Communication methods and apparatuses, storage medium and program product

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure are communication methods and apparatuses, a storage medium, and a program product. A method comprises: acquiring first energy consumption information, the first energy consumption information being used for representing an energy consumption level that should be used by a first node; and sending the first energy consumption information to a second node.

Description

Communication methods, devices, storage media and software products

[0001] This disclosure claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202410973146.8, filed on July 18, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product. Background Technology

[0003] Next-generation mobile communication systems will be designed for more demanding services. However, the ever-increasing demand for communication services will lead to greater energy consumption. Therefore, ensuring energy efficiency and reducing system energy consumption are among the key requirements for future communication systems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product.

[0005] The technical solution adopted in this disclosure is as follows.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication method applied to a first node, the method comprising:

[0007] Obtain the first energy consumption information, which is used to characterize the energy consumption level that the first node should use;

[0008] Send the first energy consumption information to the second node.

[0009] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication method applied to a second node, the method comprising:

[0010] Receive the first energy consumption information sent by the first node. The first energy consumption information is used to characterize the energy consumption level that the first node should use.

[0011] Resource scheduling is based on primary energy consumption information.

[0012] Thirdly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication device applied to a first node, the device comprising:

[0013] An acquisition unit is used to acquire first energy consumption information, which is used to characterize the energy consumption level that the first node should use.

[0014] The sending unit is used to send the first energy consumption information to the second node.

[0015] Fourthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication device applied to a second node, the device comprising:

[0016] A receiving unit is used to receive first energy consumption information sent by the first node, the first energy consumption information being used to characterize the energy consumption level that the first node should use.

[0017] The processing unit is used for resource scheduling based on the first energy consumption information.

[0018] Fifthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication device. The device includes: a processor and a memory; the memory and the processor are coupled; the memory stores instructions executable by the processor; the processor is configured to, when executing the instructions, cause the communication device to implement the methods provided in the first or second aspect described above.

[0019] Sixthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium. This computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods provided in the first or second aspect.

[0020] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer program product comprising computer instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method provided in the first or second aspect.

[0021] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the first node sends first energy consumption information to the second node to characterize the energy consumption level that the first node should use, so that the second node can perform resource scheduling based on the first energy consumption information. That is, the first node reports the energy consumption level that it should use to the second node, and the second node performs resource scheduling based on the energy consumption level that the first node should use. Attached Figure Description

[0022] The accompanying drawings are provided to further understand the technical solutions of the present invention and constitute a part of the specification. They are used together with the embodiments of this disclosure to explain the technical solutions of the present invention and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the overall flow of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 10 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 11 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 12 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the composition of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0038] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this disclosure without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0039] Unless the context otherwise requires, throughout the specification and claims, the term "comprise" and other forms such as the third-person singular "comprises" and the present participle "comprising" are interpreted as open-ended and encompassing, meaning "including, but not limited to." In the description of the specification, terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "exemplary embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples" are intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic associated with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this disclosure. The illustrative representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics mentioned may be included in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0040] The terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined with "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more.

[0041] In this disclosure, expressions such as "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to indicate that they are examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplarily" or "for example" in this disclosure should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of expressions such as "exemplarily" or "for example" is intended to present relevant concepts by way of example.

[0042] In addition, the use of “based on” implies openness and inclusivity, because processes, steps, calculations or other actions “based on” one or more of the stated conditions or values ​​may in practice be based on additional conditions or values ​​beyond those stated.

[0043] The concept of network energy efficiency has been introduced into related technologies. Network energy efficiency can apply to the entire network, subnets, or individual network elements or sites. Generally, network energy efficiency is defined as the amount of data divided by the energy consumption of the network element under consideration. To ensure energy efficiency and reduce system energy consumption, the collection of energy consumption information is crucial for evaluating network energy performance and optimizing scheduling operations. For example, after collecting node energy consumption information, corresponding energy consumption level indications and resource scheduling can be performed based on this information. Different energy consumption levels correspond to different resource scheduling, thus requiring relatively precise resource scheduling to meet the data transmission needs of nodes. However, current resource scheduling accuracy is not high enough to meet the data transmission needs of nodes.

[0044] Based on this, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product. This communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product involve a first node sending first energy consumption information to a second node, characterizing the energy consumption level that the first node should use. This allows the second node to perform resource scheduling based on the first energy consumption information. In other words, the first node reports its own energy consumption level to the second node, and the second node schedules resources based on the energy consumption level that the first node should use. This ensures that the scheduled resources meet the needs of the first node, improving the accuracy of resource scheduling and thus satisfying the data transmission requirements of the first node.

[0045] The embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0046] The technical solutions provided in this disclosure can be applied to various mobile communication networks, such as new radio (NR) mobile communication networks using 5th generation mobile networks (5G), future mobile communication networks (e.g., 6G wireless communication systems), or multiple communication convergence systems, etc. This disclosure does not limit these applications.

[0047] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes, but is not limited to, a first type node 110, a second type node 120, and a third type node 130. The first type node 110, the second type node 120, and the third type node 130 can transmit and receive wireless signals and perform related interactions.

[0048] In some embodiments, the first type node 110 includes at least one of the following:

[0049] Entities that send or receive signals on the network side, such as base stations, transmission points, centralized units, distributed units, and radio frequency units.

[0050] Network devices can refer to, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: network devices capable of amplifying signals, or wireless forwarding devices, such as network control repeaters, repeaters, integrated access backhauls, etc., or smart metasurfaces, smart reconfigurable surfaces, and reconfigurable smart surfaces.

[0051] User equipment can refer to at least one of the following: mobile phone; terminal; mobile station; mobile terminal; automobile with communication function; intelligent transceiver function; virtual reality terminal equipment; augmented reality terminal equipment; wireless terminal equipment, etc.

[0052] In some embodiments, the second type node 120 includes at least one of the following:

[0053] Functional entities on the network side used to send or receive signals;

[0054] Base station / transmission point;

[0055] Centralized unit, wherein a centralized unit may also refer to, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: a control unit; or a protocol layer of a network entity; or a part of the functionality of a protocol layer placed in a centralized unit for centralized control.

[0056] Distribution unit;

[0057] Radio frequency unit.

[0058] In some embodiments, the third type node 130 includes at least one of the following:

[0059] Core network; some functions / functional entities of the core network; server; client; third-party client; application layer.

[0060] For ease of description, the following embodiments use the first type node 110 as a terminal, the second type node 120 as a base station, and the third type node 130 as a core network as an example.

[0061] It should be understood that Figure 1 is an exemplary structural diagram, and the number of devices included in the communication system shown in Figure 1 is not limited. For example, the number of first-type nodes 110, second-type nodes 120, and third-type nodes 130 is not limited. Furthermore, in addition to the devices shown in Figure 1, the communication system shown in Figure 1 may also include other devices, which are not limited thereto.

[0062] Next, as shown in Figure 2, this embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, which is applied to a first node, which may be a first type node 110 shown in Figure 1 above. The method may include steps S101 and S102.

[0063] S101, Obtain the first energy consumption information.

[0064] In some embodiments, in order to ensure that the resources scheduled by the second node meet the data transmission requirements of the first node, the first node obtains first energy consumption information, which is used to characterize the energy consumption level that the first node should use. The second node can be a second type node 120 or a third type node 130 in the communication system shown in Figure 1 above, and this disclosure does not limit this. The above "should use" can be replaced with "demand, tendency, or preference", that is, the first energy consumption information is used to characterize the energy consumption level of the first node's demand, tendency, or preference.

[0065] As an example, the first node obtains the first energy consumption information either by receiving the first energy consumption information input by the network administrator, or by generating the first energy consumption information based on its own operating status.

[0066] In some embodiments, the first energy consumption information includes at least one of the following:

[0067] The first node supports at least one energy efficiency level;

[0068] The first node is currently selected for its energy consumption level;

[0069] The energy consumption level currently used by the first node;

[0070] The first node is expected to have at least one energy consumption level.

[0071] The energy consumption level currently selected by the first node can be replaced with the energy consumption level currently in operation by the first node.

[0072] S102, Send the first energy consumption information to the second node.

[0073] In other words, the first node sends first energy consumption information to the second node to characterize the energy consumption level preferred by the first node, so that the second node can schedule resources based on the first energy consumption information, and the resources after scheduling can match the energy consumption level preferred by the first node.

[0074] Based on the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the first node sends first energy consumption information to the second node to characterize the energy consumption level that the first node should use, so that the second node can perform resource scheduling based on the first energy consumption information. That is, the first node reports its own energy consumption level to the second node, and the second node performs resource scheduling based on the energy consumption level that the first node should use. Compared with the related technology in which the second node performs resource scheduling independently, this can make the resources after resource scheduling fit the needs of the first node, improve the accuracy of resource scheduling, and thus meet the data transmission needs of the first node.

[0075] The embodiment shown in Figure 2 above is illustrated by taking the first node receiving the first energy consumption information input by the network administrator or the first node generating the first energy consumption information based on its own operating status as an example. As another example, in order to improve the accuracy of the first node in obtaining the first energy consumption information, as shown in Figure 3, the above step S101 may include step S201.

[0076] S201, Receive the second energy consumption information from the second node.

[0077] As an example, to assist the first node in determining the appropriate energy consumption level, the second node sends second energy consumption information to the first node. Correspondingly, the first node receives the second energy consumption information sent by the second node. This second energy consumption information is used by the first node to determine the appropriate energy consumption level.

[0078] As another example, the first node can receive second energy consumption information input by the network administrator.

[0079] In some embodiments, the second energy consumption information includes at least one of the following:

[0080] At least one energy efficiency rating;

[0081] Configuration information associated with each energy level; configuration information associated with an energy level is used to represent the configuration associated with that energy level.

[0082] At least one energy level can be understood as at least one candidate energy level or at least one reference energy level, so that the first node can determine at least one energy level that the first node should use from at least one energy level.

[0083] In some embodiments, configuration information associated with an energy level includes at least one of the following configurations 1 to 7.

[0084] Configuration 1: Reference signal resource configuration;

[0085] In some embodiments, the reference signal resource configuration may include one or more reference signal resources for the first node to perform measurements. The reference signal resource configuration may include: a reference signal resource identifier; a reference signal resource set identifier; an antenna port number; time-domain resources of the reference signal, the content of which includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: for example, the number of symbols, the number of time slots, the period, the number of symbol offsets, the number of time slot offsets, the duty cycle, the number of starting symbols, the number of starting time slots, and the start and length indicator value (SLIV); frequency-domain resources of the reference signal, the frequency-domain resources including, but not limited to, one or more of the following: bandwidth, the number of resource blocks (RBs), carrier configuration, frequency offset, synchronization grid, channel grid, the number of resource elements (REs), the start frequency domain position, and the end frequency domain position; the number of antenna ports; the number of reference signals; subcarrier spacing; bandwidth; beam information; and quasi-co-location relationships.

[0086] Configuration 2: Data transfer volume configuration;

[0087] In some embodiments, the data transmission volume configuration may include at least one or more of the following: maximum data transmission volume; minimum data transmission volume; and estimated data transmission volume. For example, the energy consumption level indicated by the second energy consumption information has an associated maximum data transmission volume, and the first node can determine which energy consumption level can meet its data transmission requirements based on the maximum data transmission volume associated with each energy consumption level.

[0088] Configuration 3: Data transmission rate configuration;

[0089] In some embodiments, the data transmission rate configuration may include at least one or more of the following: a maximum data transmission rate limit; a minimum data transmission rate configuration; and an expected data transmission rate.

[0090] Configuration 4: Frequency domain resource configuration;

[0091] In some embodiments, frequency domain resources may include at least one or more of the following: bandwidth; number of resource blocks (RBs); and carrier configuration.

[0092] In some embodiments, frequency domain resource configuration may include: maximum frequency domain resource configuration, minimum frequency domain resource configuration, and expected / available frequency domain resource configuration.

[0093] Configuration 5: Time-domain resource configuration;

[0094] In some embodiments, time-domain resources may include at least one or more of the following: number of time slots; number of symbols.

[0095] In some embodiments, time-domain resource configuration may include: maximum time-domain resource configuration, minimum time-domain resource configuration, and expected / available time-domain resource configuration.

[0096] Configuration 6: Antenna Port Count Configuration;

[0097] In some embodiments, antenna port configuration may include: maximum antenna port configuration, minimum antenna port configuration, and expected / available antenna port configuration.

[0098] Configuration 7: Antenna Count Configuration.

[0099] In some embodiments, the antenna number configuration may include: maximum antenna number configuration, minimum antenna number configuration, and expected / available antenna number configuration.

[0100] S202. Based on the second energy consumption information, the first energy consumption information is obtained.

[0101] In some embodiments, after receiving the second energy consumption information, the first node can measure / determine the configuration information associated with each energy consumption level in the second energy consumption information to obtain at least one energy consumption level that the first node should use, that is, to obtain the first energy consumption information.

[0102] For example, the second energy consumption information indicated by the second node to the first node includes: energy consumption level L0 and the associated number of antenna ports (4), and energy consumption level L1 and the associated number of antenna ports (8). After receiving the second energy consumption information, the first node determines, based on its data transmission requirements, that 8 antenna ports are needed to meet its data transmission requirements. Therefore, although energy consumption level L1 has higher energy consumption, the first node will still report energy consumption level L1 to the second node.

[0103] For example, the second energy consumption information indicated by the second node to the first node includes: energy consumption level L0 and reference resource configuration RS1, energy consumption level L2 and reference resource configuration RS2. After measuring the corresponding reference signals according to reference resource configurations RS1 and RS2, the first node finds that it can better meet its data transmission requirements under reference resource configuration RS2. Therefore, the first node feeds back energy consumption level L2 to the second node.

[0104] In some embodiments, in order to facilitate the second node in determining the energy consumption level supported by the first node and generating second energy consumption information, the first node may send third energy consumption information to the second node before receiving the second energy consumption information. The third energy consumption information is used to characterize the energy consumption level supported by the first node or the energy consumption level expected by the first node.

[0105] In some embodiments, after receiving the first energy consumption information sent by the first node, the second node can perform resource scheduling based on the first energy consumption information and send indication information to the first node to indicate the energy consumption level required for the first node's operation. When the first node receives the indication information sent by multiple second nodes, there may be conflicts between different indication information. For example, the first node (e.g., a reconfigurable smart metasurface) is deployed and shared by two different operators. This first node receives an indication of energy consumption level L1 from operator 1 and an indication of energy consumption level L2 from operator 2. Therefore, determining which energy consumption level the first node should operate at is a problem that needs to be solved. Based on this, as shown in Figure 4, the method may further include step S301.

[0106] S301, Receive multiple first instruction messages.

[0107] One of the first indication messages indicates the energy consumption level at which the first node operates. One first indication message can correspond to one second node.

[0108] In some embodiments, the first indication information includes:

[0109] Energy consumption level information;

[0110] Turn information on or off.

[0111] The conflict between the different instructions mentioned above may refer to:

[0112] The energy consumption levels indicated by different information are conflicting;

[0113] For a certain period of time, different energy consumption level instructions were received, resulting in a conflict;

[0114] Received one or more energy consumption level indication messages and on / off indication messages.

[0115] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG5, after step S301, the method may further include steps S302 and S303.

[0116] S302. Determine the priority of each first instruction message among multiple first instruction messages.

[0117] As an example, a first indication message includes a priority identifier, which is used to indicate the priority of the energy consumption level indicated by the first indication message; the first node can determine the priority of each of the multiple first indication messages based on the priority identifier included in each of the multiple first indication messages.

[0118] In other words, the priority of a first instruction is determined based on the priority identifier included in that first instruction. The priority identifier can be replaced with a label. Thus, by introducing a priority identifier into the first instruction, conflicts between different first instructions can be avoided.

[0119] As another example, the first node can determine the priority of the target first instruction information among multiple first instruction information as the first priority, and determine the priority of the first instruction information other than the target first instruction information among multiple first instruction information as the second priority. The first priority is higher than the second priority, and the target first instruction information is the first instruction information among multiple first instruction information that includes the priority identifier.

[0120] In other words, among the multiple first indication messages, there is one first indication message that contains a priority identifier, and the priority of the first indication message that contains a priority identifier is higher than the priority of the first indication message that does not contain a priority identifier.

[0121] As another example, the first node can determine the priority of each of the multiple first indication messages based on the energy consumption level indicated by each of the first indication messages. The priority of a first indication message is either positively or negatively correlated with the energy consumption level it indicates.

[0122] For example, consider a positive correlation between the priority of a first instruction and the energy consumption level it indicates; that is, the higher the energy consumption level indicated by a first instruction, the higher its priority. For instance, suppose there are three energy consumption levels: L0, L1, and L2, with the priority order being L0 > L1 > L2. If a first node receives energy consumption level instructions L0 and L1 from two second nodes, then according to the priority order, the node should operate according to energy consumption level instruction L0.

[0123] In some embodiments, the priority of different energy consumption levels can be communicated by the node sending the first indication information to the node receiving the first indication information, for example, by the second node to the first node. In some embodiments, the priorities of different energy consumption levels can be predefined for all nodes.

[0124] As another example, the first node can determine the priority of each of the multiple first indication messages based on the reception time of each first indication message. The priority of a first indication message is either positively or negatively correlated with its reception time.

[0125] For example, consider a scenario where the priority of a first indication message is negatively correlated with its reception time; that is, the closer the reception time of a first indication message is to the current time, the higher its priority. In other words, the first node can operate based on the energy consumption level indicated by the latest received first indication message.

[0126] Furthermore, in some examples, when different first indications have associated time information indications, if the corresponding time indications have overlapping time periods and the indicated energy consumption levels conflict within the overlapping time periods, then for the overlapping time periods, the first node can work according to the energy consumption level indicated by the first indication with the highest priority among the received first indications; for other time periods, it works according to the corresponding indicated energy consumption level.

[0127] As another example, among multiple first indication messages, the first indication message used to indicate shutdown has the highest priority. That is, the shutdown indication has the highest priority. For example, if the first node receives multiple first indication messages, including one for indicating shutdown, then that first indication message for shutdown has the highest priority, and the first node should shut down directly according to that indication.

[0128] In some examples, the priority of the first indication information is: off indication > energy level indication > on indication.

[0129] S303. Work based on the energy consumption level indicated by the first instruction information corresponding to the highest priority among multiple first instruction information.

[0130] Based on the embodiment shown in Figure 5, by determining the priority of each of the multiple first indication messages, and then operating based on the energy consumption level indicated by the first indication message with the highest priority among the multiple first indication messages, it is possible to avoid potential conflicts between different indication messages, which helps to improve the reliability of the first node's operation.

[0131] In some embodiments, the definition of the above energy efficiency level is related to at least one of the following:

[0132] In terms of application scenarios, it should be understood that different standards can be used to define energy consumption levels, taking into account the different characteristics and requirements under different scenarios / use cases. For example, the same energy consumption may be defined as energy consumption level L1 in scenario A and energy consumption level L0 in scenario B.

[0133] Regarding communication load types, it should be understood that different communication load types will generate different energy consumption levels, and different standards can be used when defining energy consumption levels. For example, the same energy consumption may be defined as energy consumption level L1 under high load and as energy consumption level L3 under low load.

[0134] Node type;

[0135] node;

[0136] Radio resource control (RRC) status;

[0137] Energy source;

[0138] Energy type.

[0139] The energy mentioned above refers to the energy used by the nodes. Nodes include first nodes and second nodes. Energy source refers to energy supply, which can have different sources / supplies, including primary energy, secondary energy, tertiary energy, etc. In some examples, primary energy can represent energy from the power grid, and secondary energy can represent renewable / clean energy. In some examples, primary energy can represent wind power, and secondary energy can represent solar power. In some examples, because different methods may be needed to calculate the energy consumption of different energy sources, the definition and evaluation criteria for energy consumption levels may differ for nodes using different types of energy.

[0140] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG6, this disclosure also provides a communication method, which is applied to a second node. The second node may be a second type node 120 or a third type node 130 in the communication system shown in FIG1 above. The method may include steps S401 and S402.

[0141] S401, Receive the first energy consumption information sent by the first node.

[0142] The first energy consumption information is used to characterize the energy consumption level that the first node should use. The description of the first energy consumption information can be found in the corresponding description in the embodiment shown in Figure 2 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0143] In some embodiments, the first energy consumption information includes at least one of the following:

[0144] The first node supports at least one energy efficiency level;

[0145] The first node is currently selected for its energy consumption level;

[0146] The first node is expected to have at least one energy consumption level.

[0147] S402. Resource scheduling is performed based on the first energy consumption information.

[0148] It should be understood that different energy consumption levels correspond to different resource scheduling. The second node performs resource scheduling based on the first energy consumption information sent by the first node, so that the resources after scheduling can meet the needs of the first node, thereby improving the accuracy of resource scheduling and meeting the data transmission needs of the first node.

[0149] In some embodiments, to facilitate the first node in determining the energy consumption level it should use, the second node sends second energy consumption information to the first node. This second energy consumption information is used by the first node to determine the energy consumption level it should use. The second energy consumption information includes at least one of the following:

[0150] At least one energy efficiency rating;

[0151] Configuration information associated with each energy level; configuration information associated with an energy level is used to represent the configuration associated with that energy level.

[0152] In some embodiments, the configuration information associated with an energy level includes at least one of the following:

[0153] Reference signal resource configuration;

[0154] Data transfer volume configuration;

[0155] Data transmission rate configuration;

[0156] Frequency domain resource allocation;

[0157] Time-domain resource allocation;

[0158] Antenna port number configuration;

[0159] Antenna number configuration.

[0160] The description of the configuration information can be found in the corresponding description in the embodiment shown in Figure 3 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0161] In some embodiments, the second node may also receive third energy consumption information sent by the first node, the third energy consumption information being used to characterize the energy consumption level supported by the first node. The second node can obtain second energy consumption information based on the third energy consumption information.

[0162] In some embodiments, after receiving the first energy consumption information, the second node can perform resource scheduling based on the first energy consumption information and determine the energy consumption level when the first node is working, and then send the first instruction information to the first node. The first instruction information is used to indicate the energy consumption level at which the first node is working.

[0163] In some embodiments, the first indication information includes a priority identifier, which indicates the priority of the energy consumption level indicated by the first indication information.

[0164] The overall flow of a communication method according to an embodiment of this disclosure is illustrated below with reference to several examples.

[0165] Example 1: The first node determines / selects the energy consumption level to be used and reports it to the second node, which then performs resource scheduling based on the energy consumption level reported by the first node. For example, as shown in Figure 7, this method may include the following steps.

[0166] A1. The first node obtains the first energy consumption information.

[0167] The description of the first energy consumption information can be referred to the corresponding description in the embodiment shown in Figure 2 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0168] A2. The first node sends the first energy consumption information to the second node.

[0169] A3. The second node performs resource scheduling based on the first energy consumption information.

[0170] Example 2: The second node sends second energy consumption information to the first node in advance, and the first node obtains first energy consumption information based on the second energy consumption information. For example, as shown in Figure 8, the method may include the following steps.

[0171] B1. The second node sends the second energy consumption information to the first node.

[0172] The description of the second energy consumption information can be referred to the corresponding description in the embodiment shown in Figure 3 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0173] B2. The first node obtains the first energy consumption information based on the second energy consumption information.

[0174] B3. The first node sends the first energy consumption information to the second node.

[0175] B4. The second node performs resource scheduling based on the first energy consumption information.

[0176] Example 3: The first node sends third energy consumption information to the second node in advance, so that the second node can generate second energy consumption information. For example, as shown in Figure 9, this method may include the following steps.

[0177] C1. The first node sends the third energy consumption information to the second node.

[0178] C2. The second node obtains the second energy consumption information based on the third energy consumption information.

[0179] C3. The second node sends the second energy consumption information to the first node.

[0180] C4. The first node obtains the first energy consumption information based on the second energy consumption information.

[0181] C5. The first node sends the first energy consumption information to the second node.

[0182] C6. The second node performs resource scheduling based on the first energy consumption information.

[0183] As described above, after receiving the first energy consumption information, the second node can send a first indication message to the first node based on the first energy consumption information. Based on this, and referring to Example 1 above, as shown in Figure 10, the method can include the following steps.

[0184] A1. The first node obtains the first energy consumption information.

[0185] A2. The first node sends the first energy consumption information to the second node.

[0186] A4. The second node sends the first instruction information to the first node.

[0187] Referring to Example 2 above, as shown in Figure 11, the method may include the following steps.

[0188] B1. The second node sends the second energy consumption information to the first node.

[0189] B2. The first node obtains the first energy consumption information based on the second energy consumption information.

[0190] B3. The first node sends the first energy consumption information to the second node.

[0191] B5. The second node sends the first instruction information to the first node.

[0192] Referring to Example 3 above, as shown in Figure 12, the method may include the following steps.

[0193] C1. The first node sends the third energy consumption information to the second node.

[0194] C2. The second node obtains the second energy consumption information based on the third energy consumption information.

[0195] C3. The second node sends the second energy consumption information to the first node.

[0196] C4. The first node obtains the first energy consumption information based on the second energy consumption information.

[0197] C5. The first node sends the first energy consumption information to the second node.

[0198] C7. The second node sends the first instruction information to the first node.

[0199] The foregoing primarily describes the solution provided in this disclosure from the perspective of the interaction between various nodes. It is understood that each node (e.g., the first node or the second node) includes corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules to perform the aforementioned functions. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the algorithmic steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this disclosure.

[0200] This disclosure embodiment can divide the first node or the second node into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each function can be divided into a functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or software. It should be noted that the module division in this disclosure embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. The following description takes dividing each function into a functional module as an example.

[0201] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 13, the communication device 50 includes an acquisition unit 501 and a transmission unit 502. In some embodiments, the communication device 50 further includes a processing unit 503.

[0202] The communication device 50 can be the first node or a chip within the first node. When the communication device 50 is used to implement the functions of the first node in the above embodiments, each unit is used to implement the following functions.

[0203] The acquisition unit 501 is used to acquire first energy consumption information, which is used to characterize the energy consumption level that the first node should use.

[0204] The sending unit 502 is used to send the first energy consumption information to the second node.

[0205] In some embodiments, the acquisition unit 501 is configured to: receive second energy consumption information from the second node, the second energy consumption information being used by the first node to determine the energy consumption level that the first node should use;

[0206] Based on the second energy consumption information, the first energy consumption information is obtained.

[0207] In some embodiments, the sending unit 502 is further configured to send third energy consumption information to the second node, the third energy consumption information being used to characterize the energy consumption level supported by the first node or the energy consumption level desired by the first node.

[0208] In some embodiments, the acquisition unit 501 is further configured to receive a plurality of first indication information, wherein one of the first indication information is used to indicate the energy consumption level at which the first node is working.

[0209] In some embodiments, the processing unit 503 is used to determine the priority of each first indication information among a plurality of first indication information;

[0210] The processing unit 503 is also used to operate based on the energy consumption level indicated by the first indication information corresponding to the highest priority among a plurality of first indication information.

[0211] In some embodiments, a first indication information includes a priority identifier, which is used to indicate the priority of the energy consumption level indicated by the first indication information; the processing unit 503 is used to determine the priority of each of the multiple first indication information based on the priority identifier included in each of the multiple first indication information.

[0212] In some embodiments, the processing unit 503 is configured to determine the priority of the target first indication information among the plurality of first indication information as a first priority, and to determine the priority of the first indication information other than the target first indication information among the plurality of first indication information as a second priority, wherein the first priority is higher than the second priority, and the target first indication information is the first indication information among the plurality of first indication information that includes a priority identifier.

[0213] In some embodiments, the processing unit 503 is configured to determine the priority of each of the plurality of first indication messages based on the energy consumption level indicated by each of the plurality of first indication messages.

[0214] In some embodiments, the processing unit 503 is configured to determine the priority of each of the plurality of first indication messages based on the reception time of each of the plurality of first indication messages.

[0215] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 14, the communication device 60 includes a receiving unit 601 and a processing unit 602.

[0216] The communication device 60 can be the second node or a chip within the second node. When the communication device 60 is used to implement the functions of the second node in the above embodiments, each unit is used to implement the following functions.

[0217] The receiving unit 601 is used to receive the first energy consumption information sent by the first node, the first energy consumption information being used to characterize the energy consumption level that the first node should use;

[0218] The processing unit 602 is used for resource scheduling based on the first energy consumption information.

[0219] It should be noted that the units in Figure 13 or Figure 14 can also be called modules; for example, the transmitting unit can be called a transmitting module. Furthermore, in the embodiments shown in Figure 13 or Figure 14, the names of the various units may not be those shown in the figures; for example, the transmitting unit can also be called a communication unit, and the receiving unit can also be called a communication unit.

[0220] If the units in Figure 13 or Figure 14 are implemented as software functional modules and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure, or the parts that contribute to some technologies, or all or part of the technical solutions, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of the various embodiments of this disclosure. Storage media for storing computer software products include various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0221] In the case where the communication device 50 or communication device 60 implements the functions of the integrated module in hardware, this disclosure provides a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device. As shown in FIG15, the communication device 70 includes: a processor 702, a communication interface 703, and a bus 704. In some embodiments, the communication device 70 may further include a memory 701.

[0222] Processor 702 may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. Processor 702 may be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. Processor 702 may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. Processor 702 may also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as including one or more microprocessor combinations, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, etc.

[0223] The communication interface 703 is used to connect with other devices via a communication network. This communication network can be Ethernet, wireless access network, wireless local area network (WLAN), etc.

[0224] The memory 701 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but is not limited thereto.

[0225] In one implementation, the memory 701 can exist independently of the processor 702. The memory 701 can be connected to the processor 702 via a bus 704 and is used to store instructions or program code. When the processor 702 calls and executes the instructions or program code stored in the memory 701, it can implement the communication method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0226] In another implementation, the memory 701 can also be integrated with the processor 702.

[0227] Bus 704 can be an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Bus 704 can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used to represent bus 704 in Figure 15, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0228] Through the above description of the implementation methods, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, only the division of the above functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the first node or the second node can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0229] This disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be executed by computer instructions instructing related hardware. The program can be stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when run, it can execute processes including those described in the above method embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device for the first or second node, such as a pluggable hard drive, smart media card (SMC), secure digital (SD) card, flash card, etc., equipped on the first or second node. Further, the computer-readable storage medium can include both internal storage units of the first or second node and external storage devices. The computer-readable storage medium is used to store the computer program and other programs and data required by the first or second node. The computer-readable storage medium can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0230] This disclosure also provides a computer program product comprising a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the communication methods provided in the above embodiments.

[0231] Although this disclosure has been described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments by reviewing the accompanying drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims in carrying out the claimed disclosure. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. While different dependent claims may recite certain measures, this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0232] Although this disclosure has been described in conjunction with exemplary features and embodiments, it will be apparent that various modifications and combinations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Accordingly, this specification and drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and are to be considered as covering any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of this disclosure. It is obvious that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Thus, this disclosure is also intended to include such modifications and variations if they fall within the scope of the claims of this disclosure and their equivalents.

[0233] The above are merely specific embodiments of this disclosure, but the scope of protection of this disclosure is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, wherein, The method is applied to a first node, and the method comprises: obtaining first energy consumption information, the first energy consumption information being used to represent an energy consumption level to be used by the first node; sending the first energy consumption information to a second node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first energy consumption information comprises at least one of: at least one energy consumption level supported by the first node; an energy consumption level currently selected by the first node; an energy consumption level currently used by the first node; at least one energy consumption level expected by the first node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The obtaining of the first energy consumption information comprises: receiving second energy consumption information from the second node, the second energy consumption information being used by the first node to determine the energy consumption level to be used by the first node; obtaining the first energy consumption information based on the second energy consumption information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The second energy consumption information comprises at least one of: at least one energy consumption level; configuration information associated with each of the energy consumption levels.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The configuration information comprises at least one of: reference signal resource configuration; transmission data volume configuration; transmission data rate configuration; frequency domain resource configuration; time domain resource configuration; antenna port number configuration; antenna number configuration.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising: sending third energy consumption information to the second node, the third energy consumption information being used to represent an energy consumption level supported by the first node or an energy consumption level expected by the first node.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a plurality of first indication information, one of the first indication information being used to indicate an energy consumption level at which the first node operates.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: determining a priority of each of the plurality of first indication information; operating based on an energy consumption level indicated by first indication information corresponding to a highest priority among the plurality of first indication information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, One of the first indication information comprises a priority identifier, the priority identifier being used to indicate a priority of an energy consumption level indicated by the first indication information. The determining of the priority of each of the plurality of first indication information comprises: determining the priority of each of the plurality of first indication information based on a priority identifier comprised in each of the plurality of first indication information.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein, The determining of the priority of each of the plurality of first indication information comprises: determining a priority of target first indication information among the plurality of first indication information as a first priority, and determining a priority of first indication information other than the target first indication information among the plurality of first indication information as a second priority, the first priority being higher than the second priority, the target first indication information being first indication information comprising a priority identifier among the plurality of first indication information.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein, The determining of the priority of each of the plurality of first indication information comprises: determining the priority of each of the plurality of first indication information based on an energy consumption level indicated by each of the plurality of first indication information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, A priority of one of the first indication information meets a positive correlation or a negative correlation with an energy consumption level indicated by the first indication information.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein, The determining of the priority of each of the first indication information comprises: The determining of the priority of each of the first indication information comprises:

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, A priority of one of the first indication information meets a positive correlation or a negative correlation with a receiving time of the first indication information.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein, The priority of the first indication information for indicating the off is the highest.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein, The definition of the energy consumption level is related to at least one of: an application scenario; a communication load type; a node type; a node; a radio resource control state; an energy source; an energy type.

17. A communication method, wherein, The method is applied to a second node, and the method comprises: receiving first energy consumption information sent by a first node, the first energy consumption information being used to represent an energy consumption level that the first node should use; performing resource scheduling based on the first energy consumption information.

18. A communications device comprising: a memory and a processor; the memory and the processor are coupled; the memory is used to store instructions executable by the processor; the processor executes the instructions to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

19. A computer readable storage medium, wherein, The computer readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the computer instructions run on a computer, the computer executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

20. A computer program product, wherein, The computer program product contains computer instructions, and when the computer instructions run on a computer, the computer executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

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