Communication method, communication apparatus, and medium

Abstract

Disclosed in embodiments of the present application are a communication method, a communication apparatus, and a medium, which are applied to the technical field of communications, and used for reporting the capability of combining carrier aggregation of a sidelink of a terminal device and a sidelink positioning capability. The method of the embodiments of the present application comprises: sending a first message to a first network element, the first message carrying first information, and the first information being used for indicating the capability of combining carrier aggregation of a sidelink of a first terminal device and a sidelink positioning capability; receiving a sidelink resource from the first network element, the sidelink resource being configured on the basis of first information. According to the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can report whether the terminal device supports the capability of combining the carrier aggregation of the sidelink and the sidelink positioning capability, thereby avoiding reporting of the capability multiple times, and reducing signaling overhead.

Description

Communication method, communication device and medium

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on April 3, 2024, with application number 202410406024.0 and application name “A Communication Method, Communication Device and Medium”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0003] Due to the scarcity of continuous spectrum bandwidth, Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) has proposed the concept of carrier aggregation (CA). The core idea is to combine two or even more channels within the same frequency band or between different frequency bands into a larger communication bandwidth, thereby improving the uplink and downlink transmission rates.

[0004] With the development of fifth-generation mobile communication technology (5G), carrier aggregation technology has been further applied and optimized in the sidelink (SL), namely SL-CA. At the same time, terminal devices can perform SL positioning by sending positioning reference signals (PRS) to roadside units (RSUs) or other terminals, namely SL-PRS.

[0005] Based on this, a method for reporting the combined capabilities of SL-CA and SL positioning of terminal devices is urgently needed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method, a communication device, and a medium for reporting the combined capability of carrier aggregation and sidelink positioning capability of a sidelink of a terminal device.

[0007] The first aspect of the present application provides a communication method, optionally, the execution subject of the method can be a terminal device, or a component or device applied to the terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the terminal device functions. Taking the terminal device as an example, the first terminal device sends a first message to the first network element, and the first message carries the first information. The first information is used to indicate the combination capability of the carrier aggregation and sidelink positioning capability of the sidelink of the first terminal device. The first network element determines whether the first terminal device supports the ability to send or receive sidelink signals based on the first information, thereby configuring the sidelink resources. The first terminal device receives the sidelink resources from the first network element, and the sidelink resources are used for the first terminal device to send sidelink signals.

[0008] In this embodiment, since the first terminal device reports the combined capability of the sidelink carrier aggregation and the sidelink positioning capability through the first message, there is no need to report the capability multiple times, thereby reducing the signaling overhead.

[0009] A second aspect of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a terminal device, or a component or device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The communication device includes:

[0010] a processing unit, configured to determine a first message;

[0011] An interface unit, configured to send a first message to a first network element, where the first message carries first information, and the first information is used to indicate a combined capability of sidelink carrier aggregation and sidelink positioning capability of the first terminal device;

[0012] The interface unit is further configured to receive sidelink resources from the first network element, where the sidelink resources are configured based on the first information.

[0013] The third aspect of the present application provides a communication method. Optionally, the execution subject of the method can be a terminal device, or a component or device applied to the terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the terminal device functions. Taking the terminal device as an example, the first terminal device sends a first message to the second terminal device, and the first message carries first information. The first information is used to indicate the combination capability of the carrier aggregation and sidelink positioning capability of the sidelink of the first terminal device. The first message is used to inform the second terminal device whether the first terminal device supports sending or receiving sidelink signals.

[0014] A fourth aspect of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a terminal device, or a component or device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The communication device includes:

[0015] a processing unit, configured to determine a first message;

[0016] An interface unit is used to send a first message to a second terminal device, where the first message carries first information, and the first information is used to indicate the combined capability of the sidelink carrier aggregation and sidelink positioning capability of the first terminal device.

[0017] The fifth aspect of the present application provides a communication method. Optionally, the execution subject of the method can be a terminal device, or a component or device applied to the terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the terminal device functions. Taking the terminal device as an example, the second terminal device receives a first message from the first terminal device, and the first message carries first information, and the first information is used to indicate the combination capability of the sidelink carrier aggregation and sidelink positioning capability of the first terminal device. The first message is used to inform the second terminal device whether the first terminal device supports sending or receiving sidelink signals.

[0018] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a terminal device, or a component or device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The communication device includes:

[0019] An interface unit, configured to receive a first message from a first terminal device, where the first message carries first information, and the first information is used to indicate a sidelink carrier aggregation and sidelink positioning capability of the first terminal device;

[0020] A processing unit is configured to process the first message.

[0021] Based on aspects 3 to 6 of the present application, in some possible implementations, the first terminal device further receives a second message from the second terminal device, where the second message carries second information. The second information is used to indicate a combined capability of sidelink carrier aggregation and sidelink positioning capability of the second terminal device.

[0022] Based on aspects 3 to 6 of the present application, in some possible implementations, the second message is used to indicate that the second terminal device supports sidelink positioning capability, and the sidelink positioning capability includes the ability to receive sidelink positioning signals or the ability to send sidelink positioning signals.

[0023] In this embodiment, the second terminal device sends a second message to the first terminal device, thereby realizing capability interaction between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, which is beneficial to subsequent side link communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0024] Based on aspects 3 to 6 of the present application, in some possible implementations, the second message is a terminal capability message, the second information is third indication information, the third indication information is used to indicate the sidelink positioning capability of the second terminal device on the second frequency band, and the second frequency band is configured with sidelink carrier aggregation.

[0025] In this embodiment, by carrying the third indication information in the second message, the frequency band in which the second terminal device supports the sidelink positioning capability can be obtained, which is beneficial to the subsequent sidelink communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0026] Based on aspects 3 to 6 of the present application, in some possible implementations, the second message is a terminal capability message, the second information is fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate the sidelink positioning capability of the second terminal device on the frequency band in the second frequency band combination, and the frequency band in the second frequency band combination is configured with sidelink carrier aggregation.

[0027] In this embodiment, by carrying the fourth indication information in the second message, the frequency band combination that supports the sidelink positioning capability of the second terminal device can be obtained, which is beneficial to the subsequent sidelink communication between the first terminal device and the second terminal device.

[0028] The seventh aspect of the present application provides a communication method. Optionally, the execution subject of the method can be a first network element, or a component or device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) applied to the first network element, or a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the first network element. Taking the first network element as an example, the first network element receives a first message from a first terminal device, and the first message carries first information, and the first information is used to indicate the carrier aggregation and sidelink positioning capability of the sidelink of the first terminal device. The first network element configures the sidelink resources according to the first information and sends the sidelink resources to the first terminal device.

[0029] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a first network element, or a component or device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the first network element, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first network element. The communication device includes:

[0030] An interface unit, configured to receive a first message from a first terminal device, where the first message carries first information, and the first information is used to indicate a sidelink carrier aggregation and sidelink positioning capability of the first terminal device;

[0031] a processing unit, configured to configure sidelink resources according to the first message;

[0032] The interface unit is further used to send side link resources to the first terminal device, where the side link resources are configured based on the first information.

[0033] Based on the first to eighth aspects of the present application, in some possible implementations, the first message is a terminal capability message, the first information is first indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate the sidelink positioning capability of the first terminal device on the first frequency band, and the first frequency band is configured with sidelink carrier aggregation.

[0034] Based on the first to eighth aspects of the present application, in some possible implementations, the first message is a terminal capability message, the first information is second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate the sidelink positioning capability of the first terminal device on the frequency band in the first frequency band combination, and the frequency band in the first frequency band combination is configured with sidelink carrier aggregation.

[0035] Based on the first to eighth aspects of the present application, in some possible implementations, the first information is used to indicate that the first terminal device supports sidelink positioning capability, and the sidelink positioning capability includes the ability to receive sidelink positioning signals or the ability to send sidelink positioning signals.

[0036] Based on the first to eighth aspects of the present application, in some possible embodiments, the sidelink positioning capability includes the ability to support receiving sidelink positioning signals but not supporting sending sidelink positioning signals; or, the ability to not support receiving sidelink positioning signals but supporting sending sidelink positioning signals; or, the ability to support receiving sidelink positioning signals and supporting sending sidelink positioning signals.

[0037] Based on the first to eighth aspects of the present application, in some possible implementations, the first network element is an access network device or a core network device.

[0038] In the ninth aspect of the present application, a chip or chip system is provided, which includes at least one processor and a communication interface, the communication interface and the at least one processor are interconnected through lines, and the at least one processor is used to run computer programs or instructions to perform the communication method described in any one of the possible implementation methods of the first, third, fifth or seventh aspects.

[0039] The communication interface in the chip may be an input / output interface, a pin or a circuit, etc.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the chip or chip system described above in this application further includes at least one memory, wherein instructions are stored in the at least one memory. The memory may be a storage unit within the chip, such as a register or cache, or a storage unit of the chip, such as a read-only memory or random access memory.

[0041] In the tenth aspect of the present application, a communication system is provided, comprising a communication device for executing the method described in the first aspect, and a communication device for executing the method described in the seventh aspect; or, a communication device for executing the method described in the third aspect, and a communication device for executing the method described in the fifth aspect.

[0042] In the eleventh aspect of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising instructions. When the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method as described in the first aspect above, or the computer is caused to execute the method as described in the third aspect above, or the computer is caused to execute the method as described in the fifth aspect above, or the computer is caused to execute the method as described in the seventh aspect above.

[0043] The twelfth aspect of the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the first aspect, or the method described in the third aspect, or the method described in the fifth aspect, or the method described in the seventh aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] FIG1 is a system architecture diagram according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG2 is a possible application scenario of the communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication method according to the embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication method according to the embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a communication device in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, a communication device, and a medium, which are applied to the communication field and are used to report the combined capability of carrier aggregation and sidelink positioning capability of a terminal device's sidelink.

[0053] The embodiments of the present application are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, with the development of technology and the emergence of new scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0054] The terms "first", "second" etc. in the specification, claims and drawings of the present application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequential order. It should be understood that the terms used in this way can be interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, and this is merely a way of distinguishing the objects of the same attributes when describing them in the embodiments of the present application. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, so that the process, method, system, product or equipment comprising a series of units need not be limited to those units, but may include other units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or equipment.

[0055] First, some technical terms involved in the embodiments of this application are introduced.

[0056] 1) Carrier aggregation (CA) is a wireless communication technology whose core concept is to combine two or more channels within the same frequency band or across different frequency bands into a larger communication bandwidth, thereby improving uplink and downlink transmission rates. Specifically, carrier aggregation can efficiently utilize operators' dispersed spectrum, achieving higher bandwidth through multiple carriers, increasing network peak rates, and thus improving the user experience. In the case of carrier aggregation, the uplink bandwidth is typically much narrower than the downlink bandwidth, necessitating support for asymmetric carrier configurations.

[0057] According to the continuity of the aggregated carriers in the spectrum, carrier aggregation can be divided into continuous carrier aggregation and non-continuous carrier aggregation. Continuous carrier aggregation is to integrate several adjacent smaller carriers into a larger carrier, while non-continuous carrier aggregation is to aggregate discrete multiple carriers and use them as a wider frequency band, and realize simultaneous transmission of discrete frequency bands through unified baseband processing. With the development of 5G technology, carrier aggregation technology has also been further applied and optimized in the sidelink, that is, direct communication between vehicles, vehicles and infrastructure, vehicles and pedestrians, etc. Sidelink carrier aggregation can make full use of available spectrum resources and significantly improve the data transmission rate by combining multiple carriers to form a wider communication bandwidth. Among them, carrier aggregation can also be called bandwidth aggregation.

[0058] 2) sidelink positioning;

[0059] In sidelink positioning, SL-PRS signals are sent between terminals and roadside units (RSUs), or between terminals, to estimate information such as channel arrival delay and angle, which are used to estimate relative positions or absolute positioning between terminals. Regarding SL-PRS resources, Sidelink currently supports two resource allocation schemes: Mode 1 and Mode 2. Mode 1 involves the access network device scheduling sidelink resources for terminal devices for sidelink transmission. Mode 2 involves the terminal device determining sidelink resources (pre-configured) by the access network device or network equipment.

[0060] Please refer to Figure 1. The following briefly describes the network architecture based on the communication method in the embodiment of the present application:

[0061] Figure 1 is a possible, non-limiting system diagram. As shown in Figure 1 , the communication system 10 includes a RAN 100 and a CN 200. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (such as 110a and 110b in Figure 1 , collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (such as 120a-120j in Figure 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 Figure 1 ). The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110. The RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 200. The core network equipment in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device that integrates core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0062] The RAN 100 may be a cellular system related to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a 4G or 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolutionary system (such as a 6G mobile communication system). The RAN 100 may also be an ORAN, a CRAN, or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. The RAN 100 may also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0063] The RAN node 110, which may also sometimes be referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity or access node, etc., constitutes a part of the communication system to help terminals achieve wireless access. The multiple RAN nodes 110 in the communication system 10 may be nodes of the same type or nodes of different types. In some scenarios, the roles of the RAN node 110 and the terminal 120 are relative. For example, the network element 120i in Figure 1 may be a helicopter or a drone, which may be configured as a mobile base station. For the terminal 120j that accesses the RAN 100 through the network element 120i, the network element 120i is a base station; but for the base station 110a, the network element 120i is a terminal. The RAN node 110 and the terminal 120 are sometimes referred to as communication devices. For example, the network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 may be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and the network elements 120a-120j may be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0064] 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 sixth generation (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 an RSU. All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this 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 may also be provided with a communication module, circuit, or chip that performs the corresponding communication functions. The RAN node may also be configured with program instructions for executing corresponding communication functions and corresponding program instructions. The RAN node in this application may also be a logical node, logical module or software that can implement all or part of the RAN node functions.

[0065] 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-CP, a CU-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 a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0066] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0067] A terminal can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. A terminal can also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. A terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver functions, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home appliance, transport vehicle with wireless communication functions, communication module, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. The terminal is typically provided with a communication module, circuit, or chip that performs the corresponding communication functions. The terminal is also configured with program instructions for performing the corresponding communication functions.

[0068] In addition, the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to other future-oriented communication technologies. The network architecture and service scenarios described in this application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of this application and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by this application. It is known to those skilled in the art that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided in this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0069] In this application, "sending a message" can be understood as one device sending a message to another device, or as one logical module within a device sending a message to another logical module. For example, "a RAN device sending a message" can be understood as the RAN device sending a message to another device (such as a terminal device), or as logical module 1 within the RAN device sending a message to logical module 2 within the RAN device.

[0070] In this application, "receiving a message" can be understood as one device receiving a message from another device, or as a logic module within a device receiving a message from another logic module. For example, "a RAN device receiving a message" can be understood as the RAN device receiving a message from another device (such as a terminal device), or as logic module 1 within the RAN device receiving a message from logic module 2 within the RAN device.

[0071] In this application, "sending a message to... (e.g., a terminal device)" or the related illustrations in the accompanying drawings can be understood as the destination end of the message being the terminal. This can include sending messages to a terminal device directly or indirectly. "Receiving a message from... (e.g., a terminal device)" or "receiving a message from... (e.g., a terminal device)" or "receiving a message sent by (e.g., a terminal device)" or the related illustrations in the accompanying drawings can be understood as the source end of the message being a terminal device, which can include receiving a message from a terminal device directly or indirectly. The message may be processed as necessary between the source end and the destination end of the message, such as format changes, but the destination end can understand the valid message from the source end. Similar expressions in this application can be understood similarly and will not be repeated here.

[0072] Figure 2 shows three application scenarios applicable to the embodiments of the present application. In scenario one, two terminal devices achieve mutual positioning, such as ranging or angle measurement, by sending SL-PRS in a scenario without network coverage. In scenario two, a terminal device achieves sidelink positioning by receiving SL-PRS sent by multiple roadside facilities RSU. In scenario three, two terminal devices are within the coverage of a RAN device and achieve mutual ranging or angle measurement by sending SL-PRS under the control of the RAN device, and send the measurement results to the positioning center of the CN through the RAN device.

[0073] The communication method and apparatus are further introduced below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It can be understood that the present application uses the terminal device and the first network element as an example to illustrate the execution subject of the interaction diagram, but the present application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction diagram. For example, the method executed by the terminal device in the present application can also be implemented by a module in the terminal device (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.), or a logical node, a logical module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the terminal device; the method executed by the first network element in the present application can also be implemented by a module in the first network element (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.), or a logical node, a logical module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the first network element.

[0074] In the scenarios shown in Figure 2, terminal devices all require the ability to interact with SL-CA and SL positioning. The following describes these three scenarios separately:

[0075] 1. The terminal device's ability to report to the first network element;

[0076] Referring to FIG3 , a communication method in an embodiment of the present application includes:

[0077] 301. A first terminal device sends a first message to a first network element;

[0078] A radio resource control (RRC) link is established between a first terminal device and a first network element, and the first terminal device sends a first message to the first network element. The first message is an RRC message, and the first message includes first information, and the first information is used to indicate the combined capability of SL-CA and SL positioning of the first terminal device.

[0079] The first network element may be a network device. The first network element may also be a RAN device, which forwards the capability information reported by the first terminal device to the network device, which is not specifically limited here. If the first terminal device is a terminal device that sends an SL-PRS, the first terminal device is also referred to as a Tx terminal device or a Tx UE, which is not specifically limited here.

[0080] In one possible implementation, the first message is a terminal capability message, namely, a UECapabilityInformation message, which is used to indicate the capabilities supported by the terminal device. Among them, the UECapabilityInformation includes the terminal device's new radio (NR) radio access capability parameter, namely, the UE-NR-Capability parameter, which is used to indicate the terminal device's function and interface support in the NR wireless communication system. The UE-NR-Capability parameter includes the RF-Parameters parameter, which is used to indicate parameters such as capabilities related to the UE radio frequency (RF). The RF-Parameters include BandNR, which is used to indicate the frequency band supported by the terminal device. Exemplarily, the frequency band supported by the terminal device is the first frequency band. BandNR includes configuration information of the frequency band and the first indication information. Among them, the first indication information is used to indicate the SL positioning capability of the terminal device on the first frequency band, and SL-CA is configured on the first frequency band.

[0081] In the embodiment of the present application, by reporting the combined capability of SL-CA and SL positioning of the first terminal device, the first terminal device does not need to report multiple times, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0082] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is SL-PRSindication, which is used to indicate the combined SL-CA and SL positioning capabilities of the first terminal device on the first frequency band. It should be understood that the actual function of the first indication information in the embodiment of the present application is not limited by its name. The first indication information may also be SL-PRSindication-R18 or other names, which are not specifically limited here.

[0083] It should be noted that the SL positioning capability is used to indicate the ability of the terminal device to receive or send SL-PRS, that is, the first indication information is used to indicate whether the first terminal device supports receiving or sending SL-PRS. Specifically, the SL positioning capability is shown in Table 1 below:

[0084] Table 1:

[0085] As shown in Table 1, the first indication information can be divided into the transmitting end and the receiving end for reporting. Exemplarily, SL-PRSindicationTx is used to indicate the SL positioning capability of the first terminal device as a transmitting end, that is, the ability to send SL-PRS. When the parameter value is supported, the first terminal device supports sending SL-PRS. Similarly, SL-PRSindicationRx is used to indicate the SL positioning capability of the first terminal device as a receiving end, that is, the ability to receive SL-PRS. When the parameter value is supported, the first terminal device supports receiving SL-PRS. The SL positioning capability reported by the first terminal device may include: supporting the ability to receive sidelink positioning signals but not supporting the ability to send sidelink positioning signals; or, not supporting the ability to receive sidelink positioning signals but supporting the ability to send sidelink positioning signals; or, supporting the ability to receive sidelink positioning signals and supporting the ability to send sidelink positioning signals; or, not supporting the ability to receive sidelink positioning signals but not supporting the ability to send sidelink positioning signals.

[0086] It should be noted that, in one possible implementation, if the first terminal device does not support the ability to send or receive sidelink positioning signals, the first terminal device does not send or receive capability information for sidelink positioning signals. Exemplarily, if the first terminal device does not support receiving sidelink positioning signals, the first terminal device does not send the SL-PRSindicationRx parameter, which is not specifically limited here.

[0087] In a possible implementation, supporting SL-PRS reception may be understood as supporting SL-PRS reception on a shared SL-PRS resource pool and / or a dedicated SL-PRS resource pool on a frequency band configured with SL-CA.

[0088] In one possible implementation, supporting the transmission of SL-PRS may be understood as supporting the transmission of SL-PRS on a shared SL-PRS resource pool and / or a dedicated SL-PRS resource pool on a frequency band configured with SL-CA.

[0089] It should be noted that, since in the sidelink, terminal devices have different capabilities for sending and receiving SL-PRS, there may be differences in sending and receiving capabilities on different frequency bands.

[0090] In one possible implementation, if the first terminal device only supports sending SL-PRS or only supports receiving SL-PRS, the first indication information includes one of the parameters of SL-PRSindicationTx or SL-PRSindicationRx. In the embodiment of the present application, the first indication information includes one of the parameters of SL-PRSindicationTx or SL-PRSindicationRx, which can realize the reporting of SL positioning capability while reducing signaling overhead.

[0091] It should be understood that the actual functions of SL-PRSindicationRx and SL-PRSindicationTx in the embodiments of the present application are not limited by their names. SL-PRSindicationRx and SL-PRSindicationTx can also be other names, which are not specifically limited here.

[0092] It should be noted that the above-mentioned capability reporting is based on the frequency band level (per band) reporting. In a possible implementation, the first terminal device can report based on the frequency band combination level (per bandcombination). Specifically, RF-Parameters includes supportedBandCombinationList, which is used to indicate the frequency band combination list supported by the terminal device. Exemplarily, the frequency band combination list includes the first frequency band combination. supportedBandCombinationList includes second indication information, which is used to indicate the SL positioning capability of the first terminal device on the frequency band of the first frequency band combination, and SL-CA is configured on the frequency band of the first frequency band combination.

[0093] It should be noted that the first frequency band combination can be the frequency band combination of the communication interface of the communication link between the terminal device and the RAN device, that is, the frequency band combination of the UU port, or it can be the frequency band combination of the communication interface of the communication link between the terminal device and the terminal device, that is, the frequency band combination of the PC5 port.

[0094] In one possible implementation, the second indication information is BandCombination-SidelinkPOS, which is used to indicate the combined SL-CA and SL positioning capabilities of the first terminal device on the frequency band of the first frequency band combination. It should be understood that the substantive function of the second indication information in the embodiment of the present application is not limited by its name. The second indication information may also be BandCombination-SidelinkPOS-R18 or other names, which are not specifically limited here.

[0095] In one possible implementation, the first message is a UECapabilityInformationSidelink message, which is used to indicate the terminal device's sidelink capabilities. The message includes a supportedBandListSidelink parameter, which is used to indicate the SL-CA frequency band supported by the terminal device. Exemplarily, the frequency band is the first frequency band. The first message includes BandSidelinkPC5 signaling, which includes first indication information, which is used to indicate the terminal device's SL positioning capability on the first frequency band. The first indication information is SL-PRSindication.

[0096] In one possible implementation, the first message includes a supportedBandCombinationListSidelinkNR parameter, which is used to indicate the SL-CA frequency band combination supported by the terminal device. Exemplarily, the frequency band combination is the first frequency band combination. The first message carries second indication information, which is used to indicate the SL positioning capability of the first terminal device on the frequency band of the first frequency band combination.

[0097] In one possible implementation, the second indication information is BandCombinationParametersSidelinkPosNR, which is used to indicate the combined capability of SL-CA and SL positioning capabilities of the first terminal device on the first frequency band combination. It should be understood that the actual function of the first indication information in the embodiment of the present application is not limited by its name, and the second indication information may also be BandCombinationParametersSidelinkPosNR-R18 or other names, which are not specifically limited here.

[0098] It should be noted that in NR Rel-18, in a frequency band where SL-CA is (pre-)configured, the transmission or reception of SL-PRS is supported in the following cases:

[0099] 1) In a shared SL-PRS resource pool within a single SL carrier, the transmit power control of SL-PRS follows the rules defined in SL-CA in NR Rel-18;

[0100] 2) In a dedicated SL-SPRS resource pool in a single SL carrier when the time slots (pre-)configured for the dedicated SL-PRS resource pool do not conflict with the time slots (pre-)configured for any other resource pool or S-SSB resources in other carriers.

[0101] 302. The first network element configures sidelink resources for the first terminal device;

[0102] The first network element receives the combined capability of SL-CA and SL positioning reported by the first terminal device, and configures different SL-PRS resources and SL CA resources for sidelink positioning or sidelink communication according to the capability reported by the first terminal device.

[0103] In the embodiment of the present application, the RAN device may configure the sidelink resources for the first terminal device, or the network device may configure the sidelink resources. The SL-PRS resources and SL CA resources configured by the network device may be directly configured for the terminal device, or may be sent to the RAN device and forwarded to the terminal device by the RAN device, the specific details of which are not limited here.

[0104] In one possible implementation, after receiving the sidelink resource, the first terminal device sends a sidelink signal to the other terminal device based on the sidelink resource. The sidelink signal can be an SL-PRS or an SL communication signal, which is not specifically limited here.

[0105] 2. Interaction capabilities between terminal devices;

[0106] Referring to FIG4 , a communication method in an embodiment of the present application includes:

[0107] 401. A first terminal device sends a first message to a second terminal device;

[0108] The first terminal device sends its SL-CA and SL-PRS combined capabilities to the second terminal device via a first message. This first message is a sidelink message carried by the Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP) and transmitted through the PC5 port. The content carried by this first message is similar to the first message in the embodiment shown in Figure 3 and is not further described here.

[0109] Optionally, 402, the second terminal device sends a second message to the first terminal device;

[0110] The second terminal device sends a second message to the first terminal device. This second message is a sidelink message. The second message is used to carry the second terminal device's SL-CA and SL-PRS combined capabilities. The content carried in the second message is similar to the first message in the embodiment shown in Figure 3 above, and the details are not repeated here.

[0111] Optionally, 403: The first terminal device sends a sidelink signal to the second terminal device;

[0112] After the first terminal device and the second terminal device exchange information regarding the combined capabilities of SL-CA and SL-PRS, if the first terminal device supports sending sidelink signals and the second terminal device supports receiving sidelink signals, the first terminal device transmits the sidelink signal to the second terminal device. The sidelink signal includes a sidelink positioning signal and a sidelink communication signal, with the sidelink positioning signal being the SL-PRS. The sidelink communication signal and the SL-PRS may be located in the same frequency band, which is not specifically limited herein.

[0113] In one possible implementation, the first terminal device receives a sidelink resource from the network device before sending the sidelink signal, and sends the sidelink signal according to the sidelink resource.

[0114] 3. Two terminal devices exchange capability information within the network coverage area under the control of the first network element;

[0115] Referring to FIG5 , a communication method in an embodiment of the present application includes:

[0116] 501. A first terminal device sends a first message to a first network element;

[0117] Step 501 in this embodiment is similar to step 301 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , and will not be described in detail here.

[0118] 502. The first terminal device sends a first message to the second terminal device;

[0119] Step 502 in this embodiment is similar to step 401 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , and will not be described in detail here.

[0120] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the time sequence between step 501 and step 502. In a possible implementation, step 502 may be performed before step 501, which is not specifically limited here.

[0121] 503. The first network element configures sidelink resources for the first terminal device;

[0122] Step 503 in this embodiment is similar to step 302 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , and will not be described in detail here.

[0123] Optionally, 504: the second terminal device sends a second message to the first terminal device;

[0124] Step 504 in this embodiment is similar to step 402 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , and will not be described in detail here.

[0125] Optionally, 505: The first terminal device sends a sidelink signal to the second terminal device;

[0126] Step 505 in this embodiment is similar to step 403 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , and will not be described in detail here.

[0127] The communication method in the embodiment of the present application is described above. The communication device in the embodiment of the present application is described below. Please refer to Figure 6. In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device can be a terminal device, or a component or device applied to the terminal device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device. It can implement the functions of the terminal device in the above method. An embodiment of the communication device includes:

[0128] The processing unit 602 is configured to determine a first message;

[0129] The interface unit 601 is configured to send a first message to a first network element, where the first message carries first information, where the first information is used to indicate a combined capability of sidelink carrier aggregation and sidelink positioning capability of the first terminal device;

[0130] The interface unit 601 is further configured to receive sidelink resources from the first network element, where the sidelink resources are configured based on the first information.

[0131] Another embodiment of the communication device includes:

[0132] The processing unit 602 is configured to determine a first message;

[0133] The interface unit 601 is used to send a first message to the second terminal device, where the first message carries first information, and the first information is used to indicate the combination capability of the sidelink carrier aggregation and sidelink positioning capability of the first terminal device.

[0134] Another embodiment of the communication device includes:

[0135] The interface unit 601 is configured to receive a first message from a first terminal device, where the first message carries first information, and the first information is used to indicate a sidelink carrier aggregation and sidelink positioning capability of the first terminal device;

[0136] The processing unit 602 is configured to process the first message.

[0137] The communication device shown in FIG6 may be a first network element, or may be a component or device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the first network element, or may be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first network element. The communication device may implement the functions of the first network element in the above method. An embodiment of the communication device includes:

[0138] The interface unit 601 is configured to receive a first message from a first terminal device, where the first message carries first information, and the first information is used to indicate a sidelink carrier aggregation and sidelink positioning capability of the first terminal device;

[0139] The processing unit 602 is configured to configure sidelink resources according to the first message;

[0140] The interface unit 601 is further configured to send sidelink resources to the first terminal device, where the sidelink resources are configured based on the first information.

[0141] Next, we will introduce a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Please refer to Figure 7, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device can be a terminal device or network device in the above method embodiment, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal device or network device to implement the above method. The communication device can be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiment.

[0142] The communication device may include one or more processors 701, which are connected to a memory 702, an input / output unit 703, and a bus 704. The processor 701 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU may be used to control the communication device (e.g., a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal, a terminal chip, a DU or a CU), execute software programs, and process data in the software programs.

[0143] Optionally, the communication device may include one or more memories 702, on which instructions may be stored. The instructions may be executed on the processor 701, causing the communication device to perform the method described in the above method embodiment. Optionally, the memory 702 may also store data. The processor 701 and memory 702 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0144] Optionally, the communication device may further include a transceiver and an antenna. The transceiver may be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, or a transceiver circuit, etc., and is configured to implement transceiver functions. The transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver may be referred to as a receiver or a receiving circuit, etc., and is configured to implement a receiving function; the transmitter may be referred to as a transmitter or a transmitting circuit, etc., and is configured to implement a transmitting function.

[0145] In another possible design, processor 701 may include a transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing the receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for reading and writing code / data, or the transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for transmitting or delivering signals.

[0146] In another possible design, the processor 701 may optionally store instructions, which, when executed on the processor 701, may cause the communication device to perform the method described in the above method embodiment. The instructions may be fixed in the processor 701, in which case the processor 701 may be implemented by hardware.

[0147] In another possible design, the communication device may include a circuit that can implement the sending or receiving or communication function of the communication device or the first terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiment. The processor and transceiver described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an integrated circuit (IC), an analog IC, a radio frequency integrated circuit RFIC, a mixed signal IC, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a printed circuit board (PCB), an electronic device, etc. The processor and transceiver can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), N-type metal oxide semiconductor (n metal-oxide-semiconductor, NMOS), P-type metal oxide semiconductor (positive channel metal oxide semiconductor, PMOS), bipolar junction transistor (Bipolar Junction Transistor, BJT), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0148] The communication device described in the above embodiments may be a terminal device or a network device, but the scope of the communication device described in the embodiments of the present application is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device may not be limited to FIG7 . The communication device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be:

[0149] (1) An independent integrated circuit (IC), or chip, or chip system or subsystem;

[0150] (2) A set of one or more ICs, optionally including a storage component for storing data and instructions;

[0151] (3) ASIC, such as modem;

[0152] (4) Modules that can be embedded in other devices;

[0153] (5) Receivers, terminals, smart terminals, cellular phones, wireless devices, handheld devices, mobile units, vehicle-mounted devices, network devices, cloud devices, artificial intelligence devices, etc.;

[0154] (6)Others, etc.

[0155] In the case where the communication device can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the chip structure diagram shown in Figure 8. The chip 800 shown in Figure 8 includes a processor 801 and an interface 802. Optionally, it may also include a memory 803. The number of processors 801 can be one or more, and the number of interfaces 802 can be multiple.

[0156] For the case where the chip is used to implement the functions of the network device or terminal device in the embodiments of the present application:

[0157] The interface 802 is used to receive or output signals;

[0158] The processor 801 is configured to execute data processing operations of a network device or a terminal device.

[0159] It is understandable that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application may, in certain scenarios, be implemented independently of other features, such as the solution on which they are currently based, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. They may also be combined with other features in certain scenarios as needed. Accordingly, the communication device provided in the embodiments of the present application may also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be described in detail here.

[0160] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiment of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor or instructions in the form of software. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component.

[0161] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be 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 (EEPROK), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be an electrically EPROM (EEPROM) random access memory, which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAK are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0162] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to execute the method in the aforementioned embodiment.

[0163] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method in the aforementioned embodiment.

[0164] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0165] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0166] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0167] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units.

[0168] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0169] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented by 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 instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Sending a first message to the first network element, where the first message carries first information, where the first information is used to indicate a combination capability of carrier aggregation and sidelink positioning capability of the sidelink of the first terminal device; A sidelink resource is received from the first network element, where the sidelink resource is configured based on the first information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first message is a terminal capability message, the first information is first indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate the sidelink positioning capability of the first terminal device on the first frequency band, and the first frequency band configures carrier aggregation of the sidelink.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first message is a terminal capability message, the first information is second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate the sidelink positioning capability of the first terminal device on the second frequency band in the first frequency band combination, and the second frequency band configures carrier aggregation of the sidelink.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The first information is used to indicate that the first terminal device supports the sidelink positioning capability, and the sidelink positioning capability includes the ability to receive a sidelink positioning signal or the ability to send the sidelink positioning signal.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The sidelink positioning capability includes a capability of supporting receiving the sidelink positioning signal, but does not support a capability of sending the sidelink positioning signal; or, does not support receiving the sidelink positioning signal, but supports the capability of sending the sidelink positioning signal; or, Supports receiving the sidelink positioning signal and supports the ability to send the sidelink positioning signal.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first network element is an access network device or a network device.

7. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The first message is sent to the second terminal device, where the first message carries first information, and the first information is used to indicate the combination capability of the sidelink carrier aggregation and sidelink positioning capability of the first terminal device.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The first message is a terminal capability message, the first information is first indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate the sidelink positioning capability of the first terminal device on the first frequency band, and the first frequency band configures carrier aggregation of the sidelink.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The first message is a terminal capability message, the first information is second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate the sidelink positioning capability of the first terminal device on the second frequency band in the first frequency band combination, and the second frequency band configures carrier aggregation of the sidelink.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that The method further comprises: A second message is received from the second terminal device, where the second message carries second information, and the second information is used to indicate the combined capability of the sidelink carrier aggregation and sidelink positioning capability of the second terminal device.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The second message is the terminal capability message, the second information is the third indication information, the third indication information is used to indicate the sidelink positioning capability of the second terminal device on the third frequency band, and the third frequency band configures the sidelink carrier aggregation.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The second message is the terminal capability message, and the second information is fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate the sidelink positioning capability of the second terminal device on the fourth frequency band in the second frequency band combination, and the fourth frequency band configures the carrier aggregation of the sidelink.

13. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that The first information is used to indicate that the first terminal device supports the sidelink positioning capability, and the second information is used to indicate that the second terminal device supports the sidelink positioning capability, and the sidelink positioning capability includes the ability to receive the sidelink positioning signal or the ability to send the sidelink positioning signal.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The sidelink positioning capability includes a capability of supporting receiving the sidelink positioning signal, but does not support a capability of sending the sidelink positioning signal; or, does not support receiving the sidelink positioning signal, but supports the capability of sending the sidelink positioning signal; or, Supports receiving the sidelink positioning signal and supports the ability to send the sidelink positioning signal.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises modules or units for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises modules or units for performing the method according to any one of claims 7 to 14.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, configured to execute a program so that the communication device performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

18. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, configured to execute a program so that the communication device performs the method according to any one of claims 7 to 14.

19. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or enable the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 7 to 14.

20. A computer program product comprising instructions, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or causes the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 7 to 14.

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