Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and an apparatus. The method comprises: detecting a first signal on a first time-frequency resource; determining an identifier of a second terminal on the basis of the first signal; and sending a second signal to an access network device, wherein the second signal comprises the identifier of the second terminal. During communication between the second terminal and a first device, the second terminal generates the first signal on the basis of the identifier of the second terminal. In this way, upon detecting the signal, on the basis of the first signal, a first terminal can determine that an interference source is the second terminal, and can further request the access network device to coordinate time-frequency resources of the first terminal and / or the second terminal.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on March 15, 2024, with application number 202410315726.8 and application name "A Communication Method and Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0004] Fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR), a technology proposed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), has been widely deployed worldwide since its research began in 2016. For example, China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom have all adopted 5G transmission technology, providing high-speed and convenient mobile network services to their users.

[0005] As discussions continue about the evolution of next-generation 5G technology, new business demands continue to emerge, such as in the Internet of Things (IoT) scenario. Targeted designs for these scenarios are a key focus of 5.5G discussions, with ambient IoT (AIoT) being a key topic.

[0006] In recent years, the Internet of Things (IoT) has garnered widespread attention in the wireless communications sector. It's expected that more "things" will be connected to improve productivity and comfort. By further reducing the size, complexity, and power consumption of IoT devices, tens or even hundreds of billions of them can be deployed for various applications, providing added value to the entire supply chain. However, powering all of these devices with manually replaceable or rechargeable batteries is impractical, as this would result in high maintenance costs, serious environmental concerns, and even safety risks in certain use cases, such as wireless sensors in the power and oil industries.

[0007] Existing wireless communication devices are mostly battery-powered, requiring manual replacement or recharging. The automation and digitization of various industrial scenarios have opened up many new markets, requiring new IoT technologies to support battery-free devices without energy storage, or IoT devices with energy storage that does not require manual replacement or recharging. Such devices must be extremely small in size to effectively adapt to diverse use cases.

[0008] In practical applications, battery-free devices without energy storage capabilities, or devices with limited energy storage and no need for manual replacement or recharging, are limited in size and complexity. The output power of energy harvesters typically ranges from 1μW to several hundred μW. Existing cellular devices may not be able to effectively harvest and operate energy at this power consumption. In one design, access network equipment can communicate with AIoT devices through or with the help of terminals. One research area is how to identify interference sources before terminals send signals to AIoT devices. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus to enable a terminal to determine the source of interference before communicating with an AIoT device.

[0010] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a first terminal and includes: detecting a first signal on a first time-frequency resource, where the first signal is a carrier signal, and the carrier signal is used for reflection by a second device, or the first signal is a signaling signal, and the signaling signal is signaling for communication between the second terminal and the second device; determining an identifier of the second terminal based on the first signal; and sending a second signal to an access network device, where the second signal includes the identifier of the second terminal.

[0011] Through the above design, in a scenario where an access network device communicates with a first device via a first terminal, the second terminal can generate a first signal to be sent to the first device based on the identifier of the second terminal, so that when the signal sent by the second terminal interferes with the communication of other terminals (such as the first terminal), the first terminal can identify the interference source based on the detected interference signal.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the first signal includes an identifier of the second terminal, and determining the identifier of the second terminal according to the first signal includes: acquiring the identifier of the second terminal from the first signal.

[0013] In one possible implementation, determining the identifier of the second terminal based on the first signal includes: obtaining the phase of the first signal; determining the identifier of the terminal corresponding to the phase of the first signal based on the correspondence between the phase and the identifier of the terminal, and the identifier of the terminal corresponding to the phase of the first signal is the identifier of the second terminal.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a first indication from the access network device, where the first indication is used to indicate a first group of time-frequency resources; and determining the first time-frequency resource based on the first group of time-frequency resources.

[0015] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending indication information of the first time-frequency resource to the access network device.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal, and the first device and / or the second device reflects a signal according to the carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

[0018] The second aspect is the second terminal side corresponding to the first aspect. For the beneficial effects, please refer to the description of the first aspect. A communication method is provided, which is applied to the second terminal, including: determining a first signal according to the identification of the second terminal, the first signal being a carrier signal, and the carrier signal being used for reflection by the second device; or, the first signal being a signaling signal, and the signaling signal being the signaling for communication between the second terminal and the second device; and sending the first signal on a second time-frequency resource.

[0019] In a possible implementation manner, determining the first signal according to the identifier of the second terminal includes: carrying the identifier of the second terminal in the first signal.

[0020] In one possible implementation, determining the first signal based on the identifier of the second terminal includes: determining the phase corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal based on the correspondence between the terminal identifier and the phase; and generating the first signal based on the phase corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal.

[0021] In a possible implementation, when the first signal is a carrier signal, the method further includes: receiving a reflected signal from the second device on a third time-frequency resource.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a second indication from the access network device, where the second indication is used to indicate a second group of time-frequency resources; and determining the second time-frequency resource in the second group of time-frequency resources.

[0023] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending indication information of the second time-frequency resource to the access network device.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

[0025] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal, and the first device and / or the second device reflects a signal according to the carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the second time-frequency resource overlaps with the first time-frequency resource.

[0027] The third aspect is the access network device side corresponding to the first aspect. For the beneficial effects, please refer to the description of the first aspect. A communication method is provided, which is applied to the access network device, including: receiving a second signal from a first terminal, where the second signal includes an identifier of the second terminal; reallocating time-frequency resources for communication between the first terminal and the first device, and / or reallocating time-frequency resources for communication between the second terminal and the second device.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a first indication to the first terminal, where the first indication is used to indicate a first group of time-frequency resources.

[0029] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving indication information of a first time-frequency resource from the first terminal, where the first time-frequency resource is determined based on the first group of time-frequency resources.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a second indication to the second terminal, where the second indication is used to indicate a second group of time-frequency resources.

[0031] In a possible implementation, it also includes: receiving indication information of a second time-frequency resource from the second terminal, where the second time-frequency resource belongs to the second group of time-frequency resources, and the second time-frequency resource is a time-frequency resource for communication between the second terminal and the second device.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

[0033] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal, and the first device and / or the second device reflects a signal according to the carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

[0034] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a first access network device, including: detecting a first signal on a first time-frequency resource, where the first signal is a carrier signal, and the carrier signal is used for reflection by a second device; or, the first signal is a signaling signal, and the signaling signal is signaling for communication between the second terminal and the second device; determining an identifier of the second terminal based on the first signal; and determining an identifier of the second access network device based on the identifier of the second terminal.

[0035] Through the above design, the first access network device corresponding to the first terminal performs signal detection on the first time-frequency resource and determines that the interference source is the second terminal. Furthermore, the access network device corresponding to the first terminal and the access network device corresponding to the second terminal can be different. Therefore, when the first access network device identifies that the interference source is the second terminal, it is necessary to further determine the second access network device corresponding to the second terminal. This solution is particularly suitable for scenarios where the first terminal is an auxiliary terminal. Because the auxiliary terminal does not have the ability to receive signals, the auxiliary terminal needs to use its corresponding access network device to determine the interference source.

[0036] In a possible implementation, the first signal includes an identifier of the second terminal, and determining the identifier of the second terminal according to the first signal includes: acquiring the identifier of the second terminal from the first signal.

[0037] In one possible implementation, determining the identifier of the second terminal based on the first signal includes: obtaining the phase of the first signal; determining the identifier of the terminal corresponding to the phase of the first signal based on the correspondence between the phase and the identifier of the terminal, and the identifier of the terminal corresponding to the phase of the first signal is the identifier of the second terminal.

[0038] In one possible implementation, determining the identifier of the second access network device based on the identifier of the second terminal includes: sending a second signal to a third device, the second signal including the identifier of the second terminal; and receiving a fourth signal from the third device, the fourth signal including the identifier of the second access network device.

[0039] In one possible implementation, determining the identifier of the second access network device based on the identifier of the second terminal includes: determining the identifier of the access network device corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal based on the correspondence between the identifier of the terminal and the identifier of the access network device, and the identifier of the access network device corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal is the identifier of the second access network device.

[0040] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a fifth signal to the second access network device according to the identifier of the second access network device, where the fifth signal includes the identifier of the second terminal.

[0041] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a sixth signal to a third device, where the sixth signal includes an identifier of the second access network device and an identifier of the second terminal.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the identifier of the second terminal is allocated to the second terminal by the second access network device, or the identifier of the second terminal is allocated to the second terminal after negotiation between the second access network device and the first access network device, or the identifier of the second terminal is allocated to the second terminal by a third device.

[0043] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a first indication to the first terminal, where the first indication is used to indicate a first group of time-frequency resources.

[0044] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving indication information of a first time-frequency resource from the first terminal, where the first time-frequency resource is determined based on the first group of time-frequency resources.

[0045] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal, and the first device and / or the second device reflects a signal according to the carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

[0047] The fifth aspect is the second terminal side corresponding to the fourth aspect. For the beneficial effects, please refer to the description of the fourth aspect. A communication method is provided, which is applied to the second terminal, including: determining a first signal according to the identification of the second terminal, the first signal is a carrier signal, and the carrier signal is used for reflection by the second device, or the first signal is a signaling signal, and the signaling signal is the signaling for communication between the second terminal and the second device; sending the first signal on the second time-frequency resource.

[0048] In a possible implementation manner, determining the first signal according to the identifier of the second terminal includes: carrying the identifier of the second terminal in the first signal.

[0049] In one possible implementation, determining the first signal based on the identifier of the second terminal includes: determining the phase corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal based on the correspondence between the terminal identifier and the phase; and generating the first signal based on the phase corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal.

[0050] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a reflected signal from the second device on a third time-frequency resource.

[0051] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a second indication from a second access network device, where the second indication is used to indicate a second group of time-frequency resources; and determining the second time-frequency resource in the second group of time-frequency resources.

[0052] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending indication information of the second time-frequency resource to the second access network device.

[0053] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

[0054] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal, and the first device and / or the second device reflects a signal according to the carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

[0055] In a possible implementation, the second time-frequency resource overlaps with the first time-frequency resource.

[0056] In a sixth aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a first terminal and includes: monitoring a first signal; if the power of the first signal monitored is less than a first threshold, a second signal is sent to the first device on a first time-frequency resource; or, if the power of the first signal monitored is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the second signal is not sent to the first device on the first time-frequency resource, or the sending of the second signal to the first device is delayed, and the second signal is a carrier signal, which is used for reflection by the first device; or, the second signal is a signaling signal, which is a signaling for communication between the first terminal and the first device.

[0057] Through the above design, the first terminal determines the channel occupancy through energy detection before sending a signal to the first device on the first time-frequency resource, thereby avoiding interference to the signal sent on the channel and further avoiding the interference affecting the first device's reception of the signal.

[0058] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: determining the first threshold according to the type of the first device.

[0059] In one possible implementation, the type of the first device includes: a first device of a first type, the first device of the first type including a first component; and / or a first device of a second type, the first device of the second type not including the first component.

[0060] In one possible implementation, the type of the first device includes: a first device of a third type, wherein the capability of the second device included in the first device of the third type is greater than or equal to the second threshold; and / or a first device of a fourth type, wherein the capability of the second device included in the first device of the fourth type is less than the second threshold.

[0061] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a first indication from an access network device, where the first indication is used to indicate a first group of time-frequency resources; and determining the first time-frequency resource based on the first group of time-frequency resources.

[0062] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending indication information of the first time-frequency resource to the access network device.

[0063] In a possible implementation, the first device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

[0064] In a possible implementation, the first device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal, and the first device reflects a signal according to the carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

[0065] In a seventh aspect, a communication method is provided, the method being applied to a first device, comprising: monitoring a first carrier signal at a first time;

[0066] At a second time, a second carrier signal is monitored, where the second time is adjacent to the first time; the difference between the first carrier signal and the second carrier signal is less than a first threshold, and the signal is reflected to the first terminal; or, the difference between the first carrier signal and the second carrier signal is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the signal is not reflected to the first terminal, or the reflection of the signal to the first terminal is delayed.

[0067] Through the above design, when the first device detects that the carrier signal is interfered with, it will no longer reflect the carrier signal or delay reflecting the carrier signal, thereby avoiding problems such as demodulation errors of the reflected signal caused by the interference signal.

[0068] In a possible implementation, the difference between the first carrier signal and the second carrier signal includes: a difference in amplitude and / or phase between the first carrier signal and the second carrier signal.

[0069] In a possible implementation, the first device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

[0070] In a possible implementation, the first device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal, and the first device reflects a signal according to a carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

[0071] In the eighth aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a first terminal and includes: identifying interference; determining first time information based on the duration of the interference, wherein the first time information is the time information of the first device delaying sending a reflected signal; and sending a first signal to the first device, wherein the first signal includes the first time information.

[0072] With the above design, when the first terminal detects interference, it can notify the first device to delay sending or stop sending the interference signal, thereby avoiding problems such as demodulation errors of the reflected signal caused by the interference signal.

[0073] In a possible implementation, the first device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

[0074] In a possible implementation, the first device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal, and the first device reflects a signal according to a carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

[0075] In the ninth aspect, a communication method is provided for the first device side of the eighth aspect, and the method is applied to the first device, comprising: receiving a first signal from a first terminal, the first signal comprising first time information, the first time information being the time information of the first device delaying sending a reflected signal; and sending a reflected signal to the first terminal according to the first time information.

[0076] In a possible implementation, the first device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

[0077] In a possible implementation, the first device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal, and the first device reflects a signal according to a carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

[0078] In a tenth aspect, a device is provided that can implement the method of any one of aspects 1 to 8 above. For example, the device includes means for performing any one of aspects 1 to 8 above. The device can be implemented through hardware, software, or hardware executing the corresponding software implementation.

[0079] In one possible design, the device includes a unit for performing any one of the first to eighth aspects above.

[0080] In one possible design, the device includes a processor, which is used to execute the method of any one of the first to eighth aspects above.

[0081] In one possible design, the device includes a processing circuit and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is configured to receive signals from a device outside the device and transmit them to the processing circuit, or to transmit signals from the processing circuit to the device outside the device. The processing circuit implements the method of any of the first to eighth aspects described above through logic circuits or by executing code instructions. Alternatively, the processing circuit may be a processor, and the interface circuit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0082] In one possible design, the device includes a processor and a memory; wherein the processor is used to execute a computer program or instructions stored in the memory; the memory is used to store the computer program or the instructions; when the computer program or the instructions are run, the method of any one of the first to eighth aspects is executed.

[0083] Optionally, the device may be the first device, or a module or unit (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) in the first device that corresponds one-to-one to the method / operation / step / action described in any one of the first to eighth aspects, or may be capable of being used in combination with the first device.

[0084] In an eleventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program or instructions for executing the method according to any one of the first to eighth aspects.

[0085] In the twelfth aspect, a chip is provided, comprising a processor, wherein the processor is coupled to a memory and is used to execute a computer program or instruction stored in the memory, so that the chip implements the method of any one of the above-mentioned aspects from the first to the eighth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0086] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0087] Figures 2, 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams of application scenarios provided by embodiments of the present application;

[0088] FIG5a is a schematic diagram of the structure of an AIoT device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0089] FIG5 b is a schematic diagram of the structure of an intermediate node provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0090] FIG5c is a schematic diagram of the structure of an auxiliary terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0091] FIG5 d is a schematic diagram of the process of Example 1 provided in the embodiments of the present application;

[0092] FIG5e and FIG6 are schematic diagrams of phases provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0093] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of Example 1 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0094] FIG8 is a flow chart of communication between an AIoT device and an intermediate node provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0095] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of Example 2 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0096] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of Example 2 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0097] FIG11 is a flow chart of Example 3 provided in the embodiments of the present application;

[0098] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of Example 3 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0099] FIG13 is a flow chart of Example 4 provided in the embodiments of the present application;

[0100] 14 and 15 are schematic diagrams of interference signals provided in embodiments of the present application;

[0101] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of Example 4 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0102] 17 and 18 are schematic diagrams of the structure of the device provided in the embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0103] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of this application more clear, the embodiments of this application will be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The specific operation methods and functional descriptions in the method embodiments can also be applied to the device embodiments or system embodiments.

[0104] Figure 1 shows a possible, non-limiting system diagram. As shown in Figure 1 , a communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. Optionally, the Internet 300 is also included.

[0105] The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., 110a and 110b in FIG. 1 , collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (e.g., 120a to 120j in FIG. 1 , collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment (not shown in FIG. 1 ).

[0106] Terminal 120 can be connected to RAN node 110 wirelessly. RAN node 110 is connected to core network 200 wirelessly or by wire. The core network device in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device that integrates the logical functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the radio access network.

[0107] RAN100 can be a cellular system related to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a fourth generation (4G) mobile communication system, a fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolution system, such as a sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system. RAN100 can also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0108] RAN node 110, also known as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and facilitates wireless access for terminals. In the subsequent description of this application, "access network equipment" will be used unless otherwise specified. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 10 can be of the same type or different types.

[0109] In some scenarios, the roles of the RAN node 110 and the terminal 120 are relative. For example, in Figure 1 , the network element 120i may be a helicopter or a drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For the terminal 120j accessing the RAN 100 through the network element 120i, the network element 120i is the base station. However, for the terminal 110a, the network element 120i is the terminal.

[0110] In one possible scenario, a RAN node may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node may be a macro base station (such as 110a in FIG1 ), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in FIG1 ), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, a RAN node may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an onboard device. For example, an access network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in the embodiments of the present application may also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The RAN node in the embodiments of the present application may also be a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the RAN node.

[0111] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be 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 can be set separately, or they can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0112] 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 open CU (open CU, O-CU), DU may also be called open DU (open DU, O-DU), CU-CP may also be called open CU-CP (open CU-CP, O-CU-CP), CU-UP may also be called open CU-UP (open CU-UP, O-CU-UP), and RU may also be called open RU (open RU, O-RU). For convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0113] The terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can be widely used in various scenarios, for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone, ambient IoT (AIoT) device, IoT tag, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0114] The RAN node 110 and the terminal 120 are sometimes referred to as communication devices. For example, the network elements 110a and 110b in FIG1 may be understood as communication devices having base station functions, and the network elements 120a to 120j may be understood as communication devices having terminal functions.

[0115] In the communication system 10 shown in FIG1 , the terminal may be an AIoT device. AIoT devices can operate without batteries or with low-power batteries, harvesting energy from the environment for services and communications without the need for manual battery replacement.

[0116] AIoT devices come in two types. The first type of AIoT device lacks the ability to generate uplink signals and supports backscatter mode. Optionally, the first type of AIoT device has an output power of approximately 1μW, includes an energy storage device, and does not support amplification of uplink and / or downlink signals. Access network devices, auxiliary terminals, or intermediate nodes can send carrier signals to the AIoT device. The AIoT device reflects the signal based on the received carrier signal, thereby enabling uplink transmission of the AIoT device. For example, the AIoT device can adjust the received carrier signal so that the carrier signal can carry certain uplink information, and the AIoT device reflects the adjusted carrier signal. The access network device or intermediate node can obtain the uplink information based on the received reflected signal. Alternatively, over a period of time, the AIoT device may reflect the carrier signal at certain times and not at other times. During this period, when the access network device or intermediate node receives the reflected signal, it can identify the uplink signal as 1; when it does not receive the reflected signal, it identifies the uplink signal as 0, thereby achieving the purpose of uplink information transmission. The second type of AIoT device has the ability to generate uplink signals and supports reflection mode and / or uplink generation (UL generated) mode. Optionally, the peak power output of the second type of AIoT device does not exceed several hundred μW, and there is an energy storage device to support amplification of uplink and / or downlink signals. In the uplink generation mode, the access network device or intermediate node can indicate the uplink transmission resources to the AIoT device, and the AIoT device can generate an uplink signal and send the uplink signal on the indicated uplink transmission resources.

[0117] In the embodiments of the present application, the communication scenarios between the access network device and the AIoT device include but are not limited to the following:

[0118] Scenario 1: As shown in Figure 2, the downlink transmission process between the access network device and the AIoT device includes: the access network device sends a downlink signal to the AIoT device, and the AIoT device receives the downlink signal from the access network device. In the uplink transmission process between the access network device and the AIoT device, it includes: the access network device sends a carrier signal to the AIoT device through the corresponding (or so-called carried) auxiliary terminal. The AIoT device reflects the received carrier signal to generate a reflected signal. The AIoT device sends the reflected signal to the access network device. It can be understood that in scenario 1, the AIoT device can be a first type of AIoT device, or a second type of AIoT device, without limitation.

[0119] Scenario 2: As shown in Figure 3, the downlink transmission process between the access network device and the AIoT device is the same as that in Scenario 1. The difference is the uplink transmission process between the access network device and the AIoT device. For example, during the uplink transmission process, the AIoT device can generate an uplink signal, and the AIoT device sends an uplink signal to the access network device on the uplink transmission resource. Optionally, the uplink transmission resource may be allocated by the access network device to the AIoT device, and the uplink transmission of the AIoT device may be scheduled by the access network device, that is, the access network device may send scheduling information to the AIoT device to schedule the uplink transmission of the terminal. It can be understood that in Scenario 2, the AIoT device may be a second type of AIoT device.

[0120] Scenario 3: As shown in Figure 4, communication between the access network device and the AIoT device occurs through an intermediate node. This intermediate node can be considered a relay node, primarily serving as a relay. For example, the access network device is located outdoors and communicates with the AIoT device through a mobile intermediate node. Optionally, the intermediate node can be a terminal. During downlink transmission, the access network device sends a downlink signal to the intermediate node, which then forwards the signal to the AIoT device. Alternatively, the intermediate node can parse the downlink signal from the access network device to obtain the downlink information, which it then sends to the AIoT device. During uplink transmission, the AIoT device generates an uplink signal and sends it to the intermediate node, which then forwards it to the access network device. Similarly, the intermediate node can parse the uplink signal from the AIoT device to obtain the uplink information, which it then sends to the access network device. Alternatively, the access network device can send an instruction to the intermediate node, which can generate a carrier signal based on the instruction. The intermediate node then sends the carrier signal to the AIoT device. The AIoT device uses the carrier signal to reflect the signal to the intermediate node, and the intermediate node forwards the received reflected signal to the access network device. It is understood that in scenario 3, the AIoT device can be a first type AIoT device or a second type AIoT device, without limitation.

[0121] It should be noted that one difference between auxiliary terminals and intermediate nodes is that auxiliary terminals only support sending carrier signals to AIoT devices and do not support receiving reflected signals. Intermediate nodes support both sending carrier signals to AIoT devices and receiving reflected signals.

[0122] Optionally, as shown in Figure 5a, the AIoT device can be a single-antenna device. The AIoT device includes a receiving module and a transmitting module, and the receiving module receives a carrier signal or signaling signal via an antenna. The uplink information to be carried is transmitted via the antenna by reflecting it on the carrier or generating an uplink signal. Alternatively, the AIoT device can have dual antennas, including a receiving antenna and a transmitting antenna, without limitation.

[0123] As shown in Figure 5b, the intermediate node can be a special type of terminal that includes a module for communicating with access network devices and a module for communicating with AIoT devices. The module for communicating with access network devices is used to communicate with access network devices, and the module for communicating with AIoT devices is used to communicate with AIoT devices. Optionally, these two communication modules can exchange signaling or information.

[0124] As shown in Figure 5c, the auxiliary terminal can be a special type of terminal that includes a module for communicating with the access network device and a module for transmitting carrier signals to the AIoT device. The module for communicating with the access network device can receive resource allocation information from the access network device, and the AIoT device can transmit carrier signals to the AIoT device using all or part of the resources allocated by the access network device.

[0125] In one possible implementation, the AIoT device in the embodiment of the present application may be a tag or a low-end terminal, and the intermediate node may be a relay service terminal, customer premise equipment (CPE), a barcode scanner, a barcode scanning device, or a scanner. The auxiliary terminal may be a CPE, etc.

[0126] Due to the low cost of AIoT devices, they may not have a clock or the accuracy of the clock is very low, making it difficult for AIoT devices to send signals according to the fixed time-frequency resources indicated by the access network device or terminal. When the access network device communicates with the AIoT device with the help of a terminal, the terminal can be an auxiliary terminal or an intermediate node. Usually, the terminal will send a signal to the AIoT device on one or more time-frequency resources in a set of time-frequency resources configured by the access network device. The AIoT device can reply a signal to the access network device or terminal on one or more time-frequency resources in the set of time-frequency resources. Since it is difficult for the access network device to accurately determine the time-frequency resources for each terminal to send signals to the AIoT device, it is difficult for the access network device to determine the corresponding interference source when it receives an interference report sent by a terminal.

[0127] For example, an access network device allocates a set of time-frequency resources to a first terminal. The set of time-frequency resources includes one or more time-frequency resources, which can be a continuous segment of time-frequency resources. The first terminal can use any one or more of the time-frequency resources in the set to send a signal to the AIoT device. The access network device allocates another set of time-frequency resources to a second AIoT device. The other set of time-frequency resources includes one or more time-frequency resources, which can be another continuous segment of time-frequency resources. Similarly, the second AIoT device can use any one or more of the time-frequency resources in the other set to send a signal to the AIoT device. The time-frequency resources included in the above set of time-frequency resources and the other set of time-frequency resources may overlap. The time-frequency resources selected by the first terminal for communicating with the AIoT device and the time-frequency resources selected by the second terminal for communicating with the AIoT device may conflict, resulting in mutual interference between the signals sent by the first terminal and the signals sent by the second terminal. For example, the above set of time-frequency resources and the other set of time-frequency resources both include time-frequency resource m, and the first terminal and the second terminal both select time-frequency resource m to send a signal to the AIoT device. Because the first terminal and the second terminal send signals to the AIoT device on the same time-frequency resource, the signals sent by the two terminals interfere with each other. In an inter-frequency system, how to identify the interference source is a technical problem to be solved in the embodiments of the present application.

[0128] In view of the above, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including the following solutions:

[0129] Solution 1: During communication between a terminal and an AIoT device, the terminal generates a signal based on its identifier. When other terminals detect this signal, they can identify the source of interference based on it. See the descriptions of Examples 1 and 2.

[0130] Solution 2: Before sending a signal to an AIoT device, the terminal monitors the selected time-frequency resource for communication with the AIoT device. When the power of the monitored signal on this time-frequency resource is less than the threshold, the terminal sends a signal to the AIoT device on this time-frequency resource. Otherwise, the terminal stops sending a signal on this time-frequency resource or delays sending a signal. This effectively reduces the interference between different signals caused when different terminals use overlapping time-frequency resources to send signals to the AIoT device. See the description of Example 3.

[0131] Solution 3: The AIoT device monitors the carrier signal at adjacent times; when the change in the carrier signal monitored at adjacent times is higher than a threshold, it is considered that other interference is mixed in the carrier signal, and the AIoT device may not reflect the signal to the terminal, or may delay reflecting the signal to the terminal. It can be seen that when the received carrier signal is interfered with, the AIoT device may no longer or delay reflecting the signal to the terminal, thereby reducing the impact of the interference. Alternatively, when the terminal detects interference, it may notify the AIoT device to delay sending the reflected signal, specifically to notify the AIoT device to send the reflected signal after the interference ends, thereby avoiding the impact of the interference signal on the reflected signal. See the description of Example 4 for details.

[0132] [Example 1]

[0133] First, the application scenario of Example 1 is described: the access network device uses (or is called with the help of) the first terminal and the second terminal to communicate with the AIoT device. The access network device can allocate a first group of time-frequency resources to the first terminal, and the first terminal can select one or more time-frequency resources (which can be called first time-frequency resources) from the first group of time-frequency resources, and use the first time-frequency resources to send signals to the AIoT device. The access network device can allocate a second group of time-frequency resources to the second terminal, and the second terminal can select one or more time-frequency resources (which can be called second time-frequency resources) from the second group of time-frequency resources, and use the second time-frequency resources to send signals to the AIoT device. In an embodiment of the present application, when the first terminal and / or the second terminal sends a signal: generate a signal according to their own terminal identification. In this way, when the time-frequency resources selected by the first terminal and the second terminal overlap or coincide, when the signals sent by the two terminals interfere with each other, the first terminal can determine that the source of interference is the second terminal based on the signal detected on the selected time-frequency resource. The first terminal can report the identifier of the second terminal, which is the interference source, to the access network device, and the access network device can reallocate time-frequency resources for the first terminal and / or the second terminal, thereby reducing the mutual interference between the two terminals. It can be understood that in the description of the embodiment of the present application, it is described from the perspective of the first terminal. For the second terminal, it can also determine that the interference source is the first terminal based on the signal detected on the selected time-frequency resource, and report the identifier of the first terminal, which is the interference source, to the access network device, and the access network device can reallocate time-frequency resources for the first terminal and / or the second terminal.

[0134] As shown in FIG5d , the embodiment of the present application provides a flow chart, including:

[0135] Step 510: The first terminal detects a first signal on a first time-frequency resource.

[0136] Optionally, the first device may be an AIoT device, an AIoT terminal, or an AIoT tag, etc. In the subsequent description, an AIoT device is used as an example. For example, the access network device may allocate a first set of time-frequency resources to the first terminal. The first set of time-frequency resources may be a segment of time-frequency resources, and the first set of time-frequency resources includes at least one time-frequency resource. The first terminal may determine the first time-frequency resource based on the first set of time-frequency resources. In one possible implementation, the first terminal may select one or more time-frequency resources from the first set of time-frequency resources. The one or more time-frequency resources selected by the first terminal may be referred to as the first time-frequency resource. In this case, the first time-frequency resource is the time-frequency resource for the first terminal to communicate with the AIoT device. In an embodiment of the present application, before using the first time-frequency resource to send a signal to the AIoT device, the first terminal may execute step 510: the first terminal performs signal detection on the first time-frequency resource, and the signal detected by the first terminal is referred to as the first signal. Alternatively, in another possible implementation, the first terminal may determine the first time-frequency resource based on the frequency domain resources in the first set of time-frequency resources. For example, the first time-frequency resource overlaps with the frequency domain resources of one or more time-frequency resources in the first group of time-frequency resources. In an embodiment of the present application, the first terminal performs interference detection on the first time-frequency resource. Since the first time-frequency resource overlaps with the frequency domain resources of one or more time-frequency resources in the first group of time-frequency resources, when the terminal detects interference on the first time-frequency resource, the time-frequency resources in the first group of time-frequency resources may also be interfered with. Therefore, when the first terminal detects interference on the first time-frequency resource, it can also request the access network device to reallocate the time-frequency resources.

[0137] Step 520: The first terminal determines the identifier of the second terminal according to the first signal.

[0138] For example, the transmitter of the first signal is the second terminal: the second terminal determines the first signal according to the identifier of the second terminal. The first terminal can determine the identifier of the second terminal according to the detected first signal.

[0139] In one possible implementation, the second terminal carries its identifier in the first signal. For example, the second terminal carries a signaling at the beginning of the first signal, which carries the identifier of the second terminal. Upon detecting the first signal, the first terminal may obtain the identifier of the second terminal from the first signal. Alternatively, in another possible implementation, the second terminal determines the phase corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal based on a correspondence between the identifier of the terminal and the phase. For example, the second terminal may query the correspondence between the identifier of the terminal and the phase for the phase corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal. The second terminal generates the first signal based on the phase corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal. Upon detecting the first signal, the first terminal may obtain the phase of the first signal. Based on the correspondence between the phase and the identifier of the terminal, the first terminal determines the identifier of the terminal corresponding to the phase of the first signal, where the identifier of the terminal corresponding to the phase of the first signal serves as the identifier of the second terminal. Optionally, in the correspondence between the identifier of the terminal and the phase, a terminal identifier may correspond to one or more phases. These one or more phases may form a phase group. The correspondence between the identifier of the terminal and the phase may specifically be a correspondence between the identifier of the terminal and a phase group, where a phase group includes one or more phases. It is understandable that information can be carried by phase changes. For example, as shown in FIG5e , for phase 0, the corresponding carried information may be “0”, and for phase π, the corresponding carried information may be “1”.

[0140] The correspondence between the terminal identifier and the phase can be configured by the access network device for the first terminal and / or the second terminal, or can be predefined, such as predefined by a protocol, without limitation. The terminal identifier, such as the identifier of the first terminal and / or the identifier of the second terminal, can be configured by the access network device for each terminal, or can be predefined, without limitation. For example, the identifier of the first terminal is 1, and its corresponding phase can be [0, π, 0, π], where phase 0 corresponds to 1 and phase π corresponds to -1. The above phases can be simplified as [1, -1, 1, -1]. The signal generated by the first terminal based on this phase can be seen in Figure 6 (a). The identifier of the second terminal is 2, and its corresponding phase can be [0, 0, π, π], which can be simplified as [1, 1, -1, -1]. The signal generated by the second terminal based on this phase can be seen in Figure 6 (b). The sum of the products of the corresponding phases of the first terminal's phase [1, -1, 1, -1] and the second terminal's phase [1, 1, -1, -1] is equal to zero. When a terminal receives a signal, it can perform a correlation operation with the received signal using the signal corresponding to the terminal's phase. If the correlation result is below a threshold, no processing is required; in this case, the interference can be considered random noise. Alternatively, if the correlation result is above the threshold, the received signal is considered interference. The phase of the received signal can then be used to identify the terminal that sent the signal, thereby determining the source of the interference.

[0141] Alternatively, in another possible implementation, a correspondence exists between the terminal identifier and the phase difference. Based on the correspondence between the terminal identifier and the phase difference, the second terminal determines the phase difference corresponding to the second terminal identifier. Furthermore, the second terminal determines the corresponding phase based on the phase difference and the phase of the first signal sent in the previous cycle; the second terminal generates the first signal based on the determined phase. For example, if the phase difference corresponding to the second terminal identifier is π / 2, and the phase of the first signal sent by the second terminal in the previous cycle is π / 2, the second terminal determines the phase π of the first signal in the current cycle, and the second terminal can generate the first signal based on the phase π. Upon receiving the first signal, the first terminal at the receiving end can determine the phase of the first signal. Furthermore, the phase of the first signal in the previous cycle can be determined. Furthermore, the phase difference between the first signals in two cycles can be determined based on the phase of the first signal in the current cycle and the phase of the first signal in the previous cycle. For example, the first terminal receives the first signal in four cycles. Within the four cycles, the phases of the first signal are [0, π / 2, π / 2, π], respectively. Thus, within the four cycles, the phase differences of the first signal within adjacent cycles are {π / 2, 0, π / 2}, respectively. The first terminal determines the terminal identifier corresponding to the current phase difference based on the correspondence between the terminal identifier and the phase difference. The determined terminal identifier may be the identifier of the interference source, i.e., the identifier of the second terminal. Optionally, the correspondence between the terminal identifier and the phase difference may be configured by the access network device for the first terminal and / or the second terminal, or may be predefined, such as by a protocol, without limitation.

[0142] Step 530: The first terminal sends a second signal to the access network device, and the access network device receives the second signal from the first terminal, where the second signal includes an identifier of the second terminal.

[0143] In an embodiment of the present application, when the first terminal identifies that the interference source is the second terminal, it can send a second signal to the access network device to request the access network device to coordinate the conflict of time-frequency resources between the first terminal and the second terminal. The second signal can be used to request the access network device to coordinate the conflict of time-frequency resources between the first terminal and the second terminal. Optionally, the second signal can be an uplink data signal or uplink control signaling. In other words, the first terminal can report the identifier of the second terminal to the access network device via the uplink data signal or uplink control signaling, and the access network device can execute step 540 to reallocate time-frequency resources.

[0144] Step 540: The access network device reallocates the time-frequency resources for communication between the first terminal and the AIoT device, and / or reallocates the time-frequency resources for communication between the second terminal and the AIoT device.

[0145] For example, the access network device can coordinate the time-frequency resources for communication between the first terminal and / or the second terminal and the AIoT device, for example, by distinguishing them through time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources to avoid interference between the two. It is understandable that in an asynchronous communication system, the access network device allocates a set of time-frequency resources to the terminal, and the terminal selects one or more time-frequency resources from the set of time-frequency resources to communicate with the AIoT device. The access network device cannot know the specific time-frequency resources selected by the terminal for communication. Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, the first terminal can send an indication of the first time-frequency resource to the access network device, and the access network device receives the indication of the first time-frequency resource from the first terminal. The first time-frequency resource is the time-frequency resource for communication between the first terminal and the first device, so that the access network device can know that the time-frequency resource for specific communication between the first terminal and the AIoT device is the first time-frequency resource. Optionally, the first terminal can send a signaling to the access network device separately, and the signaling carries the indication of the first time-frequency resource. Alternatively, the first terminal can report the first time-frequency resource to the access network device through the second signal in step 530. For example, the second signal in step 530 also carries indication information of the first time-frequency resource.

[0146] In one possible implementation, the access network device may reallocate a second group of time-frequency resources to the second terminal based on the first time-frequency resources, and any time-frequency resource in the second group of time-frequency resources does not conflict with any time-frequency resource in the first time-frequency resources. For example, any time-frequency resource in the newly allocated second group of time-frequency resources does not overlap with any time-frequency resource in the first time-frequency resources in the time domain and / or does not overlap with any time-frequency resource in the frequency domain. Alternatively, the access network device may reallocate the first group of time-frequency resources to the first terminal based on the first time-frequency resources. For example, any time-frequency resource in the first group of time-frequency resources does not overlap with any time-frequency resource in the first time-frequency resources in the time domain and / or does not overlap with any time-frequency resource in the frequency domain. Alternatively, the access network device reallocates new time-frequency resources to both the first terminal and the second terminal. For example, the access network device reallocates a new first group of time-frequency resources to the first terminal. The access network device reallocates a new second group of time-frequency resources to the second terminal. Any set of time-frequency resources in the newly allocated first set of time-frequency resources does not overlap with any set of time-frequency resources in the second set of time-frequency resources in the time domain and / or does not overlap with each other in the frequency domain. Alternatively, the access network device may instruct the first terminal to use other time-frequency resources in the first set of time-frequency resources other than the first time-frequency resources to communicate with the AIoT device without restriction.

[0147] Optionally, before step 510, the method further includes:

[0148] Step 500a: The second terminal determines the first signal according to the identifier of the second terminal. This process can be referred to the description in step 520.

[0149] Step 500b: The second terminal sends a first signal on a second time-frequency resource.

[0150] For example, the second terminal selects one or more time-frequency resources from the second group of time-frequency resources configured in the access network device. The one or more time-frequency resources selected by the second terminal are called second time-frequency resources, and the second time-frequency resources are time-frequency resources for the second terminal to communicate with the second device. Optionally, the second device can be an AIoT device, an AIoT terminal, or an AIoT tag. The second device and the first device mentioned above can be the same AIoT device, or different AIoT devices, without limitation. In the following description, the second device is described as an AIoT device.

[0151] The second terminal sends a first signal to the AIoT device on the second time-frequency resource. In an embodiment of the present application, the second time-frequency resource overlaps with the first time-frequency resource described above. The overlap can be partial or complete, without limitation. For example, the second time-frequency resource includes one or more time-frequency resources, and the first time-frequency resource includes one or more time-frequency resources. At least one of the second time-frequency resources overlaps with at least one of the first time-frequency resources, and the overlap includes time domain overlap and / or frequency domain overlap. The first terminal selects the first time-frequency resource to communicate with the AIoT device. Because the first time-frequency resource overlaps with the second time-frequency resource, the first terminal can detect the first signal sent by the second terminal on the first time-frequency resource. In an embodiment of the present application, before the first terminal sends a signal to the AIoT device on the first time-frequency resource, it can perform steps 510 to 540 to perform signal detection on the first time-frequency resource. If the first signal sent by the second terminal is detected on the first time-frequency resource, the first terminal determines the identity of the second terminal based on the first signal. The first terminal can determine that the interference source is the second terminal. The first terminal sends a second signal to the access network device, where the second signal includes at least an identifier of the second terminal, to request the access network device to reallocate time-frequency resources to the first terminal and / or the second terminal.

[0152] In one possible implementation, the first signal is a carrier signal, and the carrier signal is used by the second terminal to stimulate the AIoT device to reflect the signal. Optionally, the process shown in FIG5d further includes: the second terminal receiving the reflected signal from the AIoT device.

[0153] For example, as shown in Figure 7, the access network device communicates with AIoT device 1 through intermediate node 1, and communicates with AIoT device 2 through intermediate node 2. The access network device allocates a first set of time-frequency resources to intermediate node 1 and a second set of time-frequency resources to intermediate node 2. Intermediate node 2 selects a second time-frequency resource from the second set of time-frequency resources allocated by the access network device. Before sending a carrier signal to AIoT device 2 on the second time-frequency resource, intermediate node 2 performs the following process: intermediate node 2 performs signal detection on the second time-frequency resource; in this embodiment of the application, it is assumed that intermediate node 2 does not detect an interference signal on the second time-frequency resource. Intermediate node 2 generates a carrier signal based on the identifier of intermediate node 2, and intermediate node 2 sends a carrier signal to AIoT device 2 on the second time-frequency resource. AIoT device 2 reflects the signal to intermediate node 2 based on the received carrier signal on one or more time-frequency resources in the second set of time-frequency resources.

[0154] The intermediate node 1 selects the first time-frequency resource from the first group of time-frequency resources allocated by the access network device. The first time-frequency resource overlaps with the second time-frequency resource, and the overlap can be partial overlap or complete overlap, without restriction. Before sending a carrier signal on the first time-frequency resource, the intermediate node 1 performs the following process: the intermediate node 1 detects the signal on the first time-frequency resource; since the first time-frequency resource overlaps with the second time-frequency resource, the intermediate node 1 can detect the carrier signal sent by the intermediate node 2 on the first time-frequency resource. The intermediate node 1 can determine that the interference source is the second terminal based on the detected carrier signal. The intermediate node 1 can send a second signal to the access network device, and the second signal includes an identifier of the second terminal to request the access network device to coordinate the time-frequency resources for the first terminal and the second terminal to communicate with the AIoT device.

[0155] Optionally, intermediate node 1 and intermediate node 2 can be fixed in position or movable in position, without limitation. In Figure 7, intermediate node 1 can be replaced by auxiliary terminal 1, and / or, intermediate node 2 can be replaced by auxiliary terminal 2. That is to say, the solution of the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to the scenario where both terminals are auxiliary terminals, or one of the two terminals is an intermediate node and the other terminal is an auxiliary terminal. The difference between the auxiliary terminal and the intermediate node is that the auxiliary terminal does not support receiving the reflected signal of the AIoT device.

[0156] It can be understood that in the process of Figure 5d: a specific implementation of the first terminal can be intermediate node 1, a specific implementation of the second terminal can be intermediate node 2, a specific implementation of the first device can be AIoT device 1, and a specific implementation of the second device can be AIoT device 2.

[0157] In another possible implementation, the first signal is a signaling signal, and the signaling signal is a signaling for communication between the second terminal and the AIoT device.

[0158] For example, in addition to sending a carrier signal to an AIoT device, the terminal can also send a signaling signal to the AIoT device. If the first time-frequency resource for the first terminal to send a signaling signal overlaps with the second time-frequency resource for the second terminal to send a signaling signal, the signaling signals sent by the two will interfere with each other. In an embodiment of the present application, the second terminal can generate a signaling signal based on the identifier of the second terminal, and the second terminal sends a signaling signal to the AIoT device on the second time-frequency resource. Before the first terminal sends a signaling signal on the first time-frequency resource, it performs the following process: the first terminal detects the signaling signal on the first time-frequency resource. Since the first time-frequency resource overlaps with the second time-frequency resource, the first terminal can detect the signaling signal on the first time-frequency resource. Furthermore, the first terminal can determine that the interference source is the second terminal based on the signaling signal. The first terminal can send a second signal to the access network device, and the second signal includes the identifier of the second terminal to request the access network device to coordinate the time-frequency resources for the first terminal and the second terminal to communicate with the AIoT device.

[0159] For example, the signaling signal in the embodiment of the present application can be a selection signal, a query signal, or an acknowledgment (ACK) signal. As shown in Figure 8, the embodiment of the present application provides a flow chart, including:

[0160] Step 810: The intermediate node sends a selection signal to the AIoT device, and the AIoT device receives the selection signal from the intermediate node.

[0161] For example, the intermediate node can send a selection signal based on the inventory requirements, and the selection signal is used to instruct the AIoT devices within the coverage area to start inventory counting.

[0162] Step 820: The intermediate node sends a query signal to the AIoT device, and the AIoT device receives the query signal from the intermediate node.

[0163] For example, the query signal is used to instruct an AIoT device within the coverage area to feedback its corresponding identification information. When the AIoT device receives the query signal, step 830 is executed to feedback the identification information of the AIoT device to the intermediate node. Optionally, in step 830, the identification of the AIoT device fed back by the AIoT device to the intermediate node can be a random number.

[0164] Step 830: The AIoT device sends the identification information of the AIoT device to the intermediate node, and the intermediate node receives the identification information from the AIoT device.

[0165] Step 840: When the intermediate node successfully receives the identification information of the AIoT device, the intermediate node sends an ACK signal to the AIoT device, and the AIoT device receives the ACK signal from the intermediate node.

[0166] Step 850: The AIoT device sends data information to the intermediate node, and the intermediate node receives the data information from the AIoT device.

[0167] Optionally, the ACK signal in step 840 and the data information in step 850 can be encrypted using the identifier of the AIoT device in step 830 to distinguish the ACK signals and data information of multiple AIoT devices. The data information in step 850 can be the cargo information corresponding to the AIoT device. When the intermediate node receives the data information, it can compare it with the data information in the database to identify which goods are in the warehouse and which goods have not been counted.

[0168] In an embodiment of the present application, the selection signal in the aforementioned step 810, the query signal in step 820, the ACK signal in step 840, etc. can be generated based on the identifier of the intermediate node. For example, the identifier of the intermediate node is carried in the above-mentioned signal, or the above-mentioned signal is generated based on the phase corresponding to the identifier of the intermediate node, so that when the above-mentioned signal interferes with other nodes, the other nodes can identify the interference source.

[0169] It is understandable that due to the low cost of AIoT devices, they may not have a clock or the clock accuracy is very low. Therefore, during the communication process, it is difficult for the AIoT device to maintain synchronization with the intermediate node or access network device, that is, it is difficult for the AIoT device to perform synchronous system communication and cannot send signals according to the fixed time indicated by the access network device or the intermediate node. Therefore, when the intermediate node sends a carrier signal to the AIoT device, it is generally sent at a relatively ample time. On the one hand, it is convenient for the AIoT device to reply to the information. For example, the AIoT device can reply to the information in one or more time units of the relatively ample time. On the other hand, it also has the effect of charging the AIoT device. Since the time when the intermediate node sends the carrier signal is difficult to accurately determine, when the access network device receives the interference report of a certain time period sent by the intermediate node, it is difficult to determine which intermediate nodes sent the carrier signal in this time period. Therefore, the solution of the embodiment of the present application exists. The intermediate node generates a carrier signal based on the intermediate node's identifier, and then when other intermediate nodes detect the carrier signal, they can determine the identifier of the above-mentioned intermediate node based on the carrier signal and further determine the interference source.

[0170] Through the above, in the scenario where the access network device communicates with the AIoT device with the help of the terminal, the terminal can generate a signal to be sent to the AIoT device based on the terminal's identification, so that when the signal sent by the terminal interferes with the communication of other terminals, the other terminal can identify the interference source based on the detected interference signal.

[0171] [Example 2]

[0172] The main difference between Example 2 and Example 1 is that: in Example 1, the first terminal performs signal detection in the first time-frequency resource and determines that the interference source is the second terminal. In Example 2, the first access network device corresponding to the first terminal performs signal detection on the first time-frequency resource and determines that the interference source is the second terminal. Furthermore, the access network device corresponding to the first terminal and the access network device corresponding to the second terminal may be different. Therefore, when the first access network device identifies that the interference source is the second terminal, it is also necessary to further determine the second access network device corresponding to the second terminal. This solution is particularly suitable for scenarios where the first terminal is an auxiliary terminal. Because the auxiliary terminal does not have the ability to receive signals, the auxiliary terminal needs to use its corresponding access network device to determine the interference source.

[0173] As shown in FIG9 , the embodiment of the present application provides a flow chart, including:

[0174] Step 910: The first access network device detects a first signal on a first time-frequency resource.

[0175] In one possible implementation, the first access network device allocates a first set of time-frequency resources to the first terminal. For example, the access network device sends a first indication to the terminal, and the terminal receives the first indication from the access network device, where the first indication is used to indicate the first set of time-frequency resources. The first terminal can determine the first time-frequency resource based on the first set of time-frequency resources. For example, the first terminal can select one or more time-frequency resources from the first set of time-frequency resources for communicating with the AIoT device. In an embodiment of the present application, the one or more time-frequency resources selected by the first terminal are referred to as first time-frequency resources. At this time, the first time-frequency resource is the time-frequency resource for the first terminal corresponding to the first access network device to communicate with the AIoT device. Optionally, the first terminal can send indication information of the first time-frequency resource to the first access network device so that the first access network device can determine the first time-frequency resource for the first terminal to communicate with the AIoT device. The first access network device can perform signal detection on the first time-frequency resource for the first terminal to communicate with the AIoT device. Alternatively, the first terminal can determine the first time-frequency resource based on the frequency domain resources of the first set of time-frequency resources. For example, the frequency domain resources of the first time-frequency resource overlap with the frequency domain resources of one or more time-frequency resources in the first group of time-frequency resources.

[0176] Step 920: The first access network device determines the identifier of the second terminal according to the first signal.

[0177] For example, the second terminal acts as the transmitter of the first signal. The second terminal determines the first signal based on the identifier of the second terminal. For example, the second terminal carries the identifier of the second terminal in the first signal. Accordingly, when the first access network device detects the first signal, it obtains the identifier of the second terminal in the first signal. Alternatively, the second terminal determines the phase corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal based on the correspondence between the identifier of the terminal and the phase; the second terminal generates the first signal based on the phase corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal. Accordingly, when the first access network device detects the first signal, the first access network device obtains the phase of the first signal; the first access network device determines the identifier of the terminal corresponding to the phase of the first signal based on the correspondence between the phase and the identifier of the terminal, and the identifier of the terminal corresponding to the phase of the first signal is the identifier of the second terminal. For the specific process, please refer to the description of step 520 in [Example 1].

[0178] Step 930: The first access network device determines the identifier of the second access network device according to the identifier of the second terminal.

[0179] For example, the first access network device may request the second access network device corresponding to the second terminal from the third device. The third device may be an upper-layer node, such as a core network element, or an upper-layer server of an IoT device. In the following description, the third device is taken as an upper-layer node as an example. Specifically, the first access network device may send a second signal to the upper-layer node, and the upper-layer node receives the second signal from the first access network device, where the second signal includes the identifier of the second terminal. The upper-layer node determines the access network device corresponding to the second terminal based on the correspondence between the access network device and the terminal, where the access network device is the second access network device. The upper-layer node sends a fourth signal to the first access network device, and the first access network device receives the fourth signal from the upper-layer node, where the fourth signal includes the identifier of the second access network device. Alternatively, the first access network device may determine the identifier of the access network device corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal based on the correspondence between the identifier of the terminal and the identifier of the access network device, where the identifier of the access network device corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal is the identifier of the second access network device. Optionally, the correspondence between the terminal identifier and the access network device identifier may be configured by the upper node to the first access network device, or the terminal identifier and the access network device identifier may be predefined, such as specified by the protocol, etc., without limitation.

[0180] Optionally, step 940: reallocate the time-frequency resources of the first terminal and / or the time-frequency resources of the second terminal.

[0181] In one possible implementation, the first access network device may coordinate the time-frequency resources of the first terminal and the second terminal with the second access network device. For example, the first access network device sends five signals to the second access network device based on the identifier of the second access network device, and the second access network device receives the fifth signal from the first access network device, where the fifth signal includes the identifier of the second terminal. When the second access network device receives the fifth signal, it may obtain the identifier of the second terminal from the fifth signal. The second access network device may obtain the second time-frequency resource used by the second terminal to communicate with the AIoT device. The second access network device instructs the second terminal to use other time-frequency resources other than the second time-frequency resource in the second group of time-frequency resources to communicate with the AIoT device. For example, the second terminal may select a third time-frequency resource in the second group of time-frequency resources for communicating with the AIoT device. The third time-frequency resource does not overlap with the first time-frequency resource, for example, the third time-frequency resource does not overlap with the first time-frequency resource in the time domain, and / or the third time-frequency resource does not overlap with the first time-frequency resource in the frequency domain.

[0182] In another possible implementation: the first access network device sends a sixth signal to the upper node, and the upper node receives the sixth signal from the first access network device, where the sixth signal is used to request the upper node to coordinate the time-frequency resources for communication between the first terminal and the second terminal. For example, the sixth signal includes the identifier of the second access network device and the identifier of the second terminal. The upper node can instruct the second access network device to reallocate time-frequency resources to the second terminal, without limitation. Upon receiving the above-mentioned instruction, the second access network device can instruct the second terminal to select other time-frequency resources other than the second time-frequency resources from the second group of time-frequency resources to communicate with the AIoT device. Optionally, the sixth signal can also include the identifier of the first terminal. The upper node can obtain the identifier of the first terminal in the sixth signal. Since the upper node receives the sixth signal from the first access network device, the upper node can obtain the identifier of the first access network device. The upper node can instruct the first access network device to reallocate time-frequency resources to the first terminal, and / or the second access network device to reallocate time-frequency resources to the second terminal. For example, the first access network device may instruct the first terminal to communicate with the AIoT device using time-frequency resources other than the first time-frequency resources in the first set of time-frequency resources. And / or, the second access network device may instruct the second terminal to communicate with the AIoT device using time-frequency resources other than the second set of time-frequency resources in the second set of time-frequency resources.

[0183] Optionally, in implementation two, the identifier of each terminal may be assigned to the terminal by the corresponding access network device, or assigned to each terminal by multiple access network devices after negotiation, or uniformly assigned to each terminal by the upper-layer node. For example, the identifier of the second terminal may be assigned to the second terminal by the second access network device, or the identifier of the second terminal may be assigned to the second terminal after negotiation between the second access network device and the first access network device, or the identifier of the second terminal may be assigned to the second terminal by the upper-layer node. Similarly, the identifier of the first terminal may be assigned to the first terminal by the first access network device, or the identifier of the first terminal may be assigned to the first terminal after negotiation between the second access network device and the first access network device, or the identifier of the first terminal may be assigned to the first terminal by the upper-layer node, etc., without limitation.

[0184] Optionally, before step 910, the method further includes:

[0185] Step 900a: The second terminal determines the first signal according to the identifier of the second terminal.

[0186] For this process, please refer to the description in step 920.

[0187] Step 900b: The second terminal sends a first signal on the second time-frequency resource, and the AIoT device receives the first signal on the second time-frequency resource.

[0188] In one possible implementation, a second access network device allocates a second set of time-frequency resources to a second terminal. For example, the second access network device sends a second indication to the second terminal, and the second terminal receives the second indication from the second access network device. The second indication is used to indicate the second set of time-frequency resources. The second terminal determines a second time-frequency resource from the second set of time-frequency resources. For example, the second terminal selects one or more time-frequency resources from the second set of time-frequency resources. The time-frequency resources selected by the second terminal are referred to as second time-frequency resources. Optionally, to enable the second access network device to obtain the time-frequency resources specifically used by the second terminal for communication, the second terminal may also send indication information of the second time-frequency resources to the second access network device, and the second access network device receives the indication information of the second time-frequency resources from the second terminal. In this second embodiment, the second time-frequency resources may overlap with the first time-frequency resources. The second time-frequency resources may completely overlap or partially overlap with the first time-frequency resources, without limitation. For example, the second time-frequency resources may completely overlap with the first time-frequency resources in terms of time-frequency and in the frequency domain. Alternatively, the second time-frequency resource overlaps with a portion of the time-frequency resources included in the first time-frequency resource, and the portion of the time-frequency resource may specifically overlap in the time domain or in the frequency domain. Because the second time-frequency resource overlaps with the first time-frequency resource, the second terminal sends the first signal on the second time-frequency resource, and the first access network device can detect the first signal on the first time-frequency resource.

[0189] In one possible implementation, the first signal is a carrier signal, which is used for reflection by the second terminal. For example, when the second terminal receives the carrier signal on the second time-frequency resource, it can reflect the signal on the third time-frequency resource. The signal reflected by the second terminal can be called a reflected signal. Accordingly, the second terminal can receive the reflected signal from the second terminal on the third time-frequency resource. Optionally, the second time-frequency resource and the third time-frequency resource can be different. For example, the third time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource correspond to corresponding carriers in the frequency domain and differ by less than one time domain symbol in the time domain.

[0190] The solution of Example 2 can be applied to the following scenario: multiple access network devices operate simultaneously, each of which has one or more auxiliary terminals attached. The geographical location of the auxiliary terminals can be the same as or different from that of the access network devices, without limitation. Transmitting carrier signals on overlapping time-frequency resources by different auxiliary terminals may cause interference.

[0191] For example, as shown in Figure 10, access network device 1 communicates with the AIoT device through auxiliary terminal 1, and access network device 2 communicates with the AIoT device through auxiliary terminal 2. The type of the AIoT device can be the first type or the second type, without limitation.

[0192] For example, access network device 2 may send indication information 1 and indication information 2 to auxiliary terminal 2. Indication information 1 may instruct auxiliary terminal 2 to transmit a certain type of carrier signal, and indication information 2 may indicate the second set of time-frequency resources. Alternatively, indication information 1 and indication information 2 may be a single message instructing auxiliary terminal 2 to transmit a certain type of carrier signal using the second set of time-frequency resources. Auxiliary terminal 2 determines the second time-frequency resource on the second set of time-frequency resources. Based on the identifier of auxiliary terminal 2, auxiliary terminal 2 generates a carrier signal of the corresponding type and transmits the carrier signal on the second time-frequency resource. Optionally, the type of the carrier signal may correspond to the type of goods, and the carrier signal may carry the type of goods information. Upon receiving the carrier signal, the AIoT device may obtain the type of goods information from the carrier signal. When the type of goods carried in the carrier signal matches the type of goods corresponding to the AIoT device, the AIoT device reflects the carrier signal on a third time-frequency resource to generate a reflected signal. Alternatively, the type of the carrier signal may correspond to the type of the AIoT device. For example, the carrier signal corresponding to an AIoT device with an output power of 1uW is of a different type from the carrier signal corresponding to an AIoT device with an output power of 100uW. When an AIoT device receives the carrier signal, it can determine whether the type of the carrier signal is consistent with the type of the AIoT device itself; if consistent, the AIoT device reflects the carrier signal on the third time-frequency resource to generate a reflected signal. If inconsistent, the AIoT device does not reflect the carrier signal. Access network device 2 can receive the reflected signal on the third time-frequency resource. Optionally, the reflected signal can carry the electronic coding signal of the goods, and access network device 2 can take inventory of the goods based on the electronic coding information of the goods.

[0193] Continuing with Figure 10 , access network device 1 may send indication information 3 and indication information 4 to auxiliary terminal 1. Indication information 3 may instruct auxiliary terminal 1 to transmit a certain type of carrier signal, and indication information 4 may indicate the first set of time-frequency resources. Alternatively, indication information 3 and indication information 4 may be a single message instructing auxiliary terminal 1 to transmit a certain type of carrier signal using the first set of time-frequency resources. Auxiliary terminal 1 determines a first time-frequency resource within the first set of time-frequency resources and reports the first time-frequency resource to access network device 1. Access network device 1 detects a carrier signal in the first time-frequency resource. If a carrier signal is detected, it determines, based on the carrier signal, that the interference source is auxiliary terminal 2. Access network device 1 and access network device 2 may negotiate the time-frequency resources for auxiliary terminal 1 and auxiliary terminal 2 to avoid mutual interference between the carrier signals of auxiliary terminal 1 and auxiliary terminal 2. Furthermore, auxiliary terminal 1 may transmit a carrier signal in the new time-frequency resource. The AIoT device reflects the carrier signal on the corresponding time-frequency resource, generating a reflected signal. The access network device 1 can take inventory of the goods based on the electronic coding information carried in the reflected signal.

[0194] Furthermore, in Figure 10, the carrier signal sent by the auxiliary terminal 2 may also interfere with the access network device 1 receiving the reflected signal for the following reasons: the auxiliary terminal 2 sends a carrier signal on the second time-frequency resource. If the auxiliary terminal 1 sends a carrier signal on the first time-frequency resource, the AIoT device reflects the carrier signal on the third time-frequency resource, and the access network device 1 receives the reflected signal on the third time-frequency resource. The second time-frequency resource and the third time-frequency resource have the same frequency domain resources, and the time domain resources may differ by one time domain symbol. For example, if the AIoT device receives a carrier signal at time domain symbol 1, the AIoT device may reflect the carrier signal at time domain symbol 2. When the first time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource overlap, there is a probability that the third time-frequency resource and the second time-frequency resource also overlap. At this time, the carrier signal sent by the auxiliary terminal 2 will interfere with the access network device 1 receiving the reflected signal. That is, by adopting the solution of the embodiment of the present application, it is also possible to prevent the auxiliary terminal from interfering with the reception of AIoT signals (for example, reflected signals) of surrounding access network devices.

[0195] It is understandable that the auxiliary terminal 1 and the auxiliary terminal 2 in Figure 10 may also be replaced by an intermediate node 1 and an intermediate node 2. Alternatively, either the auxiliary terminal 1 or the auxiliary terminal 2 may be replaced by an intermediate node.

[0196] Alternatively, the first signal may be a signaling signal, which is a signaling signal used by the second terminal to communicate with the second device. For examples of signaling signals, please refer to the description in the first embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0197] In the second embodiment, for the sake of distinction, the AIoT device that communicates with the first terminal may be referred to as the first device, and the AIoT device that communicates with the second terminal may be referred to as the second device. The first device and the second device may support reflection mode. For example, the first device and the second device may be AIoT devices of the second type, or AIoT devices of the first type, etc., without limitation. For example, the first device and the second device include a first module, which may obtain energy from the environment. Optionally, the first module may be referred to as an energy acquisition module. Alternatively,

[0198] The first device and the second device may only support the reflection mode and not the uplink generation mode. For example, the first device and the second device may be a first type of AIoT device. In this case, the first device and / or the second device do not have the ability to generate uplink signals. The first device and the second device may reflect signals based on the carrier signal, and the reflected signals serve as the uplink signals.

[0199] [Example 3]

[0200] As shown in FIG11 , the embodiment of the present application provides a flow chart, including:

[0201] Step 1110: The first terminal monitors the first signal.

[0202] For example, a first terminal monitors a first signal on a first time-frequency resource. For example, an access network device may allocate a first set of time-frequency resources to the first terminal. For example, the access network device sends a first indication to the first terminal, and the first terminal receives the first indication from the access network device, where the first indication indicates the first set of time-frequency resources. The first terminal determines the first time-frequency resource based on the first set of time-frequency resources. For example, the first terminal may select a first time-frequency resource from the first set of time-frequency resources. In this case, the first time-frequency resource is the time-frequency resource used by the first terminal to communicate with the AIoT device. Furthermore, the first terminal may report to the access network device that the time-frequency resource selected for communication with the AIoT device is the first time-frequency resource. For example, the first terminal sends an indication of the first time-frequency resource to the access network device, and the access network device receives the indication of the time-frequency resource from the first terminal. Alternatively, the first terminal may determine the first time-frequency resource based on frequency domain resources in the first set of time-frequency resources. For example, the first time-frequency resource overlaps with some or all of the frequency domain resources in the first set of time-frequency resources.

[0203] Step 1120: If the power of the first signal monitored by the first terminal is less than the first threshold, the second signal is sent to the AIoT device on the first time-frequency resource; or, if the power of the first signal monitored by the first terminal is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the second signal is not sent to the AIoT device on the first time-frequency resource, or the sending of the second signal to the AIoT device is delayed.

[0204] In one possible implementation, the first terminal may determine the first threshold based on the type of the AIoT device with which it communicates. For example, the access network device may preconfigure multiple thresholds for the first terminal, or the multiple thresholds may be predefined, such as those predefined by a protocol. The first terminal may determine or select the first threshold from the multiple thresholds based on the type of the AIoT device.

[0205] In one possible implementation, the type of AIoT device includes a first type and / or a second type. The first type of AIoT device includes a first device, and the second type of AIoT device does not include the first device. For example, the first device may be a power amplifier. For example, for an AIoT device including a power amplifier, its output power is 100 μW, and the value of the first threshold may be -90 dBm. For an AIoT device not including a power amplifier, its output power is 1 μW, and the value of the first threshold may be -70 dBm.

[0206] In another possible implementation, the type of AIoT device includes a third type and / or a fourth type. The capability of the second device included in the third type AIoT device is greater than or equal to the second threshold, and the capability of the second device included in the fourth type AIoT device is less than the second threshold. For example, the second device may be an energy storage device. For example, the energy storage capability of the energy storage device included in the third type AIoT device is greater than or equal to the second threshold, and the energy storage capability of the energy storage device included in the fourth type AIoT device is less than the second threshold.

[0207] Optionally, the process shown in FIG11 further includes, before step 1110:

[0208] Step 1100: The second terminal sends a first signal on a second time-frequency resource, where the second time-frequency resource is a time-frequency resource for communication between the second terminal and the AIoT device.

[0209] For example, the access network device allocates a second set of time-frequency resources to the second terminal. For example, the access network device sends a second indication to the second terminal, and the second terminal receives the second indication from the access network device, where the second indication is used to indicate the second set of time-frequency resources; the second terminal determines the second time-frequency resource in the second set of time-frequency resources. Furthermore, the second terminal can report to the access network device that the time-frequency resource selected for communicating with the AIoT device is the second time-frequency resource. For example, the second terminal sends indication information of the second time-frequency resource to the access network device, and the access network device receives indication information of the second time-frequency resource from the second terminal.

[0210] Since the second time-frequency resource overlaps with the first time-frequency resource, which can be complete or partial, there is no restriction. Therefore, the first signal sent by the second terminal to the AIoT device on the second time-frequency resource can also be monitored by the first terminal on the first time-frequency resource.

[0211] In one possible implementation, the first signal and the second signal are carrier signals, and the carrier signals are used for reflection by the AIoT device;

[0212] The solution of this third embodiment can be applied to the following scenario: an access network device communicates with multiple intermediate nodes, which in turn enable each intermediate node to communicate with an AIoT device. The multiple intermediate nodes can be fixed or mobile, and when the intermediate nodes transmit carrier signals on overlapping time-frequency resources, it is difficult for the intermediate nodes to determine the interference between them.

[0213] For example, as shown in Figure 12, the access network device communicates with the AIoT device through intermediate node 1, and the access network device communicates with the AIoT device through intermediate node 2.

[0214] For example, the access network device may send indication information 1 and indication information 2 to intermediate node 2. In one possible implementation, indication information 1 may instruct intermediate node 2 to transmit a certain type of carrier signal, and indication information 2 indicates the second set of time-frequency resources. Alternatively, indication information 1 and indication information 2 may be a single message, instructing intermediate node 2 to transmit a certain type of carrier signal on the second set of time-frequency resources. In another possible implementation, indication information 1 may instruct intermediate node 2 to conduct an inventory of a certain type of goods, and indication information 2 indicates the second set of time-frequency resources. Alternatively, indication information 1 and indication information 2 may be a single message, instructing intermediate node 2 to conduct an inventory of a certain type of goods on the second set of time-frequency resources. Intermediate node 2 may determine a second time-frequency resource on the second set of time-frequency resources. Intermediate node 2 may transmit a carrier signal on the second time-frequency resource. The AIoT device may reflect the carrier signal on a third time-frequency resource. Intermediate node 2 may receive the reflected signal on the third time-frequency resource and forward the reflected signal to the access network device. Optionally, the reflected signal may carry electronically encoded information about the goods. The access network equipment can take inventory of the goods based on the reflected signals.

[0215] In Figure 12, the access network device can send indication information 3 and indication information 4 to the intermediate node 1, where indication information 3 is used to instruct the intermediate node 1 to send a certain type of carrier signal, and indication information 4 is used to refer to the first group of time-frequency resources. Alternatively, indication information 3 and indication information 4 can be one information, used to instruct the intermediate node 1 to send a certain type of carrier signal on the first group of time-frequency resources. The intermediate node 1 can determine the first time-frequency resource in the first group of time-frequency resources. Before sending the second signal on the first time-frequency resource, the intermediate node 1 performs the following process: the intermediate node 1 monitors the signal on the first time-frequency resource for a period of time before sending the second signal. In the scenario of Figure 12, the intermediate node 2 sends the first signal on the second group of time-frequency resources, and the second time-frequency resource overlaps with the first time-frequency resource. Therefore, the signal monitored by the intermediate node 1 on the first time-frequency resource is the first signal. Optionally, the first signal can be a carrier signal or a signaling signal. When the energy of the first signal monitored by intermediate node 1 is greater than or equal to a threshold, it is determined that interference is currently present on the first time-frequency resource. In this case, intermediate node 1 may not transmit the second signal to the AIoT device on the first time-frequency resource, or may delay transmitting the second signal to the AIoT device on the first time-frequency resource. Alternatively, when the energy of the first signal monitored by intermediate node 1 is less than the threshold, it is determined that no interference is currently present on the first time-frequency resource. In this case, intermediate node 1 may transmit the second signal to the AIoT device on the first time-frequency resource. Optionally, the second signal may be a carrier signal or a signaling signal. Optionally, the energy of the first signal may include: the power of the first signal or the amplitude of the first signal. For example, when the first signal is a carrier signal, since the carrier signal is a single-frequency signal, intermediate node 1 may determine whether interference is currently present on the first time-frequency resource based on the amplitude of the monitored single-frequency signal. For example, when the amplitude of the monitored single-frequency signal is greater than or equal to the threshold, it indicates that interference is currently present on the first time-frequency resource. Alternatively, when the amplitude of the monitored single-frequency signal is less than the threshold, it indicates that no interference is currently present on the first time-frequency resource.

[0216] In another possible implementation, the first signal and / or the second signal is a signaling signal, the signaling signal corresponding to the first signal is the signaling for communication between the second terminal and the AIoT device, and the signaling signal corresponding to the second signal is the signaling for communication between the first terminal and the AIoT device. That is to say, before the first terminal sends a signaling signal to the AIoT device on the first time-frequency resource: the first terminal monitors the signal on the first time-frequency resource; when the energy of the monitored signal is less than the threshold, it is considered that there is no interference on the current first time-frequency resource, and the first terminal can send a signaling signal to the AIoT device on the first time-frequency resource; or, when the energy of the monitored signal is greater than or equal to the threshold, it is considered that there is interference on the current first time-frequency resource, and the first terminal can no longer send a signaling signal to the AIoT device on the first time-frequency resource, or delay sending a signaling signal to the AIoT device, etc.

[0217] In this third embodiment, the AIoT device that communicates with the first terminal is referred to as the first device, and the AIoT device that communicates with the second terminal is referred to as the second device. The first device and / or the second device may include a first module, and the first module may obtain energy from the environment. For example, the first module may be referred to as an energy acquisition module. Furthermore, the first device and / or the second device may not have the ability to generate an uplink signal. The first device and / or the second device may reflect a signal based on a carrier signal, and the reflected signal may be used as an uplink signal.

[0218] Through the above design, before sending a signal to the AIoT device on the first time-frequency resource, the terminal determines the channel occupancy through energy detection, thereby avoiding interference to the signal sent on the channel, and further avoiding the interference affecting the AIoT device's reception of the signal.

[0219] [Example 4]

[0220] As shown in FIG13 , the embodiment of the present application further provides a flow chart, including:

[0221] Step 1310: The AIoT device monitors the first carrier signal at the first time.

[0222] Step 1320: The AIoT device monitors a second carrier signal at a second time, where the second time is adjacent to the first time.

[0223] Step 1330: The difference between the first carrier signal and the second carrier signal is less than the first threshold, and the AIoT device reflects the signal to the first terminal; or, the difference between the first carrier signal and the second carrier signal is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the AIoT device does not reflect the signal to the first terminal, or the AIoT device delays reflecting the signal to the first terminal.

[0224] In one possible implementation, the AIoT device may periodically monitor the carrier signal. For example, the first time may be a first period, and the second time may be a second period. For example, the AIoT device may continuously monitor the carrier signal. The carrier signal monitored by the AIoT device in the first period is referred to as the first carrier signal, and the carrier signal monitored by the AIoT device in the second period is referred to as the second carrier signal. For example, the AIoT device may measure the difference between the first carrier signal and the second carrier signal using the difference in amplitude and / or phase between the first carrier signal and the second carrier signal.

[0225] For example, an AIoT device can determine the amplitude of a first carrier signal monitored during a first period of time (referred to as the first amplitude) and the amplitude of a second carrier signal monitored during a second period of time (referred to as the second amplitude). The AIoT device determines the difference between the first and second amplitudes. When this difference is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the amplitude of the carrier signal changes dramatically during adjacent periods of time, indicating that an interference signal has been mixed into the carrier signal. The AIoT device may no longer reflect the carrier signal or delay reflecting the carrier signal to the first terminal. The specific principle is as follows: an interference signal may exist during some periods of time and not exist during others. For example, as shown in Figure 14, if an interference signal is present during a first period of time, the first carrier signal monitored during the first period of time may be mixed with interference. In addition to the carrier signal, the first carrier signal is also superimposed with the interference signal. If the interference signal is not present during a second period of time, the second carrier signal monitored during the second period of time may not be mixed with interference, and the second carrier signal may only include the carrier signal. The amplitudes of the first and second carrier signals vary significantly. Therefore, by comparing the difference between the amplitudes of the first and second carrier signals with the threshold, it is possible to determine whether the carrier signal has been mixed with an interference signal.

[0226] Because the AIoT device receives the carrier signal and transmits the reflected signal using the same frequency domain resource, and the time domain resources can differ by one symbol, when the carrier signal transmitted on the first frequency domain resource is interfered with, the signal reflected by the AIoT device on the third time domain resource is likely to be interfered with as well. The superposition of the interference signal and the reflected signal can easily cause the first terminal to misidentify the reflected signal. As shown in Figure 15, the reflected signal transmitted by the AIoT device is used to represent 1, 0, and 1. When the reflected signal and the interference signal are superimposed, the first terminal can easily misidentify the reflected signal "0" as "1."

[0227] Taking into account the large signal strength of the terminal, when the AIoT device is affected by multiple terminals, the terminal can also detect the interference signal. When the terminal detects the interference, the terminal can delay receiving the reflected signal of the AIoT device, or no longer receive the reflected signal of the AIoT device in the current time period. That is, when the terminal predicts that the reflected signal sent by the AIoT device will be interfered with, the terminal will no longer receive or delay receiving the reflected signal. Further, when the terminal determines to delay receiving the reflected signal, the terminal can send time information for delaying the sending of the reflected signal to the AIoT device. For example, the terminal can determine the time when the interference ends based on the duration of the interference. The terminal can send the first time information to the AIoT device to notify the AIoT device of the time to delay sending the reflected signal. Alternatively, the terminal can deem that the interference is over when the interference signal cannot be identified, and the terminal sends an indication to the AIoT device to trigger the previously delayed reflected signal. Alternatively, the AIoT device can deem that the interference is over when the interference signal cannot be identified, and the AIoT device sends the previously delayed reflected signal to the terminal again. The following focuses on the solution of notifying the AIoT device to delay sending the reflected signal when the terminal identifies interference, including:

[0228] When the first terminal identifies interference, for example, the first terminal can identify the interference through energy detection, decoding carrier or scheduling signal, etc., and the interference can be a signal sent by other terminals. The first terminal can determine the first time information based on the duration of the interference. The first time information is the time information of the AIoT device delaying the sending of the reflected signal. The first terminal sends a first signal to the AIoT device, and the AIoT device receives the first signal from the first terminal. The first signal includes the first time information. The AIoT device sends the reflected signal to the first terminal based on the first time information. For example, the first terminal can determine the end time of the interference based on the duration of the interference, and the first terminal can notify the AIoT device to reflect the signal again after the interference ends. The first time information sent by the first terminal to the AIoT device can be used to indicate the time after the interference ends.

[0229] The solution of this fourth embodiment can be applied to the following scenario: an access network device communicates with multiple intermediate nodes, so that each intermediate node can communicate with an AIoT device. The multiple intermediate nodes can be fixed or mobile, without limitation.

[0230] For example, as shown in Figure 16, the access network device communicates with the AIoT device through intermediate node 1, and the access network device communicates with the AIoT device through intermediate node 2. For example, intermediate node 2 sends a carrier signal to the AIoT device, and the carrier signal sent by intermediate node 2 will cause interference to intermediate node 1 and its corresponding AIoT device. When intermediate node 1 detects the interference, it can send an indication message to the AIoT device. The indication message is used to instruct the AIoT device to delay sending the reflected signal. That is, when intermediate node 1 detects interference, it can notify its corresponding AIoT device to delay sending the reflected signal after the interference ends.

[0231] In this fourth embodiment, the AIoT device communicating with the first terminal is referred to as the first device. The first device includes a first module that can harvest energy from the environment. For example, the first module can be an energy harvesting module. Furthermore, the first device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal. Instead, the first device reflects a signal based on a carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

[0232] With the above design, when the AIoT device detects interference with the carrier signal, it will no longer reflect the carrier signal or will delay reflecting the carrier signal. Alternatively, when the terminal detects interference, it can delay receiving or stop receiving the reflected signal from the AIoT device in the current time period. It can be seen that when interference is mixed in with the reflected signal, the interference signal will no longer be transmitted, thus solving problems such as demodulation errors of the interference signal.

[0233] It is understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the order of the different steps in each process is not limited, and each process may include fewer steps or more steps than the flowchart or text description.

[0234] In the embodiments provided in the present application, the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application are introduced from the perspective of the interaction between the terminal and the AIoT device. In order to realize the various functions in the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal or AIoT device, etc., may include a hardware structure and / or a software module to realize the above functions in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module. Whether a certain function of the above functions is executed in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module depends on the design constraints of the specific application of the technical solution.

[0235] Figures 17 and 18 are schematic diagrams of the structures of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can implement one or more corresponding functions in the above-mentioned method embodiments. For example, the functions implemented by the first terminal, the second terminal, the access network device or the AIoT device may achieve the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned method embodiments. In an embodiment of the present application, the communication device may be a terminal, an access network device or an AIoT device, or the communication device may be a module (such as a chip) applied to a terminal, an access network device or an AIoT device.

[0236] As shown in Figure 17, communication device 1700 includes a processing unit 1710 and a transceiver unit 1720. Transceiver unit 1720 may also be referred to as an output unit, an interface unit, or a communication unit. In one possible implementation, transceiver unit 1720 includes at least one of a transmitting unit and a receiving unit. The transmitting unit and the receiving unit may be integrated or two separate units.

[0237] In one example, when the communication device 1700 is used to implement the function of the first terminal in the method embodiment of FIG. 5d , specifically:

[0238] The processing unit 1710 is configured to detect a first signal on a first time-frequency resource, where the first signal is a carrier signal, the carrier signal being used for reflection by a second device, or the first signal is a signaling signal, the signaling signal being signaling for communication between the second terminal and the second device.

[0239] The processing unit 1710 is further configured to determine an identifier of the second terminal based on the first signal; the transceiver unit 1720 is configured to send a second signal to the access network device, where the second signal includes the identifier of the second terminal.

[0240] In a possible implementation, the first signal includes an identifier of the second terminal, and determining the identifier of the second terminal according to the first signal includes: acquiring the identifier of the second terminal from the first signal.

[0241] In one possible implementation, determining the identifier of the second terminal based on the first signal includes: obtaining the phase of the first signal; determining the identifier of the terminal corresponding to the phase of the first signal based on the correspondence between the phase and the identifier of the terminal, and the identifier of the terminal corresponding to the phase of the first signal is the identifier of the second terminal.

[0242] In one possible implementation: the transceiver unit 1720 is further used to receive a first indication from the access network device, where the first indication is used to indicate a first group of time-frequency resources; the processing unit 1710 is further used to determine the first time-frequency resource based on the first group of time-frequency resources.

[0243] In a possible implementation manner: the transceiver unit 1720 is further configured to send indication information of the first time-frequency resource to the access network device.

[0244] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

[0245] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal, and the first device and / or the second device reflects a signal according to the carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

[0246] In one example, when the communication device 1700 is used to implement the function of the second terminal in the method embodiment of FIG. 5d , specifically:

[0247] The processing unit 1710 is used to determine the first signal according to the identifier of the second terminal, where the first signal is a carrier signal, and the carrier signal is used for reflection by the second device; or, the first signal is a signaling signal, and the signaling signal is the signaling for communication between the second terminal and the second device; the transceiver unit 1720 is used to send the first signal on the second time-frequency resource.

[0248] In a possible implementation manner, determining the first signal according to the identifier of the second terminal includes: carrying the identifier of the second terminal in the first signal.

[0249] In one possible implementation, determining the first signal based on the identifier of the second terminal includes: determining the phase corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal based on the correspondence between the terminal identifier and the phase; and generating the first signal based on the phase corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal.

[0250] In a possible implementation, when the first signal is a carrier signal, the transceiver unit 1720 is further configured to receive a reflected signal from the second device on a third time-frequency resource.

[0251] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1720 is further used to receive a second indication from the access network device, where the second indication is used to indicate a second group of time-frequency resources; the processing unit 1710 is further used to determine the second time-frequency resource in the second group of time-frequency resources.

[0252] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1720 is further configured to send indication information of the second time-frequency resource to the access network device.

[0253] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

[0254] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal, and the first device and / or the second device reflects a signal according to the carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

[0255] In a possible implementation, the second time-frequency resource overlaps with the first time-frequency resource.

[0256] In one example, when the communication device 1700 is used to implement the functions of the access network device in the method embodiment of FIG. 5D , specifically:

[0257] The transceiver unit 1720 is used to receive a second signal from the first terminal, where the second signal includes an identifier of the second terminal; the processing unit 1710 is used to reallocate time-frequency resources for communication between the first terminal and the first device, and / or reallocate time-frequency resources for communication between the second terminal and the second device.

[0258] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1720 is further configured to send a first indication to the first terminal, where the first indication is used to indicate a first group of time-frequency resources.

[0259] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1720 is further configured to receive indication information of a first time-frequency resource from the first terminal, where the first time-frequency resource is determined according to the first group of time-frequency resources.

[0260] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1720 is further configured to send a second indication to the second terminal, where the second indication is used to indicate a second set of time-frequency resources.

[0261] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1720 is further used to receive indication information of a second time-frequency resource from the second terminal, where the second time-frequency resource belongs to the second group of time-frequency resources, and the second time-frequency resource is a time-frequency resource for communication between the second terminal and the second device.

[0262] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

[0263] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal, and the first device and / or the second device reflects a signal according to the carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

[0264] In one example, when the communication apparatus 1700 is used to implement the functions of the first access network device in FIG. 9 , specifically:

[0265] Processing unit 1710 is used to detect a first signal on a first time-frequency resource, where the first signal is a carrier signal, and the carrier signal is used for reflection by the second device; or, the first signal is a signaling signal, and the signaling signal is signaling for communication between the second terminal and the second device; processing unit 1710 is also used to determine the identifier of the second terminal based on the first signal; processing unit 1710 is also used to determine the identifier of the second access network device based on the identifier of the second terminal.

[0266] In a possible implementation, the first signal includes an identifier of the second terminal, and determining the identifier of the second terminal according to the first signal includes: acquiring the identifier of the second terminal from the first signal.

[0267] In one possible implementation, determining the identifier of the second terminal based on the first signal includes: obtaining the phase of the first signal; determining the identifier of the terminal corresponding to the phase of the first signal based on the correspondence between the phase and the identifier of the terminal, and the identifier of the terminal corresponding to the phase of the first signal is the identifier of the second terminal.

[0268] In a possible implementation, determining the identifier of the second access network device according to the identifier of the second terminal includes: sending a second signal to a third device, where the second signal includes the identifier of the second terminal; and receiving a fourth signal from the third device.

[0269] The fourth signal includes an identifier of the second access network device.

[0270] In one possible implementation, determining the identifier of the second access network device based on the identifier of the second terminal includes: determining the identifier of the access network device corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal based on the correspondence between the identifier of the terminal and the identifier of the access network device, and the identifier of the access network device corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal is the identifier of the second access network device.

[0271] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1720 is further configured to send a fifth signal to the second access network device according to the identifier of the second access network device, where the fifth signal includes the identifier of the second terminal.

[0272] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1720 is further configured to send a sixth signal to the third device, where the sixth signal includes an identifier of the second access network device and an identifier of the second terminal.

[0273] In one possible implementation, the identifier of the second terminal is allocated to the second terminal by the second access network device, or the identifier of the second terminal is allocated to the second terminal after negotiation between the second access network device and the first access network device, or the identifier of the second terminal is allocated to the second terminal by a third device.

[0274] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1720 is further configured to send a first indication to the first terminal, where the first indication is used to indicate a first group of time-frequency resources.

[0275] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1720 is further configured to receive indication information of a first time-frequency resource from the first terminal, where the first time-frequency resource is determined according to the first group of time-frequency resources.

[0276] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

[0277] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal, and the first device and / or the second device reflects a signal according to the carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

[0278] In one example, when the communication device 1700 is used to implement the function of the second terminal in the method embodiment of FIG. 9 , specifically:

[0279] The processing unit 1710 is used to determine the first signal according to the identifier of the second terminal, where the first signal is a carrier signal, and the carrier signal is used for reflection by the second device, or the first signal is a signaling signal, and the signaling signal is the signaling for communication between the second terminal and the second device; the transceiver unit 1720 is used to send the first signal on the second time-frequency resource.

[0280] In a possible implementation manner, determining the first signal according to the identifier of the second terminal includes: carrying the identifier of the second terminal in the first signal.

[0281] In one possible implementation, determining the first signal based on the identifier of the second terminal includes: determining the phase corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal based on the correspondence between the terminal identifier and the phase; and generating the first signal based on the phase corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal.

[0282] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1720 is further configured to receive a reflected signal from the second device on a third time-frequency resource.

[0283] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1720 is further used to receive a second indication from a second access network device, where the second indication is used to indicate a second group of time-frequency resources; the processing unit 1710 is further used to determine the second time-frequency resource in the second group of time-frequency resources.

[0284] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1720 is further configured to send indication information of the second time-frequency resource to the second access network device.

[0285] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

[0286] In a possible implementation, the first device and / or the second device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal, and the first device and / or the second device reflects a signal according to the carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

[0287] In a possible implementation, the second time-frequency resource overlaps with the first time-frequency resource.

[0288] In one example, when the communication device 1700 is used to implement the function of the first terminal in the method embodiment of FIG. 11 , specifically:

[0289] The processing unit 1710 is used to monitor a first signal; the transceiver unit 1720 is used to send a second signal to the first device on a first time-frequency resource when the power of the first signal monitored is less than a first threshold; or, when the power of the first signal monitored is greater than or equal to the first threshold, not send the second signal to the first device on the first time-frequency resource, or delay sending the second signal to the first device, wherein the second signal is a carrier signal, and the carrier signal is used for reflection by the first device; or, the second signal is a signaling signal, and the signaling signal is signaling for communication between the first terminal and the first device.

[0290] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 1710 is further configured to determine the first threshold according to a type of the first device.

[0291] In one possible implementation, the type of the first device includes: a first device of a first type, the first device of the first type including a first component; and / or a first device of a second type, the first device of the second type not including the first component.

[0292] In one possible implementation, the type of the first device includes: a first device of a third type, wherein the capability of the second device included in the first device of the third type is greater than or equal to the second threshold; and / or a first device of a fourth type, wherein the capability of the second device included in the first device of the fourth type is less than the second threshold.

[0293] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1720 is further used to receive a first indication from an access network device, where the first indication is used to indicate a first group of time-frequency resources; the processing unit 1710 is further used to determine the first time-frequency resource based on the first group of time-frequency resources.

[0294] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1720 is further configured to send indication information of the first time-frequency resource to the access network device.

[0295] In a possible implementation, the first device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

[0296] In a possible implementation, the first device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal, and the first device reflects a signal according to the carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

[0297] In one example, when the communication device 1700 is used to implement the function of the first device (e.g., AIoT device) in the method embodiment of FIG. 13 , specifically:

[0298] The processing unit 1710 is used to monitor the first carrier signal at a first time and the second carrier signal at a second time, where the second time is adjacent to the first time; the transceiver unit 1720 is used to reflect the signal to the first terminal when the difference between the first carrier signal and the second carrier signal is less than a first threshold; or, when the difference between the first carrier signal and the second carrier signal is greater than or equal to the first threshold, not reflect the signal to the first terminal, or delay reflecting the signal to the first terminal.

[0299] In a possible implementation, the difference between the first carrier signal and the second carrier signal includes: a difference in amplitude and / or phase between the first carrier signal and the second carrier signal.

[0300] In a possible implementation, the first device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

[0301] In a possible implementation, the first device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal, and the first device reflects a signal according to a carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

[0302] In one example, when the communication device 1700 is used to implement the functions of the first terminal in the fourth embodiment, specifically:

[0303] The processing unit 1710 is used to identify interference and determine first time information based on the duration of the interference, where the first time information is the time information of the first device delaying sending the reflected signal; the transceiver unit 1720 is used to send a first signal to the first device, where the first signal includes the first time information.

[0304] In a possible implementation, the first device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

[0305] In a possible implementation, the first device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal, and the first device reflects a signal according to a carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

[0306] In one example, when the communication device 1700 is used to implement the function of the first device (e.g., AIoT device) in the fourth embodiment, specifically:

[0307] The transceiver unit 1720 is used to receive a first signal from a first terminal, where the first signal includes first time information, which is the time information of the first device delaying sending the reflected signal; the processing unit 1710 is used to send the reflected signal to the first terminal according to the first time information.

[0308] In a possible implementation, the first device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

[0309] In a possible implementation, the first device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal, and the first device reflects a signal according to a carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

[0310] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 1710 and the transceiver unit 1720, reference may be made to the description in FIG3 of the above method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0311] In one possible implementation, when the access network device adopts the O-RAN architecture, the processing unit 1710 may be located on the O-CU entity, and the transceiver unit 1720 may be located on the O-DU or O-RU entity. Optionally, when the O-CU entity includes an O-CU-CP entity and an O-CU-UP entity, the processing unit 1710 may be located on the O-CU-CP entity or the O-CU-UP entity. Alternatively, the processing unit 1710 is located on the O-DU entity, and the transceiver unit 1720 is located on the O-RU entity. Alternatively, both the processing unit 1710 and the transceiver unit 1720 are located on the O-DU entity or the O-RU entity, etc., without limitation.

[0312] It is understood that the division of units in the embodiments of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. In addition, the various functional units in the embodiments of the present application can be integrated into a physical device (for example, a processor), or each functional unit can be a separate physical device, or two or more units can be integrated into a unit for implementation. The above-mentioned integrated units can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules.

[0313] As shown in Figure 18, the communication device 1800 includes a processing circuit 1810 and an interface circuit 1820. The processing circuit 1810 and the interface circuit 1820 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the processing circuit 1810 can be a processor, and the interface circuit 1820 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0314] Optionally, the communication device 1800 may further include a memory 1830 for storing instructions executed by the processing circuit 1810 or storing input data required for the processing circuit 1810 to run instructions or storing data generated after the processing circuit 1810 runs instructions.

[0315] Optionally, the memory (eg, 1830 ) in the embodiment of the present application may be integrated into the processing circuit (eg, 1810 ), or the memory (eg, 1830 ) and the processing circuit (eg, 1810 ) may be provided separately.

[0316] When the communication device 1800 is used to implement the method shown in Figure 5d, Figure 9, Figure 11 or Figure 13, the processing circuit 1810 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned processing unit 1710, and the interface circuit 1820 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned transceiver unit 1720.

[0317] When the communication device is a chip used in a terminal, the chip implements the terminal functions described in the method embodiments. The chip receives information sent by the access network device to the terminal through other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna); alternatively, the chip sends information to other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal to the access network device.

[0318] When the above-mentioned communication device is a module applied to an access network device, the module implements the functions of the access network device in the above-mentioned method embodiments. The module receives information from other modules in the access network device (such as a radio frequency module or antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal to the access network device; or the module sends information to other modules in the access network device (such as a radio frequency module or antenna), and the information is sent by the access network device to the terminal.

[0319] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0320] The memory in the embodiments of the present application can be a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a register, a hard disk, a mobile hard disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art.

[0321] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions that can be executed by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disk, mobile hard disk, CD-ROM or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC.

[0322] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, which includes a processor and a memory, and the processor is used to implement the function of the first terminal, the second terminal, or the access network device in Figure 5d, or to implement the function of the first access network device or the second terminal in Figure 9, or to implement the function of the first terminal in Figure 11, or to implement the function of the first device (for example, an AIoT device) in Figure 13.

[0323] For example, a processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in a memory, wherein the memory is configured to store the computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the method of the first terminal, the second terminal, or the access network device in FIG5d is executed, or the method of the first access network device or the second terminal in FIG9 is executed, or the function of the first terminal in FIG11 is executed, or the function of the first device (e.g., an AIoT device) in FIG13 is executed. The processor and the memory are optionally coupled.

[0324] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, including a processor, which is used to implement the functions of the first terminal, the second terminal, or the access network device in Figure 5d, or to implement the functions of the first access network device or the second terminal in Figure 9, or to implement the functions of the first terminal in Figure 11, or to implement the functions of the first device (for example, an AIoT device) in Figure 13.

[0325] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, which may also be referred to as computer programs, computer program codes, etc. The instructions are executed on a computer, causing the computer to execute the functions of the first terminal, second terminal, or access network device in FIG. 5 d in the above method embodiment, or to implement the functions of the first access network device or second terminal in FIG. 9 , or to implement the functions of the first terminal in FIG. 11 , or to implement the functions of the first device (e.g., an AIoT device) in FIG. 13 .

[0326] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions, wherein the computer program product includes a computer program or instructions for executing the method of the first terminal, the second terminal, or the access network device in Figure 5d, or the computer program product includes a computer program or instructions for executing the method of the first access network device or the second terminal in Figure 9, or the computer program product includes a computer program or instructions for executing the method of the first terminal in Figure 11, or the computer program instructions include a computer program or instructions for executing the method of the first device (e.g., an AIoT device) in Figure 13.

[0327] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip, which includes a processor, which is coupled to a memory, and the processor is used to execute a computer program or instruction stored in the memory, so that the function of the first terminal, the second terminal, or the access network device in Figure 5d is realized, or the function of the first access network device or the second terminal in Figure 9 is realized, or the function of the first terminal in Figure 11 is realized, or the function of the first device (for example, an AIoT device) in Figure 13 is realized.

[0328] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, comprising a first communication device, a second communication device, and a third communication device. The first communication device is configured to implement the functions of the first terminal in Figure 5d, the second communication device is configured to implement the functions of the second terminal in Figure 5d, and the third communication device is configured to implement the functions of the access network device in Figure 5d. Alternatively, the communication system comprises a first communication device and a second communication device, wherein the first communication device is configured to implement the functions of the first access network device in Figure 9, and the second communication device is configured to implement the functions of the second terminal in Figure 9.

[0329] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video disk; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0330] 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.

[0331] The various numbers and terms such as "first" and "second" used in the embodiments of this application are merely for convenience of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not necessarily indicate the order in which they are executed. The order in which the processes are executed should be determined by their functions and internal logic.

[0332] In the embodiments of the present application, the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, means "singular noun or plural noun", that is, "one or more". "At least one" means one or more, and "plurality" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. "Including at least one of A, B or C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B and C.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a first terminal and includes: A first signal is detected on a first time-frequency resource, where the first signal is a carrier signal, and the carrier signal is used for reflection by the second device; or the first signal is a signaling signal, and the signaling signal is signaling for communication between the second terminal and the second device; determining an identifier of a second terminal according to the first signal; A second signal is sent to the access network device, where the second signal includes an identifier of the second terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first signal includes an identifier of the second terminal, and determining the identifier of the second terminal according to the first signal includes: In the first signal, obtain the identifier of the second terminal.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The determining, according to the first signal, an identifier of the second terminal includes: obtaining a phase of the first signal; According to the correspondence between the phase and the identifier of the terminal, the identifier of the terminal corresponding to the phase of the first signal is determined, and the identifier of the terminal corresponding to the phase of the first signal is used as the identifier of the second terminal.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that Also includes: receiving a first indication from the access network device, where the first indication is used to indicate a first group of time-frequency resources; Determine the first time-frequency resource based on the first group of time-frequency resources.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that Also includes: Send indication information of the first time-frequency resource to the access network device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first device and / or the second device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first device and / or the second device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal. The first device and / or the second device reflects a signal according to the carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

8. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to the second terminal, including: Determining a first signal according to an identifier of the second terminal, where the first signal is a carrier signal, and the carrier signal is used for reflection by the second device; or, the first signal is a signaling signal, and the signaling signal is signaling for communication between the second terminal and the second device; The first signal is sent on a second time-frequency resource.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The determining the first signal according to the identifier of the second terminal includes: The first signal carries the identifier of the second terminal.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein The determining the first signal according to the identifier of the second terminal includes: Determining the phase corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal according to the correspondence between the terminal identifier and the phase; The first signal is generated according to the phase corresponding to the identifier of the second terminal.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that When the first signal is a carrier signal, the method further includes: A reflected signal from the second device is received on a third time-frequency resource.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that Also includes: receiving a second indication from the access network device, where the second indication is used to indicate a second set of time-frequency resources; In the second group of time-frequency resources, determine the second time-frequency resource.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: Also includes: Send indication information of the second time-frequency resource to the access network device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that The first device and / or the second device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

15. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 14, characterized in that The first device and / or the second device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal. The first device and / or the second device reflects a signal according to the carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

16. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 15, characterized in that The second time-frequency resource overlaps with the first time-frequency resource.

17. A communication method, characterized in that: include: receiving a second signal from the first terminal, wherein the second signal includes an identifier of the second terminal; Reallocate time-frequency resources for communication between the first terminal and the first device, and / or reallocate time-frequency resources for communication between the second terminal and the second device.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein Also includes: A first indication is sent to the first terminal, where the first indication is used to indicate a first group of time-frequency resources.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein Also includes: Receive indication information of a first time-frequency resource from the first terminal, where the first time-frequency resource is determined based on the first group of time-frequency resources.

20. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that Also includes: A second indication is sent to the second terminal, where the second indication is used to indicate a second set of time-frequency resources.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein Also includes: Receive indication information of a second time-frequency resource from the second terminal, where the second time-frequency resource belongs to the second group of time-frequency resources, and the second time-frequency resource is a time-frequency resource for communication between the second terminal and the second device.

22. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 21, characterized in that The first device and / or the second device includes a first module, and the first module can obtain energy from the environment.

23. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 22, characterized in that The first device and / or the second device does not have the ability to generate an uplink signal. The first device and / or the second device reflects a signal according to the carrier signal, and the reflected signal serves as the uplink signal.

24. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a first access network device, including: A first signal is detected on a first time-frequency resource, where the first signal is a carrier signal, and the carrier signal is used for reflection by a second device; or, the first signal is a signaling signal, and the signaling signal is signaling for communication between the second terminal and the second device; based on the first signal, an identifier of the second terminal is determined; based on the identifier of the second terminal, an identifier of the second access network device is determined.

25. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to the second terminal, including: Determining a first signal according to the identifier of the second terminal, where the first signal is a carrier signal, the carrier signal being used for reflection by the second device, or the first signal is a signaling signal, the signaling signal being signaling for communication between the second terminal and the second device; The first signal is sent on a second time-frequency resource.

26. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a first terminal and includes: monitoring a first signal; If the power of the monitored first signal is less than a first threshold, a second signal is sent to the first device on a first time-frequency resource; or If the power of the monitored first signal is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the second signal is not sent to the first device on the first time-frequency resource, or the second signal is delayed in being sent to the first device, where the second signal is a carrier signal, and the carrier signal is used for reflection by the first device; or The second signal is a signaling signal, and the signaling signal is signaling for communication between the first terminal and the first device.

27. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a first device and includes: At a first time, monitoring a first carrier signal; monitoring a second carrier signal at a second time, where the second time is adjacent to the first time; The difference between the first carrier signal and the second carrier signal is smaller than a first threshold, and the signal is reflected to the first terminal; or, The difference between the first carrier signal and the second carrier signal is greater than or equal to the first threshold, and the signal is not reflected to the first terminal, or the signal is reflected to the first terminal with a delay.

28. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a first terminal and includes: Identify interference; Determining first time information according to the duration of the interference, where the first time information is time information of a delay in sending the reflected signal by the first device; A first signal is sent to the first device, where the first signal includes the first time information.

29. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a first device and includes: receiving a first signal from a first terminal, where the first signal includes first time information, where the first time information is time information of a delay in sending a reflected signal by the first device; Send a reflected signal to the first terminal according to the first time information.

30. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising a unit for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or a unit of the method of any one of claims 8 to 16, or a unit of the method of any one of claims 17 to 23, or a unit of the method of any one of claims 24 to 29.

31. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor for executing computer programs or instructions stored in a memory, The memory is used to store the computer program or the instructions, When the computer program or the instructions are executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 16 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 17 to 23 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 24 to 29 is executed.

32. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive a signal from another device outside the device and transmit it to the processor or send a signal from the processor to another device outside the device, and the processor is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 16, or the method according to any one of claims 17 to 23, or the method according to any one of claims 24 to 29 through a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

33. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, which are executed on a computer to cause the computer to execute the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method of any one of claims 8 to 16, or the method of any one of claims 17 to 23, or the method of any one of claims 24 to 29.

34. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises a computer program or an instruction, which, when executed by a device, causes the method of any one of claims 1 to 7 to be executed, or the method of any one of claims 8 to 16 to be executed, or the method of any one of claims 17 to 23 to be executed, or the method of any one of claims 24 to 29 to be executed.

35. A chip, characterized in that: The chip comprises a processor coupled to a memory and configured to execute a computer program or instruction stored in the memory, so that the chip implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or implements the method of any one of claims 8 to 16, or implements the method of any one of claims 17 to 23, or implements the method of any one of claims 24 to 29.

36. A communication system, characterized in that: include: a first communication device, configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7; a second communication device, the second communication device being configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 8 to 16; A third communication device, configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 17 to 23.

Images