to the first information of the multiple feedback terminal devices.

[0164] In the embodiment shown in FIG9 , the network device transmits and receives information autonomously, and the terminal device can send the first information to the network device, so that the network device can refer to more environmental information when obtaining perception data based on the echo signal of the first signal, which is conducive to improving perception performance.

[0165] In the embodiments provided in the present application, the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application are introduced from the perspective of interaction of multiple communication devices (e.g., a first communication device, a second communication device, and a third communication device). Among them, the steps performed by the communication device (e.g., a first communication device, a second communication device, or a third communication device) can be implemented by different functional entities that constitute the communication device. The communication device (e.g., a first communication device, a second communication device, or a third communication device) may include a hardware structure and / or a software module to implement the above-mentioned functions in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module. Whether a certain function of the above-mentioned functions is performed in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0166] The following describes the communication device used to implement the above method in the embodiment of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the above contents can be used in subsequent embodiments, and repeated contents will not be repeated.

[0167] Fig. 10 exemplarily shows a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1000. The communication device 1000 can implement the functions or steps implemented by the first communication device, the second communication device, or the third communication device in the above-mentioned various method embodiments.

[0168] Exemplarily, when the communication device 1000 is used to implement the functions or steps implemented by the first communication device in the above-mentioned method embodiments, the communication device 1000 can be a network device or a component in a network device (such as DU and / or RU, etc.), or it can also be a terminal device or a component in a terminal device.

[0169] Exemplarily, when the communication device 1000 is used to implement the functions or steps implemented by the second communication device in the above-mentioned method embodiments, the communication device 1000 can be a network device or a component in a network device (such as DU and / or RU, etc.), or it can also be a terminal device or a component in a terminal device.

[0170] Exemplarily, when the communication device 1000 is used to implement the functions or steps implemented by the third communication device in the above-mentioned method embodiments, the communication device 1000 can be a network device or a component in a network device (such as DU and / or RU, etc.), or it can also be a terminal device or a component in a terminal device.

[0171] In one embodiment, the communication device 1000 may include a processing module 1001 and a transceiver module 1002. The processing module 1001 may be used to perform data processing, such as executing the various method embodiments described above. The processing module 1001 may also be referred to as a processing unit. The transceiver module 1002 may be used to implement corresponding communication functions, such as receiving or sending relevant data, information, or messages. The transceiver module 1002 may also be referred to as a communication interface, a communication module, or a transceiver unit.

[0172] It should be noted that the communication device 1000 may include the processing module 1001 but not the transceiver module 1002. Alternatively, the communication device 1000 may include the transceiver module 1002 but not the processing module 1001. The specific implementation depends on whether the above solution executed by the communication device 1000 includes both processing actions and transceiver actions.

[0173] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a storage module, which is not shown in Figure 10. The storage module may be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module 1001 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage module to enable the communication device 1000 to implement the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0174] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiment. The receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiment.

[0175] It should be noted that the communication device 1000 may include a sending module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, the communication device 1000 may include a receiving module but not a sending module. The specific implementation depends on whether the above solution executed by the communication device 1000 includes a sending action and a receiving action.

[0176] Optionally, the communication device 1000 is a chip system, the transceiver unit may be an input and output interface of a chip (eg, a baseband chip), and the processing unit may be a processor of the chip system.

[0177] In a first implementation, the communication device 1000 can implement the functions of a first communication device and perform the following: a transceiver module 1002 is configured to receive a first signal and transmit first information to a second communication device based on the first signal. The first signal is used for sensing, and the second communication device is a communication device configured to perform sensing. The first information is used to assist in sensing, or the first information is used to assist the second communication device in performing sensing.

[0178] Optionally, the first information may occupy a first resource. The first resource belongs to the first time unit after at least one time unit in the time domain, wherein the at least one time unit is the time unit occupied by the first signal, or the at least one time unit is a coherent processing interval, and the coherent processing interval includes the time unit occupied by the first signal. For example, the first time unit may be the first time unit after the at least one time unit, or the first time unit may be the second time unit after the at least one time unit. For example, a time unit may be a time slot.

[0179] Optionally, the processing module 1001 is configured to determine a first resource for carrying the first information. For example, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to receive second information from a third communication device, where the second information may be used to indicate the first resource.

[0180] Optionally, the second information may also be used to indicate that the first resource is associated with the first signal, so that the first communication device may determine that the first resource is used to carry the first signal.

[0181] Optionally, the first information may include reception power information corresponding to the first signal, or transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal, or both reception power information corresponding to the first signal and transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal.

[0182] Optionally, the first signal may reach the first communication device via multiple transmission paths, and the received power information corresponding to the first signal may include: the received power of the first signal on at least one transmission path, where the at least one transmission path is a transmission path among the multiple transmission paths having a received power greater than or equal to a first threshold; or the received power of the first signal on N transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths, where N is a positive integer. Optionally, the first threshold may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation. N may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation.

[0183] Optionally, the first signal may reach the first communication device via multiple transmission paths, and the transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal may include: the transmission delay of the first signal on at least one transmission path, where the at least one transmission path is a transmission path among the multiple transmission paths having a received power greater than or equal to a second threshold; or the transmission delay of the first signal on M transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths, where M is a positive integer. Optionally, the second threshold may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation. M may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation.

[0184] In the second implementation method, the communication device 1000 can implement the functions of the second communication device and execute the following contents: the transceiver module 1002 is used to receive the echo signal of the first signal and receive the first information from the first communication device; the processing module 1001 is used to perform perception processing based on the echo signal of the first signal and the first information.

[0185] Optionally, the first information may occupy a first resource. The first resource belongs to the first time unit after at least one time unit in the time domain, wherein the at least one time unit is the time unit occupied by the first signal, or the at least one time unit is a coherent processing interval, and the coherent processing interval includes the time unit occupied by the first signal. For example, the first time unit may be the first time unit after the at least one time unit, or the first time unit may be the second time unit after the at least one time unit. For example, a time unit may be a time slot.

[0186] Optionally, the first information may occupy a first resource, and the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to send second information to the first communication device; or, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to receive second information from a third communication device. The second information indicates the first resource. That is, the first resource may be configured by the second communication device or the third communication device, providing flexibility in implementation.

[0187] Optionally, the second information may also be used to indicate that the first resource is associated with the first signal.

[0188] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to send a first signal.

[0189] Optionally, the first information may include reception power information corresponding to the first signal, or transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal, or both reception power information corresponding to the first signal and transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal.

[0190] Optionally, the first signal may reach the first communication device via multiple transmission paths, and the received power information corresponding to the first signal may include: the received power of the first signal on at least one transmission path, where the at least one transmission path is a transmission path among the multiple transmission paths having a received power greater than or equal to a first threshold; or the received power of the first signal on N transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths, where N is a positive integer. Optionally, the first threshold may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation. N may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation.

[0191] Optionally, the first signal may reach the first communication device via multiple transmission paths, and the transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal may include: the transmission delay of the first signal on at least one transmission path, where the at least one transmission path is a transmission path among the multiple transmission paths having a received power greater than or equal to a second threshold; or the transmission delay of the first signal on M transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths, where M is a positive integer. Optionally, the second threshold may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation. M may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation.

[0192] In the third implementation method, the communication device 1000 can implement the functions of the third communication device and execute the following contents: the transceiver module 1002 is used to send the second information, the second information is used to indicate the first resource, the first resource is used to carry the first information, and the first information is used to assist perception.

[0193] Optionally, the second information may also be used to indicate that the first resource is associated with a first signal, and the first signal is used for perception.

[0194] Optionally, the first information may occupy a first resource. The first resource belongs to the first time unit after at least one time unit in the time domain, wherein the at least one time unit is the time unit occupied by the first signal, or the at least one time unit is a coherent processing interval, and the coherent processing interval includes the time unit occupied by the first signal. For example, the first time unit may be the first time unit after the at least one time unit, or the first time unit may be the second time unit after the at least one time unit. For example, a time unit may be a time slot.

[0195] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further used to send a first signal, and the first signal is used for perception.

[0196] Optionally, the first information may include reception power information corresponding to the first signal, or transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal, or both reception power information corresponding to the first signal and transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal.

[0197] Optionally, the first signal may reach the first communication device via multiple transmission paths, and the received power information corresponding to the first signal may include: the received power of the first signal on at least one transmission path, where the at least one transmission path is a transmission path among the multiple transmission paths having a received power greater than or equal to a first threshold; or the received power of the first signal on N transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths, where N is a positive integer. Optionally, the first threshold may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation. N may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation.

[0198] Optionally, the first signal may reach the first communication device via multiple transmission paths, and the transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal may include: the transmission delay of the first signal on at least one transmission path, where the at least one transmission path is a transmission path among the multiple transmission paths having a received power greater than or equal to a second threshold; or the transmission delay of the first signal on M transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths, where M is a positive integer. Optionally, the second threshold may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation. M may be predefined or configured by a third communication device, without limitation.

[0199] It should be understood that a more detailed description of how each module performs the corresponding process can be directly obtained by referring to the relevant descriptions in the above-mentioned method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, it is not repeated here.

[0200] The processing module 1001 in the above embodiment can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuits. The transceiver module 1002 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuits. The storage module can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0201] As shown in Figure 11, an embodiment of the present application provides a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1100. The communication device 1100 may include a processor 1120 for implementing or supporting the communication device 1100 in implementing the functions of the first communication device, the second communication device, or the third communication device in any method embodiment of the present application. For details, please refer to the detailed description of the aforementioned method embodiment, which is not repeated here. For example, the processor 1120 is used to read and execute program instructions through a communication interface so that the communication device 1100 implements the corresponding method. The processor 1120 may include one or more processors without limitation.

[0202] It should be noted that the functional modules mentioned above can be implemented by hardware or by a combination of hardware and software, without limitation. Also, when the communication device 1100 includes only the processor 1120, the communication device 1100 can be a chip or a chip system.

[0203] For example, the communication device 1100 may be a chip system, wherein the chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete components, without limitation.

[0204] Optionally, the communication device 1100 may further include a memory 1130 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 1130 is coupled to the processor 1120. Coupling can be understood as an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, for information exchange between the devices, units, or modules. The processor 1120 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1130. The processor 1120 and the memory 1130 may be integrated or separately provided.

[0205] Furthermore, the processor 1120 is configured to execute program instructions stored in the memory 1130 so that the communication device 1100 implements a corresponding method.

[0206] One or more memories in the memory 1130 may be included in the processor, or the memory 1130 may exist independently, such as an off-chip memory, and be connected to the processor 1120 via a communication bus (represented by a thick line 1140 in FIG. 11 ). The memory 1130 and the processor 1120 may also be integrated together.

[0207] Optionally, the communication device 1100 further includes a communication interface 1110 (indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 11 ) for communicating with other devices via a transmission medium, thereby enabling the device in the communication device 1100 to communicate with the other device. For example, when the communication device is a first communication device, the other device may be a second communication device, etc. The processor 1120 may use the communication interface 1110 to send and receive data. For example, the processor 1120 may be configured to control the communication interface 1110 to receive and / or send signals.

[0208] The communication interface 1110 may be a transceiver. In hardware implementation, the transceiver may be used to implement the functions of the transceiver module 1002 . The transceiver is integrated into the communication device 1100 to form the communication interface 1110 .

[0209] It should be pointed out that the communication interface 1110 may have a sending function and a receiving function, and may realize the reception and sending of signals; or it may have a sending function but not a receiving function, and be used to realize the sending of signals; or it may have a receiving function but not a sending function, and be used to realize the reception of signals.

[0210] It should be noted that the specific connection medium between the communication interface 1110, processor 1120, and memory 1130 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In FIG11 , the memory 1130, processor 1120, and communication interface 1110 are connected via a communication bus 1140. The connection methods between other components are merely schematic and not limiting. The communication bus 1140 can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of illustration, FIG11 shows only one thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one communication bus or only one type of communication bus.

[0211] In the embodiments of the present application, the processor 1120 may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The methods disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application may be executed by hardware in the processor, or by a combination of hardware and software in the processor.

[0212] In the embodiment of the present application, the memory 1130 may be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), or a volatile memory, such as a random-access memory (RAM). The memory may also be any other medium for carrying or storing program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer; or a circuit or any other device capable of performing a storage function, for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0213] In a first possible implementation manner, the communication device 1100 may be a first communication device, configured to implement the relevant methods corresponding to the first communication device in the above embodiments. For specific functions, please refer to the descriptions in the above embodiments.

[0214] Illustratively, the method corresponding to the first communication device in each of the above embodiments includes: receiving a first signal; and sending first information to a second communication device based on the first signal, wherein the first signal is used for sensing, and the second communication device is a communication device for performing sensing. The first information is used to assist in sensing, or the first information is used to assist the second communication device in performing sensing.

[0215] In a second possible implementation, the communication device 1100 may be a second communication device, configured to implement the relevant methods corresponding to the second communication device in the above embodiments. For specific functions, please refer to the descriptions in the above embodiments.

[0216] Illustratively, the method corresponding to the second communication device in each of the above embodiments includes: receiving an echo signal of a first signal, receiving first information from the first communication device, and performing perception processing based on the echo signal of the first signal and the first information. The first information is used to assist in perception, or the first information is used to assist the second communication device in performing perception.

[0217] In a third possible implementation, the communication device 1100 may be a third communication device, configured to implement the relevant methods corresponding to the third communication device in the above embodiments. For specific functions, please refer to the descriptions in the above embodiments.

[0218] Exemplarily, the relevant method corresponding to the third communication device in each of the above embodiments includes: sending second information, the second information is used to indicate a first resource, the first resource is used to carry the first information, and the first information is used to assist perception.

[0219] For the specific implementation process, please refer to the relevant content in the aforementioned embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0220] Based on the same concept, referring to Figure 12, an embodiment of the present application also provides another communication device 1200, including: an input-output interface 1210 and a logic circuit 1220; the input-output interface 1210 is used to receive code instructions and transmit them to the logic circuit 1220; the logic circuit 1220 is used to run code instructions to execute the method executed by the first communication device, the second communication device, or the third communication device in any of the above embodiments.

[0221] In a first implementation, the communication device 1200 can be applied to a first communication device to perform the method performed by the first communication device, specifically, for example, the method performed by the first communication device in the aforementioned method embodiment. For example, the communication device 1200 can receive a first signal and send first information to a second communication device based on the first signal, wherein the first signal is used for sensing and the second communication device is a communication device for performing sensing. The first information is used to assist in sensing, or the first information is used to assist the second communication device in performing sensing.

[0222] In a second implementation, the communication device 1200 can be applied to a second communication device to perform the method performed by the second communication device, specifically, for example, the method performed by the second communication device in the aforementioned method embodiment. For example, the communication device 1200 can receive an echo signal of a first signal, receive first information from the first communication device, and perform perception processing based on the echo signal of the first signal and the first information. The first information is used to assist in perception, or the first information is used to assist the second communication device in performing perception.

[0223] In a third implementation, the communication device 1200 may be applied to a third communication device to execute the method executed by the third communication device, such as the method executed by the third communication device in the aforementioned method embodiment. For example, the communication device 1200 may send second information, where the second information is used to indicate a first resource, the first resource is used to carry the first information, and the first information is used to assist in perception.

[0224] The present application also provides a communication system, which may include one or more of the following: a first communication device, a second communication device, or a third communication device. The first communication device, the second communication device, or the third communication device can all be described in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0225] A computer-readable storage medium is also provided in an embodiment of the present application, including program instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the methods or steps of the first communication device, the second communication device, or the third communication device in each of the above embodiments.

[0226] A computer program product is also provided in an embodiment of the present application, including program instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to execute the methods or steps of the first communication device, the second communication device, or the third communication device in each of the above embodiments.

[0227] An embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor for implementing the functions of the first communication device, the second communication device, or the third communication device in the aforementioned method (for example, executing the corresponding method or step). The chip system can be composed of a chip or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0228] Optionally, the chip system further includes a memory for storing program instructions so that the above-mentioned processor reads and executes them to implement the corresponding method.

[0229] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0230] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0231] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0232] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0233] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0234] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0235] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the part that essentially contributes to the technical solution of the present application or the part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0236] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the embodiments of the present application, and such changes or substitutions should be included in the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, applied to a first communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises: receiving a first signal, where the first signal is used for sensing; First information is sent to a second communication device according to the first signal, wherein the second communication device is a communication device that performs the perception, and the first information is used to assist the perception.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first information occupies a first resource, and the first resource belongs to the first time unit after at least one time unit in the time domain, wherein the at least one time unit is the time unit occupied by the first signal, or the at least one time unit is a coherent processing interval, and the coherent processing interval includes the time unit occupied by the first signal.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The first time unit is the first time unit after the at least one time unit; or, the first time unit is the second time unit after the at least one time unit.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The first information occupies a first resource, and the method further includes: Second information is received from a third communication device, where the second information is used to indicate the first resource.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The second information is further used to indicate that the first resource is associated with the first signal.

6. A communication method, applied to a second communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises: receiving an echo signal of the first signal; receiving first information from a first communication device, where the first information is used to assist in perception; Perception processing is performed based on the echo signal of the first signal and the first information.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The first information occupies a first resource, and the first resource belongs to the first time unit after at least one time unit in the time domain, wherein the at least one time unit is the time unit occupied by the first signal, or the at least one time unit is a coherent processing interval, and the coherent processing interval includes the time unit occupied by the first signal.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The first time unit is the first time unit after the at least one time unit; or, the first time unit is the second time unit after the at least one time unit.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that The first information occupies a first resource, and the method further includes: Second information is sent to the first communication device, or second information is received from a third communication device, wherein the second information is used to indicate the first resource.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The second information is further used to indicate that the first resource is associated with the first signal.

11. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first signal is sent.

12. A communication method, applied to a third communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises: Send second information, where the second information is used to indicate a first resource, the first resource is used to carry first information, and the first information is used to assist perception.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The second information is further used to indicate that the first resource is associated with a first signal, and the first signal is used for the sensing.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The first resource belongs to the first time unit after at least one time unit in the time domain, wherein the at least one time unit is the time unit occupied by the first signal, or the at least one time unit is a coherent processing interval, and the coherent processing interval includes the time unit occupied by the first signal.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The first time unit is the first time unit after the at least one time unit; or, the first time unit is the second time unit after the at least one time unit.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: A first signal is sent, where the first signal is used for the sensing.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that The first information includes reception power information corresponding to the first signal and / or transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The first signal reaches the first communication device through multiple transmission paths, and the received power information corresponding to the first signal includes: the received power of the first signal on at least one transmission path, where the at least one transmission path is a transmission path among the multiple transmission paths whose received power is greater than or equal to a first threshold; or The received power of the first signal on N transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths, where N is a positive integer.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The first signal reaches the first communication device through multiple transmission paths, and the transmission delay information corresponding to the first signal includes: a transmission delay of the first signal on at least one transmission path, wherein the at least one transmission path is a transmission path among the multiple transmission paths whose received power is greater than or equal to a second threshold; or The transmission delay of the first signal on M transmission paths among the multiple transmission paths, where M is a positive integer.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, 17 to 19, or a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 6 to 11, 17 to 19, or a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 12 to 19.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises at least one processor for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, 17 to 19, or the at least one processor for executing the method according to any one of claims 6 to 11, 17 to 19, or the at least one processor for executing the method according to any one of claims 12 to 19.

22. A communication system, characterized in that: The method comprises one or more of the following: a first communication device, a second communication device, or a third communication device, wherein the first communication device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and 17 to 19, the second communication device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 6 to 11 and 17 to 19, and the third communication device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 12 to 19.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that A computer program or instructions is stored, the computer program or instructions being used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, 17 to 19, or to implement the method according to any one of claims 6 to 11, 17 to 19, or to implement the method according to any one of claims 12 to 19.

24. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises a computer program which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, 17 to 19, or to execute the method according to any one of claims 6 to 11, 17 to 19, or to execute the method according to any one of claims 12 to 19.

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