Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method and apparatus. The communication method comprises: acquiring first information, wherein the first information may be used for indicating an association relationship between a data identifier and a data processing mode, the data processing mode may comprise executing one or more first functions for data processing, and / or skipping one or more second functions for data processing, and the data identifier may comprise a first data identifier; and receiving first data carrying the first data identifier, and processing the first data on the basis of the first data identifier and the association relationship; or, sending the first data carrying the first data identifier. In the present application, different first data identifiers may have association relationships with different data processing modes. Thus, a corresponding functional entity processes first data on the basis of the data processing modes corresponding to the first data identifiers. In this way, appropriate functions are selected in a targeted manner for processing different data, thereby improving the service processing efficiency and the system performance.

Description

Communication method and apparatus

[0001] The present application claims priority from the Chinese patent application No. 202411021885.3 filed on July 27, 2024, and entitled "Communication method and apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of wireless communication, in particular to a communication method and apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] In the current communication system, the functions of the base station can be functionally split to obtain multiple function entities. Different function entities are used to implement different communication protocol functions in the base station. For example, the base station is split into a baseband unit (BBU) and a remote radio unit (RRU) for deployment. Or, the base station is split into a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) for deployment. The CU can also be referred to as a centralized unit.

[0004] For different function entities, different communication protocol function modules can be deployed. However, currently, fixed communication protocol function modules are configured on different function entities. Different data can require different communication protocol functions to be performed by the function entities. However, the function entities cannot currently perform corresponding functions in a targeted manner for different data, which reduces the efficiency of business processing and degrades system performance. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus. By carrying a first data identifier in first data, different first data identifiers can have an association relationship with different data processing methods. The function entity processes the first data based on the data processing method corresponding to the first data identifier, which enables the selection of appropriate functions for processing different data, improves the efficiency of business processing and system performance.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method is applied to a first function entity, which can be a network device, a component (e.g., a processor, a circuit, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) of the network device, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the function of the network device. For ease of description, the method is described below by taking the network device as an example. The method can include: obtaining first information. The first information can be used to indicate an association relationship between a data identifier and a data processing manner. The data processing manner can include performing one or more first functions for data processing and / or skipping one or more second functions for data processing. The data identifier mentioned above can include a first data identifier. The method can further include: receiving first data carrying the first data identifier, processing the first data according to the first data identifier and the association relationship, or sending the first data carrying the first data identifier.

[0008] In the present application, different first data identifiers can be associated with different data processing manners. By carrying the first data identifier in the first data, the corresponding function entity can process the first data based on the data processing manner corresponding to the first data identifier. In this way, the appropriate function can be selected for processing different data, and the efficiency of business processing and system performance can be improved.

[0009] In a possible design, the data identifier can include a first data identifier and / or a second data identifier. The first data identifier can be used to indicate an in-phase quadrature (IQ) signal data message (referred to as an IQ data message for short), and the second data identifier can be used to indicate a group of IQ data messages. The group of IQ data messages can include multiple IQ data messages.

[0010] In the present application, the first data identifier can be indicated based on each IQ data signal or a group of IQ data signals, so that the appropriate manner can be selected to indicate the first data identifier in different scenarios, and the communication efficiency can be improved.

[0011] In a possible design, the first data identifier can include at least one of the following identifiers: a function entity identifier; a cell identifier; a terminal identifier; a service flow identifier; or a radio resource identifier.

[0012] The present application provides multiple possible forms of the first data identifier, which can be used to indicate the first data in different scenarios, so that the appropriate function can be selected for processing different data, and the efficiency of business processing and system performance can be improved.

[0013] In a possible design, the function entity identifier can include at least one of the following: an identifier of a central unit (CU); an identifier of a distributed unit (DU); or, an identifier of a radio unit (RU).

[0014] The present application provides a plurality of possible function entity identifiers, to indicate the first data based on different function entities in appropriate scenarios, to implement selecting appropriate functions to process the data for different function entities, and improve the service processing efficiency and system performance.

[0015] In a possible design, the service flow identifier includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a data radio bearer (DRB); an identifier of a protocol data unit (PDU) session; an identifier of a quality of service (QoS) flow; or, an identifier of a data packet.

[0016] The present application provides a plurality of possible service flow identifiers, to indicate the first data based on different service flows in appropriate scenarios, to implement selecting appropriate functions to process the data for different service flows, and improve the service processing efficiency and system performance.

[0017] In a possible design, the wireless resource identifier includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a physical channel; an identifier of an antenna port; an identifier of a symbol; an identifier of a time slot; an identifier of a frame; an identifier of a subframe; an identifier of a beam; or, an identifier of a time-frequency resource.

[0018] The present application provides a plurality of possible wireless resource identifiers, to indicate the first data based on different wireless resources in appropriate scenarios, to implement selecting appropriate functions to process the data for different wireless resources, and improve the service processing efficiency and system performance.

[0019] In a possible design, the first data identifier can be used to indicate that the first data has undergone the first function processing, and / or the first data identifier is used to indicate that the first data needs to undergo the second function processing.

[0020] The present application can indicate which function processing the first data has undergone and / or needs to undergo by sending the first data carrying the first data identifier. In this way, the device receiving the data can perform corresponding function processing on the first data, to implement performing certain functions on different data, and improve the service processing efficiency and system performance.

[0021] In a possible design, the first function can include at least one of the following: a function for uplink data processing; a function for downlink data processing; or, a function for data processing on sensing data.

[0022] The present application provides a plurality of possible communication protocol functions that can be executed and / or skipped, and can be more flexible in selecting appropriate functions for different data to improve service processing efficiency and system performance.

[0023] In a possible design, the function for uplink data processing can include at least one of the following: a resource element (RE) demapping function; a channel estimation function; or, an equalization function.

[0024] The present application provides a plurality of possible communication protocol functions that can be involved in an uplink communication scenario, so as to select appropriate communication protocol functions for different uplink data for processing, thereby improving service processing efficiency and system performance.

[0025] In a possible design, the function for downlink data processing can include at least one of the following: a modulation function; a layer mapping function; or, a precoding function.

[0026] The present application provides a plurality of possible communication protocol functions that can be involved in a downlink communication scenario, so as to select appropriate communication protocol functions for different downlink data for processing, thereby improving service processing efficiency and system performance.

[0027] In a possible design, the function for data processing on sensing data can include at least one of the following: a sensing least square (LS) function for a frequency domain; a sensing LS function for a time domain; or, a sensing range-velocity-angle (RVA) spectrum estimation function.

[0028] The present application provides a plurality of possible communication protocol functions that can be involved in a sensing communication scenario, so as to select appropriate communication protocol functions for different sensing data for processing, thereby improving service processing efficiency and system performance.

[0029] In a possible design, the first data identifier is further used to indicate that the first data is sensing symbol data or communication symbol data.

[0030] In the present application, different types of first data can be indicated by the first data identifier, so that the function entity selects appropriate communication protocol functions for processing based on sensing symbol data and communication symbol data, thereby improving service processing efficiency and system performance.

[0031] In a possible design, obtaining the first information can include at least one of the following: generating the first information; sending the first information; or, receiving the first information.

[0032] The present application provides various ways of obtaining the first information, so that the first function entity can quickly and accurately obtain the first information in different scenarios by selecting a suitable way.

[0033] In a second aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can be deployed with a first function entity, such as a network device, or a communication module in the network device, or a chip responsible for communication functions in the network device, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip), or a system on chip (SoC) or a system in package (SIP) chip containing a modem module. It can also be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device. For ease of description, the following is described by way of example of being executed by the network device. The communication apparatus includes: a processing unit, configured to obtain first information. The first information can be used to indicate an association relationship between a data identifier and a data processing manner. The data processing manner can include executing one or more first functions for data processing, and / or skipping one or more second functions for data processing. The data identifier mentioned above can include a first data identifier. A transceiver unit is configured to receive first data carrying the first data identifier. The processing unit is further configured to process the first data according to the first data identifier and the association relationship. Alternatively, the transceiver unit is configured to send first data carrying the first data identifier.

[0034] In a possible design, the data identifier can include a first data identifier and / or a second data identifier. The first data identifier is used to indicate an IQ data message, and the second data identifier is used to indicate a group of IQ data messages. The group of IQ data messages can include a plurality of IQ data messages.

[0035] In a possible design, the first data identifier can include at least one of the following: a function entity identifier; a cell identifier; a terminal identifier; a service flow identifier; or a radio resource identifier.

[0036] In a possible design, the function entity identifier can include at least one of the following: a CU identifier; a DU identifier; or an RU identifier.

[0037] In a possible design, the service flow identifier includes at least one of the following: a DRB identifier; a PDU session identifier; a QoS flow identifier; or a data packet identifier.

[0038] In a possible design, the identifier of the wireless resource includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a physical channel; an identifier of an antenna port; an identifier of a symbol; an identifier of a time slot; an identifier of a frame; an identifier of a subframe; an identifier of a beam; or an identifier of a time-frequency resource.

[0039] In a possible design, the first data identifier can be used to indicate that the first data is processed by the first function, and / or the first data identifier is used to indicate that the first data needs to be processed by the second function.

[0040] In a possible design, the first function can include at least one of the following: a function for processing uplink data; a function for processing downlink data; or a function for processing sensing data.

[0041] In a possible design, the function for processing uplink data can include at least one of the following: a RE demapping function; a channel estimation function; or an equalization function.

[0042] In a possible design, the function for processing downlink data can include at least one of the following: a modulation function; a layer mapping function; or a precoding function.

[0043] In a possible design, the function for processing sensing data can include at least one of the following: a sensing LS function for a frequency domain; a sensing LS function for a time domain; or a sensing RVA spectrum estimation function.

[0044] In a possible design, the first data identifier is further used to indicate that the first data is sensing symbol data or communication symbol data.

[0045] In a possible design, the processing unit is further configured to generate the first information, the transceiver is further configured to send the first information, or the transceiver is further configured to receive the first information.

[0046] In a third aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can be deployed with a first function entity, such as a network device, or a communication module in the network device, or a chip responsible for communication functions in the network device, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip), or a system on chip (SoC) or a system in package (SIP) chip containing a modem module. It can also be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device. For ease of description, the following is described by way of example of being executed by the network device. It includes: a processor configured to obtain first information. The first information can be used to indicate an association between a data identifier and a data processing manner. The data processing manner can include executing one or more first functions for data processing, and / or skipping one or more second functions for data processing. The data identifier mentioned above can include a first data identifier. A transceiver configured to receive first data carrying the first data identifier. The processor is further configured to process the first data according to the first data identifier and the association. Alternatively, the transceiver is configured to transmit first data carrying the first data identifier.

[0047] In a possible design, the data identifier can include a first data identifier and / or a second data identifier. The first data identifier can be used to indicate an IQ data message, and the second data identifier can be used to indicate a group of IQ data messages. The group of IQ data messages can include a plurality of IQ data messages.

[0048] In a possible design, the first data identifier can include at least one of the following identifiers: a function entity identifier; a cell identifier; a terminal identifier; a service flow identifier; or a wireless resource identifier.

[0049] In a possible design, the function entity identifier can include at least one of the following: a CU identifier; a DU identifier; or an RU identifier.

[0050] In a possible design, the service flow identifier can include at least one of the following: a DRB identifier; a PDU session identifier; a QoS flow identifier; or a data packet identifier.

[0051] In a possible design, the wireless resource identifier can include at least one of the following: a physical channel identifier; an antenna port identifier; a symbol identifier; a time slot identifier; a frame identifier; a subframe identifier; a beam identifier; or a time-frequency resource identifier.

[0052] In a possible design, the first data identifier can be used to indicate that the first data is processed by the first function, and / or the first data identifier can be used to indicate that the first data needs to be processed by the second function.

[0053] In a possible design, the first function can include at least one of the following: a function for uplink data processing; a function for downlink data processing; or, a function for data processing on sensing data.

[0054] In a possible design, the function for uplink data processing can include at least one of the following: an RE demapping function; a channel estimation function; or, an equalization function.

[0055] In a possible design, the function for downlink data processing can include at least one of the following: a modulation function; a layer mapping function; or, a precoding function.

[0056] In a possible design, the function for data processing on sensing data can include at least one of the following: a sensing LS function for a frequency domain; a sensing LS function for a time domain; or, a sensing RVA spectrum estimation function.

[0057] In a possible design, the first data identifier is further used to indicate that the first data is sensing symbol data or communication symbol data.

[0058] In a possible design, the processor is further configured to generate the first information; the transceiver is further configured to send the first information; or, the transceiver is further configured to receive the first information.

[0059] In a fourth aspect, a chip is provided, which includes an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled with a memory. The memory is configured to store part or all of necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions related to the first aspect. The one or more processors can execute the computer programs or instructions, and when the computer programs or instructions are executed, cause the communication apparatus to implement the method in any possible design or implementation manner of the first aspect. The interface circuit is configured to implement communication functions within the communication apparatus and / or communication functions of the communication apparatus with other apparatuses or components.

[0060] In a fifth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a first function entity and a second function entity. The first function entity and the second function entity can be a network device, a component (e.g., a processor, a circuit, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) of the network device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the function of the network device. For ease of description, the following is described by way of example of being executed by the network device. The system can include: the first function entity obtaining first information. The first information can be used to indicate an association relationship between a data identifier and a data processing manner. The data processing manner can include executing one or more first functions for data processing, and / or skipping one or more second functions for data processing. The data identifier mentioned above can include a first data identifier. The second function entity sends first data carrying the first data identifier to the first function entity. The first function entity processes the first data according to the first data identifier and the association relationship. Alternatively, the first function entity sends the first data carrying the first data identifier to the second function entity.

[0061] In a possible design, the data identifier can include a first data identifier and / or a second data identifier. The first data identifier can be used to indicate an IQ data message, and the second data identifier can be used to indicate a group of IQ data messages. The group of IQ data messages can include a plurality of IQ data messages.

[0062] In a possible design, the first data identifier can include at least one of the following identifiers: a function entity identifier; a cell identifier; a terminal identifier; a service flow identifier; or a wireless resource identifier.

[0063] In a possible design, the function entity identifier can include at least one of the following: a CU identifier; a DU identifier; or an RU identifier.

[0064] In a possible design, the service flow identifier can include at least one of the following: a DRB identifier; a PDU session identifier; a QoS flow identifier; or a data packet identifier.

[0065] In a possible design, the wireless resource identifier can include at least one of the following: a physical channel identifier; an antenna port identifier; a symbol identifier; a time slot identifier; a frame identifier; a subframe identifier; a beam identifier; or a time-frequency resource identifier.

[0066] In a possible design, the first data identifier can be used to indicate that the first data is processed by the first function, and / or the first data identifier can be used to indicate that the first data needs to be processed by the second function.

[0067] In a possible design, the first function can include at least one of: a function for uplink data processing; a function for downlink data processing; or, a function for data processing on sensing data.

[0068] In a possible design, the function for uplink data processing can include at least one of: a RE demapping function; a channel estimation function; or, an equalization function.

[0069] In a possible design, the function for downlink data processing can include at least one of: a modulation function; a layer mapping function; or, a precoding function.

[0070] In a possible design, the function for data processing on sensing data can include at least one of: a sensing LS function for a frequency domain; a sensing LS function for a time domain; or, a sensing RVA spectrum estimation function.

[0071] In a possible design, the first data identifier can be further used to indicate that the first data is sensing symbol data or communication symbol data.

[0072] In a possible design, the obtaining of the first information can include at least one of: that the first function entity generates the first information; that the first function entity sends the first information to the second function entity; or, that the second function entity sends the first information to the first function entity.

[0073] In a sixth aspect, a communication system is provided, including a first network device and a second network device. The first network device is deployed with a first function entity. The second network device is deployed with a second function entity. The first network device and the second network device can also be components (such as a processor, a circuit, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) of a network device, and can also be logical modules or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. For ease of description, the following is described by way of example of being executed by a network device. The system can include: the first network device obtaining first information. The first information can be used to indicate an association relationship between a data identifier and a data processing manner. The data processing manner can include executing one or more first functions for data processing, and / or skipping one or more second functions for data processing. The data identifier mentioned above can include a first data identifier. The second network device sends first data carrying the first data identifier to the first network device. The first network device processes the first data according to the first data identifier and the association relationship. Alternatively, the first network device sends the first data carrying the first data identifier to the second network device.

[0074] In a possible design, the data identifier can include: a first type of data identifier and / or a second type of data identifier. The first type of data identifier can be used to indicate one IQ data message, and the second type of data identifier can be used to indicate a group of IQ data messages. The group of IQ data messages can include a plurality of IQ data messages.

[0075] In a possible design, the first data identifier can include at least one of the following: a network device identifier; a cell identifier; a terminal identifier; a service flow identifier; or a radio resource identifier.

[0076] In a possible design, the network device identifier can include at least one of the following: a CU identifier; a DU identifier; or an RU identifier.

[0077] In a possible design, the service flow identifier can include at least one of the following: a DRB identifier; a PDU session identifier; a QoS flow identifier; or a packet identifier.

[0078] In a possible design, the radio resource identifier can include at least one of the following: a physical channel identifier; an antenna port identifier; a symbol identifier; a time slot identifier; a frame identifier; a subframe identifier; a beam identifier; or a time-frequency resource identifier.

[0079] In a possible design, the first data identifier can be used to indicate that the first data is processed by a first function, and / or the first data identifier can be used to indicate that the first data needs to be processed by a second function.

[0080] In a possible design, the first function can include at least one of the following: a function for processing uplink data; a function for processing downlink data; or a function for processing sensing data.

[0081] In a possible design, the function for processing uplink data can include at least one of the following: a RE demapping function; a channel estimation function; or an equalization function.

[0082] In a possible design, the function for processing downlink data can include at least one of the following: a modulation function; a layer mapping function; or a precoding function.

[0083] In a possible design, the function for processing sensing data can include at least one of the following: a frequency-domain sensing LS function; a time-domain sensing LS function; or a sensing RVA spectrum estimation function.

[0084] In a possible design, the first data identifier can also be used to indicate that the first data is sensing symbol data or communication symbol data.

[0085] In a possible design, the obtaining the first information can include at least one of the following: the first network device generates the first information; the first network device sends the first information to the second network device; or the second network device sends the first information to the first network device.

[0086] In a seventh aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided. The computer readable storage medium stores computer instructions; when the computer instructions run on a computer, the computer executes the communication method according to any of the designs in the above aspects.

[0087] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes computer programs or instructions; when the computer programs or instructions run on a computer, the computer executes the communication method according to any of the designs in the above aspects.

[0088] The method in any of the above second aspect to eighth aspect has the advantages of the methods in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0089] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system to which embodiments of the present application can be applied;

[0090] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a function split of a communication protocol between a BBU and a RRU according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0091] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a radio access network according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0092] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of another architecture of a radio access network according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0093] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a function split of an access network device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0094] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a function split of a communication protocol according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0095] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of another function split of a communication protocol according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0096] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of yet another function split of a communication protocol according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0097] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a function split of a physical layer for downlink according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0098] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a function split of a physical layer for uplink according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0099] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a communication scenario according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0100] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0101] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of an uplink network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0102] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a downlink network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0103] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0104] FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of another communication scenario according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0105] FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0106] FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0107] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0108] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 1000 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100, wherein the RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., 110a and 110b in FIG. 1, collectively referred to as 110), and can further include at least one terminal (e.g., 120a-120j in FIG. 1, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 can further include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in FIG. 1). The terminals 120 are connected to the RAN nodes 110 in a wireless manner. Terminals and terminals, and RAN nodes and RAN nodes can be connected to each other in a wired or wireless manner. The communication system 1000 can further include a core network 200. The RAN nodes 110 are connected to the core network 200 in a wireless or wired manner. The core network devices in the core network 200 and the RAN nodes 110 in the RAN 100 can be independent and different physical devices, or can be the same physical device integrated with the logical functions of the core network devices and the logical functions of the RAN nodes. The communication system 1000 can further include the Internet 300.

[0109] The RAN 100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, a future communication network, and a future wireless access system defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). The RAN 100 can also include two or more different wireless access systems described above. The RAN 100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0110] The RAN node, also referred to as a radio access network device, a RAN entity, or an access node, is used to help the terminal access the communication system through a wireless manner. In an application scenario, the RAN node can be a base station (BS), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB / eNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a future base station in a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, a future base station in a future communication network, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. The RAN node can be a macro base station (such as 110a in FIG. 1), or a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in FIG. 1), or a relay node, or a master node.

[0111] In another application scenario, wireless access can be realized for a terminal through cooperation of a plurality of RAN nodes, and different RAN nodes realize part of functions of a base station respectively. For example, a RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). The RU can also be referred to as a radio frequency unit. The CU here completes functions of a radio resource control protocol and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of a base station, and can also complete a function of a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU completes functions of a radio link control layer and a medium access control (MAC) layer of a base station, and can also complete a function of part of a physical layer or all of a physical layer. For specific descriptions of the above protocol layers, refer to related technical specifications of the 3GPP. The RU can be used to realize functions of transceiving radio frequency signals. The CU and the DU can be two independent RAN nodes, or can be integrated in the same RAN node, for example, integrated in a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device, for example, included in a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes of a CU-control plane and a CU-user plane.

[0112] In different systems, the RAN node can have different names. For example, in an open radio access network (O-RAN) system, the CU can be referred to as an open CU (O-CU), the DU can be referred to as an open DU (O-DU), and the RU can be referred to as an open RU (O-RU). The RAN node in the embodiments of the present application can be realized through a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. For example, the RAN node can be a server loaded with a corresponding software module. The embodiments of the present application do not limit specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by the RAN node. In order to facilitate description, a base station is described as an example of the RAN node in the following.

[0113] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiving function, which can send signals to a base station or receive signals from a base station. A terminal can also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. A terminal can be widely applied to various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, automatic driving, remote medical treatment, smart power grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. A terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiving function, wearable device, vehicle, airplane, ship, robot, mechanical arm, smart home device, etc. Embodiments of the present application do not limit specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by a terminal.

[0114] In some examples, the core network 200 can include an access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, a session management function (SMF) entity, a user plane function (UPF) entity, a sensing service control function (SSCF), a sensing data processing function (SDPF), a unified data management (UDM), etc.

[0115] A base station and a terminal can be fixed in position or movable. A base station and a terminal can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on water surface; can also be deployed on an airplane, balloon and artificial satellite. Embodiments of the present application do not limit application scenarios of a base station and a terminal.

[0116] The roles of the base station and the terminal can be relative. For example, the helicopter or the drone 120i in FIG. 1 can be configured as a mobile base station, and for the terminal 120j that accesses the wireless access network 100 through the 120i, the terminal 120i is a base station; but for the base station 110a, the 120i is a terminal, that is, the 110a and the 120i communicate through a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, the 110a and the 120i can also communicate through a base station-to-base station interface protocol, and in this case, the 120i is also a base station relative to the 110a. Therefore, the base station and the terminal can be collectively referred to as a communication device, and the 110a and the 110b in FIG. 1 can be referred to as a communication device with a base station function, and the 120a-120j in FIG. 1 can be referred to as a communication device with a terminal function.

[0117] The base station and the terminal, the base station and the base station, and the terminal and the terminal can communicate through a licensed spectrum, can communicate through an unlicensed spectrum, and can simultaneously communicate through the licensed spectrum and the unlicensed spectrum; can communicate through a spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), can communicate through a spectrum above 6 GHz, and can simultaneously use the spectrum below 6 GHz and the spectrum above 6 GHz. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0118] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the base station can also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the base station, or by a control subsystem containing base station functions. The control subsystem containing base station functions herein can be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. The functions of the terminal can also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal, or by a device containing terminal functions.

[0119] In a wireless communication system, communication devices can communicate with each other through air interface resources. The communication devices can include network devices and terminal devices, and the network devices can also be referred to as base station devices, i.e., the wireless access network devices mentioned above. The air interface resources can include at least one of time domain resources, frequency domain resources, code resources, and spatial resources. The communication devices can also be referred to as communication devices.

[0120] The scheme provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to wireless communication between communication devices. The wireless communication can include wireless communication between network devices and terminals, wireless communication between network devices and network devices, and wireless communication between terminals and terminals. In the embodiments of the present application, the term "wireless communication" can also be referred to as "communication", and the term "communication" can also be described as "data transmission", "information transmission", or "transmission".

[0121] In global system for mobile communications (GSM), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), long term evolution (LTE) and 5G system, base stations can be divided into two functional entities, BBU and RRU, for deployment in a bottom split manner. The bottom split manner can be a split manner of physical layer and radio frequency part. It can be understood that in each embodiment of the present application, “split” and “divide” can be used interchangeably. The BBU is connected to one or more RRUs through optical fiber, metal wiring or microwave link. The BBU mainly completes the upper layer centralized processing of baseband signals. The RRU mainly completes the receiving and transmitting of baseband signals, as well as the functions of modulation and demodulation of radio frequency signals, data processing, power amplification, etc. The RRU is closer to the antenna and has smaller feeder loss. In some cases, the RRU can also be referred to as RU or AAU. The interface between the BBU and the RRU can be referred to as a front haul interface or a bottom split interface.

[0122] Referring to FIG. 2, a schematic diagram of a communication protocol function division between a BBU and a RRU is shown. In the related art, an interface between a BBU and a RRU can use a common public radio interface (CPRI) protocol to communicate with each other. The CPRI protocol defines a key communication interface specification between a radio equipment control (REC) and a radio equipment (RE) in a wireless communication network. For example, the REC can be considered as the aforementioned BBU, and the radio equipment can be considered as the aforementioned RRU. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the CPRI interface divides radio frequency (RF) layer functions to the RRU 1, and divides physical (PHY) layer and above protocol layer functions to the BBU 1. The PHY layer can be further divided into a PHY high layer (High PHY) and a PHY low layer (Low PHY). The PHY layer and above protocol layer functions can include a radio resource control (RRC) layer, an SDAP layer, a PDCP layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a MAC layer.

[0123] Since the amount of data transmitted between the PHY layer of the BBU and the RF layer of the RRU is directly related to the size of the antenna array. The splitting manner specified in the CPRI protocol can cause the amount of data on the fronthaul interface to be too large, and cannot support a large-scale antenna array scenario. For example, assuming that a 9.8 gigabits per second (Gbps) optical fiber is used on the fronthaul interface of the CPRI protocol to carry 2 4 transmit and 4 receive (4T4R) antennas, and a cell with a wireless bandwidth of 20 megahertz (MHz). For a cell with 64 antennas and a bandwidth of 100 MHz, approximately 32 9.8 Gbps optical fibers need to be deployed on the CPRI interface.

[0124] In some scenarios, an evolution of the CPRI protocol is proposed, namely an enhanced CPRI protocol, denoted as eCPRI. Still referring to FIG. 2, the eCPRI protocol makes a finer division of the communication protocol of the wireless network, such as dividing the PHY layer into a PHY high layer and a PHY low layer. The PHY low layer is deployed in the RRU, and the PHY high layer is deployed into the BBU. And the interface specification between the BBU and the RRU, i.e., between the PHY high layer and the PHY low layer, is re-formulated. The eCPRI protocol converts the interface between the BBU and the RRU from the interface between the RF layer and the PHY layer as specified in the CPRI protocol into an interface between the PHY high layer and the PHY low layer, so that the original fiber communication between the RF layer and the PHY layer is converted into communication within the board or within the field programmable gate array (FPGA) chip inside the RRU. And the data dimension of the communication between the PHY high layer of the BBU and the PHY low layer of the RRU is reduced, and is no longer directly related to the size of the antenna array on the RRU.

[0125] The splitting manner adopted by the above CPRI interface or eCPRI interface enables the BBU to process the baseband signal in a highly centralized manner, so that the computing resources can be deployed in a centralized manner, resulting in high resource utilization and low deployment cost. However, the above-mentioned CPRI interface or eCPRI interface has a large demand for the bandwidth of the fronthaul link, and the deployment cost of the optical fiber is high.

[0126] Referring to FIG. 3, a new RAN architecture that can be applied in future communication systems is proposed. In this architecture, the functions of the base station are re-divided into RU functions, radio network area (RNA) functions, and RNA automation functions. Among them, the RNA functions and the RU functions communicate through a low layer split (LLS) interface, and the RU functions and the terminals can establish a RAN-UE interface to communicate. The RNA functions and the core network (CN) can communicate through a RAN-CN interface. The RAN automation functions can manage the RU functions and the RNA functions through a network function (NF) management interface. The RAN automation functions can be controlled through network management. In this architecture, the RU functions can be regarded as the aforementioned RRU or AAU, and the RNA functions can be regarded as the aforementioned BBU.

[0127] In the related art, in order to reduce the pressure of the underlying split mode on the bandwidth of the fronthaul link and the deployment cost, 3GPP proposes a base station function division mode. For example, for gNB in 5G, a high-layer split mode is adopted to split the base station into two function entities such as CU and DU. The midhaul link between CU and DU has lower network bandwidth demand, and the radio access network shown in FIG. 4 is divided into CU and DU. For example, the access network device can be a gNB, which can be composed of CU and DU. Of course, the DU can include one or more, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The gNB and the core network element of the 5G core network (5G core network, 5GC) can communicate through the NG interface. Different gNBs can communicate through the Xn interface, for example, through the Xn-control (control, C) interface. The CU and different DUs can communicate through the F1 interface.

[0128] Among them, for the function split between CU and DU in the access network device, a static split mode is adopted, and fixed division is performed according to the protocol stack function granularity. As shown in FIG. 5, the RLC layer, the MAC layer and the PHY layer and the like protocol stack can be located in the DU of the access network device. Among them, the MAC layer can also be called media access control, medium access control, and the like, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The RRC layer, the SDAP layer and the PDCP layer and the like protocol stack can be located in the CU of the access network device. Among them, RRC realizes air interface radio resource and air interface connection control, which belongs to the control plane (control plane, CP) protocol; SDAP performs mapping between quality of service flow (quality of service flow, QoS-flow) and data radio bearer (data radio bearer, DRB), which belongs to the user plane (user plane, UP) protocol. QoS-flow represents a service data flow with specific quality of service (quality of service, QoS) requirements.

[0129] As can be seen from FIG. 5, for the DU, the control plane protocol stack or the user plane protocol stack involves RLC, MAC and PHY. For the CU, PDCP is applicable to the control plane protocol stack and the user plane protocol stack, RRC corresponds to the control plane protocol stack, and SDAP corresponds to the user plane protocol stack. For performing the control plane protocol stack function, the CU and the DU can communicate through an F1-C interface; for performing the user plane protocol stack function, the CU and the DU can communicate through an F1-user (U) interface. On the basis of separation of the CU and the DU, the CU of the access network device can further be separated into a CP unit and a UP unit. The CP of the CU of the access network device can be denoted as gNB-CU-CP, and the UP of the CU of the access network device can be denoted as gNB-CU-UP. The PDCP layer protocol exists on both the gNB-CU-CP unit and the gNB-CU-UP unit, the RRC layer is located above the PDCP layer in the gNB-CU-CP unit, and the SDAP layer is located above the PDCP layer in the gNB-CU-UP unit.

[0130] The RLC layer can provide transparent data transmission and non-deterministic mode and deterministic mode data transmission. The MAC layer is mainly responsible for controlling the physical medium connected to the physical layer. The PHY layer is responsible for transmitting bits or bit groups on the physical medium, including encoding the transmitted information and decoding the received information. For specific protocols, reference can be made to related technologies, for example, reference can be made to 3GPP protocol technical specification (TS) 38.300, and the present embodiment will not be described herein.

[0131] FIG. 6 shows a plurality of possible communication protocol function division manners. The communication protocol function can be divided according to the protocol layer granularity. For example, a plurality of possible communication protocol function division manners such as option 1 to option 8 are provided. The option 1 can be the communication function division between the RRC layer and the PDCP layer shown in FIG. 6, or the option 1 can be the communication function division between the SDAP layer and the PDCP layer shown in FIG. 6. It can be understood that the subsequent embodiments of the present application are described by taking the control plane RRC layer as an example, and for the user plane, the RRC layer can be replaced by the SDAP layer, and the present embodiment will not be described herein.

[0132] Option 2 can be a communication function split between the PDCP layer and the RLC high layer as shown in FIG. 6. Option 3 can be a communication function split between the RLC high layer and the RLC low layer as shown in FIG. 6. Thus, Option 3 can also be considered as a communication function split within the RLC layer. Option 4 can be a communication function split between the RLC low layer and the MAC high layer as shown in FIG. 6. Option 5 can be a communication function split between the MAC high layer and the MAC low layer as shown in FIG. 6. Thus, Option 5 can also be considered as a communication function split within the MAC layer. Option 6 can be a communication function split between the MAC low layer and the PHY high layer as shown in FIG. 6. Option 7 can be a communication function split between the PHY high layer and the PHY low layer as shown in FIG. 6. Thus, Option 7 can also be considered as a communication function split within the PHY layer. Option 8 can be a communication function split between the PHY low layer and the RF layer as shown in FIG. 6. This split of Option 8 is exactly the same as the split specified by the CPRI protocol.

[0133] It can be seen that the communication protocol function division is more refined for the intra of certain protocol layers. For example, the protocol layers such as the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the PHY layer can be divided into high layers and low layers. Next, the PHY layer will be taken as an example to describe the communication protocol function division for the intra of the protocol layers, and the division manners of other protocol layers are similar, and the difference is that the communication protocol functions in the in tra of different protocol layers can be different, and the specific communication protocol functions can be referred to the corresponding protocol layers, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. Referring to FIG. 7, the communication function division for the intra of the PHY layer in the downlink (DL) communication is described. It is assumed that the intra of the PHY layer can also be divided into functions such as coding, rate mapping, scrambling, modulation, layer mapping, precoding, resource element (RE) mapping, digital beam forming (DBF), inverse fast fourier transformation (IFFT) / addition cyclic prefix (CP), digital to analog, analog beamforming, and RF. Among them, the resource element can be a unit wireless resource composed of one subcarrier and one symbol. Then, for the division manner of the option 7, the division manners of the option 7-1, the option 7-2, the option 7-2a, and the option 7-3 can also be included. Among them, the resource element can also be referred to as a resource unit.

[0134] It is worth noting that the English abbreviations of the radio device and the resource element can both be RE, and therefore, in order to distinguish the radio device and the resource element, in the embodiments of the present application, the RE can refer to the resource element, and the radio device is not described by using the abbreviation.

[0135] In the analog beamforming module shown in FIG. 7, the phase of the digital signal on the antenna can be adjusted by the phase shifter in the analog domain, so as to generate a beam in a specific direction. It can be considered that all antennas process the same signal. In some scenarios, the digital beamforming and precoding in FIG. 7 can be the same module, so the digital beamforming can also be called precoding. Precoding is to adjust the phase and amplitude of the baseband signal of different data streams, so that the transmission signal on the antenna is different, and multiple beams with different directions and power intensities can be generated more flexibly. Thus, the spatial diversity or spatial multiplexing can be effectively utilized. Beamforming is a signal processing technology for directional transmission and reception of signals using an antenna array. By adjusting the basic unit and phase parameters of the antenna array, the signals at certain angles are in phase interference, and the signals at other angles are in destructive interference, that is, the target signal is aligned with the target receiving device.

[0136] For example, referring to FIG. 7, option 7-1 can be a communication protocol function division between IFFT / add CP and DBF. Option 7-2 can be a communication protocol function division between precoding and layer mapping. Option 7-2a can be a communication protocol function division between DBF and RE mapping. Option 7-3 can be a communication protocol function division between modulation and scrambling. Among them, option 7-2a can also be called category A, and option 7-2 can also be called category B. For option 7-3, it can also be considered to be the same as the splitting mode of the eCPRI protocol for downlink. Option 7-3 can also be called interface e (Ie) for downlink, Ie splitting for downlink, Ie2 for downlink, Ie2 splitting for downlink, and the like. For FIG. 7, if the communication protocol function division is performed between IFFT / add CP and digital-to-analog, it corresponds to the aforementioned option 8, that is, the splitting mode of the CPRI protocol.

[0137] Referring to FIG. 8, the communication function division within the PHY layer is divided for uplink (UL) communication. It is assumed that the PHY layer can also be divided into de-coding, rate de-mapping, de-scrambling, de-modulation, channel estimation, equalization, RE de-mapping, DBF, fast fourier transformation (FFT) / CP removal, analog to digital, analog beamforming, RF, and the like. Then, for the option 7 split mode, option 7-1', option 7-2', option 7-2a', and option 7-3' and the like can also be included. Wherein, the de-modulation can also be referred to as demodulation.

[0138] For example, referring to FIG. 8, the option 7-1' can be a communication protocol function division between FFT / CP removal and DBF. The option 7-2' can be a communication protocol function division between RE de-mapping and channel estimation. The option 7-2a' can be a communication protocol function division between DBF and RE de-mapping. The option 7-3' can be a communication protocol function division between de-modulation and de-scrambling. Wherein, the option 7-2' can also be referred to as Ie', Ie for uplink, Ie split for uplink, and the like. The option 7-2' can be considered to be the same as the eCPRI protocol split mode for uplink. In some examples, if the communication protocol function division is between equalization and de-modulation, the split point can be referred to as uplink performance improvement (ULPI)-A, Ie2 for uplink, Ie2 split for uplink, NG-LLS, and the like. If the communication protocol function division is between channel estimation and equalization, the split point can be referred to as ULPI-B. It is worth noting that the channel estimation mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be considered to be channel estimation using a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) signal.

[0139] The Ie and Ie2 can be considered to be an uplink / downlink asymmetric split mode. Of course, for the split mode within the MAC and RLC, the PHY internal split mode can be referred to. The communication functions involved in each protocol layer and the specific functions to be divided together can be determined according to the actual situation, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0140] Generally, a fixed splitting manner can be adopted to deploy the communication protocol function on each entity. For example, the splitting point of the communication protocol function can be set according to prior statistical information, such as network peak rate, average data rate requirement, etc., before deployment, and the deployment of the function entity is performed according to the splitting manner. After deployment, the communication protocol function on each entity remains unchanged. For example, the splitting manner according to the foregoing CPRI, eCPRI, or the splitting manner mentioned in the foregoing options 1 to 8, etc.

[0141] In some communication systems, a sounding reference signal-based beamforing (SRS-BF) module, a single-user beamforing (SU-BF) module, and / or a multi-user beamforing (MU-BF) module can also be deployed on the BBU. The SU-BF module can be used to generate weight coefficients of a single-user signal for providing to a precoding module for use in precoding a signal; the MU-BF module can be used to generate weight coefficients of a multi-user signal for providing to a precoding module for use in precoding a signal.

[0142] A sounding reference signal (SRS) is a kind of reference signal sent by a terminal to a base station, and is used to measure an uplink channel state. The base station can measure the SRS signal to obtain an SRS measurement report. The SRS measurement report can include a precoding matrix indication (PMI) for uplink, a channel quality indicator (CQI) for uplink, and a rank indication (RI) for uplink. The base station can send the PMI to the UE for beamforing of uplink. Alternatively, for a time division duplex (TDD) scenario, the base station can input the SRS measurement report to the SU-BF module or the MU-BF module by means of reciprocity between the uplink channel and the downlink channel, so that the SU-BF module or the MU-BF module generates weight coefficients for downlink precoding.

[0143] Similar to SRS is channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), which is a reference signal sent by a base station to a terminal for measuring a downlink channel state. The terminal measures the CSI-RS to obtain a CSI-RS measurement report, or channel state information (CSI). The CSI can include a PMI for downlink, a CQI for downlink, and an RI for downlink. The terminal reports the CSI to the base station, so that the base station inputs the CSI into a SU-BF module or a MU-BF module to generate a weight coefficient for downlink precoding.

[0144] In the process of uplink or downlink communication of the UE and the base station, the DMRS can also be sent together with the data signal. So that the receiving end demodulates the uplink data signal or the downlink data signal, such as performing channel estimation and equalization on the data signal. The receiving end usually performs channel estimation according to the reception result of the DMRS signal and the pilot sequence carried by the DMRS signal.

[0145] In some examples, the base station can determine to deploy certain functional modules on a certain functional entity according to the QoS requirements (such as experience rate) of the services of different users, the service load state between different functional entities, the computing power state, the traffic state of the interface, etc.

[0146] Referring to FIG. 9, the communication protocol functional modules in the physical layer for downlink are similar to those shown in FIG. 7. The difference is that the digital beamforming and precoding in FIG. 9 are regarded as the same module. For the scenario of downlink communication, the functional modules such as modulation, layer mapping, and precoding can be flexibly selected to be deployed on a certain functional entity, such as being deployed on the functional entity 2 or being deployed on the functional entity 1'. The remaining communication protocol functional modules of the physical layer are respectively deployed on the functional entity 1 and the functional entity 2, or are respectively deployed on the functional entity 1' and the functional entity 2', according to the order of data processing. For example, in the case that the traffic load of the front-end interface is relatively high, the deployment according to the functional entity 1 and the functional entity 2 can be considered. To reduce the total traffic of the front-end interface. It can be understood that the interface between the functional entity 1 and the functional entity 2 is the front-end interface. For another example, if the load or functional complexity of the functional entity 2 is considered to be high, the deployment according to the functional entity 1' and the functional entity 2' can be considered. Compared with the functional entity 2, the load and functional complexity of the functional entity 2' are reduced, but the total traffic on the front-end interface is increased. It can be understood that the interface between the functional entity 1' and the functional entity 2' is also the front-end interface.

[0147] Referring to FIG. 10, the communication protocol function modules in the physical layer for uplink are similar to those shown in FIG. 8. The difference is that an inverse discrete fourier transform (IDFT) module is added between the channel estimation and demodulation, which is mainly used to convert the signal from the frequency domain to the time domain. For the terminal with poor uplink symbol or uplink air interface transmission rate, the channel estimation module and / or the equalization module can be deployed on a higher layer function entity, such as function entity 3. This deployment can obtain the multiplexing gain and diversity gain brought by the cooperative processing of uplink signals, and improve the uplink coverage and uplink transmission rate. For example, the function entity 3 can combine the signals and channel information of other possible users on the function entity 4 to make more accurate uplink channel estimation and signal equalization for the target UE. For example, the interference channel and the interference signal component are filtered to improve the reception quality of the base station. For another example, the channel estimation module and / or the equalization module can also be deployed on a lower layer function entity, such as function entity 4. In this way, the traffic of the front-haul interface is lower, reducing the bandwidth requirement of the front-haul interface and the complexity of signal processing.

[0148] For the scenario of uplink communication, the data transmitted on the front-haul interface can also be data for sensing, which can be referred to as sensing data. The signal for sensing can be referred to as sensing signal. For example, the terminal or the network device can send the sensing signal for sensing, and the device receiving the sensing signal can determine the corresponding sensing data based on the measurement result of the sensing signal. The sensing data is different from the ordinary data for communication in the process of uplink communication. For example, the sensing data needs to be processed by the least square (LS) function module. The equalization and modulation function modules no longer need to be executed.

[0149] For the function entities shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the function entities can have corresponding communication protocol functions according to different communication protocol function division manners. However, different data can need the function entities to execute different communication protocol processing functions. However, the current front-haul interface does not support data identification, so that different data cannot be directed to execute certain functions by the function entities, resulting in the decline of the business processing efficiency and the system performance.

[0150] Therefore, the embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which carries a first data identifier in first data. Different first data identifiers can have an association relationship with different data processing manners. The function entity processes the first data based on the data processing manner corresponding to the first data identifier, so as to realize the selection of appropriate functions for processing different data, and improve the business processing efficiency and the system performance.

[0151] The communication method and device are further described below with reference to the drawings. It can be understood that the first function entity and the second function entity are taken as an example of the execution subject of the interaction in the embodiments of the present application, but the present application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction. For example, the first function entity and the second function entity can be network devices. The method executed by the network device in the present application can also be implemented by a module (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) in the network device, or a logic node, a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the function of the network device.

[0152] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "wireless communication" can also be referred to as "communication", and the term "communication" can also be described as "data transmission", "information transmission" or "transmission".

[0153] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a communication scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0154] As shown in FIG. 11, the access network device can be divided into multiple function entities such as RU 210, DU 220 and CU 230. Of course, the access network device can include one or more RUs 210, one or more DUs 220 and one or more CUs 230. Among them, the CU 230 is connected with the 5GC 240, used to realize the communication with the core network device. In the embodiments of the present application, the core network device can also be referred to as a core network element.

[0155] Among them, the 5GC 240 can be connected with multiple CUs 230, one CU 230 can also be connected with multiple DUs 220, and one DU 220 can also be connected with multiple RUs 210.

[0156] The access network device can be a gNB. The access network device provides NR user plane and control plane protocol endpoints for the terminal, and communicates with the 5GC 240 through the NG interface. The access network device is used to provide the function of wireless network connection between the terminal and the core network.

[0157] The CU 230 can host the RRC layer, the SDAP layer and the PDCP layer protocols of the access network device and control the operation of one or more DUs. The CU 230 communicates with the DU 220 through the F1 interface.

[0158] The DU 220 can host the RLC layer, the MAC layer and the PHY layer of the access network device, and its operation is controlled by the CU 230. One DU 220 can support one or more cells, and one cell supports one DU 220.

[0159] The RU 210 can be referred to as a wireless unit, a radio frequency unit, or a radio frequency remote unit, etc. It mainly completes the functions of receiving and transmitting baseband signals, and modulating and demodulating radio frequency signals, data processing, power amplification, etc. The RU can be deployed close to the antenna, and the feeder loss is small.

[0160] The 5GC 240 can include one or more any possible core network entities, such as an AMF entity, an SMF entity, a UPF entity, a UDM entity, etc. The 5GC together with the RAN forms a 5G network providing service channels for users to connect to data networks, servers. Of course, the 5GC 240 can also be replaced by a core network in a future communication system, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0161] The RAN is used to provide the function of wireless network connection between the UE and the core network. The RAN can include an access network device such as a gNB. In some cases, the access network device can refer to the entire RAN. The deployment form of the RAN can include a centralized RAN (CRAN) and a distributed RAN (DRAN). Among them, the CRAN adopts a BBU and RRU separation architecture, each BBU is located in the central machine room to form a BBU pool. It communicates with the RRU through the front network. The DRAN adopts a BBU and RRU distributed deployment, each BBU is separately deployed in a cabinet, and the RRU can be deployed together with the BBU in the cabinet, or the RRU is deployed close to the antenna on the tower.

[0162] In some examples, the RU 210, the DU 220, and the CU 230 can be deployed on the same physical device, or can be separately deployed on different physical devices. Alternatively, part of the functional entities in the RU 210, the DU 220, and the CU 230 are deployed on the same physical device, and part of the functional entities are deployed on different physical devices, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0163] It can be understood that the access network device can also include a case of being split into two functional entities, for example, the CU 230 and the DU 220 are deployed on the same physical device, and the CU 230 and the DU 220 can be regarded as one functional entity. Alternatively, the DU 220 and the RU 210 are deployed on the same physical device, and the DU 220 and the RU 210 can be regarded as one functional entity.

[0164] Of course, the present application is not limited to the network architecture of 5G, and the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to LTE networks and future possible network architectures of future communication networks. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application can be applicable to any network architecture with communication connection capability.

[0165] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0166] The communication process can be applied to, but is not limited to, the communication scenarios shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 11. The method can be applied to LTE, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE TDD, 5G system or NR system, subsequent communication systems (such as future communication systems), V2X, etc., where V2X can include vehicle to network (V2N), vehicle to vehicle (V2V), vehicle to infrastructure (V2I), vehicle to pedestrian (V2P), etc., inter-vehicle communication long term evolution (LTE-V), Internet of Vehicles, MTC, IoT, inter-machine communication long term evolution (LTE-M), machine to machine (M2M), D2D, etc. The first function entity and the second function entity involved in the embodiments of the present application can be network devices. The first function entity and the second function entity can be deployed on the same network device, or can be deployed on different network devices, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In the embodiments of the present application, the network device can be considered as an access network device in general. Of course, in some cases, the network device can also be a core network device. The method can include the following steps:

[0167] S101, the first function entity acquires first information.

[0168] The first information can be used to indicate the association relationship between the data identifier and the data processing method. The data processing method associated with the data identifier can include executing one or more first functions for data processing, and / or skipping one or more second functions for data processing.

[0169] In some examples, "skipping" certain functions means that the first function entity does not perform these "skipped" functions in the process of data processing. In the embodiments of the present application, "skipping" can also be described as "not doing", "ignoring", "bypassing", "transmitting through" and the like, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application. "Transmitting through" means that the data passes through these "skipped" function modules, but is not processed. "Skipping" can be considered as the data being directly transmitted to the function module that needs to be processed, without passing through these "skipped" function modules. "Bypassing" means that the data performs other paths for data processing. The subsequent embodiments of the present application will be described by taking "skipping" as an example.

[0170] In some examples, a plurality of communication protocol function modules can be deployed in the first function entity, and each communication protocol function module is used to implement a corresponding communication protocol function. The plurality of communication protocol functions include the first function and the second function. For different data identifiers, the corresponding data processing manner performs one or more first functions that are partially the same or completely different, and one or more second functions that are partially the same or completely different.

[0171] For example, the communication protocol functions that can be implemented by the first function entity include function 1, function 2, function 3, function 4 and function 5. For the data processing manner corresponding to data identifier 1, it can include executing function 1, function 2 and function 3, and skipping function 4 and function 5. For the data processing manner corresponding to data identifier 2, it can include executing function 1 and function 2, and skipping function 3, function 4 and function 5. For the data processing manner corresponding to data identifier 3, it can include skipping function 1, function 2, function 3, function 4 and function 5. For the data processing manner corresponding to data identifier 4, it can include executing function 1, function 2, function 3, function 4 and function 5. It can be seen that the executed functions and the skipped functions for data identifier 3 and data identifier 4 are completely different. For data identifier 1 and data identifier 2, the executed functions are partially the same, such as executing function 1 and function 2; and the executed functions are partially different, such as executing function 3 for data identifier 1 and not executing function 3 for data identifier 2. Correspondingly, for data identifier 1 and data identifier 2, the skipped functions are partially the same, such as skipping function 4 and function 5; and the skipped functions are partially different, such as skipping function 3 for data identifier 2 and not skipping function 3 for data identifier 1.

[0172] In some embodiments, obtaining the first information can include generating the first information. For example, the association between the data identifier and the data processing manner indicated by the first information can be predefined by a protocol. Alternatively, the first function entity can determine the first information according to possible parameters such as the running state of the first function entity and other function entities, interface traffic information, and the like. In this case, the first function entity can also send the first information to the second function entity, so that the second function entity can perform similar operations as the first function entity based on the first information. Details are described in subsequent S102 and S103.

[0173] In some other embodiments, the association between the data identifier and the data processing manner indicated by the first information can also be configured by a network device, such as an access network device, a core network device, a network management device, a terminal, and the like. For example, the configuration can be performed by another function entity different from the first function entity. In this case, the first function entity can receive the first information from the other function entity, for example, the second function entity sends the first information to the first function entity, and accordingly, the first function entity receives the first information from the second function entity.

[0174] In this case, the first information can be carried by a management plane message, a radio resource control (RRC), a media access control (MAC) control element (CE), a downlink control information (DCI), and the like, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0175] Of course, for the case that the function entity sending the first information is not the second function entity, the first function entity can also send the first information received by the first function entity to the second function entity. For example, the first function entity sends the first information related to the second function entity to the second function entity. For example, the first information received by the first function entity includes the association between the data identifier and the data processing manner related to the first function entity, and the association between the data identifier and the data processing manner related to the second function entity. Then the first function entity can send the association between the data identifier and the data processing manner related to the second function entity to the second function entity, so as to reduce unnecessary resource overhead.

[0176] The embodiments of the present application provide various ways of obtaining the first information, so that the first function entity can quickly and accurately obtain the first information by selecting a suitable way in different scenarios.

[0177] Next, the steps performed by the first function entity will be described from two aspects respectively.

[0178] Scheme 1:

[0179] S102, the second function entity sends the first data carrying the first data identifier to the first function entity. Accordingly, the first function entity receives the first data carrying the first data identifier from the second function entity.

[0180] In some examples, the data identifier mentioned in S101 can include the first data identifier.

[0181] In some examples, the first function entity can be a DU, and the second function entity can be an RU. For another example, the first function entity can be an RU, and the second function entity can be a DU. For another example, the first function entity can be a CU, and the second function entity can be a DU. For another example, the first function entity can be a DU, and the second function entity can be a CU. In another example, the first function entity can be a BBU, and the second function entity can be an RRU. For another example, the first function entity can be an RRU, and the second function entity can be a BBU. In yet another example, the first function entity can be an RNA, and the second function entity can be an RU. For another example, the first function entity can be an RU, and the second function entity can be an RNA. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific forms of the first function entity and the second function entity.

[0182] S103, the first function entity processes the first data according to the first data identifier and the association relationship.

[0183] For example, since the first data identifier also belongs to the data identifier mentioned above, the first function entity can determine the data processing mode corresponding to the first data identifier according to the first information obtained in S101. For example, the first function entity determines the data processing mode corresponding to the first data identifier according to the corresponding relationship between the first data identifier and the data processing mode. The first function entity processes the first data based on the data processing mode. For example, the first function entity performs a corresponding first function on the first data, and / or skips a corresponding second function on the first data.

[0184] Scheme 2:

[0185] S104, the first function entity sends the first data carrying the first data identifier to the second function entity.

[0186] For example, the first function entity can be considered to know which functions need to be executed by itself for the data needing to be processed. Therefore, the first function entity can execute corresponding functions on the data to obtain first data. The first function entity can determine which functions have been executed on the first data at the first function entity, and can determine which functions need to be executed on the first data at the second function entity. In this case, the first function entity can determine the first data identifier corresponding to the first data by combining the correspondence between the first data identifier and the data processing mode, and send the first data carrying the first data identifier to the second function entity. For the second function entity, after receiving the first data carrying the first data identifier, it can execute similar operations as S102 and S103. For the convenience of description, the embodiments of the present application will not be described here.

[0187] Of course, the correspondence between the first data identifier and the data processing mode mentioned in the above examples is determined based on the first information. It can be considered that the first function entity can obtain the first information before sending the first data carrying the first data identifier. That is, S101 can be executed before the first data is obtained, or after the first data is obtained, or can be executed synchronously in the process of processing the data, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0188] As can be seen from the above examples, the first data identifier can be used to indicate that the first data has been processed by the first function, and / or the first data identifier can also be used to indicate that the first data needs to be processed by the second function at the second function entity, that is, the first data skips the functions not executed at the first function entity and needs to be executed at the second function entity.

[0189] The embodiments of the present application can indicate which function processing the data has undergone and / or which function processing the data needs to undergo by sending the first data carrying the first data identifier. In order to enable the device receiving the data to execute corresponding function processing on the first data, to realize the directional execution of certain functions on different data, and to improve the business processing efficiency and system performance.

[0190] It can be understood that the above-mentioned scheme 1 and scheme 2 can be executed alternatively, or both scheme 1 and scheme 2 can be executed, that is, the first function entity receives the first data carrying the first data identifier, and also sends the processed data carrying the first data identifier, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0191] In the embodiments of the present application, different first data identifiers can have a correlation relationship with different data processing modes. And by carrying the first data identifier in the first data, the corresponding function entity processes the first data based on the data processing mode corresponding to the first data identifier. Thus, the appropriate function is selected for processing for different data, and the business processing efficiency and system performance are improved.

[0192] In the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application, the data identifier mentioned above can include a first type of data identifier and / or a second type of data identifier. For example, the first type of data identifier can be used to indicate an in-phase quadrature (IQ) signal data message (referred to as IQ data message for short). The first type of data identifier can also be referred to as an IQ data transmission message identifier. The second type of data identifier can be used to indicate a group of IQ data messages. The group of IQ data messages can include multiple IQ data messages. The second type of data identifier can also be referred to as an IQ data transmission series message identifier or an IQ data transmission message series identifier, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific names of the first type of data identifier and the second type of data identifier.

[0193] For example, the IQ data transmission message identifier can identify data on different orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols or resource blocks. For the O-RAN scenario, the IQ data transmission message identifier can be ecpriSeqid or a sequence (SEQ) ID specified in the eCPRI 2.0 protocol, such as SEQ_ID. For another example, the IQ data transmission message series identifier can be used to identify a group of IQ data transmission messages. For example, a group of IQ data transmission messages corresponding to different physical channels, users, layers, antenna ports, etc. For the O-RAN scenario, the IQ data transmission message series identifier can be ecpriPcid or PC_ID specified in the eCPRI 2.0 protocol. In the O-RAN protocol, PC_ID can also be referred to as ecpriPcid, that is, an IQ data transmission message series identifier, which can also be referred to as an extended antenna-carrier identifier (eAxC_ID). The eAxC_ID can be used to identify a specific data stream related to each C-plane (ecpriRtcid) or U-plane (ecpriPcid) message. The eAxC_ID can be considered as an analog value of the antenna carrier (AxC) value of CPRI. eAxC refers to the AxC identifier extended (extended, e) to accommodate multiple frequency bands and multiple component carriers. In O-RAN, multiple O-DU processors can contribute to a single eAxC. For specific implementation, reference can be made to related technologies, which will not be described herein again.

[0194] The embodiments of the present application can indicate based on each IQ data signal or a group of IQ data signals, so as to select a suitable way to indicate the first data identifier in different scenarios, and improve communication efficiency.

[0195] For the first type of data identifier or the second type of data identifier mentioned above, a way of indicating each IQ data message separately or indicating based on a group of IQ data messages is shown. Specifically, the data identifier can include the following multiple cases.

[0196] In some embodiments, the first data identifier can include a function entity identifier. That is, the first data identifier can indicate different function entities respectively. For example, the first data identifier can include an identifier of a CU. For another example, the first data identifier can include an identifier of a DU. For another example, the first data identifier can include an identifier of an RU. Of course, the first data identifier can also include an identifier of a CU and an identifier of a DU, or the first data identifier can also include an identifier of a CU and an identifier of an RU, or the first data identifier can also include an identifier of a DU and an identifier of an RU, or the first data identifier can also include an identifier of a CU, an identifier of a DU and an identifier of an RU.

[0197] The embodiments of the present application provide a plurality of possible function entity identifiers to indicate the first data based on different function entities in suitable scenarios, so as to select a suitable function for processing data for different function entities, and improve business processing efficiency and system performance.

[0198] In other embodiments, the first data identifier can include a cell identifier. For example, the data processing manner corresponding to each data can be different for data from different cells.

[0199] In yet other embodiments, the first data identifier can include an identifier of a terminal. For example, the data processing manner corresponding to each data can be different for data for communication with different terminals.

[0200] In some embodiments, the first data identifier can include an identifier of a service flow. For example, the first data identifier can include an identifier of a DRB. For another example, the first data identifier can include an identifier of a protocol data unit (PDU) session. For yet another example, the first data identifier can include an identifier of a QoS flow. For still another example, the first data identifier can include an identifier of a data packet. Of course, the first data identifier can also include an identifier of a DRB and an identifier of a QoS flow, or the first data identifier can also include an identifier of a PDU session, an identifier of a QoS flow, and an identifier of a data packet, or the first data identifier can also include an identifier of a DRB, an identifier of a PDU session, an identifier of a QoS flow, and an identifier of a data packet, and so on. For the convenience of description, the present embodiments will not enumerate all possible combinations of the identifiers of various service flows that the first data identifier can include, such as the first data identifier can include any one, two, or three of the above identifiers.

[0201] In some embodiments, the first data identifier can include any one or more of the above identifiers, such as an identifier of a cell, an identifier of a terminal; an identifier of a cell, an identifier of a terminal, an identifier of a service flow; an identifier of a functional entity, an identifier of a cell, an identifier of a terminal, an identifier of a service flow, and so on. For the convenience of description, the present embodiments will not enumerate all possible combinations of the identifiers that the first data identifier can include.

[0202] The present embodiments provide a plurality of possible service flow identifiers to indicate the first data based on different service flows in appropriate scenarios, to select appropriate functions for processing the data of different service flows, and to improve the service processing efficiency and system performance.

[0203] In yet some embodiments, the first data identifier can include an identifier of a radio resource. For example, the first data identifier can include an identifier of a physical channel. For another example, the first data identifier can include an identifier of an antenna port. For yet another example, the first data identifier can include an identifier of a symbol. For still another example, the first data identifier can include an identifier of a time slot. For yet another example, the first data identifier can include an identifier of a frame. For still another example, the first data identifier can include an identifier of a subframe. For yet another example, the first data identifier can include an identifier of a beam. For still another example, the first data identifier can include an identifier of a time-frequency resource.

[0204] Of course, the first data identifier can further include an identifier of a physical channel and an identifier of an antenna port, or the first data identifier can further include an identifier of a symbol, an identifier of a time slot, and an identifier of a frame, or the first data identifier can further include an identifier of an antenna port, an identifier of a symbol, an identifier of a beam, and an identifier of a time-frequency resource, or the first data identifier can further include an identifier of a physical channel, an identifier of an antenna port, an identifier of a time slot, an identifier of a beam, and an identifier of a time-frequency resource, or the first data identifier can further include an identifier of a physical channel, an identifier of an antenna port, an identifier of a symbol, an identifier of a time slot, an identifier of a subframe, and an identifier of a beam, or the first data identifier can further include an identifier of a physical channel, an identifier of an antenna port, an identifier of a symbol, an identifier of a time slot, an identifier of a frame, an identifier of a beam, and an identifier of a time-frequency resource, or the first data identifier can further include an identifier of a physical channel, an identifier of an antenna port, an identifier of a symbol, an identifier of a time slot, an identifier of a frame, an identifier of a subframe, an identifier of a beam, and an identifier of a time-frequency resource. For the convenience of description, the present application embodiment does not enumerate all the combinations of the identifiers of various wireless resources that the first data identifier can include, for example, the first data identifier can include any one, two, three, four, five, six, or seven combinations of the above identifiers.

[0205] The present application embodiment provides various possible wireless resource identifiers, to indicate the first data based on different wireless resources in appropriate scenarios, to select appropriate functions for processing the data of different wireless resources, thereby improving the service processing efficiency and system performance.

[0206] In the embodiments of the present application, the mentioned identifier can be an identity (ID) or an index.

[0207] The present application embodiment provides various possible forms of the first data identifier, which can be used to indicate the first data in different scenarios, to select appropriate functions for processing different data, thereby improving the service processing efficiency and system performance.

[0208] In the communication method provided by the present application embodiment, the first function and / or the second function mentioned above, i.e., the communication protocol function that can be implemented in the first function entity, can include the following multiple cases. Next, the first function is described as an example, and it can be understood that the second function is similar to the first function, and thus the description is not repeated.

[0209] In some embodiments, the first function can include a function for uplink data processing. For example, the first function can include a RE demapping function. For another example, the first function can include a channel estimation function. For yet another example, the first function can include an equalization function. In combination with FIG. 10, the first function can also include any one or more of an analog beamforming function, an analog-to-digital function, an FFT / CP removal function, a RE demapping function, a channel estimation function, an equalization function, an IDFT function, a demodulation function, a descrambling function, a rate demapping function, a decoding function, etc. For the convenience of description, embodiments of the present application will not enumerate all possible combinations of various communication protocol functions that the first function can include, such as the first function can include a combination of any one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten of the above communication protocol functions.

[0210] For example, taking the first function including a RE demapping function, a channel estimation function, and an equalization function as an example. The data processing manner corresponding to the data identifier A can include performing the RE demapping function, and skipping the channel estimation function and the equalization function. The data processing manner corresponding to the data identifier B can include performing the RE demapping function, the channel estimation function, and the equalization function. The data processing manner corresponding to the data identifier C can include performing the RE demapping function and the channel estimation function, and skipping the equalization function.

[0211] Embodiments of the present application provide a plurality of communication protocol functions that can be involved in an uplink communication scenario, so as to select appropriate communication protocol functions for processing different uplink data, thereby improving the service processing efficiency and system performance.

[0212] In some other embodiments, the first function can include a function for downlink data processing. For example, the first function can include a modulation function. For another example, the first function can include a layer mapping function. For yet another example, the first function can include a precoding function. In combination with FIG. 9, the first function can also include any one or more of an encoding function, a rate mapping function, a scrambling function, a modulation function, a layer mapping function, a precoding function, a RE mapping function, an IFFT / add CP function, a data-to-analog function, an analog beamforming function, etc. For the convenience of description, embodiments of the present application will not enumerate all possible combinations of various communication protocol functions that the first function can include, such as the first function can include a combination of any one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine of the above communication protocol functions.

[0213] For example, the first function includes modulation function, layer mapping function and precoding function. The data processing manner corresponding to the data identifier A' can include performing modulation function, layer mapping function and precoding function. The data processing manner corresponding to the data identifier B' can include skipping modulation function, layer mapping function and precoding function. The data processing manner corresponding to the data identifier C' can include performing modulation function and layer mapping function, and skipping precoding function.

[0214] The embodiments of the present application provide a plurality of communication protocol functions that can be involved in the downlink communication scenario, so that appropriate communication protocol functions are selected for processing different downlink data, thereby improving the service processing efficiency and system performance.

[0215] In some embodiments, the first function can include a function for performing data processing on the sensing data. For example, the first function can include a sensing LS function for frequency domain. For another example, the first function can include a sensing LS function for time domain. For yet another example, the first function can include a sensing range-velocity-angle (RVA) spectrum estimation function. In some examples, the first function can further include any one or more of a sensing LS function for frequency domain, a sensing LS function for time domain, a sensing RVA spectrum estimation function, a sensing constant false-alarm rate (CFAR) function, a clustering function, a target tracking and filtering function, a target identification function, etc. For convenience of description, the present application embodiments will not enumerate all possible combinations of various communication protocol functions that the first function can include, for example, the first function can include a combination of any one, two, three, four, five or six of the above communication protocol functions.

[0216] The frequency domain sensing LS function can be used to perform channel estimation on the received sensing signal in frequency domain. The time domain sensing LS function can be used to perform channel estimation on the received sensing signal in time domain.

[0217] The sensing RVA spectrum estimation function can be used to obtain the distribution of the distance, velocity and angle of the sensing target at each frequency component. For example, it can be obtained by performing multi-dimensional FFT transform on the sensing signal.

[0218] The sensing CFAR function can be used to reliably detect targets in complex signal environment. For example, it can detect signals in the presence of background noise. In particular, when the noise level changes over time. The core idea is to estimate the noise characteristics in a local range and set the detection threshold based on the noise characteristics, thereby achieving control of the fixed false alarm rate.

[0219] The clustering function of the perception target can be used to classify the detection results of the perception signal. For example, a machine learning algorithm can be used for processing.

[0220] The target tracking and filtering function can be used to track the objects detected by the perception and filter the clutter.

[0221] The target recognition function can be used to recognize the detection results of the perception signal. For example, a machine learning algorithm can be used for processing.

[0222] The specific implementation of each function for perception mentioned above can refer to related technologies, and the embodiments of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0223] The embodiments of the present application provide a plurality of communication protocol functions that can be involved in the perception communication scenario, so as to select appropriate communication protocol functions for processing different perception data, thereby improving the business processing efficiency and system performance.

[0224] As can be seen from the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application provide a plurality of possible communication protocol functions that can be executed and / or skipped, which can more flexibly select appropriate functions for different data to improve the business processing efficiency and system performance.

[0225] In some examples, in the scenario where the first function includes the perception function, it means that the first data can be perception data. The first data identifier carried by the first data can also be used to indicate that the first data is perception symbol data or communication symbol data. For the uplink communication scenario, the first function entity can determine to execute the communication protocol function related to the perception data according to the first data being the perception symbol data. Alternatively, the first function entity determines to execute the communication protocol function related to the communication data according to the first data being the communication symbol data.

[0226] In some examples, it can be indicated by a field or a bit whether the first data is perception symbol data or communication symbol data.

[0227] In some examples, the various cases of the first data identifier mentioned in the above embodiments can be considered as the case where the first data is communication symbol data. The first data identifier can be jointly designed with the above various first data identifiers. When the first data identifier is a certain value, it can indicate different function entities, or different terminals, or different cells, or different service flows, or different radio resources, or whether it is perception symbol data.

[0228] In some examples, the first data can be indicated as the sensing symbol data or the communication symbol data by a single bit. For example, in the case that the first data identifier indicates different functional entities, or indicates different terminals, or indicates different cells, or indicates different service flows, or indicates different radio resources, a bit can be further used to indicate whether the first data is the sensing symbol data.

[0229] In the embodiments of the present application, the different types of the first data can be indicated by the first data identifier, so that the functional entities can select appropriate communication protocol functions based on the sensing symbol data and the communication symbol data respectively, thereby improving the service processing efficiency and the system performance.

[0230] Next, the above-mentioned schemes will be described in combination with more specific examples.

[0231] It can be assumed that there are two functional entities, RU and DU. Any one of the functional entities can be the first functional entity, and the other functional entity can be the second functional entity.

[0232] Referring to FIG. 13, it is a schematic diagram of an uplink network architecture. The RU can be deployed with an RF function module, an FFT / CP removal function module, an RE demapping function module, a channel estimation function module, an equalization function module, and a frequency domain sensing LS function module, so that the RU can implement the RF function, the FFT / CP removal function, the RE demapping function, the channel estimation function, the equalization function, and the frequency domain sensing LS function. The DU can be deployed with a channel estimation function module, an equalization function module, a demodulation function module, a descrambling function module, a rate demapping function module, a decoding function module, a frequency domain sensing LS function module, a time domain sensing LS function module, a sensing RVA spectrum estimation function module, a sensing CFAR function module, a clustering function module, a target tracking and filtering function module, and a target identification function module, so that the DU can implement the channel estimation function, the equalization function, the demodulation function, the descrambling function, the rate demapping function, the decoding function, the frequency domain sensing LS function, the time domain sensing LS function, the sensing RVA spectrum estimation function, the sensing CFAR function, the clustering function, the target tracking and filtering function, and the target identification function.

[0233] Referring to FIG. 14, it is a schematic diagram of a downlink network architecture. The RU can be deployed with an IFFT / add CP function module, an RE mapping function module, a precoding function module, a layer mapping function module, and a modulation function module. So that the RU can implement the IFFT / add CP function, the RE mapping function, the precoding function, the layer mapping function, and the modulation function. The DU can be deployed with a precoding function module, a layer mapping function module, a modulation function module, a scrambling function module, a rate mapping function module, and a coding function module. So that the DU can implement the precoding function, the layer mapping function, the modulation function, the scrambling function, the rate mapping function, and the coding function.

[0234] Of course, FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 are only one possible function entity and the function that can be implemented on each function entity. Each function entity can also be deployed with other more or less communication protocol function modules according to the actual situation to implement the corresponding communication protocol function, and the embodiments of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0235] It can be understood that the DU and the RU in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 have some same blocks, which does not mean that multiple same function modules are deployed in the corresponding function entity. Instead, it is used to indicate whether these functions are executed in the process of processing different first data, that is, referring to the arrows corresponding to different rows in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, indicating the data processing flow of a certain first data. Of course, FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 only show the data processing mode of the data corresponding to the data identifier, and other data identifiers can also be executed according to the actual situation. The data processing situation shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 is different, such as executing other possible functions and / or skipping other possible functions, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited here.

[0236] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication process can be applied to but not limited to the communication scenarios shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 11. The method can be applied to LTE, LTE FDD system, LTE TDD, 5G system or NR system, subsequent evolution of communication system (such as future communication system), V2X, which can include V2N, V2V, V2I, V2P, etc., LTE-V, vehicle networking, MTC, IoT, LTE-M, M2M, D2D, etc. Wireless communication scenarios. The DU and the RU involved in the embodiments of the present application can be network devices. The DU and the RU can be deployed on the same network device, or can be deployed on different network devices, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited here. In the embodiments of the present application, the network device can be considered as an access network device in general. Of course, in some cases, the network device can also be a core network device. The method can include the following steps:

[0237] S201, the DU sends first information to the RU. Correspondingly, the RU receives the first information from the DU.

[0238] The first information can include an association between a data identifier and a data processing manner for the RU.

[0239] For example, the DU informs the RU of one or more different data identifiers and the data processing manner required to be performed by the RU corresponding to each data identifier through a bottom-layer split interface (such as a fronthaul interface). Alternatively, the DU sends one or more specific DU identifiers, RU identifiers, cell identifiers, physical channel identifiers, antenna port identifiers, user identifiers, QoS flow identifiers, symbol identifiers (such as OFDM symbol identifiers), slot identifiers, subframe identifiers, frame identifiers, beam identifiers, and frequency domain resource identifiers to the RU, and the data processing manner of the RU associated with each identifier.

[0240] In some examples, the data identifier can also be an IQ data transmission message series identifier (such as ecpriPcid or PC_ID) or an IQ data transmission message identifier (such as ecpriSeqid or SEQ_ID).

[0241] For example, referring to FIG. 13, the first information can include the processing of one or more function modules performed or bypassed by the RU for the data corresponding to the one or more data identifiers, such as channel estimation function, equalization function, or frequency domain sensing LS function.

[0242] For example, for the data of data identifier ①, the RU can perform channel estimation and equalization functions, as well as previous RF functions, CP removal functions, FFT functions, RE demapping functions, and the like, to process the data corresponding to data identifier ①. For the DU, the data of data identifier ① can be considered to bypass the channel estimation and equalization functions at the DU, as well as subsequent communication protocol functions such as demodulation functions. Alternatively, the RU can be considered to bypass the frequency domain sensing LS function. Alternatively, the DU can be considered to bypass the frequency domain sensing LS function and the like related to sensing-related communication protocol functions.

[0243] For example, for the data of data identifier ②, the RU can bypass the channel estimation and equalization functions, and perform functions before the channel estimation function to process the data corresponding to data identifier ②. For the DU, the data of data identifier ② can be considered to perform the channel estimation and equalization functions at the DU, as well as subsequent functions. Alternatively, the RU can be considered to bypass the frequency domain sensing LS function. Alternatively, the DU can be considered to bypass the frequency domain sensing LS function and the like related to sensing-related communication protocol functions.

[0244] For example, for data of data identification 2, the RU can perform the RF function, the time domain sensing LS function, and bypass the CP removal function, the FFT function, the RE demapping function, the frequency domain sensing LS function. For the DU, it can be considered that the data of data identification 2 is after the DU performs the subsequent function of the sensing RAV spectrum estimation function. Optionally, it can be considered that the RU bypasses the frequency domain sensing LS function, and the channel estimation function and other communication protocol functions related to the uplink communication. Optionally, it can be considered that the DU bypasses the frequency domain sensing LS function, the time domain sensing LS function, and the channel estimation function and other communication protocol functions related to the uplink communication.

[0245] For example, for data of data identification 3, the RU can bypass the channel estimation and equalization functions, and perform the function before the channel estimation function to process the data corresponding to the data identification 3. For the DU, it can be considered that the data of data identification 3 is after the DU performs the subsequent function of the frequency domain sensing LS function, and the optional sensing RAV spectrum estimation function. Optionally, it can be considered that the RU bypasses the frequency domain sensing LS function. Optionally, it can be considered that the DU bypasses the time domain sensing LS function, and the channel estimation function and other communication protocol functions related to the uplink communication.

[0246] For example, for data of data identification 4, the RU can perform the frequency domain sensing LS function, and the function before the frequency domain sensing LS function to process the data corresponding to the data identification 4. For the DU, it can be considered that the data of data identification 4 is after the DU bypasses the frequency domain sensing LS function, and performs the subsequent function of the optional sensing RAV spectrum estimation function. Optionally, it can be considered that the DU bypasses the frequency domain sensing LS function, the time domain sensing LS function, and the channel estimation function and other communication protocol functions related to the uplink communication.

[0247] For example, for data of data identification 5, the RU can perform the RF function, and bypass the CP removal function, the FFT function, the RE demapping function, the frequency domain sensing LS function. For the DU, it can be considered that the data of data identification 5 is after the DU performs the subsequent function of the time domain sensing LS function. Optionally, it can be considered that the RU bypasses the frequency domain sensing LS function, the time domain sensing LS function, and the channel estimation function and other communication protocol functions related to the uplink communication. Optionally, it can be considered that the DU bypasses the frequency domain sensing LS function, and the channel estimation function and other communication protocol functions related to the uplink communication.

[0248] For example, for data of data identification 5, the RU can perform the RF function, and bypass the CP removal function, the FFT function, the RE demapping function, the frequency domain sensing LS function. For the DU, it can be considered that the data of data identification 5 is after the DU performs the subsequent function of the time domain sensing LS function. Optionally, it can be considered that the RU bypasses the frequency domain sensing LS function, the time domain sensing LS function, and the channel estimation function and other communication protocol functions related to the uplink communication. Optionally, it can be considered that the DU bypasses the frequency domain sensing LS function, and the channel estimation function and other communication protocol functions related to the uplink communication.

[0249] For example, for the data of data identifier ⑦, the RU can perform the precoding function, and then perform the RE mapping function, the iFFT function, the CP adding function, the RF function, and the like to process the data corresponding to the data identifier ⑦. For the DU, it can be considered that the data of the data identifier ⑦ bypasses the precoding function, and performs the communication protocol function before the precoding function such as the layer mapping function. Alternatively, it can be considered that the RU bypasses the layer mapping function, the modulation function.

[0250] For example, for the data of data identifier ⑧, the RU can bypass the precoding function, the layer mapping function, and the modulation function, and perform the function after the precoding function to process the data corresponding to the data identifier ⑧. For the DU, it can be considered that the data of the data identifier ⑧ performs the precoding function, the layer mapping function, and the modulation function, and the communication protocol function before the modulation function.

[0251] For example, for the data of data identifier ⑨, the RU can perform the precoding function, the layer mapping function, and the modulation function, and the function after the precoding function to process the data corresponding to the data identifier ⑨. For the DU, it can be considered that the data of the data identifier ⑨ bypasses the precoding function, the layer mapping function, and the modulation function, and performs the communication protocol function before the modulation function.

[0252] For example, for the data of data identifier ⑩, the RU can bypass the modulation function, perform the precoding function and the layer mapping function, and perform the function after the precoding function to process the data corresponding to the data identifier ⑩. For the DU, it can be considered that the data of the data identifier ⑩ bypasses the precoding function and the layer mapping function, and performs the communication protocol function before the modulation function and the modulation function.

[0253] In some examples, the first information can be carried in a RU configuration message sent by the DU to the RU in a DU-RU interface establishment or adjustment process. The RU configuration message can be generated locally by the DU, or the DU receives a PHY layer function configuration message from the CU. The above-mentioned first information can also be carried in a function switching request message, a function migration request message, and the like sent by the DU to the RU in a DU-RU function switching or migration process, so as to instruct the RU to activate / establish or deactivate / unregister the corresponding function modules for the data corresponding to different data identifiers.

[0254] S202, the DU processes the second data to obtain the first data.

[0255] The second data can be considered as data that needs to be processed by the DU, and the second data is processed by the DU to obtain the first data, i.e., data that needs to be sent to the RU.

[0256] For example, the DU can execute / bypass corresponding functions according to different data, or the DU can activate (or establish) / deactivate (or log off) corresponding function modules according to different data to process different data. For example, the various possible function modules shown in the DU in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14. Among them, activating / deactivating the corresponding function module can be considered that the function module has been established and deployed on the function entity, and by setting the activation state and deactivation state, it is realized that the function module can be used in the activation state, and the function module cannot be used in the deactivation state. For establishing / logging off the corresponding function module, it can be considered that there is no function module in the function entity, and the function module is established by the parameters related to the function module. Logging off can be considered as deleting or discarding the function module. After logging off, the function entity no longer has the logged-off function module. Among them, activation can also be called enabling, and deactivation can also be called disabling, etc.

[0257] It can be understood that in one case, the DU itself can know that different data belongs to what data, such as communication symbol data or perception symbol data. Or the DU can know that different data is from which function entity, for which UE, or for which QoS flow, PDU session, etc. The DU can directly use the processing mode corresponding to the data for processing.

[0258] In another case, the second data received by the DU can also carry the first data identifier. The DU determines the data processing mode corresponding to the first data identifier according to the correspondence between the data identifiers and the data processing modes, and processes the second data to obtain the first data.

[0259] The DU can process the second data according to the actual situation by using any of the above cases.

[0260] In S203, the DU sends the first data carrying the first data identifier to the RU. Correspondingly, the RU receives the first data carrying the first data identifier from the DU.

[0261] It can be understood that the first data sent by the DU to the RU can carry the first data identifier. The first data identifier can be used by the RU to determine which functions to execute on the first data and / or which functions to bypass.

[0262] For example, the first data identifier can be the aforementioned IQ data transmission message series identifier (such as ecpriPcid or PC_ID) and / or IQ data transmission message identifier (such as ecpriSeqid or SEQ_ID). For example, the first data identifier can be one or more of the following identifiers: DU identifier, RU identifier, cell identifier, physical channel identifier, antenna port identifier, user identifier, QoS flow identifier, OFDM symbol identifier, beam identifier, and frequency domain resource identifier.

[0263] In some examples, the first data identifier can be used to indicate that the first data is data output by a certain specific functional module. Accordingly, it can be implicitly indicated which functional processing the first data has undergone. And / or the first data identifier can also be used to indicate which specific functional module the first data needs to be input into for data processing. Accordingly, it can be implicitly indicated which functional processing the first data needs to undergo.

[0264] For example, the first data identifier indicates that it needs to undergo functional 1, functional 2 and functional 3 processing. Among them, the data processing procedure sequence is to undergo functional 1 first, then functional 2, and finally functional 3. One implementation manner is that the first data identifier indicates that the first data needs to be input to functional 1, and accordingly after the first data is processed by functional 1, it will be directly input to functional 2 for processing, and so on. Similarly, assuming that the first data identifier indicates that the first data has undergone functional 1, functional 2 and functional 3 processing. Among them, the data processing procedure sequence is to undergo functional 1 first, then functional 2, and finally functional 3. One implementation manner is that the first data identifier indicates that the first data is output by functional 3. Then it can be considered that the first data should have undergone functional 1, functional 2 processing, and then undergone functional 3 processing and output.

[0265] In some examples, the first data identifier can be carried in the eCPRI common header in the eCPRI protocol message, such as extending the eCPRI message type field.

[0266] S204, the RU processes the first data according to the first data identifier and the association relationship.

[0267] For example, the RU detects the first data identifier carried in the first data, and according to the data processing mode associated with the first data identifier (or the functional module indicated to be input), executes the corresponding communication protocol function on the first data. The RU processes the first data corresponding to the first data identifier according to any one of the data processing modes corresponding to the data identifier involved in S201.

[0268] In some examples, the RU can activate (or establish) / deactivate (or log out) the corresponding functional module according to different data processing modes.

[0269] For the uplink communication scenario shown in FIG. 13:

[0270] For data identifier ①, the RU can activate / establish the channel estimation functional module and the equalization functional module. Accordingly, the DU can deactivate / log out the channel estimation functional module and the equalization functional module.

[0271] For data identification ②, the RU can deactivate / logout the channel estimation function module and the equalization function module. Correspondingly, the DU can activate / establish the channel estimation function module and the equalization function module.

[0272] For data identification ③, the RU can deactivate / logout the frequency domain sensing LS function module. Correspondingly, the DU can activate / establish the frequency domain sensing LS function.

[0273] For data identification ④, the RU can activate / establish the frequency domain sensing LS function module. Correspondingly, the DU can deactivate / logout the frequency sensing LS function.

[0274] For data identification ⑤, the RU can deactivate / logout the time domain sensing LS function module. Correspondingly, the DU can activate / establish the time domain sensing LS function.

[0275] For data identification ⑥, the RU can activate / establish the time domain sensing LS function module. Correspondingly, the DU can deactivate / logout the time domain sensing LS function.

[0276] For the downlink communication scenario shown in FIG. 14:

[0277] For data identification ⑦, the RU can activate / establish the precoding function module. Correspondingly, the DU can deactivate / logout the precoding function module.

[0278] For data identification ⑧, the RU can deactivate / logout the precoding function module. Correspondingly, the DU can activate / establish the precoding function module.

[0279] For data identification ⑨, the RU can activate / establish the modulation function module, and optionally the layer mapping function module and the precoding function module. Correspondingly, the DU can deactivate / logout the modulation function module, and optionally the layer mapping function module and the precoding function module.

[0280] For data identification ⑩, the RU can deactivate / logout the modulation function module. Correspondingly, the DU can activate / establish the modulation function module.

[0281] Of course, the above examples only describe the activation (or establishment) / deactivation (or logout) of part of the function modules, and the specific adjustment can be made according to the actual situation, which is not limited herein by the embodiments of the present application.

[0282] The first information in the above embodiments can be carried in the control plane signaling, such as the O-RAN CP message, sent by the DU to the RU, or carried in the management plane signaling, such as the O-RAN MP message, sent by the RU to the DU. The first data identification can be carried in the header, eCPRI header, of the service flow data packet sent by the DU to the RU.

[0283] In some embodiments, Fig. 15 shows a case where the DU sends the first data to the RU, and the RU sends the first data to the DU in a manner similar to the implementation process described above, except that the subject of execution is replaced. For the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present application, the details are not described here. It can be understood that Fig. 15 shows a case where the DU determines the first information. In other examples, the first information can be determined by the RU itself, or the first information is from other functional entities or devices other than the DU, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited here.

[0284] Of course, for the communication protocol splitting architecture between the RU and the DU, any data processing flow direction shown in Figs. 13 and 14 can be deployed for the corresponding architecture. For example, for the communication scenario, the RU and the DU can be deployed according to the architecture corresponding to any data processing mode in ①, ②, ⑦, ⑧, ⑨, and ⑩. For the sensing scenario, the RU and the DU can be deployed according to the architecture corresponding to any data processing mode in ③, ④, ⑤, and ⑥. The embodiments of the present application are not limited here.

[0285] The communication protocol functions mentioned in the above embodiments of the present application are described by taking the physical layer protocol functions as an example, but it should be understood that the above solutions can also be replaced by corresponding communication protocol functions in other protocol layers, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited here.

[0286] Fig. 16 is another communication scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0287] Considering that the above-mentioned embodiments can also be applied to the O-RAN network architecture. Therefore, Fig. 16 shows a scenario under the O-RAN architecture. In the O-RAN architecture, the access network device can be divided into three functional entities: O-RU, O-DU, and O-CU. The O-RU is similar to the RU described above, the O-DU is similar to the DU described above, and the O-CU is similar to the CU described above. The interfaces between the functional entities can refer to the description of the above embodiments, and the embodiments of the present application are not described here. The O-RAN network architecture can also include a near-real-time RAN intelligent controller (RIC) and a service management and orchestration (SMO).

[0288] The near-real-time RIC is mainly used to collect network information and perform necessary optimization tasks. The near-real-time RIC can communicate with the O-CU and the O-DU through an E2 interface. The near-real-time RIC can include a QoS management module, a radio connection management module, an interference management module, a mobility management module, and the like.

[0289] The SMO can include multiple functional modules, such as a non-real-time RIC, a configuration module, a policy module, a design module, an inventory module, and the like. The main functions of the SMO can include cloud infrastructure operations, administration and maintenance (OAM). For example, the SMO can operate, maintain, and manage the cloud infrastructure through an O2 interface. The SMO can also operate, maintain, and manage the RAN through an O1 interface. The SMO can also include a non-real-time RIC. For example, the SMO can use an AI technology and a big data analysis technology to implement non-real-time macro regulation and intervention on the O-RAN through an A1 interface. In some examples, each functional entity in the O-RAN can communicate with the SMO through the O1 interface as an independent functional entity. In some examples, the SMO and the near-real-time RIC can communicate through the A1 interface or the O1 interface. The specific communication path can be selected according to actual conditions, and details are not described herein.

[0290] Next, how to implement the above scheme in the O-RAN scenario is described with reference to FIG. 17.

[0291] The O-DU can obtain the first information in different ways.

[0292] Method 1:

[0293] In S301, the SMO sends the O-DU-related first information and the O-RU-related first information to the O-DU. Accordingly, the O-DU receives the O-DU-related first information and the O-RU-related first information from the SMO.

[0294] In some examples, the SMO tells the O-DU the data processing manner of the O-DU corresponding to at least one of the following types of identifiers: one or more different data identifiers, DU identifiers, RU identifiers, cell identifiers, physical channel identifiers, antenna port identifiers, user identifiers, QoS flow identifiers, OFDM symbol identifiers, beam identifiers, and frequency domain resource identifiers.

[0295] For example, the SMO can send the O-DU-related first information and the O-RU-related first information to the O-DU directly through the O1 interface. Alternatively, the SMO can first send the O-DU-related first information and the O-RU-related first information to the near-real-time RIC through the A1 interface. In this case, the near-real-time RIC can forward the information to the O-CU through the E2 interface, and then the O-CU forwards the information to the O-DU through the F1 interface. Alternatively, the near-real-time RIC can send the information to the O-DU through the E2 interface.

[0296] In some examples, the SMO can determine the O-DU-related first information and the O-RU-related first information according to at least one of the following: interface traffic state (or available bandwidth state) between the O-DU and the O-RU, air interface resource information (including time domain / frequency domain / space domain resource information), service load state and processing resource state information of the O-DU and the O-RU. The specific first information can refer to the description of the corresponding embodiments in FIG. 12 and FIG. 15, and will not be described here.

[0297] S302, the O-DU sends the O-RU-related first information to the O-RU.

[0298] For example, the O-DU can forward the O-RU-related first information to the O-RU through the LLS interface.

[0299] Method 2:

[0300] S303, the near-real-time RIC sends the O-DU-related first information and the O-RU-related first information to the O-DU. Correspondingly, the O-DU receives the O-DU-related first information and the O-RU-related first information from the near-real-time RIC.

[0301] For example, the near-real-time RIC can send the O-DU-related first information and the O-RU-related first information to the O-CU through the E2 interface, and then the O-CU sends the information to the O-DU through the F1 interface. Alternatively, the near-real-time RIC can send the O-DU-related first information and the O-RU-related first information to the O-CU directly through the E2 interface.

[0302] In some examples, the near-real-time RIC can determine the O-DU-related first information and the O-RU-related first information according to at least one of an interface traffic state (or available bandwidth state) between the O-DU and the O-RU, air interface resource information (including time domain / frequency domain / space domain resource information), a service load state and a processing resource state information of the O-DU and the O-RU. The first information can refer to the description of the corresponding embodiments in FIG. 12 and FIG. 15, and will not be described here.

[0303] S304, the O-DU sends the O-RU-related first information to the O-RU.

[0304] It can be understood that S304 is similar to S302, and can refer to the description of S302. The embodiments of the present application will not be described here.

[0305] S305, the O-DU processes the second data to obtain the first data.

[0306] S306, the O-DU sends the first data carrying the first data identifier to the O-RU. Correspondingly, the O-RU receives the first data carrying the first data identifier from the O-DU.

[0307] S307, the O-RU processes the first data according to the first data identifier and the association relationship.

[0308] It can be understood that S304 to S307 are similar to S203 to S205, and can refer to the description of S203 to S205. The embodiments of the present application will not be described here.

[0309] The near-real-time RIC involved in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17 can be specifically the QoS management function, the wireless connection management function or the interference management function integrated in the near-real-time RIC. The SMO can be specifically the non-real-time RIC, the list module, the design module function or the configuration function module contained in the SMO. The O-DU and the O-RU therein can be replaced by the O-CU and the O-DU, or other function entities such as the RNA and the RU, and the embodiments of the present application will not be limited here.

[0310] The above-mentioned scheme that the O-DU and the O-RU execute different communication protocol functions for different data, and the near-real-time RIC or the SMO determines the data processing manner information associated with different data identifiers, can more intelligently and accurately configure the functions on the O-DU and the O-RU, reduce the global energy consumption of the system, and improve the service capacity supported by the system.

[0311] It can be understood that each of the above-mentioned embodiments of the present application can be independently implemented, or can be combined with each other. There is no absolute affiliation between the embodiments, and they can be combined with each other under any conditions to obtain the corresponding effects.

[0312] It can be understood that, to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the network device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the functions. Those skilled in the art can easily understand that, in combination with the units and method steps of the examples described in the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is implemented in hardware or computer software driven hardware depends on the specific application scenarios and design constraints of the technical solutions.

[0313] FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 are structural schematic diagrams of possible communication apparatuses provided by the embodiments of the present application. The communication apparatuses can be used to implement the functions of the first function entity or the second function entity in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication apparatus can be the RAN node 110 shown in FIG. 1, wherein the RAN node can also be referred to as an access network device or a network device. The communication apparatus can also be a module (such as a chip) applied to a network device.

[0314] In the embodiments of the present application, the apparatus for implementing the functions of the network device can be a network device, or an apparatus (such as a chip system) capable of supporting the network device to implement the functions, which can be installed in the network device or used in combination with the network device.

[0315] In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0316] As shown in FIG. 18, the communication apparatus 1800 includes a processing unit 1810 and a transceiver unit 1820. The communication apparatus 1800 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 12, FIG. 15 and FIG. 17.

[0317] When the communication apparatus 1800 is used to implement the functions of the first function entity in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 12, the processing unit 1810 is used to acquire first information. The transceiver unit 1820 is used to receive first data carrying a first data identifier. The processing unit 1810 is further used to process the first data according to the first data identifier and an association relationship. Alternatively, the transceiver unit 1820 is used to send the first data carrying the first data identifier.

[0318] For more detailed description of the processing unit 1810 and the transceiver unit 1820, reference can be made to the related description of the method embodiments shown in FIG. 12, FIG. 15 and FIG. 17.

[0319] As shown in FIG. 19, the communication apparatus 1900 includes a processor 1910 and an interface circuit 1920. The processor 1910 and the interface circuit 1920 are coupled to each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 1920 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication apparatus 1900 can further include a memory 1930 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1910 or storing input data required by the processor 1910 to execute instructions or storing data generated after the processor 1910 executes instructions. Sometimes, the interface circuit 1920 can also be understood as a part of the processor 1910, and the communication apparatus 1900 includes the processor 1910.

[0320] When the communication apparatus 1900 is used to implement the methods shown in FIG. 12, FIG. 15, and FIG. 17, the processor 1910 is configured to implement the functions of the processing unit 1810, and the interface circuit 1920 is configured to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 1820.

[0321] When the above communication apparatus is a chip applied to an access network device, the access network device chip implements the functions of the access network device in the above method embodiments. The access network device chip receives information from a terminal or a core network device, which can be understood as that the information is first received by other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the access network device, and then transmitted to the access network device chip by these modules. The access network device chip transmits information to a terminal or a core network device, which can be understood as that the information is first transmitted to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal or the core network device, and then transmitted to the terminal or the core network device by these modules.

[0322] In this application, entity A transmitting information to entity B can be that A directly transmits to B, or A indirectly transmits to B through other entities. Similarly, entity B receiving information from entity A can be that entity B directly receives the information transmitted by entity A, or entity B indirectly receives the information transmitted by entity A through other entities. Here, entity A and B can be RAN nodes or terminals, or modules inside RAN nodes or terminals. The transmission and reception of information can be the information interaction between RAN nodes and terminals, for example, the information interaction between base stations and terminals; the transmission and reception of information can also be the information interaction between two RAN nodes, for example, the information interaction between CUs and DUs; the transmission and reception of information can also be the information interaction between different modules inside one apparatus, for example, the information interaction between a terminal chip and other modules of the terminal, or the information interaction between a base station chip and other modules of the base station.

[0323] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit, and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, or any conventional processor.

[0324] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a register, a hard disk, a mobile hard disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor, so that the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In addition, the ASIC can be located in a base station or a terminal. The processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the base station or the terminal.

[0325] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer programs or 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 performed. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable apparatus. The computer programs or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer programs or instructions can be transferred from one website site, computer, server, or data center to another website site, computer, server, or data center through a wired or wireless manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video disc; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid state disk. The computer-readable storage medium can be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or can include both volatile and non-volatile storage media.

[0326] In the various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referred to each other if there is no special description and logical conflict. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0327] In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. The "and / or" describes the relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of the present application, the character " / ", generally represents that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship; in the formula of the present application, the character " / ", represents that the associated objects before and after are in a "division" relationship. "Including at least one of A, B and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B and C.

[0328] It can be understood that the various numbers involved in the embodiments of the present application are only for convenient differentiation, and do not limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the serial number of the above processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of the processes should be determined by its function and inherent logic.

[0329] In the present application, the base station sends downlink signals or downlink information to the terminal, and the downlink information is carried on the downlink channel; the terminal sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, and the uplink information is carried on the uplink channel. In order for the terminal to communicate with the base station, it needs to establish a wireless connection on the cell controlled by the base station. The cell that establishes a wireless connection with the terminal is called the service cell of the terminal. When the terminal communicates with the service cell, it will also be interfered by the signals from the neighboring cells.

[0330] The network architecture and service scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can know that, with the evolution of network architecture and the appearance of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0331] The terms "first", "second", and the like in the description of the present application and in the claims of the present application are used for distinguishing between similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and embodiments of the application are meant to encompass one of or an equivalent of the defined term.

[0332] In addition, the terms "comprise", "comprising", "have", "having", "include", "including", "contain", "containing", and any variations thereof in the description and in the claims of the present application are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not necessarily limited to the listed steps or elements, but can include additional steps or elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0333] In the present application, the terms "exemplary" and "for example" are used to illustrate at least one example of the present application. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the present application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. In fact, the use of the terms "exemplary" and "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a specific manner, facilitating understanding.

[0334] It can be understood that the "embodiments" mentioned in the specification throughout mean that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiments are included in at least one of the embodiments of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. It can be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the magnitude of the serial number of each process does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the present application.

[0335] It can be understood that in the present application, "when" and "if" both refer to making corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances, not limited to time, and do not require judgment actions when implementing, nor mean that there are other limitations.

[0336] It can be understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented independently in some scenarios without relying on other features, such as the scheme currently based on, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects, and can be combined with other features according to the needs in some scenarios. Correspondingly, the devices given in the embodiments of the present application can also correspondingly implement these features or functions, which will not be described here.

[0337] In the embodiments of the present application, the same or similar parts between different embodiments can be mutually referred to, unless otherwise specified. In the embodiments of the present application, and in each implementation method / implementation method / implementation method in each embodiment, if there is no special specification and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments, and between each implementation method / implementation method / implementation method in each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referred to, and the technical features in different embodiments, and in each implementation method / implementation method / implementation method in each embodiment can be combined to form new embodiments, implementation methods, implementation methods, or implementation methods according to their inherent logical relationship. The implementation methods of the embodiments of the present application described below do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: obtaining first information, wherein the first information is used to indicate an association relationship between a data identifier and a data processing mode, the data processing mode comprises executing one or more first functions for data processing and / or skipping one or more second functions for data processing, and the data identifier comprises a first data identifier; receiving first data carrying the first data identifier; processing the first data according to the first data identifier and the association relationship; or sending first data carrying the first data identifier. The method of claim 1, wherein The data identifier comprises: a first type of data identifier, which is used to indicate one co-phase and quadrature (IQ) data message; and / or a second type of data identifier, which is used to indicate a group of IQ data messages, the group of IQ data messages comprising a plurality of IQ data messages. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first data identifier comprises at least one of the following identifiers: a function entity identifier; a cell identifier; an identifier of a terminal; an identifier of a service flow; or an identifier of a radio resource. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The function entity identifier comprises at least one of the following identifiers: an identifier of a centralized unit (CU); an identifier of a distributed unit (DU); or an identifier of a radio frequency unit (RU). The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The identifier of the service flow comprises at least one of the following identifiers: an identifier of a data radio bearer (DRB); an identifier of a protocol data unit (PDU) session; an identifier of a quality of service (QoS) flow; or an identifier of a data packet. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The identifier of the radio resource comprises at least one of the following identifiers: an identifier of a physical channel; an identifier of an antenna port; an identifier of a symbol; an identifier of a time slot; an identifier of a frame; an identifier of a subframe; an identifier of a beam; or an identifier of a time-frequency resource. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first data identifier is used to indicate that the first data is processed by the first function, and / or the first data identifier is used to indicate that the first data needs to be processed by the second function. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The first function comprises at least one of the following functions: a function for uplink data processing; a function for downlink data processing; or a function for data processing of sensing data. The method of claim 8, wherein The function for uplink data processing comprises at least one of the following functions: a resource element (RE) demapping function; a channel estimation function; or an equalization function. The method of claim 8, wherein The function for downlink data processing comprises at least one of the following functions: a modulation function; a layer mapping function; or a precoding function. The method of claim 8, wherein The function for data processing of sensing data comprises at least one of the following functions: a sensing least square (LS) function for a frequency domain; a sensing LS function for a time domain; or a sensing range velocity angle (RVA) spectrum estimation function. The method according to any one of claims 8-11, characterized in that The first data identifier is also used to indicate that the first data is sensing symbol data or communication symbol data. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that The obtaining of the first information comprises at least one of the following cases: generating the first information; sending the first information; or receiving the first information. A communication device, characterized by The method comprises: The processing unit is configured to obtain first information, wherein the first information is used to indicate an association relationship between a data identifier and a data processing manner, the data processing manner comprises executing one or more first functions for data processing and / or skipping one or more second functions for data processing, and the data identifier comprises a first data identifier. The transceiving unit is configured to receive first data carrying the first data identifier; and the processing unit is further configured to process the first data according to the first data identifier and the association relationship; or The transceiving unit is further configured to send the first data carrying the first data identifier. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein The data identifier comprises: a first type of data identifier, which is used to indicate one co-phase and quadrature (IQ) data message; and / or a second type of data identifier, which is used to indicate a group of IQ data messages, and the group of IQ data messages comprises a plurality of IQ data messages. The apparatus according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The first data identifier comprises at least one of the following identifiers: a function entity identifier; a cell identifier; a terminal identifier; a service flow identifier; or a wireless resource identifier. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein The function entity identifier comprises at least one of the following identifiers: a centralized unit (CU) identifier; a distributed unit (DU) identifier; or a radio unit (RU) identifier. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein The service flow identifier comprises at least one of the following identifiers: a data radio bearer (DRB) identifier; a protocol data unit (PDU) session identifier; a quality of service (QoS) flow identifier; or a data packet identifier. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein The wireless resource identifier comprises at least one of the following identifiers: a physical channel identifier; an antenna port identifier; a symbol identifier; a time slot identifier; a frame identifier; a subframe identifier; a beam identifier; or a time-frequency resource identifier. The apparatus according to any one of claims 14-19, characterized in that The first data identifier is used to indicate that the first data is processed by the first function, and / or the first data identifier is used to indicate that the first data needs to be processed by the second function. The apparatus according to any one of claims 14-20, characterized in that The first function comprises at least one of the following functions: a function for uplink data processing; a function for downlink data processing; or a function for data processing on sensing data. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein The function for uplink data processing comprises at least one of the following functions: a resource element (RE) demapping function; a channel estimation function; or an equalization function. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein The function for downlink data processing comprises at least one of the following functions: a modulation function; a layer mapping function; or a precoding function. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein The function for data processing on sensing data comprises at least one of the following functions: a sensing least square (LS) function in the frequency domain; a sensing LS function in the time domain; or a sensing range velocity angle (RVA) spectrum estimation function. The apparatus of any of claims 21-24, wherein The first data identifier is also used to indicate that the first data is sensing symbol data or communication symbol data. The apparatus according to any one of claims 14-25, characterized in that The processing unit is further configured to generate the first information; or The transceiving unit is further configured to send the first information; or The transceiving unit is further configured to receive the first information. A communication device, characterized by A communication device comprising a processor and interface circuitry for receiving signals from and transmitting signals to other communication devices, the processor being configured to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 13 by means of logic circuitry or by executing code instructions. A chip characterized by A communication device comprising a processor and interface circuitry for receiving signals from and transmitting signals to other communication devices, the processor being configured to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 13 by means of logic circuitry or by executing code instructions. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized by, A storage medium having stored therein computer programs or instructions which, when executed by a communication device, implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 13. A computer program product comprising computer programs or instructions, characterized in that, The computer programs or instructions which, when executed by a communication device, implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 13.

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