Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and apparatus, for use in providing a method for assisting, by means of an assistive node, a terminal device in reflecting a signal. The method comprises: sending configuration information and receiving a first signal from a terminal device, wherein the configuration information is used for configuring a carrier sent by an assistive node, and the carrier is used for the terminal device to generate the first signal. In this way, a network device can control a carrier of an assistive node by means of configuration information, thereby controlling a signal of a terminal device.

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 7, 2024, with application number 202410176145.0 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] The working principle of passive radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is that the tag converts the wireless signal emitted by the reader into energy and uses this energy to drive itself to work. In the development of communications, in order to save the power consumption of terminal equipment, it is proposed to introduce RFID technology into communication networks, such as the ambient IoT (A-IoT). A-IoT is based on cellular network communication infrastructure and consists of a reader and a passive / semi-passive / active tag. In this scenario, the tag is the terminal in the cellular network, such as an extremely low-power, extremely low-complexity IoT terminal. The reader can be a base station. In A-IoT, the tag can reflect the signal based on the carrier sent by the auxiliary node and send the reflected signal to the network device.

[0005] Currently, it is only proposed that auxiliary nodes can assist tags in reflecting signals, but there is no specific process for how auxiliary nodes assist tags in transmitting signals. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus, which are used to provide a method for assisting a terminal device in reflecting a signal through an auxiliary node.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a network device (or core network device) or a chip, chip system, or circuit located in the network device (or core network device). Taking the network device as an example, the method may be implemented by the following steps: sending configuration information, where the configuration information is used to configure a carrier sent by an auxiliary node, where the carrier is used by a terminal device to generate a first signal; and receiving the first signal from the terminal device.

[0008] In this application, the network device can configure a carrier for the auxiliary node, so that the auxiliary node provides a carrier for the terminal device, so that the terminal device can perform reflection communication based on the carrier sent by the auxiliary node. In addition, the network device can control the carrier of the auxiliary node through configuration information, thereby controlling the signal of the terminal device.

[0009] In one possible design, the configuration information indicates at least one of the following: carrier frequency, carrier signal type, carrier modulation method, carrier time information, or carrier transmit power. In the above design, the network device can control the frequency, transmit power, etc. of the terminal device's signal by controlling the carrier frequency, transmit power, etc.

[0010] In one possible design, the configuration information indicates the frequency of the carrier, including: the configuration information indicates information about the bandwidth portion corresponding to the carrier.

[0011] In one possible design, the configuration information indicates the frequency of the carrier, including: adjustment information of the frequency of the carrier indicated by the configuration information.

[0012] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending first information, the first information being used to trigger the auxiliary node to send a carrier wave, and / or the first information indicating a duration for transmitting the carrier wave. This design enables the network device to control the transmission / stopping of the carrier wave, which can reduce power consumption of the auxiliary node compared to continuously transmitting the carrier wave by the auxiliary node.

[0013] In one possible design, the duration corresponds to the first service, or the duration corresponds to data transmission, or the duration corresponds to the connection between the network device and the terminal device; or the duration corresponds to the transmission of the first signal.

[0014] In one possible design, the duration is related to the signaling length or the sending time of the first signal. The above design can further reduce the power consumption of the auxiliary node.

[0015] In one possible design, if the first signal is uplink data, the duration is a first duration; if the first signal is a random access message, the duration is a second duration, and the first duration is greater than the second duration. Through the above approach, on the one hand, the transmission of the first signal can be guaranteed, and on the other hand, the power consumption of the auxiliary node can be reduced.

[0016] In one possible design, the first information indicates the transmission duration of the carrier, including: the first information includes the transmission duration value of the carrier; or, the first information includes the transmission parameters of the terminal device, and the transmission parameters are used to determine the duration value of the carrier.

[0017] In one possible design, the transmission parameters include at least one of the following: number of repetitions, encoding method, transmission block size, uplink transmission bandwidth, or data processing delay.

[0018] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending second information for triggering the auxiliary node to transmit a carrier wave; and sending third information for triggering the auxiliary node to stop transmitting the carrier wave. This design enables the network device to control the transmission / stopping of the carrier wave, which can reduce the power consumption of the auxiliary node compared to continuously transmitting the carrier wave by the auxiliary node.

[0019] In one possible design, before sending the third information, the method also includes: determining the completion of the first service or the end of data transmission or the release of the connection with the terminal device; or, determining the end of the first signal transmission.

[0020] In one possible design, the method further includes: instructing the auxiliary node to transmit a carrier wave upon receiving a paging message or a random access message; wherein the paging message is used by the core network to page the terminal device, and the random access message is used by the terminal device to perform random access. This design enables determining whether the terminal device needs to transmit a signal. By instructing the auxiliary node to transmit a carrier wave when the terminal device needs to transmit a signal, power consumption of the auxiliary node can be reduced while ensuring uplink transmission of the terminal device.

[0021] On the second aspect, a communication method is provided, wherein the execution subject of the method may be an auxiliary node or a chip, chip system or circuit located in the auxiliary node. Taking the execution subject as an auxiliary node as an example, the method can be implemented through the following steps: receiving configuration information and sending a carrier according to the configuration information, the configuration information is used to configure the carrier sent by the auxiliary node, and the carrier is used for the terminal device to generate a first signal.

[0022] In one possible design, the configuration information indicates at least one of the following: carrier frequency, carrier signal type, carrier modulation method, carrier time information, or carrier transmit power. In the above design, the network device can control the frequency, transmit power, etc. of the terminal device's signal by controlling the carrier frequency, transmit power, etc.

[0023] In one possible design, the configuration information indicates the frequency of the carrier, including: the configuration information indicates information about the bandwidth portion corresponding to the carrier.

[0024] In one possible design, the configuration information indicates the frequency of the carrier, including: adjustment information of the frequency of the carrier indicated by the configuration information.

[0025] In one possible design, the method further includes: receiving first information, the first information being used to trigger the auxiliary node to send a carrier wave, and / or the first information indicating a duration of carrier wave transmission. Compared to the auxiliary node continuously sending the carrier wave, this approach can reduce power consumption of the auxiliary node.

[0026] In one possible design, the duration corresponds to the first service, or the duration corresponds to data transmission, or the duration corresponds to the connection between the network device and the terminal device; or the duration corresponds to the transmission of the first signal.

[0027] In one possible design, the duration is related to the signaling length or the sending time of the first signal. The above design can further reduce the power consumption of the auxiliary node.

[0028] In one possible design, if the first signal is uplink data, the duration is a first duration; if the first signal is a random access message, the duration is a second duration, and the first duration is greater than the second duration. Through the above approach, on the one hand, the transmission of the first signal can be guaranteed, and on the other hand, the power consumption of the auxiliary node can be reduced.

[0029] In one possible design, the first information indicates the transmission duration of the carrier, including: the first information includes the transmission duration value of the carrier; or, the first information includes the transmission parameters of the terminal device, and the transmission parameters are used to determine the duration value of the carrier.

[0030] In one possible design, the transmission parameters include at least one of the following: number of repetitions, encoding method, transmission block size, uplink transmission bandwidth, or data processing delay.

[0031] In one possible design, the method further includes: before sending the carrier according to the configuration information, receiving second information for triggering the auxiliary node to send the carrier; and after sending the carrier according to the configuration information, receiving third information for triggering the auxiliary node to stop sending the carrier. Compared to the auxiliary node continuously sending the carrier, this approach can reduce power consumption of the auxiliary node.

[0032] In a third aspect, the present application further provides a communication device, which is a network device or a chip in a network device. The communication device has the function of implementing any of the methods provided in the first aspect above. The communication device can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0033] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor configured to support the communication device in executing the corresponding functions of the network device in the method described above. The communication device may also include a memory, which may be coupled to the processor and stores program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. Optionally, the communication device also includes an interface circuit for supporting communication between the communication device and devices such as auxiliary nodes, such as the transmission and reception of data or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0034] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding functional modules for implementing the steps in the above method. The functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0035] In one possible design, the structure of the communication device includes a processing unit and a communication unit, which can perform the corresponding functions in the above method example. For details, please refer to the description of the method provided in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0036] In a fourth aspect, the present application further provides a communication device, which is an auxiliary node or a chip in an auxiliary node, wherein the auxiliary node can be a terminal device or a network device (such as a base station or a small station). The communication device has the function of implementing any method provided in the second aspect. The communication device can be implemented by hardware or by executing corresponding software implementations through hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0037] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor configured to support the communication device in performing the corresponding functions of the auxiliary node in the method described above. The communication device may also include a memory, which may be coupled to the processor and stores the necessary program instructions and data for the communication device. Optionally, the communication device also includes an interface circuit for supporting communication between the communication device and devices such as terminal devices and network devices, such as the transmission and reception of data or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0038] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding functional modules for implementing the steps in the above method. The functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0039] In one possible design, the structure of the communication device includes a processing unit and a communication unit, which can perform the corresponding functions in the above method example. For details, please refer to the description of the method provided in the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0040] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, and the processor is used to implement the method in the aforementioned first aspect and any possible design through logic circuits or execution code instructions.

[0041] In the sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, the processor being used to implement the method in the aforementioned second aspect and any possible design through logic circuits or executing code instructions.

[0042] In the seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method of the aforementioned first aspect or second aspect and any possible design is implemented.

[0043] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product storing instructions is provided, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method in the aforementioned first aspect or second aspect and any possible design.

[0044] In a ninth aspect, a chip system is provided, comprising a processor and a memory, for implementing the method of the first or second aspect and any possible design. The chip system may be composed of a chip alone or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0045] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a network device, an auxiliary node, and a terminal device. The network device transmits configuration information, the configuration information being used to configure the auxiliary node to transmit a carrier wave, which is used by the terminal device to generate a first signal. The auxiliary node transmits the carrier wave according to the configuration information, and the terminal device transmits the first signal according to the carrier wave.

[0046] The technical effects that can be achieved by the technical solutions of any of the above-mentioned aspects from the third to the tenth can be described with reference to the technical effects that can be achieved by the technical solutions of the above-mentioned aspects from the first to the ninth, and the repetitions will not be repeated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG2 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of an inventory method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of an inventory method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of an inventory method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of an inventory method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the Internet of Things (IoT) system, and the IoT includes the Ambient IoT (A-IoT), the Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), and the like. IoT technology is widely used in various industries. For example, IoT technology can be applied to scenarios such as logistics, warehousing, industrial manufacturing, identity recognition, or environmental monitoring. IoT is implemented based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. RFID technology is a contactless communication technology implemented using radio frequency communication. The principle is that data communication is achieved through radio waves without contact between the reader / reader and the tag. IoT technology can be applied to communication systems related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication system, the 5th Generation (5G) mobile communication system, or can also be applied to other next-generation mobile communication systems, such as the 6th Generation (6G) communication system, or other similar communication systems. Other similar communication systems may include wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), vehicle to everything (V2X), and so on.

[0056] The present application can be applied to a communication system, which may include a network device and a terminal device, and may also include an auxiliary node. The auxiliary node may send a carrier wave to the terminal device, or the carrier wave may be sent by the network device to the terminal device. The carrier wave is used by the terminal device for reflection communication, for example, the carrier wave is used by the terminal device to send (or generate) a signal. To facilitate understanding of the solution, the following description takes the auxiliary node sending a carrier wave as an example.

[0057] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 takes the communication system including a terminal device, a network device and an auxiliary node as an example. The network architecture shown in Figure 1 is only a schematic, and the number of terminal devices, network devices and auxiliary nodes can be less or more. The communication system described in the embodiment of the present application is to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the communication system to which the embodiment of the present application is applicable. It is known to those skilled in the art that with the evolution of network architecture, the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems. When applying the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application to other communication systems, the devices, components, modules, etc. in the embodiment can be replaced with corresponding devices, components, modules in other communication systems without limitation.

[0058] Any device capable of communicating data with a network device can be considered a terminal device. Terminal devices are also referred to as terminals, terminal devices, user equipment (UE), mobile stations, or mobile terminals. For example, terminal devices can include: mobile phones, computers, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, robotic arms, cameras, robots, or smart home devices (such as TVs, air conditioners, vacuum cleaners, speakers, set-top boxes), relays, customer premise equipment (CPE), and devices with tagging capabilities. For example, terminal devices can be tags in IoT / A-IoT. Figure 1 uses the example of an A-IoT terminal as the terminal device.

[0059] Tags, also known as RFID tags, electronic tags, A-IoT terminals, or A-IoT devices, are typically attached to objects to identify them. Tags receive radio frequency signals from a reader and, using the energy gained from the induced current, transmit information stored in the tag's internal chip. Alternatively, tags can actively transmit a signal of a certain frequency to the reader, which then reads the information. Tags have a relatively simple design, integrating application layer signaling with air interface signaling, resulting in low power consumption. Tags are categorized as active, passive, and semi-active / semi-passive. Active tags are also called active tags, passive tags are also called passive tags, and semi-active / semi-passive tags are also called semi-passive tags. Active tags are equipped with a power supply and utilize an actively generated carrier wave communication method. This means they can actively transmit signals to the reader without needing to rely on received signals for signal transmission energy. Passive tags / passive tags are not equipped with modules such as power supply, or the power supply module has low power. They can adopt a communication method based on reflection (backscatter), which can obtain energy from the environment and send signals through the energy. Passive tags can work in reflection communication scenarios. For example, passive tags obtain energy by reflecting signals from readers and writers to transmit data. Semi-active / semi-passive tags integrate the advantages of active tags and passive tags and can be used as a special marker. Usually, semi-active / semi-passive tags are in a dormant state and may not work or send signals to the outside world. Only when they enter the activation signal range of the low-frequency activator, the semi-active / semi-passive tag is activated and starts working. The tags involved in the embodiments of the present application may be active tags, passive tags or semi-active / semi-passive tags, etc.

[0060] In the A-IoT scenario, tags are considered terminal devices. Terminal devices in this application can be of the following three types: passive terminals: these lack energy storage, cannot independently generate signals, and use backscattering to transmit signals; semi-passive terminals: these have energy storage but cannot independently generate signals, and use backscattering to transmit signals, where the stored energy can amplify reflected signals; and active terminals: these have energy storage, can independently generate signals, and have active RF components for transmission.

[0061] Both the tag device and the reader / writer can be implemented based on the infrastructure of the cellular network, or the tag device and the reader / writer can be devices in the cellular network. For example, the functions of the reader / writer can be implemented by a network device or a terminal device. In this application, the function of the reader / writer is implemented by a network device as an example. The tag device can be implemented by a terminal device in the cellular network. For example, the tag device can be an extremely low-power, extremely low-complexity IoT terminal. When a terminal device has the functions of a tag device, non-contact data communication can be carried out between the terminal device and the network device or another terminal device.

[0062] The various terminal devices introduced above, if located on a vehicle (e.g., placed / installed in a vehicle), can be considered as on-board terminal devices. On-board terminal devices can be on-board modules, on-board modules, on-board components, on-board chips, or on-board units built into a vehicle as one or more components or units. On-board terminal devices can also be complete vehicle equipment, on-board modules, vehicles, on-board units (OBU), roadside units (RSU), telematics boxes (T-boxes), chips, or system-on-chips (SOCs), etc. The above chips or SOCs can be installed in vehicles, OBUs, RSUs, or T-boxes.

[0063] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal device can be the terminal device itself, or it can be a device that can support the terminal device to realize the function, such as a chip system or a combination of devices or components that can realize the function of the terminal device, and the device can be installed in the terminal device. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal device. For example, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can be in the form of a tag or other terminal form. Unless otherwise specified, the terminal device and the tag can be interchangeable.

[0064] Network equipment is also called radio access network (RAN) equipment. RAN can be a 3GPP-related cellular system, such as an LTE system, a new radio (NR) system, or a future-oriented evolutionary system (such as a 6G mobile communication system). RAN can also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a virtualized RAN (vRAN). RAN can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems. RAN equipment can also be called a RAN node, RAN entity, or access node. For example, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. RAN nodes can be RAN nodes in V2X technology, RSUs, access nodes in Wi-Fi systems, etc.

[0065] A RAN node may also be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station; or multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes respectively performing some of the functions of a base station. For example, a RAN node may be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). In different systems, CU, DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meanings. For example, in an ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples for description. CU and DU may be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement, and the embodiments of this application do not limit which protocol layers the CU and DU are configured with. Any of the CU, 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.

[0066] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device may have a built-in reader / writer. When the terminal device is a tag, the tag and the network device can communicate through the Uu port, as shown in Figure 1. The functions of the reader / writer can be further separated, and the reader / writer is divided into a receiver (receiver) and an exciter (helper). The receiver is also called a receiving end or a receiving unit, and the exciter is also called an excitation end or an excitation unit. The excitation unit is equivalent to the transmitter in the reader / writer, and the receiving unit is equivalent to the receiver in the reader / writer. When the reader / writer is implemented in a separated architecture, different entities of the reader / writer can be deployed on different network devices. For example, an exciter is deployed on the first network device to perform the sending function of the reader / writer; a receiver is deployed on the second network device to perform the receiving function of the reader / writer. Transmission between the exciter and the reader / writer / network device can be carried out through the air interface or through a wired connection.

[0067] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the functions of the network device can be the network device itself, or a device that can support the network device to implement the functions, such as a chip system or a combination of devices or components that can implement the functions of the network device, which can be installed in the network device. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the network device.

[0068] The auxiliary node can be a terminal device, or a base station or a small station. The device and the A-IoT terminal such as the tag can only have downlink transmission (that is, only provide excitation signals, such as carrier waves or energy signals to trigger the A-IoT terminal to send signals), and there is uplink and downlink data transmission between the device and the reader or network device, which may be through the air interface or through a wired connection.

[0069] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the functions of the auxiliary node can be the auxiliary node itself, or a device capable of supporting the auxiliary node in implementing the functions, such as a chip system or a combination of devices or components capable of implementing the functions of the auxiliary node, which can be installed in the auxiliary node. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the auxiliary node.

[0070] In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0071] Furthermore, unless otherwise indicated, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish between multiple objects and are not used to limit the size, content, order, timing, priority, or importance of the multiple objects. For example, the first information and the second information are only used to distinguish different information and do not indicate a difference in priority or importance between the two pieces of information.

[0072] It should be noted that, in this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0073] The terms "including," "having," and any variations thereof mentioned in the following description of the embodiments of the present application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus comprising a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include other steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to the process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0074] Tags can be applied in a variety of industries. Logistics management, as a typical application, is achieved by taking inventory of physical tags. Tag inventory requires tags to access the network. After each tag is randomly connected to the network, the tag's identifier can be reported to the reader so that the reader can determine the existence of tags within the coverage area. After the tag is connected to the network, it can exchange some business information with network devices (such as readers) and / or core network elements. For example, the core network element can forward a message to the tag through the network device, and the message may include information about the operation that needs to be performed on the tag. Alternatively, the network device can also forward a message from the tag to the core network element. The network device can parse or process messages from the core network element or the tag. Common tag services include inventory, reading, writing, positioning, killing, or obtaining tag information. Among them, inventory, which can also be called inventory, is used to obtain the identification of all tags within the coverage of the network device; reading can read data from the tag; writing can write data to the tag; positioning can obtain the location information of the tag; inactivation, also called invalidation, can make the tag identification invalid or inactivated; obtaining tag information can obtain the tag information, such as the tag identification, the information stored in the tag, the location information of the tag, etc. The above tag services are only listed, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the number and types of tag services. For example, tag services also include authentication services.

[0075] The following introduces the technical background involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0076] As shown in Figure 1, A-IoT can also include auxiliary nodes, which can transmit carrier waves to tags, and tags can then reflect signals based on the carrier waves sent by the auxiliary nodes. However, the current proposal only allows auxiliary nodes to assist tags in signal reflection, but there is no specific process for how auxiliary nodes assist tags in signal transmission.

[0077] Based on this, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus for providing a method for assisting a tag in reflecting a signal through an auxiliary node. The method and apparatus are based on the same inventive concept. Since the method and apparatus solve similar problems, the implementation of the apparatus and method can refer to each other, and repeated parts will not be repeated. The method and apparatus are based on the same inventive concept. Since the method and apparatus solve similar problems, the implementation of the apparatus and method can refer to each other, and repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0078] For example, the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied in A-IoT scenarios. In A-IoT scenarios, terminal devices can have reflection communication capabilities, where reflection communication capability refers to the ability to reflect signals based on energy signals such as carrier waves. Optionally, the energy signal can reach a certain threshold when reflecting the signal.

[0079] For ease of understanding, some terms in the embodiments of the present application are explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0080] 1. Select signaling can be used to select or page terminal devices such as A-IoT terminal devices, which is not specifically limited here. Select signaling may include mask information, which is used to filter terminal devices. For example, the mask carried by the Select signaling is 4 bits of "0000", and the mask of a terminal device (assuming it is terminal A) is "00001111". Since the first 4 bits of "00001111" are the mask carried by the Select signaling, terminal A meets the selection range of the Select signaling, and terminal A can respond to the Select signaling. Alternatively, the Select signaling can also carry the identifier / group identifier of the terminal device. For example, the Select signaling includes a container (filter), which is used to filter the terminal devices to be paged. The filter can be the identifier / group identifier of the terminal device, used to page a certain terminal device or a certain group of terminal devices; or, the filter can also indicate the type of terminal device, that is, used to paging a class of terminal devices. It can be understood that the filter is used to filter terminal devices, and the filter can also be called filtering information. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific name of the filter.

[0081] Paging messages can also be used to page terminal devices.

[0082] Query / QueryRep signaling can be used to trigger the start of an inventory process or to indicate the time / time slot resources used for random access. In a specific example, Query / QueryRep signaling is used to determine the number of access resources to be allocated, and access resources are used to receive access information. For example, if eight access resources are allocated, after receiving Query / QueryRep signaling, the terminal device can randomly select one of the access resources and initiate access, send a random access request, or transmit uplink data on that access resource.

[0083] The naming of each message / signaling in this application is merely an example. This application does not limit the specific naming of each message / signaling. As long as the function / limitation / meaning / description of the message is met, it can be understood as the message. For example, "paging message" and "Select signaling" are merely exemplary names for paging messages. As long as the function / limitation / meaning / description of the paging message in this application is met, it can be understood as the paging message of this application.

[0084] The following is an introduction to the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application being executed by a network device and a terminal. For example, the terminal device can be an A-IoT terminal device or other terminal device with reflective communication capabilities. The steps performed by the network device can be implemented by the network device itself, or by components in the network device (such as a baseband chip, or other processing units or processor modules). The steps performed by the auxiliary node can be implemented by the auxiliary node itself, or by components in the auxiliary node (such as chips, processing units, or processor modules).

[0085] In this application, the carrier may also be referred to as an excitation signal, an excitation carrier, etc.

[0086] In this application, the frequency of a carrier may also be referred to as the carrier's transmission frequency, transmission frequency, frequency domain resource, etc.

[0087] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0088] Please refer to Figure 2, which shows a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0089] S201: A first network device sends configuration information, and a secondary node receives the configuration information accordingly.

[0090] The configuration information is used to configure the carrier sent by the auxiliary node, and the carrier is used by the terminal device to generate the first signal, or the carrier is used by the terminal device to send the first signal. In this application, the terminal device has a reflection communication capability, and the terminal device can perform reflection communication based on the carrier sent by the auxiliary node, that is, the terminal device can generate (or send) a signal based on the carrier.

[0091] The following introduces two implementation methods of carrier-based reflection communication of terminal devices.

[0092] In one possible implementation, the terminal device determines a corresponding carrier frequency based on the carrier and sends a signal according to the carrier frequency.

[0093] Among them, the transmission frequency f1 of the signal sent by the terminal device can be equal to the carrier frequency f2. For example, when the terminal device does not have the frequency shift capability or the first network device indicates not to shift the frequency and the protocol defines that the terminal device does not shift the frequency, f1 = f2.

[0094] Alternatively, the transmission frequency f1 of the first signal may not be equal to the carrier frequency f2. For example, f1 may be adjusted upward based on f2, that is, f1=f2+Δf. For another example, f1 may be adjusted downward based on f2, that is, f1=f2-Δf, where Δf is a positive number. For example, when the terminal device has the frequency shifting capability or the first network device indicates the frequency shift and the protocol defines the frequency shift of the terminal device, f1≠f2. Optionally, the value of Δf may be indicated by the first network device, determined by the terminal device, or defined by the protocol. The adjustment of f1 upward or downward based on f2 may be indicated by the first network device, determined by the terminal device, or defined by the protocol.

[0095] In another possible implementation, the terminal device modulates the received carrier to generate a signal to be sent.

[0096] Exemplarily, the carrier may be a single-tone signal, or an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal, or an on-off-keying (OOK) signal, or an amplitude-shift keying (ASK) signal, a phase shift keying (PSK) signal, a frequency-shift keying (FSK) signal, etc. It should be understood that the carrier is only an exemplary name, and the carrier may be a wireless signal or a radio frequency signal sent by the auxiliary node, or any signal, and this application does not specifically limit the naming of the signal.

[0097] In one possible example, the first signal is used to carry information sent by the terminal device to the network device. For example, the first signal can carry a random access message (random number / random access identifier, etc.), uplink data, feedback message to downlink data / message, etc. Exemplarily, the uplink data can be an electronic product code (EPC), an extended product code (XPC), a tag ID, a user ID (UE ID), application layer data, a product code, etc., or other data stored in a tag memory bank, which can be used by a reader to identify the tag or complete a service (such as inventory, positioning, sensing, tracking, reading, writing, locking, deactivation, etc.).

[0098] Exemplarily, the configuration information may indicate at least one of the following: carrier frequency, or carrier transmit power. The configuration information is introduced below from the perspectives of carrier frequency and carrier transmit power, respectively.

[0099] 1) Configuration information indicates the frequency of the carrier:

[0100] The configuration information can indicate the frequency of the carrier in three ways.

[0101] In mode A, the configuration information may indicate information about the bandwidth portion corresponding to the carrier, which may be a carrier-specific BWP. Optionally, the configuration information may also indicate the position of the carrier frequency within the bandwidth portion. For example, the configuration information may also indicate the number of frequency domain units (e.g., resource blocks) within the bandwidth portion in which the carrier frequency belongs.

[0102] In mode B, the configuration information may indicate the location information of the frequency of the carrier, such as the frequency band, frequency point, etc.

[0103] In mode C, the configuration information may indicate adjustment information of the frequency of the carrier.

[0104] For example, the adjustment information may be a frequency adjustment value (or frequency change value) n, for example, the frequency adjustment value indicates that the frequency of the carrier is increased (or decreased) by n, where n may be a value greater than 0 or a value less than 0, and is not specifically limited here. For example, the frequency adjustment value may be equal to the difference between the frequency of the carrier and the receiving frequency of the second signal received by the first network device before S201. The unit of the frequency adjustment value may be Hertz (Hz), carrier / subcarrier, resource block (RB), kilohertz (kHz), etc.

[0105] For example, assuming that the frequency of the carrier is N and the frequency adjustment value is n, the frequency of the carrier sent by the auxiliary node this time may be N+n, or Nn.

[0106] Frequency N may be the frequency of the carrier sent by the auxiliary node before S201. Alternatively, frequency N may be the frequency of the carrier most recently configured by the first network device. For example, frequency N may be the frequency most recently configured by the first network device via a broadcast message or a unicast message. Alternatively, frequency N may be a frequency defined by a protocol.

[0107] For another example, the adjustment information may also be the receiving frequency of the second signal received by the first network device before S201.

[0108] In some possible scenarios, the frequency of the terminal device signal received by the first network device may deviate from the frequency of the indicated carrier. In the above method, the first network device can adjust the frequency of the carrier of the auxiliary node through configuration information, thereby adjusting the frequency deviation of the terminal device, which is beneficial to improving the communication performance between the first network device and the terminal device.

[0109] As a possible implementation, the configuration information may indicate the frequency of the carrier through one or more fields. The following exemplarily introduces eight fields in the configuration information that may be used to indicate the frequency of the carrier.

[0110] 1. FrequencyBandList / MultiFrequencyBandListNR: indicates a list of frequency bands to which the carrier (or multiple subcarriers) belongs. In this application, this field may indicate a list of frequency bands to which the frequencies of the carriers belong.

[0111] 2. absoluteFrequencyPointA / ARFCN-ValueNR: indicates the absolute frequency position, and its lowest subcarrier is also called point A. In this application, this field can indicate the absolute frequency position of the frequency of the carrier.

[0112] 3. scs-SpecificCarrierList: indicates a set of carriers with different subcarrier spacings (numerology). The carrier set is defined relative to point A. The first network device can configure a specific carrier (scs-SpecificCarrier) for each subcarrier spacing used in the bandwidth portion corresponding to the carrier.

[0113] 4. locationAndBandwidth: Indicates the frequency domain location and bandwidth corresponding to the bandwidth part. In this application, this field can indicate the frequency domain location and bandwidth corresponding to the BWP corresponding to the carrier.

[0114] 5. subcarrierSpacing: Indicates the subcarrier spacing. In this application, this field can indicate the subcarrier spacing of the carrier frequency.

[0115] 6. cyclicPrefix: Indicates whether the bandwidth part uses an extended cyclic prefix.

[0116] 7. subCarrierLocation = INTEGER (0..11): This parameter indicates the subcarrier location where the control word is sent. 0 corresponds to 1 resource block, 1 corresponds to 2 resource blocks, and so on.

[0117] 8. powerIndication = INTEGER(16..31): This parameter indicates the carrier's transmit power. 16 represents 16dBm, 17 represents 17dBm, and so on.

[0118] For ease of understanding, the following examples are given in combination with the above fields.

[0119] The configuration information may include a FrequencyBandList field, where the FrequencyBandList indicates the frequency band (or frequency band) information of the carrier. For example, the FrequencyBandList is a list including multiple frequency bands, and the multiple frequency bands include a frequency band to which the carrier belongs.

[0120] The configuration information may further include an absoluteFrequencyPointA field, where the absoluteFrequencyPointA field indicates that the absolute frequency point A represents the absolute frequency position of the reference resource.

[0121] The configuration information may further include a locationAndBandwidth field, where the locationAndBandwidth field indicates the frequency domain position and bandwidth of the bandwidth part corresponding to the carrier.

[0122] The configuration information may further include a subCarrierIndex field, where the subCarrierIndex field indicates a subcarrier index of a resource block for carrier transmission.

[0123] In one possible implementation, a frequency range (or frequency ranges) can be configured via a broadcast message, and a specified frequency (or specified frequency) can be adjusted via a unicast message. For example, the broadcast message may include the aforementioned FrequencyBandList field, absoluteFrequencyPointA field, locationAndBandwidth field, and subCarrierIndex field, while the unicast message may carry a field indicating information about adjusting the carrier frequency.

[0124] Optionally, carriers can be configured in the same frequency band or in different frequency bands. The same frequency band may refer to the carrier frequency / frequency band in which the terminal device is located / the communication system to which the terminal device is connected being in the same frequency band. Different frequency bands may refer to the carrier frequency / frequency band in which the terminal device is located / the communication system to which the terminal device is connected being in different frequency bands. Taking the NR system as an example, the same frequency band may refer to the carrier being in the same frequency band as the NR system, and different frequency bands may refer to the carrier being in different frequency bands as the NR system.

[0125] In one example, if the carrier is configured as a subcarrier in the same frequency band, the FrequencyBandList field, absoluteFrequencyPointA field, and locationAndBandwidth field may be included in the information for configuring the bandwidth portion corresponding to the carrier, and the subCarrierIndex field may be included in the configuration information of the carrier.

[0126] If the carrier is configured as a subcarrier of different frequency bands, the above-mentioned FrequencyBandList field, absoluteFrequencyPointA field, locationAndBandwidth field and subCarrierIndex field are all included in the configuration information of the carrier.

[0127] It should be understood that the naming of the above fields is only an example, and this application does not limit the naming of the above fields. In addition, the frequency information of the carrier can also be carried in other fields, and this application does not make specific limitations.

[0128] 2) Configuration information indicates the transmit power of the carrier:

[0129] The configuration information can indicate the transmit power of the carrier in two ways.

[0130] In mode D, the configuration information can indicate the carrier's transmit power value. For example, the carrier's transmit power information is 4 bits, indicating a range of 16 to 31 dBm. If the carrier's transmit power information is 0000, it indicates a carrier transmit power of 16 dBm. If the carrier's transmit power information is 0001, it indicates 17 dBm, and so on.

[0131] In mode E, the configuration information may be a transmit power adjustment value (or transmit power change value) y, where y may be a value greater than 0 or a value less than 0. For example, the transmit power adjustment value may indicate an increase (or decrease) of the transmit power of the carrier by y. For example, assuming that the transmit power of the carrier is P, and the transmit power adjustment value y=1dBm, the configuration information indicates that the transmit power of the carrier is P+1dBm. The transmit power P may be a value defined by the protocol. Alternatively, the transmit power P may be pre-configured by the first network device, such as by the first network device through a broadcast or unicast message or other message. Alternatively, the transmit power P may also be the transmit power of the carrier sent by the auxiliary node before S201.

[0132] Optionally, the configuration information may further indicate at least one of the following: a carrier modulation mode, a carrier signal type, and carrier time information. For example, the carrier modulation mode may be OOK, ASK, PSK, FSK, etc. The carrier signal type may be a single-tone signal, OFDM signal, OOK signal, ASK signal, PSK signal, FSK signal, etc.

[0133] Exemplarily, the time information of the carrier may include the start time and / or end time of the carrier, wherein the start time of the carrier may be understood as the time when the carrier starts to be transmitted, and the end time of the carrier may be understood as the time when the transmission stops.

[0134] Exemplarily, the start time / end time may be in units of time such as frames, subframes, superframes, or time slots; or, the duration may be in units of absolute time such as seconds / milliseconds.

[0135] Optionally, the above configuration information can be carried in paging messages, synchronization messages, system messages, radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration information (RRCReconfiguration), downlink control information, RRC connection establishment / reconstruction / recovery / release messages, access stratum (AS) release, service release, media access control control element (MAC CE) or synchronization messages, etc.

[0136] In one possible example, the configuration information may be carried in a broadcast message and / or a unicast message. For example, a portion of the configuration information may be sent via a broadcast message, and another portion of the configuration information may be sent via a unicast message. For another example, all of the configuration information may be sent via a broadcast message or a unicast message.

[0137] In a possible implementation, the configuration information may be determined by the first network device, or may be sent by the terminal device or the core network device to the first network device, and then sent by the first network device to the auxiliary node.

[0138] As an alternative to S201, the configuration information may also be sent by the core network device to the auxiliary node. For example, the core network device may send the configuration information to the auxiliary node via unicast messages / broadcast / multicast messages, non-access stratum (NAS) messages, and the like.

[0139] S202: The auxiliary node sends a carrier according to the configuration information, and the terminal device receives the carrier accordingly.

[0140] In one possible implementation, the auxiliary node may determine the timing of starting and stopping carrier transmission based on the carrier's time information in the configuration information. For example, the auxiliary node may determine the timing of starting carrier transmission based on the carrier's start time and the timing of stopping carrier transmission based on the carrier's end time.

[0141] In another possible implementation, the auxiliary node may also start and stop sending the carrier wave under the instruction of the first network device. Specifically, in this implementation, the timing of the auxiliary node starting and stopping sending the carrier wave will be described below.

[0142] S203: The terminal device sends a first signal according to the carrier.

[0143] Among them, the way in which the terminal device sends the first signal according to the carrier can refer to the relevant description in S201 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0144] Optionally, the first signal may be sent to a first network device, and accordingly, the first network device receives the first signal. Alternatively, the first signal may be sent to a second network device, and accordingly, the second network device receives the first signal. For example, in a split architecture, the first network device may be a centralized unit (CU), the second network device may be a distributed unit (DU), and so on. Alternatively, the first signal may be sent to other devices, which is not specifically limited here.

[0145] If the first signal is sent to the first network device, in one possible implementation, the terminal device may send the first signal directly to the first network device, or may send the first signal to the first network device through a relay device.

[0146] In the present application, the first network device can configure a carrier for the auxiliary node, so that the auxiliary node provides a carrier for the terminal device. Furthermore, the first network device can control the carrier of the auxiliary node through configuration information, thereby controlling the signal of the terminal device. For example, the first network device can control the frequency and transmit power of the terminal device's signal by controlling the frequency and transmit power of the carrier.

[0147] Two implementation methods for the auxiliary node to determine the timing of starting and stopping transmitting the carrier are described below.

[0148] Implementation method 1:

[0149] The first network device may send first information to the auxiliary node, wherein the first information is used to trigger the auxiliary node to send a carrier, wherein the first information may be carried in a unicast message or a broadcast message.

[0150] In one example, the first information may explicitly trigger the auxiliary node to transmit the carrier. In this example, the auxiliary node may start transmitting the carrier after receiving the first information.

[0151] Optionally, in this example, the first information may further indicate a duration for transmitting the carrier, and the auxiliary node may determine the timing (or time) for stopping transmitting the carrier based on the duration for transmitting the carrier. For example, the first information includes a field indicating the carrier to be transmitted and a field indicating the duration for transmitting the carrier. Optionally, after receiving the first information, the auxiliary node may transmit the carrier according to the indicated duration, for example, transmitting the carrier for the indicated duration.

[0152] Exemplarily, the duration may be in units of time such as frames, subframes, superframes, or time slots; or, the duration may be in units of absolute time such as seconds / milliseconds.

[0153] In another example, the first information may also implicitly trigger the auxiliary node to transmit the carrier by indicating the transmission duration of the carrier. In this example, the auxiliary node may start transmitting the carrier after receiving the first information and determine the timing (or time) to stop transmitting the carrier based on the transmission duration of the carrier.

[0154] For example, the first information may include a field indicating a transmission duration of the carrier, but may not include a field indicating the carrier to be transmitted. After receiving the first information, the auxiliary node determines to transmit the carrier based on the field indicating the transmission duration of the carrier, and transmits the carrier according to the indicated duration, for example, transmitting the carrier for the indicated duration.

[0155] Optionally, when the auxiliary node transmits the carrier according to the first information, it may specifically begin transmitting the carrier after a first time offset after receiving the first information. The first time offset may be indicated by the first network device, for example, by the first information. Alternatively, the first time offset may be determined by the auxiliary node. Alternatively, the first time offset may be defined by a protocol. Exemplarily, the first time offset may be in units of time, such as frames, subframes, superframes, or time slots; alternatively, the duration value may be in units of absolute time, such as seconds or milliseconds.

[0156] Here, two methods of indicating the duration of the carrier by the first information are introduced.

[0157] In one way, the first information can indicate the transmission duration value of the carrier. For example, the first information can indicate 128 consecutive numbers as time values ​​1 to 128 through 7 bits. Optionally, the unit can be indicated by other information or other bits in the first information, such as 0 indicates microseconds, 1 indicates milliseconds, or the unit can be the protocol default. For another example, the first information can indicate the transmission duration value through an index. For example, index = 0 corresponds to not sending, or there is no indication of not sending by default, index = 1 corresponds to a transmission duration of 62.5 microseconds, index = 2 corresponds to a duration of 212.5 microseconds, and so on.

[0158] Another way is that the first information includes the transmission parameters of the terminal device, and the transmission parameters are used to determine the transmission duration value of the carrier. In this way, the auxiliary node can determine the transmission duration value of the carrier according to the transmission parameters of the terminal device.

[0159] Exemplarily, the transmission parameters include at least one of the following: number of repetitions, encoding mode, transmission block size, uplink transmission bandwidth, or data processing delay.

[0160] The number of repetitions can be bit repetitions, level repetitions, etc.

[0161] Coding method: It can be convolutional code, polarization code, etc.

[0162] Transport block size: It can be obtained by the first network device. For example, the transport block size can be defined by the protocol, or the transport block size can be sent by the core network device to the first network device, or the transport block size can be sent by the terminal device to the first network device. Alternatively, the first network device can determine the transport block size based on some configuration parameters. For example, the transport block can include one or more of preamble bits, uplink data bits (UL data size), mid-amble bits, post-amble bits, and cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits. Therefore, the number of bits in the transport block can be the sum of the number of bits of one or more of preamble bits, uplink data bits, mid-amble bits, post-amble bits, and CRC bits. For example, the duration of the carrier can be equal to or greater than the time of the uplink data, where the time of the uplink data = preamble / start symbol time + data bits * transmission time per bit + post-amble / end symbol (post-amble) time.

[0163] It should be noted that the transport block may also be referred to as a data block, data, data segment, bit sequence, etc.

[0164] Uplink transmission bandwidth: can be the uplink transmission bandwidth of the terminal device, and further, can be the uplink transmission bandwidth of the A-IoT terminal device.

[0165] Data processing delay: After the A-IoT terminal device receives the downlink data, it sends the uplink data after a processing delay. This processing delay can be understood as the data processing delay in this application.

[0166] In another embodiment, the first information may include time information of stopping sending the carrier (such as x o'clock x minutes x seconds), and the time information may indicate the sending duration of the carrier.

[0167] In implementation method 1, the duration of carrier transmission can correspond to the first service. That is, the auxiliary node continues to transmit the carrier during the first service between the first network device and the terminal device until the first service ends. For example, the first service can be an environmental IoT service, such as inventory, positioning, sensing, tracking, reading, writing, locking, deactivation, registration, authentication, authorization, and validity verification.

[0168] Alternatively, the transmission duration of the carrier wave may also correspond to the data transmission, that is, the auxiliary node may continue to transmit the carrier wave during the data transmission between the first network device and the terminal device until the data transmission is completed.

[0169] Alternatively, the duration of the carrier transmission may also correspond to the connection between the first network device and the terminal device, that is, the auxiliary node continues to transmit the carrier while the connection between the first network device and the terminal device is maintained until the connection between the first network device and the terminal device is disconnected.

[0170] In an exemplary description, in A-IoT, the A-IoT terminal device may not have the concept of connection, but the terminal device receives a downlink signal to trigger the sending of the next uplink signal. In this scenario. "Maintaining connection period" can be understood as the period during which the first network device or core network device is waiting to transmit downlink signaling / data, or before the core network device sends a first identifier to the first network device, or before the first network device receives a second identifier from the core network device. That is, the auxiliary node continues to send carriers during the period during which the first network device or core network device is waiting to transmit downlink signaling / data, or before the core network device sends a first identifier to the first network device, or before the first network device receives the second identifier from the core network device.

[0171] The first identifier / second identifier may be used to indicate service termination / context release / terminal energy saving or sleep indication / discontinuous reception, etc.

[0172] Alternatively, the transmission duration of the carrier wave may also correspond to the transmission duration of the first signal, that is, the auxiliary node continues to transmit the carrier wave during the transmission period of the first signal until the transmission of the first signal is completed.

[0173] Optionally, if the transmission duration of the carrier corresponds to the transmission of the first signal, the transmission duration of the carrier may also be related to the processing duration of the first signal by the terminal device, or the duration required to send the first signal. For example, the transmission duration of the carrier may be greater than or equal to the sum of the processing duration of the first signal and the duration required to send the first signal. In a specific example, since the terminal device requires additional processing time for some special signaling such as writing data, reading data, deactivation, etc., the transmission duration of the carrier may be greater than or equal to the sum of the following durations: the processing duration of the first signal, the duration required to send the first signal, and the redundant time.

[0174] In a possible implementation, the transmission duration of the carrier may be determined based on the terminal device with the farthest coverage or the worst coverage.

[0175] Further optionally, since the required transmission duration of the first signal is related to the signaling length of the first signal, for example, the longer the signaling length of the first signal, the longer the required transmission duration of the first signal. Therefore, since the signaling length of uplink data is generally greater than the signaling length of a random access message, if the first signal is uplink data, the duration may be the first duration; if the first signal is a random access message, the duration may be the second duration, and the first duration is greater than the second duration.

[0176] In one possible solution, the first network device may determine the carrier transmission duration based on the random access message sent by the terminal device. For example, if the first network device receives the random access message from the terminal device, the first network device indicates that the carrier transmission duration is the first duration. If the first network device does not receive the random access message from the terminal device or is unable to parse the random access message from the terminal device, the first network device indicates that the carrier transmission duration is the second duration.

[0177] It should be understood that uplink data can also correspond to different durations. For example, due to the different bit lengths of uplink data, the time required to send the uplink data is different. Therefore, different durations can be configured for uplink data of different bit lengths. For example, if the bit length of the uplink data is large, the corresponding carrier transmission duration is also large. For another example, due to different coverage levels, the encoding method, code rate, preamble length, etc. of the uplink data will be different, resulting in different times required to send the uplink data. Therefore, different durations can be configured for uplink data at different coverage levels.

[0178] Similarly, random access messages can also correspond to different durations. For example, due to the different bit lengths of random access messages, the time required to transmit the random access messages varies. Therefore, different durations can be configured for random access messages of different bit lengths. For example, if the bit length of the random access message is large, the corresponding carrier duration is also large. For another example, due to different coverage levels, the time required to transmit the random access message varies. Therefore, different durations can be configured for random access messages at different coverage levels.

[0179] Optionally, the time of sending the carrier wave can be orthogonal to (or staggered with) the time of sending the downlink message by the first network device / relay device. In this way, the terminal device can be prevented from failing to parse the downlink message due to receiving the carrier wave and the downlink message at the same time.

[0180] Optionally, the first information may be the configuration information, or the first information and the configuration information may be sent simultaneously. This approach may also be understood as the configuration information fulfilling the role of the first information.

[0181] Alternatively, the first information may be sent separately from the configuration information, and the first information may be sent after the configuration information. In this manner, the first information may be carried in downlink control information or in RRC reconfiguration information.

[0182] The timing for the first network device to send the first information is described below.

[0183] An optional solution is that the first network device can instruct the auxiliary node to send a carrier (that is, send the first information) when receiving a paging message or a random access message, wherein the paging message is used for the core network to paging the terminal device, and the random access message is used for the terminal device to perform random access.

[0184] In a specific example, the first network device may send the first information while sending the Query signaling or before sending the Query signaling.

[0185] To facilitate understanding of implementation method 1, the following uses an example of inventory service to illustrate a communication system including a first network device, an auxiliary node, and two terminal devices, namely, terminal device 1 and terminal device 2.

[0186] Example A: Assume that the transmission duration of the carrier corresponds to one signal.

[0187] As shown in Figure 3, the inventory method includes:

[0188] S301: A first network device sends an RRC reconfiguration message to an auxiliary node.

[0189] The RRC reconfiguration message carries configuration information.

[0190] S302: The assisting node sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the first network device.

[0191] S303: The core network device sends a paging message to the first network device.

[0192] It should be noted that the present application does not limit the execution order of S301 and S303. S301 may be executed first and then S303, or S303 may be executed first and then S301, or S301 and S303 may be executed simultaneously.

[0193] S304: The first network device sends a paging message.

[0194] Illustratively, the paging message may be a paging message, a Select signaling, and the like.

[0195] S305: The first network device sends a query signaling.

[0196] S306: The first network device sends information 1 to the auxiliary node.

[0197] Information 1 is used to trigger the auxiliary node to send a carrier. Information 1 carries duration 1, which is the duration of the carrier used for the random access message. In the transmission of S306 to S310, information 1 may correspond to the first information mentioned above.

[0198] S307: The auxiliary node sends a carrier wave.

[0199] S308, terminal device 1 sends a random access message according to the carrier.

[0200] In the transmission of S306 to S310, the random access message may correspond to the first signal. For the details of S308, please refer to the relevant description of S203 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0201] S309 , the first network device sends an acknowledgment message (ACK) to terminal device 1 .

[0202] S310 : The auxiliary node may stop sending the carrier according to the duration 1 .

[0203] S311: The first network device sends information 2 to the auxiliary node.

[0204] Information 2 is used to trigger the auxiliary node to send a carrier. Information 2 carries duration 2, which is the duration of the carrier used for uplink data. In the transmission of S311 to S314, information 2 may correspond to the first information mentioned above.

[0205] S312: The auxiliary node sends a carrier wave.

[0206] S313, terminal device 1 sends uplink data according to the carrier.

[0207] In the transmission of S311 to S314, the uplink data may correspond to the first signal. For the details of S313, please refer to the relevant description of S203 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0208] S314 , the auxiliary node may stop sending the carrier according to the duration 2 .

[0209] It should be noted that Figure 3 only takes two transmission processes, namely the transmission process of S306~S310 and the transmission process of S311~S314, as examples for illustration. In specific implementation, other transmission processes may also be included, which may be other transmission processes between the first network device and terminal device 1, or the transmission process between the first network device and other terminal devices such as terminal device 2. These transmission processes can refer to the description of any of the two transmission processes and will not be listed one by one here.

[0210] Example B: Assume that the transmission duration of a carrier corresponds to one service.

[0211] The difference between Example A and Example B is that in Example A, for each signal, the first network device triggers the auxiliary node to transmit a carrier wave using a message (e.g., message 1 and message 2), and the carrier wave transmission duration carried in the message corresponds to one signal. In contrast, in Example B, the first network device sends a message (e.g., message 3) to the auxiliary node to trigger carrier wave transmission before the service starts, and the carrier wave transmission duration carried in the message corresponds to one service. The start / end of each signal during the service execution is not perceptible to the auxiliary node.

[0212] As shown in Figure 4, the inventory method includes:

[0213] S401: A first network device sends an RRC reconfiguration message to an auxiliary node.

[0214] The RRC reconfiguration message carries configuration information.

[0215] S402: The assisting node sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the first network device.

[0216] S403: The core network device sends a paging message to the first network device.

[0217] It should be noted that the present application does not limit the execution order of S401 and S403. S401 may be executed first and then S403, or S403 may be executed first and then S401, or S401 and S403 may be executed simultaneously.

[0218] S404: The first network device sends a paging message.

[0219] Illustratively, the paging message may be a paging message, a Select signaling, and the like.

[0220] S405: The first network device sends a Query signaling.

[0221] S406: The first network device sends information 3 to the auxiliary node.

[0222] Information 3 is used to trigger the auxiliary node to send a carrier. Information 3 carries duration 3, which is the duration of the carrier used for the first service. Information 3 may correspond to the first information mentioned above.

[0223] S407: The auxiliary node sends a carrier wave.

[0224] S408, terminal device 1 sends a random access message according to the carrier.

[0225] The random access message may correspond to the first signal. For details of S408, please refer to the relevant description of S203 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0226] S409, the first network device sends a confirmation message to terminal device 1.

[0227] S410, terminal device 1 sends uplink data according to the carrier.

[0228] The uplink data may correspond to the first signal. For details of S410, please refer to the relevant description of S203 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0229] S411: The first network device sends a QueryRep signaling.

[0230] S412, terminal device 2 sends a random access message according to the carrier.

[0231] The random access message may correspond to the first signal. For details of S412, please refer to the relevant description of S203 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0232] S413, the first network device sends a confirmation message to the terminal device 2.

[0233] S414, terminal device 2 sends uplink data according to the carrier.

[0234] The uplink data may correspond to the first signal. For the details of S414, please refer to the relevant description of S203 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0235] S415 , the auxiliary node may stop sending the carrier according to the duration 3 .

[0236] It should be noted that FIG4 only illustrates the inventory process of the first service being two terminal devices as an example. In a specific implementation, other inventory processes may also be included, which are not listed here one by one.

[0237] Implementation method 2:

[0238] The first network device may send second information and third information to the auxiliary node, wherein the second information is used to trigger the auxiliary node to send a carrier, and the third information is used to trigger the auxiliary node to stop sending the carrier.

[0239] The difference between implementation method 2 and implementation method 1 is that in implementation method 1, the first network device instructs the auxiliary node to stop sending the carrier by indicating the carrier duration, while in implementation method 2, the first network device triggers the auxiliary node to stop sending the carrier through the third information when the auxiliary node needs to stop sending the carrier.

[0240] As an optional solution, the second information can be the above configuration information, or the second information and the above configuration information can be sent simultaneously. This approach can also be understood as the configuration information can achieve the role of the second information.

[0241] Alternatively, the second information may be sent separately from the configuration information, and the second information may be sent after the configuration information. Optionally, in this manner, the second information may be carried in downlink control information or in RRC reconfiguration information.

[0242] The timing for the first network device to send the second information and the third information is described below.

[0243] An optional solution is that the first network device can instruct the auxiliary node to send a carrier (that is, send the second information) when receiving a paging message or a random access message. In a specific example, the first network device can send the second information at the same time as sending the Query signaling / QueryRep signaling or before sending the Query signaling / QueryRep signaling.

[0244] The first network device may send third information to the auxiliary node after determining that the first service is completed, so that the auxiliary node continues to send carrier waves during the first service between the first network device and the terminal device until the first service is completed.

[0245] Alternatively, the first network device may also send the third information to the auxiliary node after completing the data transmission, so that the auxiliary node continues to send the carrier during the data transmission between the first network device and the terminal device until the data transmission is completed.

[0246] Alternatively, the first network device may also send the third information to the auxiliary node after releasing the connection with the terminal device, so that the auxiliary node continues to send the carrier while the connection between the first network device and the terminal device is maintained until the connection between the first network device and the terminal device is disconnected.

[0247] Alternatively, the first network device may also send the third information to the auxiliary node after the first signal transmission is completed (eg, the first signal is received or the first signal is correctly parsed), so that the auxiliary node continues to send the carrier during the first signal transmission until the first signal transmission is completed.

[0248] To facilitate understanding of the second implementation method, the following uses an inventory service as an example to illustrate the communication system including a first network device, an auxiliary node, and two terminal devices, namely terminal device 1 and terminal device 2.

[0249] Example C: Assume that the transmission duration of the carrier corresponds to one signal.

[0250] As shown in Figure 5, the inventory method includes:

[0251] S501: A first network device sends an RRC reconfiguration message to an auxiliary node.

[0252] The RRC reconfiguration message carries configuration information.

[0253] S502: The assisting node sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the first network device.

[0254] S503: The core network device sends a paging message to the first network device.

[0255] It should be noted that the present application does not limit the execution order of S501 and S503. S501 may be executed first and then S503, or S503 may be executed first and then S501, or S501 and S503 may be executed simultaneously.

[0256] S504: The first network device sends a paging message.

[0257] Illustratively, the paging message may be a paging message, a Select signaling, and the like.

[0258] S505: The first network device sends a Query signaling.

[0259] S506: The first network device sends information 4 to the auxiliary node.

[0260] The information 4 is used to trigger the auxiliary node to send a carrier wave. In the transmission of S506 to S511, the information 4 may correspond to the second information mentioned above.

[0261] S507: The auxiliary node sends a carrier wave.

[0262] S508, terminal device 1 sends a random access message according to the carrier.

[0263] In the transmission of S506 to S511, the random access message may correspond to the first signal. For the details of S507, please refer to the relevant description of S203 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0264] S509, the first network device sends a confirmation message to terminal device 1.

[0265] S510: The first network device sends information 5 to the auxiliary node.

[0266] The information 5 is used to trigger the auxiliary node to stop transmitting the carrier. In the transmission of S506 to S511, the information 5 may correspond to the third information mentioned above.

[0267] S511: The auxiliary node stops sending the carrier.

[0268] S512: The first network device sends information 6 to the auxiliary node.

[0269] The information 6 is used to trigger the auxiliary node to send a carrier wave. In the transmission of S512 to S516, the information 6 may correspond to the second information mentioned above.

[0270] S513: The auxiliary node sends a carrier wave.

[0271] S514, terminal device 1 sends uplink data according to the carrier.

[0272] In the transmission of S512 to S516, the uplink data may correspond to the first signal. For the details of S513, please refer to the relevant description of S203 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0273] S515: The first network device sends information 7 to the auxiliary node.

[0274] The information 7 is used to trigger the auxiliary node to stop transmitting the carrier. In the transmission of S512 to S516, the information 7 may correspond to the third information mentioned above.

[0275] S516: The auxiliary node stops sending the carrier.

[0276] It should be noted that Figure 5 only takes two transmission processes, namely the transmission process of S506 to S511 and the transmission process of S512 to S516, as examples for illustration. In specific implementations, other transmission processes may also be included, which may be other transmission processes between the first network device and the terminal device 1, or the transmission process between the first network device and other terminal devices such as the terminal device 2. These transmission processes can refer to the description of any of the two transmission processes and will not be listed one by one here.

[0277] Example D: Assume that the transmission duration of a carrier corresponds to one service.

[0278] The difference between Example C and Example D is that in Example C, for each signal, the first network device triggers the auxiliary node to send a carrier wave using one message (e.g., message 4 and message 6), and to stop sending a carrier wave using one message (e.g., message 5 and message 7). In contrast, in Example D, for each service, the first network device triggers the auxiliary node to send a carrier wave using one message (e.g., message 8), and to stop sending a carrier wave using one message (e.g., message 9). The auxiliary node is unaware of the start and end of each signal during the service.

[0279] As shown in Figure 6, the inventory method includes:

[0280] S601: A first network device sends an RRC reconfiguration message to an auxiliary node.

[0281] The RRC reconfiguration message carries configuration information.

[0282] S602: The assisting node sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the first network device.

[0283] S603: The core network device sends a paging message to the first network device.

[0284] It should be noted that the present application does not limit the execution order of S601 and S603. S601 may be executed first and then S603, or S603 may be executed first and then S601, or S601 and S603 may be executed simultaneously.

[0285] S604: The first network device sends a paging message.

[0286] Illustratively, the paging message may be a paging message, a Select signaling, and the like.

[0287] S605: The first network device sends a Query signaling.

[0288] S606: The first network device sends information 8 to the auxiliary node.

[0289] Information 8 is used to trigger the auxiliary node to send a carrier wave. Information 8 may correspond to the second information mentioned above.

[0290] S607: The auxiliary node sends a carrier wave.

[0291] S608, terminal device 1 sends a random access message according to the carrier.

[0292] The random access message may correspond to the first signal. For details of S608, please refer to the relevant description of S203 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0293] S609, the first network device sends a confirmation message to terminal device 1.

[0294] S610, terminal device 1 sends uplink data according to the carrier.

[0295] The uplink data may correspond to the first signal. For details of S610, please refer to the relevant description of S203 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0296] S611: The first network device sends a QueryRep signaling.

[0297] S612, terminal device 2 sends a random access message according to the carrier.

[0298] The random access message may correspond to the first signal. For details of S612, please refer to the relevant description of S203 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0299] S613, the first network device sends a confirmation message to terminal device 2.

[0300] S614, terminal device 2 sends uplink data according to the carrier.

[0301] The uplink data may correspond to the first signal. For the details of S614, please refer to the relevant description of S203 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0302] S615: The first network device sends information 9 to the auxiliary node.

[0303] Information 9 is used to trigger the auxiliary node to stop transmitting the carrier wave. Information 9 may correspond to the third information mentioned above.

[0304] S616: The auxiliary node stops sending the carrier.

[0305] It should be noted that FIG6 only illustrates the inventory process of the first service being two terminal devices as an example. In a specific implementation, other inventory processes may also be included, which are not listed here one by one.

[0306] In the present application, the first network device can configure a carrier for the auxiliary node, so that the auxiliary node provides a carrier for the terminal device. Furthermore, the first network device can control the carrier of the auxiliary node through configuration information, thereby controlling the signal of the terminal device. For example, the first network device can control the frequency and transmit power of the terminal device's signal by controlling the frequency and transmit power of the carrier.

[0307] In addition, the first network device can adjust the carrier of the auxiliary node according to the signal received last time, so as to adjust the frequency deviation of the terminal device, which is beneficial to improving the communication performance between the first network device and the terminal device.

[0308] Based on the same inventive concept as the method embodiment, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, the structure of which may be as shown in FIG. 7 , including a communication unit 701 and a processing unit 702 .

[0309] In one embodiment, a communication device can be specifically used to implement the method performed by the first network device in the embodiment of Figure 2. The device can be the first network device itself, or a chip, chipset, or a portion of a chip in the first network device that performs the functions of the related method. The processing unit 702 is configured to send configuration information via the communication unit 701, the configuration information being used to configure a carrier transmitted by the auxiliary node, the carrier being used by the terminal device to generate the first signal; and receive the first signal from the terminal device via the communication unit 701.

[0310] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further configured to send first information through the communication unit 701, where the first information is used to trigger the auxiliary node to send the carrier, and / or the first information indicates a duration for sending the carrier.

[0311] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further used to send second information through the communication unit 701, where the second information is used to trigger the auxiliary node to send the carrier; and send third information through the communication unit 701, where the third information is used to trigger the auxiliary node to stop sending the carrier.

[0312] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further used to determine, before sending the third information, that the first service is completed or the data transmission is ended or the connection with the terminal device is released; or, to determine that the first signal transmission is ended.

[0313] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further used to instruct the auxiliary node to send the carrier when a paging message or a random access message is received; wherein, the paging message is used by the core network to page the terminal device, and the random access message is used by the terminal device to perform random access.

[0314] In one embodiment, a communication device can be specifically used to implement the method performed by the auxiliary node in the embodiment of Figure 2. The device can be the auxiliary node itself, or a chip, chipset, or portion of a chip in the auxiliary node that performs the functions of the related method. The processing unit 702 is configured to receive configuration information via the communication unit 701, the configuration information being used to configure a carrier transmitted by the auxiliary node, the carrier being used by the terminal device to generate the first signal; and transmit the carrier via the communication unit 701 according to the configuration information.

[0315] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further configured to receive first information through the communication unit 701, where the first information is used to trigger the auxiliary node to send the carrier, and / or the first information indicates a duration for sending the carrier.

[0316] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further used to receive second information through the communication unit 701 before sending the carrier according to the configuration information, and the second information is used to trigger the auxiliary node to send the carrier; after sending the carrier according to the configuration information, the processing unit 702 is further used to receive third information through the communication unit 701, and the third information is used to trigger the auxiliary node to stop sending the carrier.

[0317] The division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. In addition, the functional modules in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one or more processors, or may exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into one module. The above-mentioned integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It is understood that the functions or implementations of the various modules in the embodiments of the present application may be further described with reference to the relevant descriptions of the method embodiments.

[0318] In one possible embodiment, a communication device may be as shown in FIG8 . The device may be a communication device or a chip in a communication device, wherein the communication device may be a terminal device in the above embodiment or the first network device in the above embodiment. The device includes a processor 801 and a communication interface 802, and may also include a memory 803. The processing unit 702 may be the processor 801. The communication unit 701 may be the communication interface 802. Optionally, the processor 801 and the memory 803 may also be integrated together. The processor 801 may include one or more processors, the communication interface 802 may include one or more communication interfaces, and the memory 803 may include one or more memories.

[0319] The processor 801 may be a CPU, a digital processing unit, or the like. The communication interface 802 may be a transceiver, an interface circuit such as a transceiver circuit, or a transceiver chip, or the like. The apparatus further includes a memory 803 for storing programs executed by the processor 801. The memory 803 may be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), or a volatile memory (volatile memory), such as a random-access memory (RAM). The memory 803 is any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto.

[0320] The processor 801 is used to execute the program code stored in the memory 803, specifically to execute the actions of the processing unit 702, which will not be described in detail in this application. The communication interface 802 is specifically used to execute the actions of the communication unit 701, which will not be described in detail in this application.

[0321] The specific connection medium between the communication interface 802, processor 801, and memory 803 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In Figure 8, the memory 803, processor 801, and communication interface 802 are connected via bus 804. The bus is represented by a bold line in Figure 8. The connection between other components is only for illustrative purposes and is not intended to be limiting. Buses can be divided into address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of illustration, Figure 8 only uses a single bold line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0322] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing computer software instructions required to be executed by the above-mentioned processor, which includes a program required to be executed by the above-mentioned processor.

[0323] The present application also provides a communication system including a communication device for implementing the first network device function in the embodiment of Figure 2 and a communication device for implementing the auxiliary node function in the embodiment of Figure 2. The system may also include a communication device for implementing the terminal device function in the embodiment of Figure 2.

[0324] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application can adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application can adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0325] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the flow chart and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more flow charts and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0326] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0327] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0328] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application is intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Sending configuration information, where the configuration information is used to configure a carrier sent by the auxiliary node, where the carrier is used by the terminal device to generate the first signal; A first signal is received from the terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The configuration information indicates at least one of the following: the frequency of the carrier, the transmission power of the carrier, the modulation mode of the carrier, the signal type of the carrier, or time information of the carrier.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The configuration information indicates the frequency of the carrier, including: The configuration information indicates a bandwidth portion corresponding to the carrier; Alternatively, the configuration information indicates adjustment information of the frequency of the carrier.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The method further comprises: First information is sent, where the first information is used to trigger the auxiliary node to send the carrier, and / or the first information indicates a duration for sending the carrier.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The duration corresponds to the first service, or the duration corresponds to data transmission, or the duration corresponds to a connection between the network device and the terminal device; Alternatively, the duration corresponds to the transmission of the first signal.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein The duration is related to the signaling length or sending time of the first signal.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein If the first signal is uplink data, the duration is a first duration; if the first signal is a random access message, the duration is a second duration, and the first duration is greater than the second duration.

8. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein: The first information indicating a duration for sending the carrier includes: The first information includes a duration value for sending the carrier; Alternatively, the first information includes a transmission parameter of the terminal device, and the transmission parameter is used to determine a transmission duration value of the carrier.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The transmission parameters include at least one of the following: number of repetitions, encoding mode, transmission block size, uplink transmission bandwidth, or data processing delay.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The method further comprises: sending second information, where the second information is used to trigger the auxiliary node to send the carrier; Sending third information, where the third information is used to trigger the auxiliary node to stop sending the carrier.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein Before sending the third information, the method further includes: Determining to complete the first service or end data transmission or release the connection with the terminal device; Alternatively, it is determined that the transmission of the first signal is completed.

12. The method according to claim 4 or 10, wherein: The method further comprises: instructing the auxiliary node to transmit the carrier when a paging message or a random access message is received; The paging message is used by the core network to page the terminal device, and the random access message is used by the terminal device to perform random access.

13. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: receiving configuration information, where the configuration information is used to configure a carrier sent by the auxiliary node, where the carrier is used by the terminal device to generate the first signal; The carrier is sent according to the configuration information.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The configuration information indicates at least one of the following: the frequency of the carrier, the transmission power of the carrier, the modulation mode of the carrier, the signal type of the carrier, or time information of the carrier.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The configuration information indicates the frequency of the carrier, including: The configuration information indicates a bandwidth portion corresponding to the carrier; Alternatively, the configuration information indicates adjustment information of the frequency of the carrier.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein: The method further comprises: First information is received, where the first information is used to trigger the auxiliary node to send the carrier, and / or the first information indicates a duration for sending the carrier.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein The duration corresponds to the first service, or the duration corresponds to data transmission, or the duration corresponds to a connection between the network device and the terminal device; Alternatively, the duration corresponds to the transmission of the first signal.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein The duration is related to the signaling length or sending time of the first signal.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein If the first signal is uplink data, the duration is a first duration; if the first signal is a random access message, the duration is a second duration, and the first duration is greater than the second duration.

20. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein: The first information indicating a duration for sending the carrier includes: The first information includes a duration value for sending the carrier; Alternatively, the first information includes a transmission parameter of the terminal device, and the transmission parameter is used to determine the duration value of the carrier.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein The transmission parameters include at least one of the following: number of repetitions, encoding mode, transmission block size, uplink transmission bandwidth, or data processing delay.

22. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein: The method further comprises: Before sending the carrier according to the configuration information, receiving second information, where the second information is used to trigger the auxiliary node to send the carrier; After sending the carrier according to the configuration information, third information is received, where the third information is used to trigger the auxiliary node to stop sending the carrier.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, or comprises a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 13 to 22.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer storage medium stores computer-readable instructions, and when the computer-readable instructions are executed on the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 13 to 22 is executed.

25. A computer program product, characterized in that When the computer program product is run on a device, the device is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 22.

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