Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to a communication method and apparatus. In the communication method, upon receiving M first signals, on the basis of a first sequence, a terminal can send to a network device M reflected signals in respect of the M first signals, such that the M reflected signals carry M elements in the first sequence, wherein the values of at least N elements among the M elements are different. Thus, the network device can eliminate a self-interference channel of the network device when performing channel estimation on the basis of the M reflected signals, such that obtained channel information does not comprise the self-interference channel, thereby improving the accuracy of the channel estimation.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application with application number 202410216894.1 filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on February 27, 2024, and priority to the Chinese patent application with the invention name “A Communication Method and Device”, all contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0003] In communications technology, carrier-based reflection communication techniques, such as backscatter communication, have been proposed. In these reflection communication techniques, terminals reflect downlink signals from network devices to transmit uplink signals. This can cause self-interference from downlink signals on uplink signals, affecting channel estimation accuracy. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus, which can improve the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal, or by a module (such as a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the terminal, or by a logical node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions. In this communication method, M first signals can be received from a network device, so that M reflected signals for the M first signals can be sent to the network device based on a first sequence. The M reflected signals are used to carry M elements in the first sequence, and at least N of the M elements have different values. The M reflected signals are used for channel estimation by the network device, where N is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to M, and M is an integer greater than 1.

[0006] It can be seen that in the above embodiment, when the terminal receives M first signals, it can send M reflected signals corresponding to the M first signals to the network device based on the first sequence, so that the M reflected signals carry the M elements in the first sequence. The values ​​of at least N of the M elements are different. This allows the network device to eliminate the network device self-interference channel when performing channel estimation based on the M reflected signals, so that the obtained channel information does not include the self-interference channel, thereby improving the accuracy of the channel estimation.

[0007] In a possible implementation, the first sequence includes L second sequences, where L is a positive integer, and the second sequence is a predefined or preconfigured sequence, or the second sequence is indicated to the terminal by a network device.

[0008] In one possible embodiment, the method further includes: determining the first sequence based on the second sequence; or, receiving the first sequence from the network device; or, receiving a first index from the network device, and determining the first sequence indicated by the first index from at least one sequence, wherein the at least one sequence is a predefined or preconfigured sequence; or, receiving a second signal from the network device, and determining the first sequence from at least one sequence based on the second signal.

[0009] It can be seen that the above-mentioned methods of obtaining the first sequence can ensure that the terminal and the network device have the same understanding of the first sequence, so that the solution can be executed smoothly.

[0010] In one possible embodiment, the i-th first signal among the M first signals occupies at least one frequency domain unit, and at least one frequency domain unit is used to reflect the i-th element in the first sequence. The i-th reflected signal among the M reflected signals is the reflected signal of the i-th first signal, and the i-th reflected signal carries the i-th element, where i is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to M.

[0011] In a possible implementation manner, the total number of time units occupied by the M reflected signals is associated with the length of the first sequence.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a third signal from the network device, where the third signal is used to activate the terminal to reflect the signal.

[0013] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device, or by a module (such as a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the network device, or by a logical node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the network device functions. In this communication method, M first signals can be sent to a terminal, so that M reflected signals for the M first signals from the terminal can be received, and then channel estimation can be performed based on the M reflected signals. The M reflected signals are used to carry M elements in the first sequence, and at least N of the M elements have different values, N is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to M, and M is an integer greater than 1.

[0014] It can be seen that in the above embodiment, the network device can send M first signals to the terminal, so that when the terminal receives the M first signals, it can send M reflected signals corresponding to the M first signals to the network device based on the first sequence, so that the M reflected signals carry M elements in the first sequence. Among them, at least N of the M elements have different values. This allows the network device to eliminate the network device self-interference channel when performing channel estimation based on the M reflected signals, so that the obtained channel information does not include the self-interference channel, thereby improving the accuracy of the channel estimation.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the first sequence includes L second sequences, where L is a positive integer, and the second sequence is a predefined or preconfigured sequence, or the second sequence is indicated to the terminal by a network device.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a first sequence to the terminal; or sending a first index to the terminal, the first index being used to determine the first sequence; or sending a second signal to the terminal, the second signal being used to determine the first sequence.

[0017] It can be seen that the above-mentioned methods of obtaining the first sequence can ensure that the terminal and the network device have the same understanding of the first sequence, so that the solution can be executed smoothly.

[0018] In one possible embodiment, the i-th first signal among the M first signals occupies at least one frequency domain unit, and at least one frequency domain unit is used to reflect the i-th element in the first sequence. The i-th reflected signal among the M reflected signals is the reflected signal of the i-th first signal, and the i-th reflected signal carries the i-th element, where i is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to M.

[0019] In a possible implementation, performing channel estimation based on the M reflected signals includes: performing differential processing on the M reflected signals to obtain first channel information between the terminal and the network device.

[0020] It can be seen that in the process of channel estimation performed by the above-mentioned network device, since the M reflected signals include reflected signals carrying elements with at least N different values, the network device can eliminate the self-interference channel of the network device when performing differential processing on the M reflected signals, so that the obtained channel information does not include the self-interference channel, thereby improving the accuracy of the channel estimation.

[0021] In one possible implementation, differential processing is performed on M reflected signals to obtain first channel information between the terminal and the network device, including: dividing the M reflected signals into one or more groups, each group including two reflected signals corresponding to two elements with different values ​​among the M elements; differential processing is performed on two reflected signals included in the same group among the one or more groups to obtain one or more channel information between the terminal and the network device; and determining the first channel information based on the one or more channel information.

[0022] It can be seen that in the process of channel estimation performed by the above-mentioned network device, the network device can divide the M reflected signals into one or more groups, so that each group includes two reflected signals corresponding to two elements with different values ​​in the first sequence (including M elements). In this way, when the network device performs differential processing on the two reflected signals included in the same group, the self-interference channel of the network device can be eliminated, so that the obtained channel information does not include the self-interference channel, thereby improving the accuracy of the channel estimation.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a third signal to the terminal, where the third signal is used to activate the terminal to reflect the signal.

[0024] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal, or by a module (such as a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the terminal, or by a logical node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions. In this communication method, M first signals can be received from a network device, so that M reflected signals for the M first signals can be sent to the network device. The M first signals are used to carry M elements in a first sequence, at least N of the M elements have different values, and all N elements are not 0. The M reflected signals are used for channel estimation by the network device, where M is an integer greater than 1, and N is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to M.

[0025] It can be seen that in the above embodiment, when the terminal receives M first signals, it can send M reflected signals for the M first signals to the network device based on the first sequence. Because the reflected signal is a reflected signal for the first signal, the characteristics contained in the reflected signal are similar to the characteristics contained in the first signal, that is, from the time domain, the reflected signal is obtained by multiplying the value of the first signal (such as amplitude, etc.) by the reflection coefficient of the reflected signal. In other words, the M first signals are used to carry the M elements in the first sequence, and the values ​​of at least N elements in the M elements are different, and the N elements are not 0, so the M reflected signals also have similar characteristics, which enables the network device to eliminate the self-interference channel of the network device when performing channel estimation based on the M reflected signals, so that the obtained channel information does not include the self-interference channel, thereby improving the accuracy of the channel estimation.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the M reflected signals are further used to determine reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals; or, the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals are sent to the network device.

[0027] As can be seen, in the above embodiment, the M reflected signals are also used to determine the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals. This means that the terminal does not need to separately indicate the reflection coefficients to the network device, reducing signaling interactions and saving signaling overhead. Alternatively, the terminal sends the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals to the network device, which avoids the network device having to calculate the reflection coefficients independently and improves channel estimation efficiency.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a second signal from the network device, where the second signal is used to activate the terminal to reflect the signal.

[0029] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device, or by a module (such as a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the network device, or by a logical node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the network device functions. In this communication method, M first signals can be sent to the terminal, so that M reflected signals for the M first signals from the terminal can be received, and then channel estimation can be performed based on the M reflected signals. The M first signals are used to carry M elements in the first sequence, at least N of the M elements have different values, and all N elements are not 0, M is an integer greater than 1, and N is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to M.

[0030] It can be seen that in the above embodiment, the network device can send M first signals to the terminal, so that when the terminal receives the M first signals, it can send M reflected signals for the M first signals to the network device. Because the reflected signal is a reflected signal for the first signal, the characteristics contained in the reflected signal are similar to the characteristics contained in the first signal, that is, from the time domain, the reflected signal is obtained by multiplying the first signal value (such as amplitude, etc.) by the reflection coefficient of the reflected signal. In other words, the M first signals are used to carry the M elements in the first sequence, and the values ​​of at least N elements of the M elements are different, and the N elements are not 0, so the M reflected signals also have similar characteristics, which enables the network device to eliminate the self-interference channel of the network device when performing channel estimation based on the M reflected signals, so that the obtained channel information does not include the self-interference channel, thereby improving the accuracy of the channel estimation.

[0031] In a possible implementation manner, the total number of time units occupied by the M first signals is associated with the length of the first sequence.

[0032] In a possible implementation, performing channel estimation based on the M reflected signals includes: determining reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals; and determining first channel information between the terminal and the network device based on the M reflected signals and the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals.

[0033] It can be seen that in the process of channel estimation performed by the above-mentioned network device, since the M reflected signals include reflected signals carrying at least N elements with different values ​​and none of which are 0, the network device can eliminate the self-interference channel of the network device when determining the first channel information between the terminal and the network device based on the M reflected signals and the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals, so that the obtained channel information does not include the self-interference channel, thereby improving the accuracy of the channel estimation.

[0034] In one possible embodiment, determining the reflection coefficients of M reflected signals includes: determining the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals based on energy intensities of the M reflected signals and a correspondence between multiple energy intensities and multiple reflection coefficients, where the correspondence between the multiple energy intensities and the multiple reflection coefficients includes a correspondence between the energy intensities of the M reflected signals and the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals; or receiving the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals from a terminal.

[0035] As can be seen, in the above embodiment, the network device can determine the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals based on the energy intensities of the M reflected signals and the correspondence between the multiple energy intensities and the multiple reflection coefficients. This means that the terminal does not need to separately indicate the reflection coefficients to the network device, reducing signaling interactions and saving signaling overhead. Alternatively, the network device can receive the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals from the terminal, which avoids the network device having to calculate the reflection coefficients independently and improves the efficiency of channel estimation.

[0036] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a second signal to the terminal, where the second signal is used to activate the terminal to reflect the signal.

[0037] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a unit or module for implementing the method as described in any one of the first aspect or the third aspect. The communication device can be a terminal, or a module of a terminal (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions. Alternatively, the communication device includes a unit or module for implementing the method as described in any one of the second aspect or the fourth aspect. The communication device can be a network device, or a module of a network device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the network device functions.

[0038] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to execute the method described in any one of the first aspect or the third aspect. The communication device may be a terminal, or a module of the terminal (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system), or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions. Alternatively, at least one processor is configured to execute the method described in any one of the second aspect or the fourth aspect. The communication device may be a network device, or a module of the network device (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system), or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the network device functions.

[0039] The at least one processor may execute a computer program or instruction in a memory to execute the above method. The memory may be included in the communication device or may be located outside the communication device. In addition, the communication device may further include an interface.

[0040] In the seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, which, when executed, enable the computer to execute the method as described in any one of the first aspect or the third aspect, or enable the computer to execute the method as described in any one of the second aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0041] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: a computer program code, wherein when the computer program code is executed by a computer, the computer executes the method as described in any one of the first aspect or the third aspect, or the computer executes the method as described in any one of the second aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0042] In the ninth aspect, a chip is provided, which includes at least one processor and an interface, the processor being used to read and execute instructions stored in a memory, and when the instructions are executed, the chip executes a method as described in any one of the first aspect or the third aspect, or the chip executes a method as described in any one of the second aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0043] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a terminal for executing the first aspect and a network device for executing the second aspect.

[0044] In an eleventh aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a terminal for executing the third aspect and a network device for executing the fourth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] FIG1 is a basic architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG2 is a communication schematic diagram of a backscatter communication technology;

[0047] FIG3 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a frequency domain unit occupied by a first signal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of generating a first signal according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG6 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between a first signal and its reflected signal provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of obtaining an element carried by an i-th reflected signal on at least one subcarrier according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIG8 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG9 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between another first signal and its reflected signal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "system" and "network" can be used interchangeably. Unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" in this application is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, in the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" refers to two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be one or more. In addition, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between network elements and identical or similar items with substantially the same functions. Those skilled in the art will understand that terms such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and terms such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit differences.

[0057] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" in the embodiments of the present application mean that one or more embodiments of the present application include specific features, structures or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment", "in some embodiments", "in some other embodiments", "in some other embodiments", etc. that appear in different places in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but mean "one or more but not all embodiments", unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "including", "comprising", "having" and their variations all mean "including but not limited to", unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0058] The following specific implementation methods further describe in detail the objectives, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present application. It should be understood that the following are only specific implementation methods of the present application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made on the basis of the technical solutions of the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

[0059] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0060] It should be understood that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to long term evolution (LTE) architecture, fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G), wireless local area networks (WLAN) systems, vehicle to everything (V2X) communication systems, LTE-vehicle (LTE-V), vehicle to vehicle (V2V), vehicle networking, machine type communications (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems, etc. The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to other future communication systems, such as 6G communication systems, etc. In future communication systems, the functions may remain the same, but the names may change.

[0061] The following describes the infrastructure of the communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application. The communication system provided by the present application may include one or more network devices and one or more terminals.

[0062] The following is an exemplary explanation using the system architecture shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a network device 10 and one or more terminals (such as the terminal 20 in Figure 1) communicating with the network device 10.

[0063] It should be noted that the number of network devices and terminals in Figure 1 is only illustrative and should not be regarded as a specific limitation of the present application. At the same time, the system structure shown in Figure 1 is only an example. The process of any device in a cellular network performing channel estimation on another device is a network architecture that can be used in the present application. Furthermore, based on the same concept, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can be applied to ZigBee, long range radio (Lora), Bluetooth (BT) or a fusion system of multiple systems, etc., and the present application does not limit this. The various devices involved in Figure 1 are described in detail below.

[0064] 1. Terminal

[0065] A terminal is an entity on the user side that is used to receive signals, send signals, or both receive and send signals. The terminal is used to provide one or more of voice services and data connectivity services to users. A terminal can be a device that includes wireless transceiver functions and can cooperate with network equipment to provide communication services to users. Specifically, a terminal can refer to user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, user device or road side unit (RSU). The terminal may also be a drone, an IoT device, a station (ST) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a cellular phone, a smart phone, a cordless phone, a wireless data card, a tablet computer, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a laptop computer, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device (also referred to as a wearable smart device), a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in remote medical care, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, or a wireless terminal in a healthcare system. The terminal may also be a terminal in a 5G system or a terminal in a next-generation communication system, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0066] The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form factor of the terminal. The device used to implement the terminal's function can be a terminal; it can also be a device that supports the terminal in implementing the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal or used in conjunction with the terminal. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete components.

[0067] 2. Network Equipment

[0068] A network device is an entity on the network side that is used to send signals, receive signals, or both send and receive signals. A network device can be a device deployed in a radio access network (RAN) to provide wireless communication functions for terminals.

[0069] In one possible scenario, a network device may be a device with base station functionality, such as an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, or non-terrestrial network equipment in an NTN, i.e., equipment that can be deployed on a high-altitude platform or satellite. A network device may be a transmission reception point (TRP), a base station, or various forms of control nodes, such as a network controller or a wireless controller. Specifically, network devices can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small cells) in heterogeneous network (HetNet) scenarios, relay stations, access points (APs), radio network controllers (RNCs), node Bs (NBs), base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), home base stations (e.g., home evolved node Bs or home node Bs, HNBs), baseband units (BBUs) and remote radio units (RRUs) in distributed base station scenarios, transmission points (TRPs), transmitting points (TPs), mobile switching centers, ZigBee base stations, Bluetooth master (BT master), Bluetooth low energy (BLE) master, LoRa base stations, etc. They can also be base station antenna panels. A control node can connect to multiple base stations and configure resources for multiple terminals covered by multiple base stations. In systems using different wireless access technologies, the names of devices with base station functions may vary.For example, it can be a gNB in ​​5G, or a network-side device in a network after 5G, or a network device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN) network, or a device that performs base station functions in device-to-device (D2D) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, or vehicle network communication. This application does not limit the specific name of the network device. The network device can also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a baseband pool (BBU pool) and RRU under a cloud radio access network (CRAN), etc.

[0070] All or part of the functions of the network device in this application may also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The network device in this application may also be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the network device functions.

[0071] In another possible scenario, multiple network devices collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different network devices respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the network device may include a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU may be set separately, or may be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). It is understandable that the network device may be a CU node, a DU node, or a device including a CU node and a DU node. In addition, the CU may be divided into a network device in the access network RAN, or the CU may be divided into a network device in the core network CN, without limitation here.

[0072] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0073] In the embodiments of the present application, the form of the network device is not limited. The device used to implement the function of the network device can be a network device; it can also be a device that can support the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device.

[0074] In order to facilitate understanding of the contents of this solution, some of the terms involved in the embodiments of this application are explained below to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. This part is only for ease of understanding and cannot be regarded as a specific limitation of this application.

[0075] 1. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)

[0076] OFDM is a multi-carrier modulation technology that divides a channel into several orthogonal sub-channels, converting high-speed data signals into parallel, lower-speed sub-data streams, which are modulated for transmission on each sub-channel. Orthogonal signals can be separated using correlation techniques at the receiver, reducing mutual interference between sub-channels. The signal bandwidth on each sub-channel is smaller than the channel's correlation bandwidth, resulting in flat fading on each sub-channel, eliminating inter-symbol interference. Furthermore, since the bandwidth of each sub-channel is only a fraction of the original channel bandwidth, channel equalization is relatively easy.

[0077] The carriers in OFDM are orthogonal to each other. Each carrier has an integer number of carrier cycles within a symbol time, and the spectral zero point of each carrier overlaps with the zero points of adjacent carriers, thus reducing interference between carriers. This partial overlap between carriers improves bandwidth utilization compared to traditional information transmission technologies.

[0078] During OFDM transmission, high-speed information data streams are distributed to several sub-channels with relatively low rates through serial-to-parallel conversion. The symbol period in each sub-channel is relatively increased, which can reduce the inter-symbol interference caused by the time dispersion generated by the multipath delay spread of the wireless channel.

[0079] 2. Frequency domain unit

[0080] The frequency domain units mentioned in this application may include, for example, at least one of the following: subcarrier, resource block (RB), resource block group (RBG), sub-channel, bandwidth part (BWP), carrier. A resource block is a plurality of subcarriers that are continuous in the frequency domain. For example, a resource block may include 12 subcarriers. Multiple resource blocks may constitute a resource block group. A carrier is a continuous frequency range that complies with the system regulations. This frequency range may be determined by the center frequency of the carrier (denoted as the carrier frequency) and the bandwidth of the carrier. A carrier may include a partial bandwidth. A partial bandwidth may include one or more subchannels, and a subchannel may include multiple resource blocks. A subchannel may also be called a subband.

[0081] 3. Time unit

[0082] The time units mentioned in this application may include, for example, at least one of the following: frame, subframe, time slot, symbol, etc. In NR, the frame duration is 10 milliseconds (ms), and each frame is divided into 10 subframes, each subframe is 1ms long. Each subframe is divided into several time slots: when the cyclic prefix (CP) is a normal cyclic prefix (NCP), each time slot consists of 14 symbols; when the cyclic prefix is ​​an extended cyclic prefix (ECP), each time slot consists of 12 symbols. Of course, with the evolution of communication technology, the number of symbols included in a time slot may also be other values, which is not limited in this application. Among them, the symbol here may be an OFDM symbol, which is not limited in this application.

[0083] 4. Carrier signal

[0084] The carrier signal in this application can be a single-carrier signal or a multi-carrier signal. A single-carrier signal can refer to a signal carried on a single subcarrier, while a multi-carrier signal can refer to a signal carried on multiple subcarriers.

[0085] 5. Backscatter communication technology

[0086] Backscatter communication technology may be referred to as backscatter communication technology or backscatter communication technology, and this application does not limit its name. Generally, in backscatter communication technology, data transmission can be achieved through reflected signals. For example, a terminal that supports backscatter communication technology can perform uplink transmission by reflecting downlink signals from network devices.

[0087] Generally, a terminal supporting backscatter communication technology may include the two parts shown in Figure 2. One part is used for energy collection, with the main module including a rectifier, which converts the AC carrier signal into DC power for terminal operation. The other part is used for information transmission, mainly including a switch, which controls the on / off of the circuit. For example, if the information bit is 1, the switch is in the "off" state, and the carrier signal is reflected back to the network device intact. If the information bit is 0, the switch is in the "on" state, and the carrier signal cannot be reflected back to the network device because the reflection circuit is disconnected. More specifically, assume that the carrier signal is sin(2πft), where f is the frequency of the carrier signal and t is time. When the information bit to be transmitted by the terminal is 1, the reflected signal sent by the terminal to the network device is 1*a*sin(2πft), where a is the reflection coefficient. In an ideal situation, a = 1, indicating that the carrier signal is reflected back to the network device without loss. When the information bit to be transmitted by the terminal is 0, the reflected signal sent by the terminal to the network device is 0*a*sin(2πft) = 0, indicating that the carrier signal cannot be reflected back to the network device. Generally speaking, a portion of the carrier signal transmitted by a network device (ratio α in Figure 2) is used for energy harvesting to power the terminal, while another portion (ratio 1-α in Figure 2) is used as a carrier reflected by the terminal. This allows the terminal to operate without the need for a battery. It should be understood that this type of terminal can generally be referred to as a passive terminal or a backscatter terminal, and this application does not limit these terms.

[0088] Furthermore, as can be seen from Figure 2, the reception of downlink signals and their reflection occur simultaneously, which means that the downlink signal self-interferes with the uplink signal. Therefore, if network equipment performs channel estimation based on such reflected signals, the accuracy of the channel estimation may be affected by the self-interference. Based on this, the present application provides the embodiments shown in Figures 3 and 4 to address this issue.

[0089] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below. Specifically, the terminal mentioned below may be the terminal involved in Figure 1, and the network device mentioned below may be the network device involved in Figure 1. Among them, the terminal mentioned below supports backscatter communication technology. It should be noted that the message names between the network elements or the names of the parameters in the messages in the following embodiments are only examples. Other names may also be used in specific implementations, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this. The processing performed by the single execution subject (terminal or network device) shown in the embodiments of the present application may also be divided into multiple execution subjects, and these execution subjects may be logically and / or physically separated. For example, the processing performed by the network device may be divided into at least one of the CU, DU and RU. In addition, the various embodiments of the present application are only illustrated by taking the execution of all the steps included therein as an example, and should not be regarded as a specific limitation of the present application. That is, the steps included in the embodiments of the present application (such as the embodiments shown in Figures 3 or 4) may be partially or fully executed in the absence of logical conflicts.

[0090] As shown in FIG3 , a communication method is provided in an embodiment of the present application, which includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0091] 301. A network device sends M first signals to a terminal.

[0092] Correspondingly, the terminal receives M first signals from the network device, where M is an integer greater than 1. The first signal may be a carrier signal.

[0093] Optionally, the first signal may occupy at least one frequency domain unit (e.g., one frequency domain unit or more than one frequency domain unit). For example, in FIG4 , a first signal occupies four subcarriers in the frequency domain and one time slot in the time domain, i.e., four REs in one time slot (shaded in FIG4 ).

[0094] It should be understood that the network device may select frequency domain units for symbols corresponding to the first signal based on different requirements.

[0095] For example, taking the frequency domain unit as a subcarrier, when the frequency domain resolution of the estimated channel is high, all subcarriers can be selected to map the symbol. When the frequency domain resolution of the estimated channel is low, some subcarriers can be selected to map the symbol. This application does not limit this.

[0096] For example, the network device may map the symbol based on a predefined or preconfigured pattern. The pattern here may be a sounding reference signal (SRS) pattern or any other pattern, which is not limited in this application.

[0097] When the network device selects multiple frequency domain units for the symbol corresponding to the first signal, the values ​​of the symbols mapped on the multiple frequency domain units (such as at least one of phase, amplitude, frequency, etc.) can be the same or different, and this application does not limit this. The network device and the terminal both know the values ​​of the symbols mapped on these frequency domain units.

[0098] After the network device selects a frequency domain unit for the symbol corresponding to the first signal, the network device can map the symbol corresponding to the first signal to the frequency domain unit, and perform inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) and parallel-to-serial conversion on the symbols on all frequency domain units (including the frequency domain unit selected by the network device for the symbol corresponding to the first signal) in sequence to obtain the first signal.

[0099] For example, taking the frequency domain unit as a subcarrier and the first signal as an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, in Figure 5, the network device performs IFFT and parallel-to-serial conversion on the symbols on the subcarrier selected by the network device for the symbol corresponding to the first signal and the symbols on other subcarriers in sequence to obtain the first signal.

[0100] Furthermore, after the network device generates the first signal, it can send the first signal to the terminal. For ease of understanding, the following describes the process of the network device sending M first signals to the terminal. Specifically: the network device can continuously send the same signal to the terminal. During the process of the network device continuously sending the signal, the signal over M time units is regarded as M first signals. For example, taking the time unit as a time slot and M as 2 as an example, the network device can send the signal to the terminal in time slot #0, and the network device can send the signal to the terminal in time slot #1. Therefore, the signal in time slot #0 and the signal in time slot #1 can be regarded as two first signals. In this case, it can be considered that the network device has sent M first signals respectively over M time units.

[0101] In one possible implementation, the network device may also activate the terminal to reflect signals. For example, the network device may send a third signal to the terminal. The third signal is used to activate the terminal to reflect signals, thereby facilitating the terminal to obtain the power or signal energy contained in the third signal. Optionally, the third signal may be a carrier signal, such as an energy signal.

[0102] Optionally, the process of the network device sending the third signal to the terminal may be performed before step 301 .

[0103] 302. The terminal sends M reflected signals corresponding to the M first signals to the network device based on the first sequence. The M reflected signals are used to carry the M elements in the first sequence, where at least N of the M elements have different values, and N is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to M.

[0104] Accordingly, the network device receives M reflected signals from the terminal.

[0105] Among them, a certain sequence mentioned in this application (such as the first sequence, etc.) can be the following sequences, specifically:

[0106] 1. The sequence is a bit sequence. A bit sequence is a sequence of bits. In other words, the elements in the sequence can be bits.

[0107] In the case where the first sequence is a bit sequence, the fact that at least N elements among the M elements included in the first sequence have different values ​​can be understood as: the bit values ​​of at least N elements are different.

[0108] Among them, at least N elements in this application refer to N elements or more than N elements. That is to say, the values ​​of N elements or more than N elements in the first sequence are different. This application does not limit which specific elements in the first sequence have different values. For example, the values ​​of two elements separated by K elements in the first sequence are different, and K is an integer greater than or equal to 0. For example, the first sequence is [0,1,0,1,0,1], that is, K is 0, and the values ​​of two adjacent elements in the first sequence are different. For example, the first sequence is [0,0,0,1,1,1], that is, K is 2, and the values ​​of two elements separated by two elements in the first sequence are different. This is only an example of the first sequence, and this application does not limit it. Any sequence containing at least N elements with different values ​​can be used as the first sequence involved in the embodiment of Figure 3.

[0109] 2. The sequence is a modulation symbol sequence. A modulation symbol sequence is a sequence of modulation symbols. That is, the elements in the sequence (may refer to modulation symbols. Generally, a modulation symbol is obtained by modulating one or more bits using a modulation method. The modulation methods here may include on-off keying (OOK) modulation (or a modulation method with OOK modulation function), frequency-shift keying (FSK) modulation (or a modulation method with FSK modulation function), orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation (or a modulation method with OFDM modulation function) or other modulation methods. It should be understood that these are only examples of some modulation methods, and this application does not limit them. At the same time, OOK modulation can be used interchangeably with a modulation method with OOK modulation function, FSK modulation can be used interchangeably with a modulation method with FSK modulation function, and OFDM) modulation can be used interchangeably with a modulation method with OFDM modulation function.

[0110] Furthermore, the fact that at least N of the M elements in the first sequence have different values ​​can be understood as the fact that at least N of the elements have different amplitudes. For example, the first sequence is a symbol sequence subjected to OOK modulation and includes two elements, one of which is an ON symbol and the other is an OFF symbol. The amplitude corresponding to the ON symbol is 1, and the amplitude corresponding to the OFF symbol is 0. In other words, the amplitudes of the two elements in the first sequence are different.

[0111] In a possible implementation, the first sequence may include L second sequences, where L is a positive integer. For example, the second sequence is [0, 1], and the first sequence includes 2 second sequences, namely [0, 1, 0, 1].

[0112] In which, the second sequence is a predefined or preconfigured sequence, or the second sequence is indicated to the terminal by the network device. For example, the second sequence includes at least two elements, that is, two elements or more elements, and this application does not limit the number of elements specifically included in the second sequence. Furthermore, the values ​​of at least two elements (that is, two elements or more elements) in the second sequence are different. This application does not limit which specific elements in the second sequence have different values. Exemplarily, the values ​​of two elements separated by P elements in the second sequence are different, and P is an integer greater than or equal to 0. For example, the second sequence is [0,1,0,1], that is, P is 0, and the values ​​of two adjacent elements in the second sequence are different. For example, the second sequence is [0,0,1,1], that is, P is 1, and the values ​​of two elements separated by one element in the first sequence are different. This is only an example of the second sequence, and this application does not limit it. Any sequence containing at least two elements with different values ​​can be used as the second sequence involved in the embodiment of Figure 3.

[0113] It should be noted that in this application, predefined content generally refers to information defined by standards and does not require additional device configuration. For example, it refers to information pre-recorded / written in the terminal's hardware and / or software, or it can be understood as information that cannot be modified by network equipment or other terminals. Pre-configured content generally refers to information pre-recorded / written in the terminal's hardware and / or software, determined by the manufacturer, and can be modified through software or hardware.

[0114] The first sequence can be implemented in the following ways, specifically:

[0115] 1. The terminal determines the first sequence based on the second sequence.

[0116] For example, the terminal receives L from the network device, so that the terminal can obtain a first sequence including L second sequences, where L can be understood as the number of repetitions.

[0117] Optionally, different signal-to-noise ratios between the terminal and the network device may correspond to different sizes of L. For example, when the signal-to-noise ratio is small, a larger L may be set, and vice versa.

[0118] 2. The terminal receives a first sequence from the network device.

[0119] 3. The terminal receives a first index from the network device and determines a first sequence indicated by the first index from at least one sequence, wherein the at least one sequence is a predefined or preconfigured sequence.

[0120] For example, both the terminal and the network device may predefine or preconfigure an association between at least one sequence and at least one index, with each sequence associated with one index. Thus, the network device may indicate the corresponding index to the terminal, allowing the terminal to learn which sequence to use based on the index.

[0121] In one possible implementation, at least one sequence may belong to at least one sequence group. The number of sequences included in each sequence group may be greater than or equal to 1. The number of sequences included in different sequence groups may be partially identical, completely identical, or completely different, which is not limited in this application.

[0122] 4. The terminal receives a second signal from the network device, and determines a first sequence from at least one sequence based on the second signal.

[0123] For example, the terminal is predefined or preconfigured with an association between at least one sequence and at least one energy intensity, where each sequence is associated with one energy intensity. In this way, the terminal can determine the energy intensity of the second signal based on the second signal, and thereby determine the first sequence from the at least one sequence based on the energy intensity of the second signal and the association between the at least one sequence and the at least one energy intensity.

[0124] It should be noted that, in the present application, energy intensity can be understood as, for example, at least one of the following: reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), etc., and the present application does not limit this.

[0125] In one possible implementation, M reflected signals are used to carry M elements in the first sequence, which can be understood as follows: the i-th reflected signal in the M reflected signals carries the i-th element in the M elements, where i is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to M. The i-th reflected signal is the reflected signal of the i-th first signal in the M first signals. For example, from a time domain perspective, it can be considered that the i-th reflected signal is obtained by multiplying the value (such as amplitude, etc.) of the i-th first signal by the i-th element, expressed as β i *ω. Among them, β i is the i-th element, ω is the value (such as amplitude, etc.) of the i-th first signal, and '*' represents multiplication.

[0126] For example, assuming M is 2, and assuming the two first signals are denoted as OFDM signal 1 and OFDM signal 2, the first sequence includes two elements with different values, denoted as β1 and β2. Referring to Figure 6, upon receiving OFDM signal 1, the terminal sends reflected signal 1 corresponding to OFDM signal 1 to the network device. Upon receiving OFDM signal 2, the terminal sends reflected signal 2 corresponding to OFDM signal 2 to the network device. From a time domain perspective, reflected signal 1 is obtained by multiplying the amplitude of OFDM signal 1 by β1, and reflected signal 2 is obtained by multiplying the amplitude of OFDM signal 2 by β2.

[0127] Optionally, the i-th first signal occupies at least one frequency domain unit (including one frequency domain unit or more than one frequency domain units), and the at least one frequency domain unit can be used to reflect the i-th element.

[0128] Each of the M reflected signals may also occupy a certain time unit. For example, the total number of time units occupied by the M reflected signals is associated with the length of the first sequence.

[0129] Exemplarily, the total number of time units occupied by the M reflected signals is the same as the length of the first sequence. For example, each of the M reflected signals occupies one time unit, such as an OFDM symbol. Thus, the total number of time units occupied by the M reflected signals is M, which is the length of the first sequence.

[0130] Exemplarily, the total number of time units occupied by the M reflected signals is greater than the length of the first sequence. For example, each of the M reflected signals occupies two time units, such as OFDM symbols. Thus, the total number of time units occupied by the M reflected signals is 2M, which is twice the length of the first sequence.

[0131] It should be noted that the above are only some examples of the relationship between “the total number of time units occupied by the M reflected signals and the length of the first sequence”, and this application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0132] 303. The network device performs channel estimation based on the M reflected signals.

[0133] For example, the network device may perform differential processing on the M reflected signals to obtain first channel information between the terminal and the network device. The channel information (such as the first channel information) mentioned in this application can be used to characterize channel characteristics, channel properties, or the channel. For example, the channel information may be channel state information (CSI), etc., which is not limited in this application. The following is a detailed explanation of how the network device obtains the first channel information, which may specifically include the following steps S1 to S3, wherein:

[0134] Step S1: The network device divides M reflected signals into one or more groups, each group including two reflected signals corresponding to two elements with different values ​​among the M elements.

[0135] For example, M is 2, the first sequence is [0, 1], and includes two elements with different values. The network device can group the two reflected signals corresponding to the two elements into one group.

[0136] For example, if M is 3, the first sequence is [0, 0, 1], consisting of 3 elements. For ease of distinction, the leftmost element '0' in the first sequence is called the first element, the middle element '0' in the first sequence is called the second element, and the rightmost element '1' in the first sequence is called the third element. If the first element '0' and the last element '1' in the first sequence have different values, the network device can group the two reflected signals corresponding to these two elements and discard the reflected signal corresponding to the second element. If the second element '0' and the last element '1' in the first sequence have different values, the network device can group the two reflected signals corresponding to these two elements and discard the reflected signal corresponding to the first element.

[0137] For example, if M is 6, the first sequence is [0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1], consisting of 6 elements. For ease of distinction, the elements in the first sequence are referred to as the first element, the second element, the third element, the fourth element, the fifth element, and the sixth element, from left to right. If the values ​​of the first and fourth elements are different, the network device can group the two reflected signals corresponding to these two elements. Similarly, if the values ​​of the second and fifth elements are different, the network device can group the two reflected signals corresponding to these two elements. If the values ​​of the third and sixth elements are different, the network device can group the two reflected signals corresponding to these two elements.

[0138] It should be understood that the above are some examples of “the network device groups M reflected signals”, and the present application does not limit the specific manner in which the network device groups the M reflected signals.

[0139] Step S2: The network device performs differential processing on two reflected signals included in the same group in one or more groups to obtain one or more channel information between the terminal and the network device.

[0140] For ease of understanding, the specific process of obtaining channel information by differential processing is described here using two reflected signals in a group (denoted as the i-th reflected signal and the i+1-th reflected signal) as an example, which should not be regarded as limiting the present application. It should be understood that when the network device obtains the i-th reflected signal, the network device can sequentially perform a serial-to-parallel conversion and a fast Fourier transform (FFT) on the i-th reflected signal to obtain the element received by the network device on at least one frequency domain unit and the received symbols on other frequency domain units. For example, taking the frequency domain unit as a subcarrier as an example, in Figure 7, the network device can sequentially perform a serial-to-parallel conversion and an FFT on the i-th reflected signal to obtain the element carried by the i-th reflected signal on at least one subcarrier and the symbols on other subcarriers. Similarly, when the network device obtains the i+1-th reflected signal, the network device can sequentially perform a serial-to-parallel conversion and an FFT on the i+1-th reflected signal to obtain the element received by the network device on at least one frequency domain unit and the received symbols on other frequency domain units.

[0141] Furthermore, taking the frequency domain unit as a subcarrier as an example, assuming that the kth subcarrier channel (ie, downlink subcarrier channel) from the network device to the terminal is h ST,k The kth subcarrier channel (i.e. uplink subcarrier channel) from the terminal to the network device is h TS,k The network equipment self-interference channel is h TT,k .

[0142] For example, the channel information of the kth subcarrier in the at least one subcarrier occupied by the i-th first signal corresponding to the i-th reflected signal may be h ST,k The channel information of the kth subcarrier in at least one subcarrier occupied by the i+1th first signal corresponding to the i+1th reflected signal may also be h ST,k .

[0143] For example, the channel information of the kth subcarrier in at least one subcarrier occupied by the i-th reflected signal may be h TS,k The channel information of the kth subcarrier in at least one subcarrier occupied by the i+1th reflected signal can also be h TS,k .

[0144] Among them, h ST,k In the above, the subscript 'S' represents a network device, the subscript 'T' represents a terminal, and the subscript 'k' represents the kth subcarrier. k is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0145] In summary, for the i-th reflected signal, the element received by the network device on the k-th subcarrier is y i,k =(β i *h TS,k h ST,k +hTT,k )ω+n i ; For the i+1th reflected signal, the element received by the network device on the kth subcarrier is y i+1,k =(β i+1 *h TS,k h ST,k +h TT,k )ω+n i+1 Among them, β i is the i-th element in the first sequence, ω is the first signal value (such as amplitude, etc.), n i is the noise of the channel when transmitting the i-th reflected signal, β i+1 is the i+1th element in the first sequence, n i+1 is the noise of the channel when transmitting the i+1th reflected signal. In this way, the network equipment can be based on y i,k and y i+1,k Perform differential processing to obtain β i *h TS,k h ST,k ω+n i -β i+1 *h TS,k h ST,k ω-n i+1 That is, the channel information between the terminal and the network device is β i *h TS,k h ST,k ω+n i -β i+1 *h TS,k h ST,k ω-n i+1 .

[0146] Generally, considering channel reciprocity, h ST,k =h TS,k Therefore, β i *h TS,k h ST,k ω+n i -β i+1 *h TS,k h ST,k ω-n i+1 It can be simplified as: i *h TS,k 2 ω+n i -β i+1 *h TS,k 2 ω-n i+1 .

[0147] Step S3: The network device determines first channel information based on one or more channel information.

[0148] For example, the network device uses the average, maximum, minimum or median of multiple channel information as the first channel information. For example, the first sequence is [0,0,0,1,1,1], and the corresponding 6 channel information are y1=(0*h TS,k h ST,k +h TT,k )ω+n1=h TT,k ω+n1,y2=(0*h TS,k h ST,k +h TT,k )ω+n2=h TT,k ω+n2,y3=(0*h TS,k h ST,k +h TT,k )ω+n3=h TT,k ω+n3,y4=(1*h TS,k h ST,k +h TT,k )ω+n4,y5=(1*h TS,k h ST,k +h TT,k )ω+n5,y6=(1*h TS,k h ST,k +h TT,k )ω+n6. y4-y1=h TS,k h ST,k ω+n4-n1,y5-y2=h TS,k h ST,k +n5-n2,y6-y3=h TS,k h ST,k +n6-n3. Network devices can TS,k h ST,k ω+n4-n1、h TS,k h ST,k +n5-n2 and h TS,k h ST,k By averaging n6 and n3, the first channel information can be obtained.

[0149] It can be seen that in the process of channel estimation performed by the above-mentioned network device, the network device can divide the M reflected signals into one or more groups, so that each group includes two reflected signals corresponding to two elements with different values ​​in the first sequence (including M elements). In this way, when the network device performs differential processing on the two reflected signals included in the same group, the self-interference channel of the network device can be eliminated, so that the obtained channel information does not include the self-interference channel, thereby improving the accuracy of the channel estimation.

[0150] As shown in FIG8 , another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0151] 801. A network device sends M first signals to a terminal, where the M first signals are used to carry M elements in a first sequence, where at least N of the M elements have different values, and all of the N elements are not 0.

[0152] Correspondingly, the terminal receives M first signals from the network device, where M is an integer greater than 1 and N is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to M.

[0153] Optionally, the first signal may occupy at least one frequency domain unit (eg, one frequency domain unit or more than one frequency domain unit). It should be understood that the network device may select a frequency domain unit for the element carried by the first signal based on different requirements.

[0154] For example, taking the frequency domain unit as a subcarrier, when the frequency domain resolution of the estimated channel is high, all subcarriers can be selected to map the element. When the frequency domain resolution of the estimated channel is low, some subcarriers can be selected to map the element. This application does not limit this.

[0155] For example, the network device may map the element based on a predefined or preconfigured pattern. The pattern here may be an SRS pattern or any other pattern, which is not limited in this application.

[0156] In addition, after the network device selects a frequency domain unit for the element carried by the first signal, the network device can map the element to the frequency domain unit, and perform IFFT and parallel-to-serial conversion on the information on all frequency domain units (including the frequency domain unit selected by the network device for the element) in sequence to obtain the first signal.

[0157] Furthermore, after generating the first signal, the network device may send the first signal to the terminal. For ease of understanding, the following describes a process in which the network device sends M first signals to the terminal. Specifically, the network device sends M first signals to the terminal respectively. For example, the network device sends M first signals to the terminal respectively over M time units.

[0158] Optionally, the total number of time units occupied by the M first signals is associated with the length of the first sequence.

[0159] Exemplarily, the total number of time units occupied by the M first signals is the same as the length of the first sequence. For example, each of the M first signals occupies one time unit, such as an OFDM symbol. Thus, the total number of time units occupied by the M first signals is M, which is the length of the first sequence.

[0160] Exemplarily, the total number of time units occupied by the M first signals is greater than the length of the first sequence. For example, each of the M first signals occupies two time units, such as OFDM symbols. Thus, the total number of time units occupied by the M first signals is 2M, which is twice the length of the first sequence.

[0161] It should be noted that the above are only some examples of the relationship between "the total number of time units occupied by the M first signals and the length of the first sequence", and this application does not limit this.

[0162] In one possible implementation, M first signals are used to carry the M elements in the first sequence, which can be understood as follows: the i-th first signal among the M first signals is used to carry the i-th element among the M elements, where i is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to M. The first sequence in FIG8 can refer to the first sequence in the embodiment of FIG3 , except that none of the N elements in FIG8 is 0, which is not further described here. Furthermore, in the embodiment shown in FIG8 , the terminal does not need to know the first sequence.

[0163] In one possible implementation, the network device may also activate the terminal to reflect the signal. For example, the network device may send a second signal to the terminal. The second signal is used to activate the terminal to reflect the signal, so that the terminal can obtain the power or signal energy in the second signal. Optionally, the second signal may be a carrier signal, such as an energy signal.

[0164] Optionally, the process of the network device sending the second signal to the terminal may be performed before step 301 .

[0165] 802. The terminal sends M reflected signals for the M first signals to a network device.

[0166] Accordingly, the network device receives M reflected signals from the terminal. The i-th reflected signal among the M reflected signals is the reflected signal of the i-th first signal among the M first signals, and i is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to M. In one possible implementation, from a time domain perspective, it can be considered that the i-th reflected signal is obtained by multiplying the value (such as amplitude, etc.) of the i-th first signal by the reflection coefficient of the i-th reflected signal, expressed as a(β i )*β i Among them, β i is the value of the first signal of the i-th order, a(β i ) is the reflection coefficient of the i-th reflected signal.

[0167] For example, taking M as 2, assuming that the two first signals are denoted as OFDM signal 1 and OFDM signal 2, the first sequence includes two elements with different values ​​and both non-zero, denoted as β1 and β2. Referring to Figure 9, upon receiving OFDM signal 1, the terminal sends reflected signal 1 corresponding to OFDM signal 1 to the network device, and upon receiving OFDM signal 2, it sends reflected signal 2 corresponding to OFDM signal 2 to the network device. From a time domain perspective, reflected signal 1 is obtained by multiplying the amplitude of OFDM signal 1 by a(β1), and reflected signal 2 is obtained by multiplying the amplitude of OFDM signal 2 by a(β2).

[0168] Optionally, the i-th first signal occupies at least one frequency domain unit (including one frequency domain unit or more than one frequency domain units), and the at least one frequency domain unit can be used to reflect the i-th reflected signal.

[0169] 803. The network device performs channel estimation based on the M reflected signals.

[0170] For example, the network device determines the reflection coefficients of M reflected signals, and thus can determine the first channel information between the terminal and the network device based on the M reflected signals and the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals.

[0171] The network device may determine the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals in the following manners, specifically:

[0172] 1. The network device may determine the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals based on energy intensities of the M reflected signals and a correspondence between the multiple energy intensities and the multiple reflection coefficients. The correspondence between the multiple energy intensities and the multiple reflection coefficients includes a correspondence between the energy intensities of the M reflected signals and the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals.

[0173] 2. The network device can receive reflection coefficients of M reflected signals from the terminal.

[0174] Each of the M reflected signals has a corresponding reflection coefficient. In a possible implementation, the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals may be partially identical, completely identical, or completely different, which is not limited in this application.

[0175] The following is a detailed explanation of how the network device obtains the first channel information. Specifically, the following steps S1 to S3 may be included, wherein:

[0176] Step S1: The network device divides M reflected signals and reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals into one or more groups, each group including two reflected signals and reflection coefficients of the two reflected signals corresponding to two elements of the M elements having different values ​​and both non-zero.

[0177] For example, M is 2, and the first sequence is [2, 1], including two elements with different values ​​and both non-zero. The network device may group the two reflection signals and the reflection coefficients of the two reflection signals corresponding to the two elements into one group.

[0178] For example, M is 3, and the first sequence is [2, 2, 1], which includes 3 elements. For ease of distinction, the leftmost element '2' in the first sequence is called the first element, the middle element '2' in the first sequence is called the second element, and the rightmost element '1' in the first sequence is called the third element. The first element '2' and the last element '1' in the first sequence are two elements with different values ​​and both are not 0. In this case, the network device can group the two reflected signals and the reflection coefficients of the two reflected signals corresponding to these two elements into one group and discard the reflected signal corresponding to the second element. The second element '2' and the last element '1' in the first sequence are two elements with different values ​​and both are not 0. In this case, the network device can group the two reflected signals and the reflection coefficients of the two reflected signals corresponding to these two elements into one group and discard the reflected signal corresponding to the first element.

[0179] For example, if M is 6, the first sequence is [2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1], which includes 6 elements. For ease of distinction, the elements in the first sequence are referred to as the first element, the second element, the third element, the fourth element, the fifth element, and the sixth element, respectively, from left to right. If the values ​​of the first and fourth elements are different and both are not zero, the network device can group the two reflection signals and the reflection coefficients of the two reflection signals corresponding to these two elements. Similarly, if the values ​​of the second and fifth elements are different and both are not zero, the network device can group the two reflection signals and the reflection coefficients of the two reflection signals corresponding to these two elements. If the values ​​of the third and sixth elements are different and both are not zero, the network device can group the two reflection signals and the reflection coefficients of the two reflection signals corresponding to these two elements.

[0180] It should be understood that the above are some examples of “the network device groups M reflected signals”, and the present application does not limit the specific manner in which the network device groups the M reflected signals.

[0181] Step S2: The network device performs differential processing based on two reflected signals included in the same group of one or more groups and the reflection coefficients of the two reflected signals to obtain one or more channel information between the terminal and the network device.

[0182] For ease of understanding, the specific process of obtaining certain channel information is described here using two reflected signals in a group (denoted as the i-th reflected signal and the i+1-th reflected signal) as an example, which should not be regarded as a limitation of the present application. It should be understood that when the network device obtains the i-th reflected signal, the network device can sequentially perform serial-to-parallel conversion and FFT on the i-th reflected signal to obtain received symbols on at least one frequency domain unit and received symbols on other frequency domain units. Similarly, when the network device obtains the i+1-th reflected signal, the network device can sequentially perform serial-to-parallel conversion and FFT on the i+1-th reflected signal to obtain received symbols on at least one frequency domain unit and received symbols on other frequency domain units.

[0183] Furthermore, taking the frequency domain unit as a subcarrier as an example, assuming that the kth subcarrier channel (ie, downlink subcarrier channel) from the network device to the terminal is h ST,k The kth subcarrier channel (i.e. uplink subcarrier channel) from the terminal to the network device is h TS,k The network equipment self-interference channel is h TT,k .

[0184] For example, the channel information of the kth subcarrier in the at least one subcarrier occupied by the i-th first signal corresponding to the i-th reflected signal may be h ST,k The channel information of the kth subcarrier in at least one subcarrier occupied by the i+1th first signal corresponding to the i+1th reflected signal may also be h ST,k .

[0185] For example, the channel information of the kth subcarrier in at least one subcarrier occupied by the i-th reflected signal may be h TS,k The channel information of the kth subcarrier in at least one subcarrier occupied by the i+1th reflected signal can also be h TS,k .

[0186] Among them, h ST,k In the above, the subscript 'S' represents a network device, the subscript 'T' represents a terminal, and the subscript 'k' represents the kth subcarrier. k is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0187] In summary, for the i-th reflected signal, the element received by the network device on the k-th subcarrier is y i,k =(a(β i )*h TS,k h ST,k +h TT,k )β i +n i ; For the i+1th reflected signal, the element received by the network device on the kth subcarrier is y i+1,k =(a(β i+1 )*h TS,k hST,k +h TT,k )β i+1 +n i+1 Among them, a(β i ) is the reflection coefficient of the i-th reflected signal, β i is the i-th element in the first sequence, or the value of the i-th first signal, such as amplitude, etc., n i is the noise of the channel when transmitting the i-th reflected signal. a(β i+1 ) is the reflection coefficient of the i+1th reflected signal, β i+1 It is the i+1th element in the first sequence, or the i+1th first signal, n i+1 is the noise of the channel when transmitting the i+1th reflected signal. In this way, the network equipment can be based on y i,k and y i+1,k Perform differential processing to obtain That is, a channel information between the terminal and the network device is

[0188] Generally, considering channel reciprocity, h ST,k =h TS,k .therefore, can be simplified to:

[0189] Step S3: The network device determines first channel information based on one or more channel information.

[0190] For example, the network device uses an average value, a maximum value, a minimum value, or a median value of multiple channel information as the first channel information.

[0191] It can be seen that in the process of channel estimation performed by the above-mentioned network device, the network device can divide the M reflected signals and the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals into one or more groups, so that each group includes two reflected signals corresponding to two elements with different values ​​and both non-zero in the first sequence (including M elements) and the reflection coefficients of the two reflected signals. In this way, when the network device performs differential processing on the two reflected signals and the reflection coefficients of the two reflected signals included in the same group, the self-interference channel of the network device can be eliminated, so that the obtained channel information does not include the self-interference channel, thereby improving the accuracy of the channel estimation.

[0192] It is understandable that, in order to realize the above functions, the above-mentioned devices include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0193] In the embodiments of the present application, the functional modules of the terminal or network device can be divided according to the above-mentioned method examples. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above-mentioned integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used.

[0194] Refer to Figure 10, which is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1000 can be applied to the method shown in any of the embodiments in Figures 3 and 8 above. As shown in Figure 10, the communication device 1000 includes: a processing module 1001 and a transceiver module 1002. The processing module 1001 can be one or more processors, and the transceiver module 1002 can be a transceiver or a communication interface. The communication device can be used to implement the terminal or network device involved in any of the above method embodiments, or to implement the functions of the network element involved in any of the above method embodiments. The network element or network function can be a network element in a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, or a virtualization function instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform). Optionally, the communication device 1000 can also include a storage module 1003 for storing the program code and data of the communication device 1000.

[0195] In one embodiment, when the communication device functions as a terminal or a chip used in a terminal, the communication device executes the steps performed by the terminal in the above-described method embodiments. The transceiver module 1002 is configured to specifically execute the sending and / or receiving actions performed by the terminal in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 3 and 8 , such as supporting the terminal in executing other processes related to the technology described herein. The processing module 1001 is configured to support the communication device 1000 in executing the processing actions in the above-described method embodiments, such as supporting the terminal in executing other processes related to the technology described herein.

[0196] Exemplarily, the transceiver module 1002 is configured to receive M first signals from a network device, and send M reflected signals corresponding to the M first signals to the network device based on a first sequence. The M reflected signals are used to carry M elements in the first sequence, at least N of the M elements have different values, and the M reflected signals are used by the network device to perform channel estimation, where N is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to M, and M is an integer greater than 1.

[0197] In a possible implementation, the processing module 1001 is configured to determine the first sequence based on the second sequence.

[0198] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to receive a first sequence from a network device.

[0199] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to receive a first index from a network device, and the processing module 1001 is further configured to determine a first sequence indicated by the first index from at least one sequence, where the at least one sequence is a predefined or preconfigured sequence.

[0200] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to receive a second signal from the network device, and the processing module 1001 is further configured to determine the first sequence from at least one sequence based on the second signal.

[0201] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to receive a third signal from the network device, where the third signal is used to activate the terminal to reflect the signal.

[0202] Exemplarily, the transceiver module 1002 is configured to: receive M first signals from a network device; and send M reflected signals corresponding to the M first signals to the network device. The M first signals are used to carry M elements in a first sequence, at least N of the M elements have different values, and none of the N elements are zero. The M reflected signals are used by the network device to perform channel estimation, where M is an integer greater than 1, and N is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to M.

[0203] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to send reflection coefficients of M reflected signals to the network device.

[0204] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to receive a second signal from the network device, where the second signal is used to activate the terminal to reflect the signal.

[0205] In one embodiment, when the communication device functions as a network device or a chip used in a network device, and executes the steps performed by the network device in the above-described method embodiments, the transceiver module 1002 is configured to specifically execute the sending and / or receiving actions performed by the network device in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 3 and 8 , such as supporting the network device in executing other processes of the technology described herein. The processing module 1001 can be configured to support the communication device 1000 in executing the processing actions in the above-described method embodiments, such as supporting the network device in executing other processes of the technology described herein.

[0206] Exemplarily, the transceiver module 1002 is configured to send M first signals to a terminal. The transceiver module 1002 is further configured to receive M reflected signals corresponding to the M first signals from the terminal. The processing module 1001 is configured to perform channel estimation based on the M reflected signals. The M reflected signals are used to carry M elements in the first sequence, at least N of the M elements have different values, where N is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to M, and M is an integer greater than 1.

[0207] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to: send the first sequence to the terminal; or send a first index to the terminal, the first index being used to determine the first sequence; or send a second signal to the terminal, the second signal being used to determine the first sequence.

[0208] In a possible implementation, when channel estimation is performed based on M reflected signals, the processing module 1001 is configured to perform differential processing on the M reflected signals to obtain first channel information between the terminal and the network device.

[0209] In one possible implementation, when differential processing is performed on M reflected signals to obtain first channel information between the terminal and the network device, the processing module 1001 is used to divide the M reflected signals into one or more groups, each group including two reflected signals corresponding to two elements with different values ​​among the M elements; perform differential processing on two reflected signals included in the same group in one or more groups to obtain one or more channel information between the terminal and the network device; and determine the first channel information based on the one or more channel information.

[0210] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to send a third signal to the terminal, where the third signal is used to activate the terminal to reflect the signal.

[0211] Exemplarily, the transceiver module 1002 is configured to send M first signals to a terminal. The transceiver module 1002 is further configured to receive M reflected signals corresponding to the M first signals from the terminal. The processing module 1001 is configured to perform channel estimation based on the M reflected signals. The M first signals are configured to carry M elements in a first sequence, at least N of the M elements have different values, and none of the N elements are zero, where M is an integer greater than 1, and N is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to M.

[0212] In one possible implementation, when performing channel estimation based on M reflected signals, the processing module 1001 is used to: determine the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals; and determine first channel information between the terminal and the network device based on the M reflected signals and the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals.

[0213] In one possible embodiment, when determining the reflection coefficients of M reflected signals, the processing module 1001 is used to: determine the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals based on the energy intensities of the M reflected signals and the correspondence between multiple energy intensities and multiple reflection coefficients, where the correspondence between multiple energy intensities and multiple reflection coefficients includes the correspondence between the energy intensities of the M reflected signals and the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals; or, receive the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals from the terminal.

[0214] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to send a second signal to the terminal, where the second signal is used to activate the terminal to reflect the signal.

[0215] In one possible embodiment, when the terminal or network device is a chip, the transceiver module 1002 can be a communication interface, a pin, or a circuit. The communication interface can be used to input data to be processed into the processor and can output the processing results of the processor. In a specific implementation, the communication interface can be a general purpose input and output (GPIO) interface that can be connected to multiple peripheral devices (such as a display (LCD), a camera, a radio frequency (RF) module, an antenna, etc.). The communication interface is connected to the processor via a bus.

[0216] Processing module 1001 may be a processor that can execute computer-executable instructions stored in the storage module to cause the chip to perform the method described in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 3 and 8. Furthermore, the processor may include a controller, an arithmetic unit, and registers. For example, the controller is primarily responsible for decoding instructions and issuing control signals for operations corresponding to the instructions. The arithmetic unit is primarily responsible for performing fixed-point or floating-point arithmetic operations, shift operations, and logical operations, and may also perform address operations and conversions. The registers are primarily responsible for storing register operands and intermediate operation results temporarily stored during instruction execution. In a specific implementation, the processor's hardware architecture may be an ASIC architecture, a microprocessor without interlocked piped stages architecture (MIPS) architecture, an advanced RISC machine (ARM) architecture, or a network processor (NP) architecture, among others. The processor may be single-core or multi-core. The storage module may be a memory module within the chip, such as a register or cache. The storage module may also be a storage module located outside the chip, such as a ROM or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, RAM, etc.

[0217] It should be noted that the functions corresponding to the processor and the interface can be implemented through hardware design, software design, or a combination of hardware and software, and there is no limitation here.

[0218] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. It is understandable that the communication device 1110 includes necessary means such as modules, units, elements, circuits, or interfaces, which are appropriately configured together to implement this solution. The communication device 1110 can be the above-mentioned terminal or network device, or it can be a component (such as a chip) in these devices to implement the method described in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The communication device 1110 includes one or more processors 1111. The processor 1111 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, etc. For example, it can be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device (such as a terminal, network device, or chip, etc.), execute software programs, and process data of software programs.

[0219] Optionally, in one design, the processor 1111 may include a program 1113 (sometimes also referred to as code or instruction), which may be executed on the processor 1111 so that the communication device 1110 performs the method described in the above embodiment. In another possible design, the communication device 1110 includes a circuit (not shown in FIG11 ), which is used to implement the functions of the terminal, network device, etc. in the above embodiment. Optionally, the communication device 1110 may include one or more memories 1112 on which a program 1114 (sometimes also referred to as code or instruction) is stored, which may be executed on the processor 1111 so that the communication device 1110 performs the method described in the above method embodiment.

[0220] Optionally, data may also be stored in the processor 1111 and / or the memory 1112. The processor and the memory may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0221] Optionally, the communication device 1110 may further include a transceiver 1115 and / or an antenna 1116. The processor 1111, sometimes also referred to as a processing unit, controls the communication device (e.g., a terminal or network device). The transceiver 1115, sometimes also referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or a transceiver, is configured to implement the transceiver function of the communication device via the antenna 1116.

[0222] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device, comprising at least one processor; wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute any of the methods described in any of the embodiments in FIG. 3 and FIG. 8 .

[0223] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed, the computer executes any of the methods described in any of the embodiments in Figures 3 and 8.

[0224] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which includes: computer program code, and when the computer program code is executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute any of the methods described in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 3 and 8.

[0225] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip, which includes at least one processor and an interface. The processor is used to read and execute instructions stored in a memory. When the instructions are executed, the chip executes any method as described in any of the embodiments in Figures 3 and 8.

[0226] The units described above as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place, or they may be distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the objectives of the embodiments of the present application. In addition, the network element units in the various embodiments 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. The above-mentioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software network element units.

[0227] If the above-mentioned integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software network element unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the part that essentially contributes to the technical solution of the present application, or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, terminal, cloud server, or network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the above-mentioned methods in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk. The above is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of various equivalent modifications or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, and these modifications or replacements should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application shall be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Receiving M first signals from a network device, where M is an integer greater than 1; Sending M reflected signals for the M first signals to the network device based on a first sequence; Among them, the M reflected signals are used to carry M elements in the first sequence, the values ​​of at least N elements among the M elements are different, the M reflected signals are used for the network device to perform channel estimation, and N is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to M.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first sequence includes L second sequences, where L is a positive integer, and the second sequence is a predefined or preconfigured sequence, or the second sequence is indicated to the terminal by the network device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: Determine the first sequence based on the second sequence; or, receiving the first sequence from the network device; or, receiving a first index from the network device, and determining the first sequence indicated by the first index from at least one sequence, wherein the at least one sequence is a predefined or preconfigured sequence; or, A second signal is received from the network device, and the first sequence is determined from the at least one sequence based on the second signal.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The i-th first signal among the M first signals occupies at least one frequency domain unit, and the at least one frequency domain unit is used to reflect the i-th element in the first sequence. The i-th reflected signal among the M reflected signals is the reflected signal of the i-th first signal, and the i-th reflected signal carries the i-th element, where i is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to M.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The total number of time units occupied by the M reflected signals is associated with the length of the first sequence.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: A third signal is received from the network device, where the third signal is used to activate the terminal to reflect a signal.

7. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Sending M first signals to the terminal, where M is an integer greater than 1; receiving M reflected signals for the M first signals from the terminal, wherein the M reflected signals are used to carry M elements in a first sequence, at least N of the M elements have different values, where N is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to M; Channel estimation is performed based on the M reflected signals.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The first sequence includes L second sequences, where L is a positive integer, and the second sequence is a predefined or preconfigured sequence, or the second sequence is indicated to the terminal by the network device.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that The method further comprises: sending the first sequence to the terminal; or, sending a first index to the terminal, where the first index is used to determine the first sequence; or, A second signal is sent to the terminal, where the second signal is used to determine the first sequence.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that The i-th first signal among the M first signals occupies at least one frequency domain unit, and the at least one frequency domain unit is used to reflect the i-th element in the first sequence. The i-th reflected signal among the M reflected signals is the reflected signal of the i-th first signal, and the i-th reflected signal carries the i-th element, where i is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to M.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that: The performing channel estimation based on the M reflected signals includes: Differential processing is performed on the M reflected signals to obtain first channel information between the terminal and the network device.

12. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The performing differential processing on the M reflected signals to obtain first channel information between the terminal and the network device includes: Dividing the M reflected signals into one or more groups, each group including two reflected signals corresponding to two elements with different values ​​in the M elements; performing differential processing on two reflected signals included in the same group of the one or more groups to obtain one or more channel information between the terminal and the network device; The first channel information is determined based on the one or more channel information.

13. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A third signal is sent to the terminal, where the third signal is used to activate the terminal to reflect a signal.

14. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Receiving M first signals from a network device, the M first signals are used to carry M elements in a first sequence, at least N of the M elements have different values, none of the N elements is 0, M is an integer greater than 1, and N is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to M; M reflected signals corresponding to the M first signals are sent to the network device, where the M reflected signals are used by the network device to perform channel estimation.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The M reflected signals are further used to determine reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals; or, The reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals are sent to the network device.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: A second signal is received from the network device, where the second signal is used to activate the terminal to reflect a signal.

17. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Sending M first signals to the terminal; the M first signals are used to carry M elements in a first sequence, at least N of the M elements have different values, none of the N elements is 0, M is an integer greater than 1, and N is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to M; receiving M reflected signals for the M first signals from the terminal; Channel estimation is performed based on the M reflected signals.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The total number of time units occupied by the M first signals is associated with the length of the first sequence.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The performing channel estimation based on the M reflected signals includes: Determining reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals; First channel information between the terminal and the network device is determined based on the M reflected signals and reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that Determining the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals includes: determining the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals based on energy intensities of the M reflected signals and corresponding relationships between multiple energy intensities and multiple reflection coefficients, wherein the corresponding relationships between the multiple energy intensities and the multiple reflection coefficients include corresponding relationships between the energy intensities of the M reflected signals and the reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals; or Reflection coefficients of the M reflected signals are received from the terminal.

21. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 20, characterized in that The method further comprises: A second signal is sent to the terminal, where the second signal is used to activate the terminal to reflect a signal.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising a unit or module for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or a unit or module for implementing the method according to any one of claims 7 to 13, or a unit or module for implementing the method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, or a unit or module for implementing the method according to any one of claims 17 to 21.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes at least one processor; wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the method of any one of claims 1 to 6, or the at least one processor is configured to execute the method of any one of claims 7 to 13, or the at least one processor is configured to execute the method of any one of claims 14 to 16, or the at least one processor is configured to execute the method of any one of claims 17 to 21.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, which, when executed, cause the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or cause the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 7 to 13, or cause the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, or cause the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 17 to 21.

25. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product includes: a computer program code, which, when executed by a computer, enables the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or enables the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 7 to 13, or enables the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, or enables the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 17 to 21.

26. A chip, characterized in that: The chip includes at least one processor and an interface, and the processor is used to read and execute instructions stored in the memory. When the instructions are executed, the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 7 to 13, or the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, or the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 17 to 21.

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