Wireless communication method, communication device, apparatus, and storage medium

Abstract

Provided are a wireless communication method, a communication device, an apparatus, and a storage medium. The wireless communication method comprises: a first device sending trigger information, wherein the trigger information is used for triggering one or more second devices to backscatter and / or actively transmit a first signal, the first signal being used for determining whether the one or more second devices are within a communication range of the first device or being used for the first device to determine a measurement amount corresponding to the one or more second devices.

Description

Wireless communication method, communication equipment, device and storage medium Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of environmental Internet of Things, and more specifically, to a wireless communication method, communication equipment, apparatus, and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] To achieve cellular IoT communication, the ambient IoT device must be within the communication range of the network device. However, how to determine whether the ambient IoT device is within the communication range of the network device has become an urgent problem to be solved.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a wireless communication method, communication equipment, apparatus, and storage medium. The following introduces various aspects of the present application.

[0005] In a first aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, including: a first device sends trigger information, wherein the trigger information is used to trigger one or more second devices to backscatter and / or actively transmit a first signal, wherein the first signal is used to determine whether the one or more second devices are within the communication range of the first device or for the first device to determine a measurement quantity corresponding to the one or more second devices.

[0006] According to a second aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, including: a second device receives trigger information, wherein the trigger information is used to trigger one or more second devices to backscatter and / or actively transmit a first signal, and the first signal is used to determine whether the one or more second devices are within the communication range of the first device or for the first device to determine the measurement quantity corresponding to the one or more second devices.

[0007] According to a third aspect, a communication device is provided, which is a first device, and includes: a sending unit for sending trigger information, wherein the trigger information is used to trigger one or more second devices to backscatter and / or actively transmit a first signal, and the first signal is used to determine whether the one or more second devices are within the communication range of the first device or for the first device to determine the measurement quantity corresponding to the one or more second devices.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, which is a second device, and the communication device includes: a receiving unit for receiving trigger information, wherein the trigger information is used to trigger one or more second devices to backscatter and / or actively transmit a first signal, and the first signal is used to determine whether the one or more second devices are within the communication range of the first device or for the first device to determine the measurement quantity corresponding to the one or more second devices.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a transceiver, a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store programs, and the processor is used to call the programs in the memory and control the transceiver to receive or send signals so that the communication device executes the method described in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a device is provided, comprising a processor for calling a program from a memory so that the device executes the method described in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a chip is provided, comprising a processor for calling a program from a memory so that a device equipped with the chip executes the method described in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a program is stored, wherein the program enables a computer to execute the method as described in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, characterized in that it includes a program, and the program enables a computer to execute the method described in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a computer program is provided, which enables a computer to execute the method as described in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0015] The embodiment of the present application proposes to determine whether the second device is within the communication range of the first device through trigger information sent by the first device, effectively realizing the distance determination between the first device and the second device while simplifying the implementation complexity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system architecture of a wireless communication system to which an embodiment of the present application may be applied.

[0017] Figure 2 is a structural example diagram of an A-IoT terminal device.

[0018] FIG3 is a structural diagram of an energy harvesting module in FIG2 .

[0019] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the backscatter communication process of an A-IoT terminal device.

[0020] FIG5 is an example diagram of the encoding method of an A-IoT terminal device.

[0021] FIG6 a is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of an A-IoT terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] Figure 6b is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of an A-IoT terminal device provided in another embodiment of the present application.

[0023] FIG6c is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of an A-IoT terminal device provided in another embodiment of the present application.

[0024] Figure 6d is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of an A-IoT terminal device provided in another embodiment of the present application.

[0025] FIG7 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0026] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a method for sending trigger information provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a method for sending trigger information provided in another embodiment of the present application.

[0028] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a method for sending trigger information provided in yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0029] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a method for sending trigger information provided in yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0030] FIG12 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between trigger information and response windows provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a possible implementation of the wireless communication method in FIG7 .

[0032] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in one embodiment of the present application.

[0033] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in another embodiment of the present application.

[0034] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of a device to which an embodiment of the present application can be applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] Communication system architecture

[0037] Figure 1 illustrates a wireless communication system 100 used in an embodiment of the present application. The wireless communication system 100 may include a network device 110 and a terminal device 120. The network device 110 may be a device that communicates with the terminal device 120. The network device 110 may provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area and may communicate with the terminal device 120 within the coverage area. The terminal device 120 may access a network (e.g., a wireless network) through the network device 110.

[0038] FIG1 exemplarily shows a network device and two terminals. Optionally, the wireless communication system 100 may include multiple network devices and each network device may include other numbers of terminal devices within its coverage area, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0039] Optionally, the wireless communication system 100 may further include other network entities such as a network controller and a mobility management entity, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0040] It should be understood that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: fifth generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), etc. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as the sixth generation mobile communication system, satellite communication system, etc.

[0041] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user and can be used to connect people, objects and machines, such as a handheld device with wireless connection function, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a PDA, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, and an IoT terminal device, etc.

[0042] Alternatively, a UE can function as a base station. For example, a UE can act as a dispatching entity, providing sidelink signals between UEs in V2X or D2D applications. For example, a cell phone and a car can communicate with each other using sidelink signals. A cell phone and a smart home device can also communicate without relaying the communication signal through a base station.

[0043] The network device in the embodiments of the present application may be a device for communicating with a terminal device, and may also be referred to as an access network device or a radio access network device. For example, the network device may be a base station. The network device in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. A base station can broadly cover various names as follows, or be replaced with the following names, such as: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmission point (TRP), transmission point (TP), master station MeNB, secondary station SeNB, multi-standard radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. A base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node or the like, or a combination thereof. A base station can also refer to a communication module, a modem or a chip used to be set in the aforementioned device or apparatus. The base station can also be a mobile switching center and a device that performs base station functions in device-to-device D2D, vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, a network-side device in a 6G network, or a device that performs base station functions in future communication systems. The base station can support networks with the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the network equipment.

[0044] In some embodiments, a network device can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a mobile network device, and one or more cells can move based on the location of the mobile network device. In other examples, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a device that communicates with another network device.

[0045] In some deployments, the network device in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a CU or a DU, or the network device may include a CU and a DU. The gNB may also include an AAU.

[0046] The network equipment and terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; they can also be deployed in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the scenarios in which the network equipment and terminal devices are located.

[0047] It should be understood that all or part of the functions of the communication device in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform).

[0048] Principles of Zero-Power Communication Technology

[0049] In recent years, the application of zero-power devices has become increasingly widespread. During standardization discussions, the zero-power Internet of Things (IoT) may also be referred to as the ambient power enabled IoT (Ambient IoT). In some technical literature, it is also referred to as the passive IoT. An ambient IoT device is an IoT device that uses various ambient energies, such as radio frequency energy, light energy, solar energy, thermal energy, and mechanical energy, to power itself. Such devices may have no energy storage capacity or very limited energy storage capacity (such as using capacitors with a capacity of tens of uF). Compared to existing IoT devices, ambient IoT devices offer many advantages, including no conventional power supply, no maintenance, small size, low complexity, low cost, and a long lifespan. In this scenario, the terminal device 120 mentioned above may be referred to as a "zero-power device" or "A-IoT terminal device." For simplicity, zero-power devices will be referred to as A-IoT devices in the following text.

[0050] Possible communication technologies used in zero-power communication systems

[0051] A-IoT communication uses energy harvesting and backscatter communication technology, which features low power consumption and low cost. The following, combined with Figures 2 to 7, provides an exemplary description of the operating principles of A-IoT terminal devices.

[0052] As shown in FIG2 , a network device 210 and an A-IoT terminal device 220 may be included. The network device 210 may be, for example, the network device 110 in FIG1 . The A-IoT terminal device 220 may be, for example, the terminal device 120 in FIG1 .

[0053] The network device 210 is used to send wireless power supply signals and downlink communication signals to the A-IoT terminal device 220 and receive backscattered signals from the A-IoT terminal device 220.

[0054] In some embodiments, the A-IoT terminal device 220 may include an energy collection module 221 and a backscatter communication module 222. In some cases, the A-IoT terminal device 220 may also include a low-power computing module 223. The low-power computing module 223 can be used to provide computing functions for the A-IoT terminal device 220, such as data processing, etc. In other cases, the A-IoT terminal device 220 may also include a sensor module 224 for collecting external information (for example, ambient temperature, ambient humidity, etc.). In other cases, the A-IoT terminal device 220 may also include a storage module for storing some information (for example, external information collected by the above-mentioned sensors, or item identification, etc.).

[0055] The energy harvesting module 221 is used to harvest energy. In some implementations, energy can be harvested via a power supply signal sent by another device or from the external environment. The power supply signal can be a radio frequency signal sent by the network device 210. Therefore, the energy harvesting module can be a radio frequency (RF) power harvesting module.

[0056] FIG3 shows a possible structure of the energy harvesting module 221. As shown in FIG3, the energy harvesting module 221 can harvest the energy of the spatial electromagnetic waves of the radio frequency signal based on the principle of electromagnetic induction, and store the harvested energy in the capacitor C, which is the process of charging the capacitor C. When the charging process of the capacitor C is completed, the capacitor C can begin to discharge to provide energy to the A-IoT terminal device 220. For example, the discharge of the capacitor C can be used to drive the A-IoT terminal device 220 to perform low-power demodulation of data sent by other devices. For another example, the discharge of the capacitor C can be used to drive the A-IoT terminal device 220 to modulate the data to be sent. For another example, the discharge of the capacitor C can be used to drive the sensor of the A-IoT terminal device 220 to collect data. For another example, the discharge of the capacitor C can be used to drive the A-IoT terminal device 220 to read data from the memory 215, etc.

[0057] The following describes the backscattering communication principle in conjunction with Figure 4. Referring to Figure 4, the A-IoT terminal device 220 receives a wireless signal sent by another device (such as the network device 210) and modulates the wireless signal to load the data to be sent. Then, the A-IoT terminal device 220 radiates the modulated signal from the antenna. This information transmission process is called backscattering communication. The above-mentioned wireless signal can also be called a carrier signal. A carrier signal can refer to an unmodulated wireless signal. The carrier signal can be, for example, a sine wave signal. Among them, backscattering communication and load modulation functions are inseparable. The load modulation function can be understood as adjusting and controlling the circuit parameters of the oscillation circuit of the A-IoT terminal device according to the beat of the data stream, so that parameters such as the impedance of the A-IoT terminal device change accordingly, thereby completing the modulation process.

[0058] In some implementations, the A-IoT terminal device 220 may also be provided with a logic processing unit to perform corresponding computing functions.

[0059] Generally, the load modulation function can be implemented through two methods: resistive load modulation and capacitive load modulation. Figure 5 shows a circuit diagram of an A-IoT terminal device based on resistive load modulation technology. In resistive load modulation, a resistor RL can be connected in parallel to the load. The switch S can be controlled based on the binary data stream to realize the connection or disconnection of the resistor RL. In this way, the connection and disconnection of the resistor RL will cause a change in the circuit voltage, and the change in the circuit voltage can control the amplitude of the backscattered signal of the A-IoT terminal device, thereby realizing the modulation of the backscattered signal, that is, performing amplitude-shift keying (ASK) modulation on the backscattered signal.

[0060] Similarly, in capacitive load modulation, the on / off switching of the capacitor can be controlled based on a binary data stream to change the circuit resonant frequency, thereby changing the operating frequency of the backscattered signal to implement frequency-shift keying (FSK) modulation.

[0061] It can be seen that the A-IoT terminal device uses load modulation to modulate the incoming signal, thereby realizing the backscatter communication process. Therefore, the A-IoT terminal device has significant advantages: (1) The A-IoT terminal device does not actively transmit signals, so it does not require a complex RF link, such as a power amplifier, RF filter, etc.; (2) The A-IoT terminal device does not need to actively generate high-frequency signals, so it does not need a high-frequency crystal oscillator; (3) With the help of backscatter communication, the signal transmission of the A-IoT terminal device does not consume the terminal's own energy.

[0062] Application scenarios of zero-power communication

[0063] Due to its significant advantages such as extremely low cost, zero power consumption, and small size, zero-power communication can be widely used in various industries, such as logistics for vertical industries, smart warehousing, smart agriculture, energy and electricity, industrial Internet, etc.; it can also be applied to personal applications such as smart wearables and smart homes.

[0064] Classification of Zero-Power Devices

[0065] 1. Based on the energy source and usage of zero-power devices, zero-power devices can be divided into the following types.

[0066] 1. Passive zero-power terminal.

[0067] Passive zero-power terminals usually do not require built-in batteries. When the terminal is close to the network device, the terminal is in the near field formed by the radiation of the network device antenna. At this time, the antenna of the terminal can generate an induced current through electromagnetic induction, and the induced current can power the terminal to realize the demodulation of the received signal, and / or the modulation and encoding of the signal to be transmitted. In some implementations, the above-mentioned passive zero-power terminal can be an electronic tag, and accordingly, the network device can be a reader / writer of a (radio frequency identification, RFID) system, which is used to read the content in the electronic tag and / or to change the content in the electronic tag. Among them, the received signal can also be understood as a signal on the forward link (downlink, the link from the network device to the zero-power device). The signal to be transmitted can also be understood as a signal on the backward link (uplink, the link from the zero-power device to the network device).

[0068] It can be seen that the passive zero-power device does not require a built-in battery to drive either the forward link or the reverse link, and is a truly zero-power device.

[0069] Passive zero-power devices do not require batteries, and the RF circuit and baseband circuit are very simple. For example, they do not require LNA (low noise amplifier), PA (power amplifier), crystal oscillator, ADC, etc. Therefore, they have many advantages such as small size, light weight, very low price, and long service life.

[0070] 2. Semi-passive zero-power terminal.

[0071] The semi-passive zero-power terminal itself does not have a conventional battery installed, but can use the energy collection module 121 to collect radio wave energy, or use the solar energy / light energy / thermal energy / kinetic energy collection module to collect energy, and store the collected energy in an energy storage unit (such as a capacitor). After the energy storage unit obtains energy, it can drive the low-power chip circuit of the zero-power device. It realizes the demodulation of the forward link signal and the signal modulation of the backward link. For the backscatter link, the zero-power device uses the backscatter implementation method to transmit the signal.

[0072] It can be seen that the semi-passive zero-power device does not require a built-in battery to drive either the forward link or the reverse link. Although it uses energy stored in capacitors during operation, the energy comes from the radio energy collected by the energy harvesting module. Therefore, it is also a truly zero-power device.

[0073] Semi-passive zero-power devices inherit many advantages of passive zero-power devices, so they have many advantages such as small size, light weight, very low price, and long service life.

[0074] 3. Active zero-power terminal.

[0075] The zero-power devices used in some scenarios can also be active zero-power devices. Such terminals can have built-in batteries (conventional batteries, such as dry batteries, rechargeable lithium batteries, etc.). The battery is used to drive the low-power chip circuit of the zero-power device. It realizes the demodulation of the forward link signal and the modulation of the reverse link signal. However, for the backscatter link, the zero-power device uses the backscatter implementation method to transmit the signal. Therefore, the zero power consumption of this type of terminal is mainly reflected in the fact that the signal transmission of the reverse link does not require the terminal's own power, but uses the backscatter method. Although the active zero-power device uses a battery, due to the sampling of ultra-low power communication technology, the power consumption is very low, so compared with the existing technology, the battery life can be greatly improved.

[0076] Active zero-power devices, with built-in batteries to power the RFID chip, increase the tag's read and write distance and improve communication reliability. Therefore, they are suitable for scenarios with relatively high requirements for communication distance and read latency.

[0077] 2. The classification of zero-power devices based on transmitter type is as follows.

[0078] As we all know, the services of zero-power IoT, like other IoT services, will primarily focus on uplink services. Therefore, zero-power terminals can be categorized into the following types based on how they transmit data.

[0079] 1. Zero-power device based on backscattering.

[0080] These zero-power devices use the aforementioned backscattering method to transmit uplink data. They lack active transmitters, only backscattering transmitters. Therefore, when these terminals transmit data, they require network equipment to provide a carrier, which they then use to perform backscattering to achieve data transmission.

[0081] 2. Zero-power devices based on active transmitters.

[0082] These zero-power devices use active transmitters with active transmission capabilities for uplink data transmission. Therefore, when sending data, these zero-power devices can use their own active transmitters to send data without the need for network equipment to provide a carrier. Examples of active transmitters suitable for zero-power devices include ultra-low-power ASK and ultra-low-power FSK transmitters. Based on current implementations, these transmitters can reduce overall power consumption to 400-600uW when transmitting a 100uW signal.

[0083] Zero-power device with both backscatter and active transmitter

[0084] This type of terminal supports both backscatter and active transmitters. The terminal can determine which uplink signal transmission method to use: backscatter or active transmitter, based on various conditions (such as battery life and available ambient energy) or based on network device scheduling.

[0085] Passive IoT based on cellular networks

[0086] With the rapid development of cellular IoT, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has standardized IoT technologies such as narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), machine type communications (MTC), and reduced capability (REDCAP). However, there are still many scenarios where IoT communication needs cannot be met using existing technologies, such as the following.

[0087] 1. Harsh communication environment

[0088] Certain IoT scenarios may encounter extreme environments such as high temperature, extremely low temperature, high humidity, high voltage, high radiation, or high-speed movement. Examples include ultra-high voltage substations, high-speed train track monitoring, environmental monitoring in high-altitude cold regions, and industrial production lines. In these scenarios, existing IoT terminals will not function due to the operating environment limitations of conventional power supplies. Furthermore, extreme operating environments are not conducive to IoT maintenance, such as battery replacement.

[0089] Requirements for extremely small terminal form factors

[0090] Certain IoT communication scenarios, such as food traceability, commodity distribution, and smart wearables, require terminals to be extremely small for ease of use. For example, IoT terminals used for commodity management in the distribution process often take the form of electronic tags, embedded in product packaging in a very compact form factor. Another example is lightweight wearable devices that can meet user needs while improving the user experience.

[0091] 3. Extremely low-cost IoT communication requirements

[0092] Many IoT communication scenarios require IoT terminals to be sufficiently affordable to enhance their competitiveness compared to alternative technologies. For example, in logistics or warehousing, to facilitate the management of large quantities of circulating items, IoT terminals can be attached to each item. Communication between the terminal and the logistics network enables precise management of the entire logistics process and lifecycle. These scenarios require IoT terminals to be competitively priced.

[0093] Therefore, in order to cover these unmet IoT communication needs, cellular networks also need to develop ultra-low-cost, extremely small-size, battery-free / maintenance-free IoT, and environmental IoT can just meet this need.

[0094] Based on the discussion of A-IoT application scenarios in 3GPP SA1, A-IoT can be used in at least the following four scenarios: (1) Object recognition, such as logistics, production line product management, and supply chain management. (2) Environmental monitoring, such as temperature, humidity, and harmful gas monitoring in the working environment and natural environment. (3) Positioning, such as indoor positioning, intelligent object search, and production line item positioning. (4) Intelligent control, such as intelligent control of various electrical appliances in smart homes (turning on and off air conditioners, adjusting temperatures), and intelligent control of various facilities in agricultural greenhouses (automatic irrigation and fertilization).

[0095] Communication scenarios for cellular passive IoT

[0096] In some embodiments, the communication scenario of the cellular passive Internet of Things may be as shown in FIG. 6 a or FIG. 6 b.

[0097] FIG6 a shows a deployment scenario 1 with topology: ... ). The A-IoT terminal device 220 can directly receive and send carrier signals from the network device 210, and send or backscatter corresponding data, signals or channels to the network device 210.

[0098] As an example, network device 210 may be a base station. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG6 a , the base station 210 that provides the carrier signal to the A-IoT terminal device 220 and the base station 210 that receives data or signaling from the A-IoT terminal device 220 are the same. In other embodiments, the base station 210 that provides the carrier signal to the A-IoT terminal device 220 and the base station 210 that receives data or signaling from the A-IoT terminal device 220 may be two different base stations.

[0099] FIG6 b shows a bidirectional communication between the A-IoT terminal device 220 and the intermediate device 230 (intermediate node). The intermediate device 230 can transfer signaling and / or data between the network device 210 and the terminal device 220 (deployment scenario 2 with topology 2: Intermediary device 230 can also be referred to as an intermediate node. Intermediary device 230 is also used to provide carriers to A-IoT terminal devices 220 and can transfer signaling and / or data between the BS and the A-IoT devices. In other words, intermediary device 230 is a device connected between network device 210 and A-IoT terminal devices 220.

[0100] In some embodiments, for example, during the SID discussion phase, the intermediate device is determined to be a UE under network control. In other embodiments, for example, in the future, the intermediate device may also be a network device.

[0101] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG6 b , the intermediate device 230 that provides the carrier signal to the A-IoT terminal device 220 is the same as the intermediate device 230 that receives data or signaling from the A-IoT terminal device 220. In other embodiments, the intermediate device 230 that provides the carrier signal to the A-IoT terminal device 220 and the intermediate device 230 that receives data or signaling from the A-IoT terminal device 220 may be different.

[0102] In other embodiments, the communication scenario of the cellular passive Internet of Things can also be shown in Figure 6c. Compared to Figure 6a, Figure 6c adds another device 240. Other device 240 can be a device for providing a carrier signal and / or a power supply signal to the A-IoT terminal device 220. That is, in Figure 6c, instead of requiring the network device 210 to provide the carrier signal and / or power supply signal to the A-IoT terminal device 220 as in Figure 6a, other device 240 can provide the carrier signal and / or power supply signal.

[0103] In yet other embodiments, the communication scenario of the cellular passive Internet of Things can also be shown in Figure 6d. Compared to Figure 6b, Figure 6d includes another device 240. Other device 240 can be a device for providing a carrier signal and / or a power supply signal to the A-IoT terminal device 220. That is, in Figure 6d, instead of requiring the network device 210 to provide the carrier signal and / or power supply signal to the A-IoT terminal device 220 as in Figure 6b, other device 240 can provide the carrier signal and / or power supply signal.

[0104] The other device 240 may also be referred to as another node. The present embodiment of the application does not specifically limit the other device 240. As an implementation, the other device 240 may be a carrier wave node (CWN). For example, the other device 240 may be a UE or a network device.

[0105] As described above, in cellular IoT communications, a zero-power terminal device may interact with any one or more of network device 210, intermediate device 230, and other device 240. For simplicity, network device 210, intermediate device 230, and other device 240 may be collectively referred to as the first device. In some scenarios, to distinguish between first devices, network device 210 and intermediate devices may be collectively referred to as the query node, and other device 240 may be referred to as the carrier node.

[0106] To achieve cellular IoT communication, the zero-power terminal device must be within the communication range of the first device. In other words, before the first device can communicate with the zero-power terminal device, it is necessary to determine whether the zero-power terminal device is within the communication range of the first device. However, how to determine whether the zero-power terminal device is within the communication range of the first device has become a pressing issue.

[0107] In response to the above problems, an embodiment of the present application proposes to determine the location of a zero-power terminal device through trigger information sent by a first device, which can effectively realize distance judgment and simplify the implementation complexity of zero-power terminal devices in the cellular Internet of Things.

[0108] The embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to Figure 7. Figure 7 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0109] 7 , in step S710 , a first device sends trigger information to one or more second devices.

[0110] As mentioned above, the first device is one of a network device, an intermediate device, a carrier node or a terminal device.

[0111] The one or more second devices include a third device. That is, the third device is one of the one or more second devices. The second device is a terminal device, which can be, for example, the A-IoT terminal device mentioned above.

[0112] In some embodiments, the first device may send trigger information to multiple second devices in a broadcasting manner. The multiple second devices are multiple second devices with which the first device can interact in a broadcasting manner.

[0113] In some embodiments, one or more second devices include a group of second devices. A group of second devices may correspond to multiple A-IoT terminal devices, or a group of second devices may correspond to a specific type of A-IoT terminal device, that is, a group of second devices may be a class of second devices. The group of second devices may have a group identifier (group ID). In some embodiments, the group ID may be understood as a specific group ID.

[0114] The trigger information is used to trigger one or more second devices to backscatter and / or actively transmit the first signal. The first signal is used to determine whether the one or more second devices are within the communication range of the first device or for the first device to determine a measurement quantity corresponding to the one or more second devices.

[0115] In some embodiments, the trigger information may be directed to a group or class of second devices having the same group ID. The group or class of second devices should be configured or pre-configured with the same group ID. Based on this, for a given second device, the configured or pre-configured group ID should be used to detect the trigger information.

[0116] The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the form in which the first device sends the trigger information, as long as the first device can send the trigger information. For example, the trigger information can be carried in a channel or a signal.

[0117] In some embodiments, since the signal / channel carrying the trigger information is a signal used by the first device to determine whether communication is possible before formally communicating with the second device, the signal / channel carrying the trigger information can be understood as the initial channel / signal sent by the first device.

[0118] In some embodiments, to reduce power consumption of the second device, the power of the signal / channel carrying the trigger information is greater than the power of the physical data channel transmitted by the first device. The physical data channel transmitted by the first device can be understood as the physical channel for downlink data sent by the first device.

[0119] The power of the signal / channel carrying the trigger information in the embodiment of the present application is greater than the power of the physical data channel transmitted by the first device, which enables the A-IoT terminal device to use the radio frequency energy of the initial channel / signal sent by the first device (questioning node or carrier node) to receive it, thereby reducing the consumption of the A-IoT terminal device's own stored energy.

[0120] In other embodiments, if the first device is the intermediate device shown in FIG6b , the power control parameters used by the intermediate device to transmit the initial channel / signal and the power control parameters used by the intermediate device to transmit the data channel / signal may not be completely the same. For example, the base station configures the two sets of power control parameters separately through different signaling.

[0121] The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit the channel or signal that carries the trigger information. For example, the channel or signal that carries the trigger information includes one or more of the following channels / signals: a synchronization signal, a channel / signal that carries the trigger information, and a physical control channel that schedules uplink or downlink transmission.

[0122] As an implementation, the trigger information is carried on a first physical channel. In this embodiment of the present application, the first physical channel carrying the trigger information may be referred to as a trigger physical channel. The first physical channel may be a physical channel supported by the second device. For example, the first physical channel may be a control channel or a data channel.

[0123] As an example, the first physical channel includes one or more of the following: physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0124] In some embodiments, the first physical channel may use a specific transmission method. For example, the first physical channel includes a first parameter, and the first parameter includes one or more of the following: waveform, modulation method, coding method, coding efficiency, and number of bits. The first parameter may be a specific parameter.

[0125] In some embodiments, the first physical channel is a physical channel in the target physical channel used to carry trigger information, and the target physical channel also includes a second physical channel that is not used to carry trigger information. In other words, the second physical channel carries different information than the first physical channel. The first parameter of the second physical channel is different from the first parameter of the first physical channel.

[0126] In some embodiments, the first physical channel may be a reuse of the target physical channel. That is, when the target physical channel carries trigger information, the target physical channel is the first physical channel, and when the target physical channel does not carry trigger information, it is the second physical channel.

[0127] In some embodiments, the first physical channel includes cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits.

[0128] As previously described, the one or more second devices include a group of second devices. In some embodiments, the first physical channel is scrambled based on a group ID of the group of second devices.

[0129] The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the manner in which the first physical channel is scrambled based on the group identifier of a group of second devices.

[0130] As an example, the scrambling of the first physical channel based on a group identification of a group of second devices may be CRC scrambling based on the group ID.

[0131] As another example, the scrambling of the first physical channel based on the group identifier of a group of second devices may be that the encoded information bits in the first physical channel are scrambled based on the group identifier.

[0132] As another example, the two aforementioned first physical channels may be combined in a manner of scrambling based on a group representation of a group of second devices.

[0133] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG8 , the first physical channel (the trigger physical channel in FIG8 ) and the synchronization signal sent by the first device are continuous in the time domain, that is, the first device can send the first physical channel together with the synchronization signal.

[0134] In the embodiment of the present application, by carrying the trigger information on the first physical channel, the triggering method is simple and easy to implement. In addition, by reusing the first physical channel to send the trigger information, the types of channels that the second device needs to support are reduced, thereby simplifying the implementation complexity of the second device.

[0135] As another implementation, the trigger information is carried in one or more fields, wherein the one or more fields are sent after the synchronization signal sent by the first device, as shown in FIG9 and FIG10 .

[0136] In some embodiments, other fields may exist between the synchronization signal sent by the first device and the one or more fields. For example, the other fields may be fields used to identify the end of the synchronization signal.

[0137] The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the type of the field. For example, one or more fields are function indication fields (referred to as function fields for short).

[0138] The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit the number of bits in one or more fields. For example, the number of bits may be a specific value. The specific value may be defined by a standard or configured by the first device. For example, the specific value may be configured by the querying node.

[0139] The embodiment of the present application does not impose any specific limitation on the representation of one or more fields.

[0140] As an example, as shown in FIG9 , one or more fields are represented as M-bit fields. M bits are the number of bits in the one or more fields described above. M can be defined by a standard or configured by the first device. For example, the specific value can be configured by the querying node.

[0141] As another example, as shown in Figure 10, one or more fields are represented as an A+B bit field. The A+B bits represent the number of bits in the one or more fields described above. Furthermore, the A bit field can be understood as the first field, and the B bit field can be understood as the second field. In other words, the one or more fields include the first field and the second field. Both A and B are specific values, and A and B can be defined by a standard or configured by the first device. For example, the specific value can be configured by the querying node.

[0142] In some embodiments, one or more fields may indicate multiple different states, one of which represents trigger information for one or more A-IoT terminal devices.

[0143] In some embodiments, the one or more fields are used to indicate one or more of the following: one or more second devices receiving the control channel after the synchronization signal; and the second device to which the triggering information is directed.

[0144] The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit how one or more fields are used to indicate the second device to which the trigger information is directed.

[0145] As an example, when one or more fields are the above-mentioned M-bit fields, and the second device targeted by the trigger information is the i-th group of A-IoT terminal devices, the M-bit field can be set to the group ID corresponding to the i-th group of A-IoT terminal devices, so as to indicate the second device targeted by the trigger information. Among them, I groups of A-IoT terminal device groups can be set in the cellular Internet of Things. 1 < i < I. I can be a specific value. The present application can reduce the decoding complexity of A-IoT terminal devices by using the M-bit function field to indicate the trigger information.

[0146] As another example, when one or more fields are the above-mentioned A + B-bit fields, the second device targeted by the trigger information can be indicated by the second field (B-bit field). For example, the second field (B-bit field) includes the identifier of the second device targeted by the trigger information. At this time, the first field (A-bit field) is used to indicate that the trigger information is the trigger information for the second device indicated by the second field (B-bit field). In some embodiments, when one or more fields are the above-mentioned A + B-bit fields, the first field (A-bit field) is used to indicate that the second device indicated by the second field (B-bit field) receives the control channel after the synchronization signal. By means of segmented indication in the embodiments of the present application, the decoding complexity of A-IoT terminal devices can be further reduced.

[0147] As another implementation manner, the trigger information is carried on a certain specific physical signal.

[0148] In some embodiments, a certain specific physical signal can be the first synchronization signal, that is, the trigger information is carried on the first synchronization signal. The first synchronization signal can be the synchronization signal sent by the first device. The first synchronization signal can also be called the first synchronization sequence.

[0149] In some embodiments, the first device can also send a second synchronization signal, and the second synchronization signal is used to assist the second device in receiving the physical channel, and the first synchronization signal is different from the second synchronization signal. For example, the sequences of the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are different. Or, the lengths of the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are different.

[0150] In some embodiments, the lengths of the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are the same. For example, the lengths of the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are the same and the sequences of the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are different.

[0151] In the embodiments of the present application, using the synchronization signal to carry the trigger information can reduce the types of signals that A-IoT terminal devices need to support. At the same time, the A-IoT terminal device can judge whether the first device has sent the trigger information by detecting the first synchronization signal sequence, reducing the implementation complexity of the A-IoT terminal device.

[0152] As another implementation, the first device is a device that provides a carrier signal (i.e., a carrier node). The carrier node may also send a second signal, in which the trigger information is carried. The second signal may also be referred to as a trigger signal, which may be understood as a specific physical signal sent by the carrier node. For example, the specific physical signal may be a signal of a specific sequence. As shown in FIG11 , the trigger signal (i.e., the second signal) is sent before the carrier signal, that is, the carrier node sends the carrier signal after the trigger signal.

[0153] In some embodiments, the second signal may indicate multiple states. For example, the second signal indicates a first state and a second state. When the second signal carries trigger information, the second signal indicates the first state. The first state is used to instruct the second device to perform a first type of backscatter or a first type of active transmission during the transmission of the carrier signal following the second signal. The second state is used to instruct the second device to perform a second type of backscatter or a second type of active transmission during the transmission of the carrier signal following the second signal. The first type of backscatter or the first type of active transmission is used to determine whether the second device is within the communication range of the first device. The second type of backscatter or the second type of active transmission is used to carry data information of the second device.

[0154] In some embodiments, when the second signal indicates the first state, the second signal may only carry trigger information, that is, the second signal may not carry any data information except the trigger information.

[0155] In an embodiment of the present application, the carrier node can indicate the trigger information through a simple signal (second signal), which can simplify the implementation complexity of the A-IoT terminal device.

[0156] As described above, the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit the channel or signal that carries the trigger information. It can be any one of the implementation methods described above or a combination of multiple implementation methods. The specific implementation method can be defined by the standard.

[0157] As previously described, the trigger information is used to trigger one or more second devices to backscatter or actively transmit the first signal, and the first signal is used to determine whether the one or more second devices are within the communication range of the first device. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit the first signal, as long as the first signal can serve as response information from the second device after receiving the trigger information, and is used to determine whether the second device that received the trigger information is within the communication range of the first device.

[0158] As an implementation, the first signal can be a signal backscattered by the second device. When the first signal is a signal backscattered by the second device, the first signal (backscattered signal) can meet one or more of the following: the backscattered signal does not contain modulation information; the backscattered signal is a backscattered signal transmitted within a first period, and the first period is less than the period of the carrier signal.

[0159] As an example, regardless of whether the second device supports active transmission, the second device continuously backscatters within the response window, and the carrier of its continuous backscattering is the first signal. No information is modulated on the first signal. This method can be used by the first device to measure the intensity of the backscattered signal to estimate the distance and number of nearby second devices.

[0160] As another example, regardless of whether the second device supports active transmission, the second device starts continuous backscattering at time t after the start of the response window, where 0 ≤ t < the carrier period. This method facilitates the first device to detect the reverse carrier through different carrier phase shifts to determine the number of second devices. Here, time t is the first period. The carrier period is the period of the above-mentioned carrier signal.

[0161] In some embodiments, the first signal may include the identifier of one or more second devices.

[0162] As an example, regardless of whether the second device supports active transmission, the second device transmits a signal or channel through backscattering within the response window, and this signal or channel can be understood as the first signal described above. The identifier of the second device can be carried in the first signal. If there are multiple second devices transmitting the first signal, the first signal may include the identifiers of multiple second devices. The identifier of the second device can be the ID used by the second device to detect trigger information.

[0163] As another example, regardless of whether the second device supports active transmission, the second device starts transmitting a signal or channel in a continuous backscattering manner at time t after the start of the response window, and this signal or channel can be understood as the first signal described above. The identifier of the second device can be carried in the first signal. If there are multiple second devices transmitting the first signal, the first signal may include the identifiers of multiple second devices. The identifier of the second device can be the ID used by the second device to detect trigger information.

[0164] As another implementation, the first signal can be a signal actively transmitted by the second device. At this time, the second device is a second device that supports active transmission. Optionally, the first signal can be that the second device can transmit a certain carrier, signal or channel within the response window. Optionally, if the first signal is a signal or channel, the ID used by the second device to detect trigger information can be carried in the first signal.

[0165] In some embodiments, the ID used by the second device to detect the trigger information mentioned above may be the group ID mentioned above.

[0166] The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the time when the second device sends the first signal. For example, the time when the first signal is sent can be any time period or a specific time period after the second device receives the trigger information.

[0167] As an implementation method, the transmission time of the first signal is within the second time period. The second time period can be understood as a response window. The response window is a window in which the second device actively transmits or backscatters after receiving the trigger information. As shown in Figure 12, the second time period (i.e., the response window) is located after the time period of the trigger information, and the time interval between the second time period and the time period of the trigger information is marked as t1. In other words, there is a specific time interval t1 between the end point of the trigger information and the starting point of the response window.

[0168] The present embodiment does not specifically limit the method for determining the value of t1. For example, the value of t1 may be determined based on one or more of the following: indication information in the trigger information; configuration information of the first device; or pre-configuration information. The pre-configuration information may be information defined by a standard. The configuration information of the first device may be information configured by the querying node or information pre-configured by the querying node.

[0169] In some embodiments, the wireless communication method also includes: the first device determines a first measurement quantity based on the received first signal, and the first measurement quantity includes one or more of the following: received signal strength indication (RSSI); reference signal receiving power (RSRP) and signal phase offset.

[0170] As an example, the first device may measure the signal within the measurement response window (the signal within the measurement response window is the first signal) to obtain one or more of the following: RSSI, RSRP, and signal phase offset. RSSI is defined as the average value of the signal energy received within the response window. RSRP is defined as the power average of the carrier signal received within the response window, or the power average of a carrier signal with a certain phase shift. Signal phase offset is defined as the phase difference of the received backscattered signal relative to the carrier signal sent by the querying node or the carrier node.

[0171] In some embodiments, if the first signal carries information, the first device may perform additional decoding on the first signal.

[0172] The following describes the embodiment of the present application in more detail with reference to FIG13. It should be noted that the example of FIG13 is merely to help those skilled in the art understand the embodiment of the present application, and is not intended to limit the embodiment of the present application to the specific numerical values ​​or specific scenarios illustrated. It is obvious that those skilled in the art can make various equivalent modifications or changes based on the example of FIG13, and such modifications or changes also fall within the scope of the embodiment of the present application.

[0173] FIG13 is a flow chart of a possible implementation of an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG13 , the wireless communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application may include steps S1310-S1320.

[0174] In step S1310: the first device sends trigger information.

[0175] As described above, the first device may be a query node or a carrier node. In the embodiment of the present application, the trigger information may be sent in one of the following ways.

[0176] Method 1: Carrying through a certain type of physical channel, which can be a physical control channel or a physical data channel, referred to as a triggered physical channel.

[0177] In some embodiments, the physical channel adopts a specific transmission method, and the specific transmission method includes the channel waveform, modulation method, coding method, coding efficiency, number of bits, etc.

[0178] In some embodiments, the physical channel may include CRC bits. Preferably, the CRC is scrambled by a specific group ID. The specific group ID may correspond to multiple A-IoT terminal devices (i.e., the second device mentioned above) or to a specific type of A-IoT terminal device.

[0179] In some embodiments, the physical channel coded information bits may be scrambled by the group ID.

[0180] Optionally, the first device may send the physical channel together with the synchronization signal, as shown in FIG8 .

[0181] Advantages of method 1: The control channel or data channel can be reused to send trigger information, reducing the number of channels that the A-IoT terminal device needs to support.

[0182] Method 2: As shown in FIG9 , it is carried through the M-bit function indication field after the synchronization signal.

[0183] Preferably, M is a specific value, which can be specifically defined by a standard or configured by an interrogation node. Among them, the M-bit function indication field can indicate multiple different states, and one of the states represents trigger information for a certain or certain A-IoT terminal devices. Exemplarily, the M-bit function indication field can indicate one or more of the following states: the A-IoT terminal devices should receive the control channel after synchronizing the signal; trigger information for the i-th group of A-IoT terminal devices, where 1 <= i < I, and I is a specific value. The interrogation node or carrier node can indicate the trigger information by setting the M-bit function indication field to the ID corresponding to the i-th group of A-IoT terminal devices.

[0184] It should be specially noted that there may be other fields between the synchronization signal and the M-bit function field. For example, a field used to identify the end of the synchronization signal.

[0185] Advantages of Method 2: Indicating the trigger information through the M-bit function field can reduce the decoding complexity of A-IoT terminal devices.

[0186] Method 3: As shown in Figure 10, it is carried by the A + B-bit function indication field after the synchronization signal.

[0187] Preferably, both A and B are specific values, which can be specifically defined by a standard or configured by an interrogation node. Among them, the A-bit function indication field can indicate multiple different states, and one of the states represents trigger information for a certain or certain A-IoT terminal devices, while the B-bit function field is used to indicate the ID corresponding to the certain or certain A-IoT terminal devices. Exemplarily, the A-bit function indication field can indicate one or more of the following states: the A-IoT terminal devices should receive the control channel after synchronizing the signal; trigger information for the A-IoT terminal devices indicated by the B-bit field.

[0188] It should be specially noted that there may be other fields between the synchronization signal and the A-bit function field. For example, a field used to identify the end of the synchronization signal.

[0189] Advantages of Method 3: By means of segmented indication, the decoding complexity of A-IoT terminal devices can be further reduced.

[0190] Method 4: It is carried by a certain specific physical signal. Exemplarily, the specific physical signal can be the first synchronization signal. In addition, the interrogation node or carrier node can send a second synchronization signal, and the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are different. The A-IoT terminal device determines whether the interrogation node or carrier node has sent trigger information by detecting the first synchronization signal sequence.

[0191] Exemplary: The second synchronization signal is a synchronization signal sent by the query node or the carrier node to assist the A-IoT terminal device in receiving the physical channel. The length of the second synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are the same, but the sequence of the synchronization signals is different.

[0192] Advantages of method 4: Using synchronous signals to carry trigger information can reduce the types of signals that A-IoT terminal devices need to support.

[0193] Method 5: The carrier node carries a specific physical signal, referred to as the trigger signal, as shown in Figure 11.

[0194] Exemplarily, the trigger signal may be a signal of a certain specific sequence, and the carrier node sends a carrier signal after the trigger signal. The trigger signal is the second signal mentioned above. The trigger signal may indicate multiple states, one of which is used to instruct one or more A-IoT terminal devices to perform a first type of backscattering or active transmission on the next carrier, and another state is used to instruct one or more A-IoT terminal devices to perform a second type of backscattering or active transmission on the next carrier. The first type of backscattering or active transmission is used to query the node to measure whether the A-IoT terminal device is within the communication distance, which may not carry any data information. The second type of backscattering or active transmission is used to carry A-IoT data.

[0195] Advantages of method 5: The carrier node can indicate the trigger information through a simple signal (trigger signal), which can simplify the implementation complexity of the A-IoT terminal device.

[0196] Preferably, in order to reduce the power consumption of the A-IoT terminal device, the transmission power of the trigger information (or initial channel / signal) sent by the query node or carrier node can be higher than the power of the physical data channel for sending downlink data by the query node or carrier node. The initial channel / signal includes one or more of the following channels / signals: a synchronization signal, a channel / signal that carries trigger information, and a physical control channel for scheduling uplink or downlink transmission. The advantage of this method is that the A-IoT terminal device can use the radio frequency energy of the initial channel / signal sent by the query node or carrier node to receive it, thereby reducing the consumption of the A-IoT terminal device's own energy storage. Furthermore, if the query node or carrier node is an intermediate device as shown in Figure 6b, then preferably, the power control parameters of the initial channel / signal sent by the intermediate device and the power control parameters of the data channel / signal sent by the intermediate node are not exactly the same. For example, the base station configures the above two sets of power control parameters respectively through different signaling.

[0197] The query node or carrier node sends trigger information in one of the above five ways, and the specific way used is defined by the standard.

[0198] In step 1320: If the A-IoT terminal device detects a trigger message, it sends a first signal to the first device.

[0199] The A-IoT terminal device can send the first signal to the first device in a backscattering or active transmission manner. For the manner in which the first device (the interrogation node or the carrier node) sends the trigger message in the previous text, the A-IoT terminal device performs corresponding detection. In the above manners, the trigger message sent by the interrogation node or the carrier node can be directed to a group or a class of A-IoT terminal devices, and the group or class of A-IoT terminal devices should be configured or pre-configured with the same group ID. For a given A-IoT terminal device, the configured or pre-configured group ID should be used for the detection of the trigger message.

[0200] After the A-IoT terminal device receives the trigger message sent by the interrogation node, it performs active transmission or backscattering within a window, which is abbreviated as the response window. Preferably, there is a specific time interval t1 between the end point of the trigger message and the start point of the response window. As shown in FIG. 12, the value of t1 can be included in the trigger message, or defined by a standard, or configured or pre-configured by the interrogation node.

[0201] The response manners of the A-IoT terminal device after receiving the trigger message include one of the following.

[0202] Regardless of whether the A-IoT terminal device supports active transmission, it continuously performs backscattering within the response window and does not modulate any information on the carrier. Thus, the interrogation node or the carrier node measures the intensity of the backscattered signal to estimate the distance and number of nearby A-IoT terminal devices.

[0203] Regardless of whether the A-IoT terminal device supports active transmission, it starts continuous backscattering at time t after the start point of the response window, where 0 ≤ t < the carrier period. This manner facilitates the interrogation node or the carrier node to detect the backscattered carrier through different carrier phase shifts to determine the number of A-IoT terminal devices.

[0204] Regardless of whether the A-IoT terminal device supports active transmission, it sends a signal or a channel through backscattering within the response window, and the ID used by the A-IoT terminal device to detect the trigger message is carried in the signal or the channel.

[0205] Regardless of whether the A-IoT terminal device supports active transmission, it starts sending a signal or a channel in a continuous backscattering manner at time t after the start point of the response window, where 0 ≤ t < the carrier period, and the ID used by the A-IoT terminal device to detect the trigger message is carried in the signal or the channel.

[0206] For A-IoT terminal devices that support active transmission, a carrier, signal or channel can be sent within the response window. If it is a signal or channel, it can carry the ID used by the A-IoT terminal device to detect trigger information.

[0207] It should be noted that the carrier, signal or channel actively transmitted or backscattered by the A-IoT terminal device can be understood as the first signal mentioned above.

[0208] At step 1330 : the first device measures a first signal within a response window.

[0209] The first device may be an inquiry node or a carrier node. The first signal may be a backscattered signal or an actively transmitted signal. If the first signal carries information, the inquiry node or the carrier node may perform additional decoding on the first signal. The inquiry node or the carrier node may measure the first signal within the response window to obtain one or more of the following measurement quantities: signal received energy, RSSI, defined as the average value of the signal energy received within the response window; signal received power, RSRP, defined as the power average of the carrier signal received within the response window, or the power average of a carrier signal with a certain phase shift; signal phase offset, defined as the phase difference of the received backscattered signal relative to the carrier signal sent by the inquiry node or the carrier node.

[0210] In the embodiment of the present application, the first device quality can trigger the A-IoT terminal device to perform backscattering or active transmission within the response window. The query node or carrier node measures the first signal within the response window and estimates the distance based on the measured value. This method is simple to implement.

[0211] The method embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with Figures 1 to 13. The device embodiment of the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 14 to 16. It should be understood that the description of the method embodiment corresponds to the description of the device embodiment. Therefore, for parts not described in detail, reference can be made to the above method embodiment.

[0212] As shown in FIG14 , a communication device 1400 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. The communication device 900 may be the first device described above. The communication device 1400 may include a sending unit 1410 .

[0213] The sending unit 1410 is used to send trigger information, which is used to trigger one or more second devices to backscatter and / or actively transmit a first signal, and the first signal is used to determine whether the one or more second devices are within the communication range of the first device or for the first device to determine the measurement quantity corresponding to the one or more second devices.

[0214] Optionally, the trigger information is carried on a first physical channel.

[0215] Optionally, the first physical channel includes one or more of the following: a physical downlink control channel PDCCH, a physical uplink control channel PUCCH, a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH, and a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH.

[0216] Optionally, the first physical channel includes a first parameter, and the first parameter includes one or more of the following: waveform, modulation mode, coding mode, coding efficiency, and number of bits.

[0217] Optionally, the first physical channel is a physical channel in the target physical channel used to carry the trigger information, and the target physical channel also includes a second physical channel that is not used to carry the trigger information, and the first parameter of the second physical channel is different from the first parameter of the first physical channel.

[0218] Optionally, the one or more second devices include a group of second devices, and the first physical channel is scrambled based on a group identifier of the group of second devices.

[0219] Optionally, the first physical channel includes a CRC, and the CRC is scrambled based on the group identifier; and / or the encoded information bits in the first physical channel are scrambled based on the group identifier.

[0220] Optionally, the first physical channel and the synchronization signal sent by the first device are continuous in the time domain.

[0221] Optionally, the trigger information is carried in one or more fields, and the one or more fields are sent after the synchronization signal sent by the first device.

[0222] Optionally, the one or more fields are used to indicate one or more of the following: the one or more second devices receiving a control channel after the synchronization signal; and the second device to which the trigger information is directed.

[0223] Optionally, the one or more fields include a first field and a second field, the first field is used to indicate that the trigger information is trigger information for a second device indicated by the second field, and the second field includes an identifier of the second device for which the trigger information is targeted.

[0224] Optionally, the trigger information is carried in a first synchronization signal.

[0225] Optionally, the first synchronization signal is different from the second synchronization signal, and the second synchronization signal is used to assist the second device in receiving a physical channel.

[0226] Optionally, the lengths of the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are the same or different; the sequences of the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are different.

[0227] Optionally, the first device is a device that provides a carrier signal, the trigger information is carried in a second signal, and the second signal is sent before the carrier signal.

[0228] Optionally, the second signal indicates a first state and a second state. When the second signal carries the trigger information, the second signal indicates the first state. The first state is used to indicate that the second device performs a first type of backscattering or a first type of active transmission during the transmission of the carrier signal after the second signal. The second state is used to indicate that the second device performs a second type of backscattering or a second type of active transmission during the transmission of the carrier signal after the second signal. The first type of backscattering or the first type of active transmission is used to determine whether the second device is within the communication range of the first device. The second type of backscattering or the second type of active transmission is used to carry data information of the second device.

[0229] Optionally, the power of the signal / channel carrying the trigger information is greater than the power of the physical data channel transmitted by the first device.

[0230] Optionally, the first signal is a backscatter signal, and the backscatter signal satisfies one or more of the following: the backscatter signal does not contain modulation information; the backscatter signal is a backscatter signal emitted within a first time period, and the first time period is less than a period of a carrier signal.

[0231] Optionally, the first signal includes identifications of the one or more second devices.

[0232] Optionally, the sending time of the first signal is within a second time period, and the time interval between the second time period and the time period where the trigger information is located is determined based on one or more of the following: indication information in the trigger information; configuration information of the first device; pre-configuration information.

[0233] Optionally, the communication device further includes: a determining unit, configured to determine a first measurement quantity according to the received first signal, where the first measurement quantity includes one or more of the following: signal reception energy; signal reception power; and signal phase offset.

[0234] Optionally, the first device is one of the following: a network device; a device that provides a carrier signal to the second device; an intermediate device connected between the network device and the second device; or a terminal device.

[0235] Optionally, the second device is an ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) device.

[0236] As shown in FIG15 , a communication device 1500 is provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 900 may be the third device described above. The third device may be one of the one or more second devices described above. The communication device 1500 may include a receiving unit 1510 .

[0237] The receiving unit 1510 is used to receive trigger information, where the trigger information is used to trigger one or more second devices to backscatter and / or actively transmit a first signal, where the first signal is used to determine whether the one or more second devices are within the communication range of the first device or for the first device to determine the measurement quantity corresponding to the one or more second devices.

[0238] Optionally, the trigger information is carried on a first physical channel.

[0239] Optionally, the first physical channel includes one or more of the following: a physical downlink control channel PDCCH, a physical uplink control channel PUCCH, a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH, and a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH.

[0240] Optionally, the first physical channel includes a first parameter, and the first parameter includes one or more of the following: waveform, modulation mode, coding mode, coding efficiency, and number of bits.

[0241] Optionally, the first physical channel is a physical channel in the target physical channel used to carry the trigger information, and the target physical channel also includes a second physical channel that is not used to carry the trigger information, and the first parameter of the second physical channel is different from the first parameter of the first physical channel.

[0242] Optionally, the one or more second devices include a group of second devices, and the first physical channel is scrambled based on a group identifier of the group of second devices.

[0243] Optionally, the first physical channel includes a CRC, and the CRC is scrambled based on the group identifier; and / or the encoded information bits in the first physical channel are scrambled based on the group identifier.

[0244] Optionally, the first physical channel and the synchronization signal sent by the first device are continuous in the time domain.

[0245] Optionally, the trigger information is carried in one or more fields, and the one or more fields are sent after the synchronization signal sent by the first device.

[0246] Optionally, the one or more fields are used to indicate one or more of the following: the one or more second devices receiving a control channel after the synchronization signal; and the second device to which the trigger information is directed.

[0247] Optionally, the one or more fields include a first field and a second field, the first field is used to indicate that the trigger information is trigger information for a second device indicated by the second field, and the second field includes an identifier of the second device for which the trigger information is targeted.

[0248] Optionally, the trigger information is carried in a first synchronization signal.

[0249] Optionally, the first synchronization signal is different from the second synchronization signal, and the second synchronization signal is used to assist the second device in receiving a physical channel.

[0250] Optionally, the lengths of the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are the same or different; the sequences of the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are different.

[0251] Optionally, the first device is a device that provides a carrier signal, the trigger information is carried in a second signal, and the second signal is sent before the carrier signal.

[0252] Optionally, the second signal indicates a first state and a second state. When the second signal carries the trigger information, the second signal indicates the first state. The first state is used to indicate that the second device performs a first type of backscattering or a first type of active transmission during the transmission of the carrier signal after the second signal. The second state is used to indicate that the second device performs a second type of backscattering or a second type of active transmission during the transmission of the carrier signal after the second signal. The first type of backscattering or the first type of active transmission is used to determine whether the second device is within the communication range of the first device. The second type of backscattering or the second type of active transmission is used to carry data information of the second device.

[0253] Optionally, the power of the signal / channel carrying the trigger information is greater than the power of the physical data channel transmitted by the first device.

[0254] Optionally, the first signal is a backscatter signal, and the backscatter signal satisfies one or more of the following: the backscatter signal does not contain modulation information; the backscatter signal is a backscatter signal emitted within a first time period, and the first time period is less than a period of a carrier signal.

[0255] Optionally, the first signal includes identifications of the one or more second devices.

[0256] Optionally, the sending time of the first signal is within a second time period, and the time interval between the second time period and the time period where the trigger information is located is determined based on one or more of the following: indication information in the trigger information; configuration information of the first device; pre-configuration information.

[0257] Optionally, the first device is one of the following: a network device; a device that provides a carrier signal to the second device; an intermediate device connected between the network device and the second device; or a terminal device.

[0258] Optionally, the second device is an ambient Internet of Things (A-IoT) device.

[0259] FIG16 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device to which embodiments of the present application may be applied. The dashed lines in FIG16 indicate that the unit or module is optional. Apparatus 1600 may be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment. Apparatus 1600 may be a chip or a communication device.

[0260] The device 1600 may include one or more processors 1610. The processor 1610 may support the device 1600 to implement the method described in the method embodiment above. The processor 1610 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor may be another general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor, etc.

[0261] The apparatus 1600 may further include one or more memories 1620. The memories 1620 store programs that can be executed by the processor 1610, causing the processor 1610 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. The memories 1620 may be independent of the processor 1610 or integrated into the processor 1610.

[0262] The apparatus 1600 may further include a transceiver 1630. The processor 1610 may communicate with other devices or chips via the transceiver 1630. For example, the processor 1610 may transmit and receive data with other devices or chips via the transceiver 1630.

[0263] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a program. The computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the first network element, application function network element, or first communication device provided in the present application, and the program causes a computer to execute the method performed by the first network element, application function network element, or first communication device in each embodiment of the present application.

[0264] The present application also provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes a program. The computer program product can be applied to the first network element, application function network element, or first communication device provided in the embodiments of the present application, and the program causes a computer to execute the method performed by the first network element, application function network element, or first communication device in various embodiments of the present application.

[0265] The present application also provides a computer program. This computer program can be applied to the first network element, application function network element, or first communication device provided in the present application, and the computer program causes a computer to execute the method performed by the first network element, application function network element, or first communication device in each embodiment of the present application.

[0266] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" in this application can be used interchangeably. In addition, the terms used in this application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. The terms "first", "second", "third", and "fourth" in the specification and claims of this application and the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish different objects rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0267] In the embodiments of this application, the term "indication" may refer to a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association. For example, "A indicates B" may refer to a direct indication of B, e.g., B can obtain information through A; it may refer to an indirect indication of B, e.g., A indicates C, e.g., B can obtain information through C; or it may refer to an association between A and B.

[0268] In the embodiment of the present application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A and B can be determined based on A. However, it should be understood that determining B based on A does not mean determining B based solely on A, but B can also be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0269] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" may indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between the two, or an association relationship between the two, or a relationship between indication and indication, configuration and configuration, etc.

[0270] In the embodiments of the present application, "pre-definition" or "pre-configuration" may be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in a device (e.g., a terminal device and a network device). The present application does not limit the specific implementation method. For example, pre-definition may refer to information defined in a protocol.

[0271] In the embodiments of the present application, the “protocol” may refer to a standard protocol in the communications field, for example, it may include an LTE protocol, an NR protocol, and related protocols used in future communication systems, and the present application does not limit this.

[0272] In the embodiments of this application, the term "and / or" is simply a description of the association relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0273] In various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0274] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0275] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0276] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0277] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be read by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a digital versatile disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0278] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, characterized in that: include: The first device sends trigger information, which is used to trigger one or more second devices to backscatter and / or actively transmit a first signal, and the first signal is used to determine whether the one or more second devices are within the communication range of the first device or for the first device to determine the measurement quantity corresponding to the one or more second devices.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The trigger information is carried on the first physical channel.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The first physical channel includes one or more of the following: a physical downlink control channel PDCCH, a physical uplink control channel PUCCH, a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH, and a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The first physical channel includes a first parameter, and the first parameter includes one or more of the following: waveform, modulation mode, coding mode, coding efficiency, and number of bits.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The first physical channel is a physical channel in the target physical channel used to carry the trigger information. The target physical channel also includes a second physical channel that is not used to carry the trigger information. The first parameter of the second physical channel is different from the first parameter of the first physical channel.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that The one or more second devices include a group of second devices, and the first physical channel is scrambled based on a group identifier of the group of second devices.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The first physical channel includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC), and the CRC is scrambled based on the group identifier; and / or The encoded information bits in the first physical channel are scrambled based on the group identifier.

8. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that The first physical channel and the synchronization signal sent by the first device are continuous in the time domain.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The trigger information is carried in one or more fields, and the one or more fields are sent after the synchronization signal sent by the first device.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The one or more fields are used to indicate one or more of the following: The one or more second devices receive a control channel subsequent to the synchronization signal; The second device to which the trigger information is directed.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that The one or more fields include a first field and a second field, the first field is used to indicate that the trigger information is trigger information for a second device indicated by the second field, and the second field includes an identifier of the second device for which the trigger information is targeted.

12. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The trigger information is carried in the first synchronization signal.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The first synchronization signal is different from the second synchronization signal, and the second synchronization signal is used to assist the second device in receiving a physical channel.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The lengths of the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are the same or different; The first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal have different sequences.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first device is a device that provides a carrier signal, the trigger information is carried in a second signal, and the second signal is sent before the carrier signal.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The second signal indicates a first state and a second state. When the second signal carries the trigger information, the second signal indicates the first state. The first state is used to instruct the second device to perform a first type of backscattering or a first type of active transmission during the transmission of the carrier signal after the second signal. The second state is used to instruct the second device to perform a second type of backscattering or a second type of active transmission during the transmission of the carrier signal after the second signal. The first type of backscattering or the first type of active transmission is used to determine whether the second device is within the communication range of the first device. The second type of backscattering or the second type of active transmission is used to carry data information of the second device.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that The power of the signal / channel carrying the trigger information is greater than the power of the physical data channel transmitted by the first device.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that The first signal is a backscattered signal, and the backscattered signal satisfies one or more of the following: The backscattered signal does not contain modulation information; The backscatter signal is a backscatter signal emitted within a first time period, and the first time period is smaller than a period of a carrier signal.

19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that The first signal includes identifications of the one or more second devices.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that The sending time of the first signal is within a second time period, and the time interval between the second time period and the time period where the trigger information is located is determined based on one or more of the following: Instruction information in the trigger information; configuration information of the first device; Preconfiguration information.

21. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first device determines a first measurement quantity according to the received first signal, where the first measurement quantity includes one or more of the following: Signal reception energy; Signal receiving power; Signal phase shift.

22. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 21, characterized in that The first device is one of the following: Network equipment; a device that provides a carrier signal to a second device; an intermediate device connected between the network device and the second device; Terminal device.

23. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that The second device is an environmental Internet of Things (A-IoT) device.

24. A wireless communication method, characterized in that: include: The third device receives trigger information, where the trigger information is used to trigger one or more second devices to backscatter and / or actively transmit a first signal, where the first signal is used to determine whether the one or more second devices are within the communication range of the first device or for the first device to determine the measurement quantity corresponding to the one or more second devices, wherein the third device is one of the one or more second devices.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that The trigger information is carried on the first physical channel.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that The first physical channel includes one or more of the following: a physical downlink control channel PDCCH, a physical uplink control channel PUCCH, a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH, and a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH.

27. The method according to claim 25 or 26, characterized in that The first physical channel includes a first parameter, and the first parameter includes one or more of the following: waveform, modulation mode, coding mode, coding efficiency, and number of bits.

28. The method according to claim 27, characterized in that The first physical channel is a physical channel in the target physical channel used to carry the trigger information. The target physical channel also includes a second physical channel that is not used to carry the trigger information. The first parameter of the second physical channel is different from the first parameter of the first physical channel.

29. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 28, characterized in that The one or more second devices include a group of second devices, and the first physical channel is scrambled based on a group identifier of the group of second devices.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein: The first physical channel includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC), and the CRC is scrambled based on the group identifier; and / or The encoded information bits in the first physical channel are scrambled based on the group identifier.

31. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 30, characterized in that The first physical channel and the synchronization signal sent by the first device are continuous in the time domain.

32. The method according to claim 24, wherein The trigger information is carried in one or more fields, and the one or more fields are sent after the synchronization signal sent by the first device.

33. The method according to claim 32, characterized in that The one or more fields are used to indicate one or more of the following: The one or more second devices receive a control channel subsequent to the synchronization signal; The second device to which the trigger information is directed.

34. The method according to claim 32 or 33, characterized in that The one or more fields include a first field and a second field, the first field is used to indicate that the trigger information is trigger information for a second device indicated by the second field, and the second field includes an identifier of the second device for which the trigger information is targeted.

35. The method according to claim 24, wherein The trigger information is carried in the first synchronization signal.

36. The method according to claim 35, characterized in that The first synchronization signal is different from the second synchronization signal, and the second synchronization signal is used to assist the second device in receiving a physical channel.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein: The lengths of the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are the same or different; The first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal have different sequences.

38. The method according to claim 24, wherein The first device is a device that provides a carrier signal, the trigger information is carried in a second signal, and the second signal is sent before the carrier signal.

39. The method according to claim 38, characterized in that The second signal indicates a first state and a second state. When the second signal carries the trigger information, the second signal indicates the first state. The first state is used to instruct the second device to perform a first type of backscattering or a first type of active transmission during the transmission of the carrier signal after the second signal. The second state is used to instruct the second device to perform a second type of backscattering or a second type of active transmission during the transmission of the carrier signal after the second signal. The first type of backscattering or the first type of active transmission is used to determine whether the second device is within the communication range of the first device. The second type of backscattering or the second type of active transmission is used to carry data information of the second device.

40. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 39, characterized in that The power of the signal / channel carrying the trigger information is greater than the power of the physical data channel transmitted by the first device.

41. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 40, characterized in that The first signal is a backscattered signal, and the backscattered signal satisfies one or more of the following: The backscattered signal does not contain modulation information; The backscatter signal is a backscatter signal emitted within a first time period, and the first time period is smaller than a period of a carrier signal.

42. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 41, characterized in that The first signal includes identifications of the one or more second devices.

43. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 42, characterized in that The sending time of the first signal is within a second time period, and the time interval between the second time period and the time period where the trigger information is located is determined based on one or more of the following: Instruction information in the trigger information; configuration information of the first device; Preconfiguration information.

44. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 43, characterized in that The first device is one of the following: Network equipment; a device that provides a carrier signal to a second device; an intermediate device connected between the network device and the second device; Terminal device.

45. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 44, characterized in that The second device is an environmental Internet of Things (A-IoT) device.

46. ​​A communication device, characterized in that The communication device is a first device, and the communication device includes: A sending unit is used to send trigger information, where the trigger information is used to trigger one or more second devices to backscatter and / or actively transmit a first signal, where the first signal is used to determine whether the one or more second devices are within the communication range of the first device or for the first device to determine the measurement quantity corresponding to the one or more second devices.

47. The communication device according to claim 46, characterized in that The trigger information is carried on the first physical channel.

48. The communication device according to claim 47, characterized in that The first physical channel includes one or more of the following: a physical downlink control channel PDCCH, a physical uplink control channel PUCCH, a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH, and a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH.

49. The communication device according to claim 47 or 48, characterized in that The first physical channel includes a first parameter, and the first parameter includes one or more of the following: waveform, modulation mode, coding mode, coding efficiency, and number of bits.

50. The communication device according to claim 49, wherein The first physical channel is a physical channel in the target physical channel used to carry the trigger information. The target physical channel also includes a second physical channel that is not used to carry the trigger information. The first parameter of the second physical channel is different from the first parameter of the first physical channel.

51. The communication device according to any one of claims 48 to 50, characterized in that The one or more second devices include a group of second devices, and the first physical channel is scrambled based on a group identifier of the group of second devices.

52. The communication device according to claim 51, characterized in that: The first physical channel includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC), and the CRC is scrambled based on the group identifier; and / or The encoded information bits in the first physical channel are scrambled based on the group identifier.

53. The communication device according to any one of claims 47 to 52, characterized in that The first physical channel and the synchronization signal sent by the first device are continuous in the time domain.

54. The communication device according to claim 46, wherein The trigger information is carried in one or more fields, and the one or more fields are sent after the synchronization signal sent by the first device.

55. The communication device according to claim 54, characterized in that The one or more fields are used to indicate one or more of the following: The one or more second devices receive a control channel subsequent to the synchronization signal; The second device to which the trigger information is directed.

56. The communication device according to claim 54 or 55, characterized in that The one or more fields include a first field and a second field, the first field is used to indicate that the trigger information is trigger information for a second device indicated by the second field, and the second field includes an identifier of the second device for which the trigger information is targeted.

57. The communication device according to claim 46, wherein The trigger information is carried in the first synchronization signal.

58. The communication device according to claim 57, characterized in that The first synchronization signal is different from the second synchronization signal, and the second synchronization signal is used to assist the second device in receiving a physical channel.

59. The communication device according to claim 58, characterized in that: The lengths of the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are the same or different; The first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal have different sequences.

60. The communication device according to claim 46, wherein The first device is a device that provides a carrier signal, the trigger information is carried in a second signal, and the second signal is sent before the carrier signal.

61. The communication device according to claim 60, characterized in that The second signal indicates a first state and a second state. When the second signal carries the trigger information, the second signal indicates the first state. The first state is used to instruct the second device to perform a first type of backscattering or a first type of active transmission during the transmission of the carrier signal after the second signal. The second state is used to instruct the second device to perform a second type of backscattering or a second type of active transmission during the transmission of the carrier signal after the second signal. The first type of backscattering or the first type of active transmission is used to determine whether the second device is within the communication range of the first device. The second type of backscattering or the second type of active transmission is used to carry data information of the second device.

62. The communication device according to any one of claims 46 to 61, characterized in that The power of the signal / channel carrying the trigger information is greater than the power of the physical data channel transmitted by the first device.

63. The communication device according to any one of claims 46 to 62, characterized in that The first signal is a backscattered signal, and the backscattered signal satisfies one or more of the following: The backscattered signal does not contain modulation information; The backscatter signal is a backscatter signal emitted within a first time period, and the first time period is smaller than a period of a carrier signal.

64. The communication device according to any one of claims 46 to 63, characterized in that The first signal includes identifications of the one or more second devices.

65. The communication device according to any one of claims 46 to 64, characterized in that The sending time of the first signal is within a second time period, and the time interval between the second time period and the time period where the trigger information is located is determined based on one or more of the following: Instruction information in the trigger information; configuration information of the first device; Preconfiguration information.

66. The communication device according to any one of claims 46 to 65, characterized in that The communication device further includes: a determining unit, configured to determine a first measurement quantity according to the received first signal, where the first measurement quantity includes one or more of the following: Signal reception energy; Signal receiving power; Signal phase shift.

67. The communication device according to any one of claims 46 to 66, characterized in that The first device is one of the following: Network equipment; a device that provides a carrier signal to a second device; an intermediate device connected between the network device and the second device; Terminal device.

68. The communication device according to any one of claims 46 to 67, characterized in that The second device is an environmental Internet of Things (A-IoT) device.

69. A communication device, characterized in that The communication device is a third device, and the communication device includes: A receiving unit is configured to receive trigger information, wherein the trigger information is used to trigger one or more second devices to backscatter and / or actively transmit a first signal, wherein the first signal is used to determine whether the one or more second devices are within the communication range of the first device or for the first device to determine the measurement quantity corresponding to the one or more second devices, wherein the third device is the one or more one of the second devices.

70. The communication device according to claim 69, characterized in that The trigger information is carried on the first physical channel.

71. The communication device according to claim 70, wherein: The first physical channel includes one or more of the following: a physical downlink control channel PDCCH, a physical uplink control channel PUCCH, a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH, and a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH.

72. The communication device according to claim 70 or 71, characterized in that The first physical channel includes a first parameter, and the first parameter includes one or more of the following: waveform, modulation mode, coding mode, coding efficiency, and number of bits.

73. The communication device according to claim 72, characterized in that The first physical channel is a physical channel in the target physical channel used to carry the trigger information. The target physical channel also includes a second physical channel that is not used to carry the trigger information. The first parameter of the second physical channel is different from the first parameter of the first physical channel.

74. The communication device according to any one of claims 71 to 73, characterized in that The one or more second devices include a group of second devices, and the first physical channel is scrambled based on a group identifier of the group of second devices.

75. The communication device according to claim 74, characterized in that: The first physical channel includes a cyclic redundancy check (CRC), and the CRC is scrambled based on the group identifier; and / or The encoded information bits in the first physical channel are scrambled based on the group identifier.

76. The communication device according to any one of claims 70 to 75, characterized in that The first physical channel and the synchronization signal sent by the first device are continuous in the time domain.

77. The communication device according to claim 69, characterized in that The trigger information is carried in one or more fields, and the one or more fields are sent after the synchronization signal sent by the first device.

78. The communication device according to claim 77, characterized in that The one or more fields are used to indicate one or more of the following: The one or more second devices receive a control channel subsequent to the synchronization signal; The second device to which the trigger information is directed.

79. The communication device according to claim 77 or 78, characterized in that The one or more fields include a first field and a second field, the first field is used to indicate that the trigger information is trigger information for a second device indicated by the second field, and the second field includes an identifier of the second device for which the trigger information is targeted.

80. The communication device according to claim 69, wherein The trigger information is carried in the first synchronization signal.

81. The communication device according to claim 80, wherein: The first synchronization signal is different from the second synchronization signal, and the second synchronization signal is used to assist the second device in receiving a physical channel.

82. The communication device according to claim 81, characterized in that: The lengths of the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are the same or different; The first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal have different sequences.

83. The communication device according to claim 69, characterized in that The first device is a device that provides a carrier signal, the trigger information is carried in a second signal, and the second signal is sent before the carrier signal.

84. The communication device according to claim 83, characterized in that The second signal indicates a first state and a second state. When the second signal carries the trigger information, the second signal indicates the first state. The first state is used to instruct the second device to perform a first type of backscattering or a first type of active transmission during the transmission of the carrier signal after the second signal. The second state is used to instruct the second device to perform a second type of backscattering or a second type of active transmission during the transmission of the carrier signal after the second signal. The first type of backscattering or the first type of active transmission is used to determine whether the second device is within the communication range of the first device. The second type of backscattering or the second type of active transmission is used to carry data information of the second device.

85. The communication device according to any one of claims 69 to 84, characterized in that The power of the signal / channel carrying the trigger information is greater than the power of the physical data channel transmitted by the first device.

86. The communication device according to any one of claims 69 to 85, characterized in that The first signal is a backscattered signal, and the backscattered signal satisfies one or more of the following: The backscattered signal does not contain modulation information; The backscatter signal is a backscatter signal emitted within a first time period, and the first time period is smaller than a period of a carrier signal.

87. The communication device according to any one of claims 69 to 86, characterized in that The first signal includes identifications of the one or more second devices.

88. The communication device according to any one of claims 69 to 87, characterized in that The sending time of the first signal is within a second time period, and the time interval between the second time period and the time period where the trigger information is located is determined based on one or more of the following: Instruction information in the trigger information; configuration information of the first device; Preconfiguration information.

89. The communication device according to any one of claims 69 to 88, characterized in that The first device is one of the following: Network equipment; a device that provides a carrier signal to a second device; an intermediate device connected between the network device and the second device; Terminal device.

90. The communication device according to any one of claims 69 to 89, characterized in that The second device is an environmental Internet of Things (A-IoT) device.

91. A communication device, characterized in that The system comprises a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a program, and the processor is used to call the program in the memory to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23 or 24 to 45.

92. A device, characterized in that The device comprises a processor configured to call a program from a memory to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23 or 24 to 45.

93. A chip, characterized in that The device comprises a processor configured to call a program from a memory so that a device equipped with the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23 or 24 to 45.

94. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that A program is stored thereon, the program causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-23 or 24-45.

95. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises a program for causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 23 or 24 to 45.

96. A computer program, characterized in that The computer program causes a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-23 or 24-45.

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