Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus. The method comprises: a first device receives first information from a second device, the first information being used for indicating any one of the following: first data being encoded using FEC, the first data being not encoded using FEC, or the type of FEC used by the first data; and then, on the basis of a capability of the first device and the first information, the first device determines whether to demodulate the first data. When a downlink signal supports a plurality of encoding schemes, the method facilitates the improvement of the demodulation efficiency and performance of devices having different capabilities.

Description

Communication method and communication apparatus

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411048066.8, filed on July 31, 2024, with the State Intellectual Property Office of China, and the Chinese patent application No. 202411048066.8 has the title of “A communication method and a communication apparatus”, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0003] Forward error correction (FEC) can be referred to as forward error correction code, which is usually used to increase the reliability of data communication. FEC mainly uses data to transmit redundant information, which can correct or recover data when errors occur in transmission. In short, the transmitter can encode the message and add additional bits using error correction code, which can be used to assist the receiver to detect and correct a limited number of errors that may occur anywhere in the message. Stronger correction capability means more redundancy, but also means lower bit rate, but also improves the signal-to-noise ratio working point of the receiver.

[0004] With the popularity of 5th generation mobile communication technology (5G) new radio (NR) system machine type communication (MTC) and Internet of things (IoT) communication, more and more IoT devices have been deployed in people's lives. For Rel-20 next generation Internet of Things, there are multiple types of devices coexisting, and different devices can have different capabilities, for example, some devices support FEC and some devices do not support FEC. In addition, different FEC schemes (i.e., FEC types) are supported for downlink transmission to improve transmission efficiency, for example, when the channel quality between the device and the base station is high, high code rate FEC or no FEC can be considered; when the channel quality between the device and the base station is poor, coverage enhancement is needed, and low code rate FEC can be considered to obtain coding gain to improve coverage.

[0005] Therefore, for the downlink transmission of the next generation Internet of Things, how to improve the demodulation efficiency of devices with different capabilities when considering supporting multiple coding schemes in the downlink signal is a problem to be solved at present. SUMMARY

[0006] The embodiment of the present application provides a communication method and a communication device, based on the method described in the present application, in the case that a downlink signal supports multiple coding schemes, the demodulation efficiency of devices with different capabilities can be improved.

[0007] In a first aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a communication method applied to a first device, the method comprising: receiving first information from a second device, the first information being used for indicating any of the following: first data is encoded by forward error correction (FEC), the first data is not encoded by FEC, or a type of FEC used by the first data; and determining whether to demodulate the first data based on a capability of the first device and the first information.

[0008] In the embodiment of the present application, in an R2D channel (i.e., a channel between a reader and a device) or a downlink transmission, the second device can send the first information in a form of broadcast or unicast, wherein the first information can indicate whether the first data sent subsequently is encoded by FEC or a type of FEC used. Devices with different capabilities can access according to the indication of the first information, and before receiving the first data, the first device can determine whether to receive the first data and whether to demodulate the received first data (i.e., a downlink signal) in combination with the capability of the first device and the first information, so that the adaptability between the capability of the first device and a coding mode used by the downlink signal can be ensured, the first device can normally demodulate the downlink signal, and the demodulation efficiency and performance of devices with different capabilities can be improved.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the determining whether to demodulate the first data based on the capability of the first device and the first information comprises: if the first information is used for indicating that the first data is encoded by FEC and the capability of the first device supports FEC, receiving the first data from the second device; and then demodulating the first data.

[0010] In the embodiment of the present application, the first data can be normally demodulated, and the demodulation performance of the first device can be ensured.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the method further comprises: if the first information is used for indicating the type of FEC used by the first data and the capability of the first device supports FEC, receiving the first data from the second device; and then demodulating the first data based on the type of FEC.

[0012] In the embodiment of the present application, the first data is demodulated by the type of FEC indicated by the first information, which is more conducive to improving the demodulation performance and efficiency of the first device.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: if the first information is used to indicate that the first data is encoded by FEC, or the first information is used to indicate a type of FEC used by the first data, and the capability of the first device does not support FEC, the first data from the second device is not received.

[0014] In the embodiments of the present application, the first device does not expect to receive the first data from the second device, and energy and power consumption of the first device can be saved.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the channel quality corresponding to the first device is less than or equal to a first preset threshold, or a signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold.

[0016] In the embodiments of the present application, the first information can be used to implicitly indicate calling devices with different coverage capabilities, and at this time, the calling is for devices with poor channel quality (i.e., devices with channel quality less than or equal to the first preset threshold) or devices far away from the base station (i.e., devices with signal coverage level greater than or equal to the second preset threshold).

[0017] In a possible implementation, based on the capability of the first device and the first information, it is determined whether to demodulate the first data, including: if the first information is used to indicate that the first data is not encoded by FEC, and the capability of the first device supports FEC, the first data from the second device is received; and then, the first data is demodulated.

[0018] In the embodiments of the present application, the first device can be downward compatible, and normal demodulation of the first data can be implemented, and demodulation performance of the first device is ensured.

[0019] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: if the first information is used to indicate that the first data is not encoded by FEC, and the capability of the first device does not support FEC, the first data from the second device is received; and then, the first data is demodulated.

[0020] In the embodiments of the present application, normal demodulation of the first data can be implemented, and demodulation performance of the first device is ensured.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the channel quality corresponding to the first device is greater than the first preset threshold, or the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is less than the second preset threshold.

[0022] In the embodiments of the present application, the first information can be used to implicitly indicate calling devices with different coverage capabilities, and at this time, the calling is for devices with good channel quality (i.e., devices with channel quality greater than the first preset threshold) or devices close to the base station (i.e., devices with signal coverage level less than the second preset threshold).

[0023] In a possible implementation, before receiving the first information from the second device, the method further includes: sending, to the second device, measurement information including a channel quality or a signal coverage level corresponding to the first device.

[0024] In the embodiments of the present application, in the case that the second device sends the first information in the form of unicast, the first device needs to send the measurement information corresponding to the first device to the second device before sending the first information, so as to facilitate the second device to determine whether the first data to be sent subsequently needs to be encoded by using FEC.

[0025] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication method applied to a second device, the method comprising: sending first information, the first information being used to indicate any one of the following: the first data is encoded by using FEC, the first data is not encoded by using FEC, or a type of FEC used by the first data.

[0026] In the embodiments of the present application, the beneficial effects of the possible implementation of the second aspect can refer to the beneficial effects of the possible implementation of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0027] In a possible implementation, before sending the first information, the method comprises: receiving measurement information from the first device, the measurement information including a channel quality or a signal coverage level corresponding to the first device; and sending the first information, comprising: sending the first information to the first device based on the measurement information.

[0028] In a possible implementation, when the channel quality corresponding to the first device is less than or equal to a first preset threshold, or the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold, the first information is used to indicate that the first data is encoded by using FEC, or the first information is used to indicate the type of FEC used by the first data.

[0029] When the channel quality corresponding to the first device is greater than the first preset threshold, or the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is less than the second preset threshold, the first information is used to indicate that the first data is not encoded by using FEC.

[0030] In the embodiments of the present application, after the second device receives the measurement information of the first device, it is beneficial for the second device to determine whether the first data to be sent subsequently needs to be encoded by using FEC, so as to indicate to the first device through the first information.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the method further comprises: sending the first data to the first device.

[0032] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which is configured to execute the method in the first aspect and the second aspect, or any possible implementation of any one of the first aspect and the second aspect. The communication apparatus comprises a module configured to execute the method in the first aspect and the second aspect, or any possible implementation of any one of the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0033] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which comprises a processing circuit configured to execute the method in the first aspect and the second aspect, or any possible implementation of any one of the first aspect and the second aspect. The processing circuit is configured to execute a program stored in a memory, and the program, when executed, causes the method in any one of the first aspect and the second aspect or any possible implementation to be performed.

[0034] In a possible implementation, the memory is located outside the communication apparatus.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the memory is located inside the communication apparatus.

[0036] In the embodiments of the present application, the processing circuit and the memory can also be integrated into one device, i.e., the processing circuit and the memory can also be integrated together. For example, the communication apparatus can be a chip.

[0037] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus further comprises a transceiver circuit, which is configured to receive information (or input information) or send information (or output information).

[0038] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which comprises a processing circuit and a transceiver circuit, the processing circuit can be a logic circuit, and the transceiver circuit can be an interface circuit, the logic circuit and the interface circuit are coupled; the interface circuit is configured to input and / or output information, and the logic circuit is configured to execute the method in the first aspect and the second aspect, or any possible implementation of any one of the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0039] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip, which comprises a processing circuit and an interface circuit, the processing circuit and the interface circuit are coupled; the interface circuit is configured to input and / or output information, and the processing circuit is configured to execute code instructions, so that the method in any one of the first aspect and the second aspect or any possible implementation is executed.

[0040] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, which is configured to store a computer program, and when the computer program is executed on a computer, the method in any one of the first aspect and the second aspect or any possible implementation is executed.

[0041] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which, when executed on a computer, causes the method shown in any of the first aspect and the second aspect or any possible implementation manner thereof to be performed.

[0042] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which comprises a first device configured to perform the method shown in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, and a second device configured to perform the method shown in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0043] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of communication between a network device and a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of an ORAN system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of a network element function division and a protocol layer structure of an ORAN device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of a network architecture for active A-IoT according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of a network architecture for passive A-IoT according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG. 4C is a schematic diagram of a downlink / R2D physical layer signal generation module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the present application, the present application will be further described below with reference to the drawings.

[0056] The terms "first" and "second" and the like in the specification and claims of this application are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a specific sequential or chronological order. Furthermore, the terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes", "including" and the like when used in this specification and in the following claims are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof. It is also to be understood that the use of the terms "and / or", "and / or", and "or" in the specification and the following claims are open-ended, i.e., are intended to mean "and or" or "and or" unless explicitly stated otherwise.

[0057] Reference herein to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase "in an embodiment" in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are they necessarily mutually exclusive of one another. It is appreciated that those skilled in the art can devise many embodiments that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the application and, as such, the inventors intend these embodiments to be encompassed by the disclosed embodiments.

[0058] In this application, "at least one", "one or more", "multiple", "two or more", "at least two", "and / or", are used to describe a relationship between items, and are not to be construed as limiting. For example, "A and / or B" can mean A alone, B alone, or A and B together. "Or" means either A or B, but not both. The character " / " generally means "or". "At least one of a, b, or c" means a, b, or c individually, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c. Similar expressions are to be construed in a like fashion.

[0059] In the present application, "sending" and "receiving" represent the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending information to XX" can be understood as that the destination of the information is XX, which can include direct sending through the air interface, and also includes indirect sending through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving information from YY" can be understood as that the source of the information is YY, which can include direct receiving from YY through the air interface, and also includes indirect receiving from YY through the air interface from other units or modules. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can be carried out between devices, for example, between network devices and terminal devices, or can be carried out within a device, for example, between components, between modules, between chips, between software modules or hardware modules within a device through a bus, a wire or an interface.

[0060] In order to better understand the embodiments of the present application, first, the communication system related to the embodiments of the present application will be introduced as follows:

[0061] The method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example, a wireless local area network (WLAN) communication system, a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, a multiple-in multiple-out (MIMO) communication system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, an internet of things (IoT) system, a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD), a 4th generation (4G) system, a 5th generation (5G) system or a new radio (NR), and other future communication systems, for example, a 6th generation (6G) system, and the like. The IoT network may, for example, include but is not limited to a vehicle internet. The communication mode in the vehicle internet system can be collectively referred to as vehicle-to-everything (V2X, X may represent any thing). For example, the V2X may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication or vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication, and the like. The method provided by the embodiments of the present application also supports a communication system in which multiple wireless technologies are fused, for example, can also be applied to a system in which an unmanned aerial vehicle, a satellite communication system, a high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication and the like non-terrestrial network (NTN) are fused with a ground mobile communication network. In addition, it can also be applicable to a low frequency (sub 6 GHz) and high frequency (above 6 GHz) communication scenario. It can be understood that the system architecture described in the embodiments of the present application is for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0062] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system applicable to embodiments of the present application. The communication system includes at least one network device and at least one terminal device. In FIG. 1, a network device and a plurality of terminal devices are exemplified. The terminal devices herein can be cellular phones, smart phones, laptop computers, handheld communication devices, handheld computing devices, satellite radios, global positioning systems, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and / or any other suitable device for communicating over a wireless communication system, and can all be connected with the network device. The terminal devices can all be capable of communicating with the network device. Of course, the number of terminal devices and network devices in FIG. 1 is by way of example only and can be less or more. The terminal devices and network devices involved in the communication system of FIG. 1 are described in detail below.

[0063] I. Terminal Device

[0064] The terminal device mentioned in embodiments of the present application can be a device with wireless transceiving function. The terminal device can communicate with an access network device (or also referred to as an access device or a network device) in a radio access network (RAN). The terminal device can also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a user agent, or a user device, etc. In a possible implementation, the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; or can be deployed on water, including a ship; or can be deployed in the air, such as an airplane, a balloon, or a satellite, etc. In another possible implementation, the terminal device can be a handheld device, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a sensor, a terminal in Internet of Things, a terminal in Internet of Vehicles, a drone, a terminal device in 5G network or future network, etc. with wireless communication function, and embodiments of the present application do not limit this. In yet another possible implementation, the terminal device can also be a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical treatment, a wireless terminal in smart power grid, a wireless terminal in smart city, or a wireless terminal in smart home, etc.

[0065] In the embodiments of the present application, the apparatus for implementing the function of the terminal device can be the terminal device, or can be an apparatus capable of supporting the terminal device to implement the function, for example, a chip system. The apparatus can be installed in the terminal device or used in matching with the terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include the chip and other discrete devices. For the convenience of description, in the following description of some examples, the apparatus for implementing the function of the terminal device is taken as an example to describe the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0066] II. Network device

[0067] The network device can be a kind of device deployed in a wireless access network to provide wireless communication services for terminal devices. The network device can also be referred to as an access network device, an access device, a RAN node, or a RAN device, etc. Illustratively, the network device can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation evolved NodeB (ng-eNB), or a network device in 6G communication, etc. The network device can be any kind of device with wireless transceiver function, including but not limited to the above-mentioned base stations (including base stations deployed on satellites). The network device can also be a device with base station function in 6G. As an example, the network device can be an access node, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, etc. in a wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) system. As another example, the network device can be a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. As yet another example, the network device can be a wearable device or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. that can provide wireless communication services. As yet another example, the network device can also be a small station, a transmission reception point (TRP) (or also referred to as a transmission point), etc. The network device can also be a primary station, a secondary station, a motor slide retainer (MSR) node, a home base station, an access point (AP), a baseband unit (BBU), a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), a remote radio head (RRH), a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio unit (RU), a positioning node, etc. In systems of different wireless access technologies, the names of devices with network device functions can be different, and the embodiments of the present application will not be listed one by one.

[0068] The network device can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or a drone can be configured to act as a mobile network device, and one or more cells can move according to the location of the mobile network device. In other examples, the helicopter or the drone can be configured to act as a device that communicates with another network device.

[0069] In some deployments of the network device, the network device can include a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), etc. As part of the protocol layers of the network device are placed in the CU for centralized control, the remaining part or all of the protocol layers are distributed in the DU, which is controlled by the CU. In some other deployments of the network device, the CU can also be divided into a CU-control plane (CP) and a CU-user plane (UP), etc. In some other deployments of the network device, the network device can also be an open radio access network (ORAN / O-RAN) architecture. When the network device is an ORAN architecture, the network device can be a functional entity or a module in the ORAN, etc. For example, the network device can be a combination of one or more of a CU, a DU, or a RU. In the ORAN system, the CU can also be referred to as an open (O)-CU, the DU can also be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, etc. The deployment modes of the network device listed here are only examples, and as the standard technology evolves, there can be other deployment forms of the network device, which are not limited by the embodiments of the present application.

[0070] In some deployments, multiple RAN nodes cooperate to assist terminals to implement wireless access, and different RAN nodes implement part of the functions of the access network respectively. For example, the RAN node can be a CU, a DU, a CU-CP, a CU-UP, or a RU, etc. The CU and the DU can be separately arranged, or can be included in the same network element, such as a BBU. The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as an RRU, an AAU, or an RRH.

[0071] The RAN node can support one or more types of fronthaul interfaces, different fronthaul interfaces respectively corresponding to DUs and RUs having different functions. If the fronthaul interface between the DU and the RU is a common public radio interface (CPRI), the DU is configured to implement one or more of baseband functions, and the RU is configured to implement one or more of radio frequency functions. If the fronthaul interface between the DU and the RU is another interface, which, relative to the CPRI, moves one or more of partial baseband functions of the downlink and / or uplink, such as, for the downlink, one or more of precoding, digital beamforming (BF), or inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) / add cyclic prefix (CP), from the DU to the RU for implementation, and for the uplink, one or more of digital beamforming (BF), or fast Fourier transform (FFT) / remove cyclic prefix (CP), from the DU to the RU for implementation. In a possible implementation, the interface can be an enhanced common public radio interface (eCPRI). Under the eCPRI architecture, the splitting manner between the DU and the RU is different, corresponding to different categories (Cat) of eCPRI, such as eCPRI Cat A, B, C, D, E, and F.

[0072] Taking eCPRI Cat A as an example, for downlink transmission, with layer mapping as the cut, the DU is configured to implement layer mapping and one or more functions (i.e., one or more of encoding, rate matching, scrambling, modulation, layer mapping) before layer mapping, while other functions (e.g., one or more of resource element (RE) mapping, digital beamforming (BF), or inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) / adding cyclic prefix (CP)) after layer mapping are implemented in the RU. For uplink transmission, with de-RE mapping as the cut, the DU is configured to implement de-mapping and one or more functions (i.e., one or more of decoding, de-rate matching, de-scrambling, de-modulation, inverse discrete Fourier transform (IDFT), channel equalization, de-RE mapping) before de-mapping, while other functions (e.g., one or more of digital BF or fast Fourier transform (FFT) / CP removal) after de-mapping are implemented in the RU. It can be understood that the function description of the DU and the RU corresponding to various types of eCPRI can refer to the eCPRI protocol, which is not described here.

[0073] In a possible design, the processing unit in the BBU for implementing baseband functions is referred to as a base band high (BBH) unit, and the processing unit in the RRU / AAU / RRH for implementing baseband functions is referred to as a base band low (BBL) unit.

[0074] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, the CU can also be referred to as an O-CU (open CU), the DU can also be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an O-RU. Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0075] In embodiments of the present application, the apparatus for implementing the function of the network device can be a network device; or can be an apparatus capable of supporting the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system. The apparatus can be installed in the network device or used in matching with the network device. For ease of description, when some specific examples are involved, the apparatus for implementing the function of the network device is taken as a base station to describe the technical solutions provided by embodiments of the present application.

[0076] The network device and / or the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on water surface; and can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons and satellites in the air. The scenarios in which the network device and the terminal device are located are not limited in embodiments of the present application. In addition, the terminal device and the network device can be hardware devices, or software functions running on special hardware, software functions running on general hardware, such as virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform), or entities including special or general hardware devices and software functions. The specific forms of the terminal device and the network device are not limited in the present application.

[0077] In addition, the communication between the network device and each terminal device in the communication system shown in FIG. 1 can also be represented in another form. As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal device 10 includes a processor 101, a memory 102 and a transceiver 103, and the transceiver 103 includes a transmitter 1031, a receiver 1032 and an antenna 1033. The network device 20 includes a processor 201, a memory 202 and a transceiver 203, and the transceiver 203 includes a transmitter 2031, a receiver 2032 and an antenna 2033. The receiver 1032 can be configured to receive transmission control information through the antenna 1033, and the transmitter 1031 can be configured to send transmission feedback information to the network device 20 through the antenna 1033. The transmitter 2031 can be configured to send transmission control information to the terminal device 10 through the antenna 2033, and the receiver 2032 can be configured to receive transmission feedback information sent by the terminal device 10 through the antenna 2033.

[0078] FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of an ORAN system provided by embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG. 3A, the network device is also referred to as an access network device. The access network device (RAN, for example, can be an eNB or a gNB or a next-generation access network device) communicates with the core network (CN) through a backhaul and communicates with the user equipment (UE) through an air interface.

[0079] Specifically, a baseband unit (BBU) in an access network device communicates with a core network through a backhaul, and a radio unit (RU) in the access network device communicates with at least one UE through an air interface. The BBU communicates with at least one RU through a fronthaul, and the BBU and the RU can be co-located or not co-located.

[0080] The BBU includes at least one control unit (CU) and at least one distributed unit (DU), which can communicate through at least one midhaul.

[0081] FIG. 3B is a diagram of network element function division and protocol layer structure of an ORAN device according to an embodiment of the present application. In some examples, the CU is a logical node that carries the radio resource control (RRC) layer, the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and other control functions of the access network device. The CU is connected to network nodes such as a core network through some interfaces, which can be E2 interfaces or the like. Optionally, the CU can have part of the functions of the core network. The CU (e.g., the PDCP layer and higher layers) is connected to the DU (e.g., the RLC layer and lower layers) through some interfaces, which can be F1 interfaces or the like. In some examples, these interfaces (e.g., the F1 interface) can provide control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane) functions (e.g., interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, etc.). The F1AP is an application protocol for the F1 interface, which defines the signaling procedures of the F1 in some examples. The F1 interface supports the control plane F1-C and the user plane F1-U.

[0082] In some examples, the CU can be split into a CU-CP (control unit-control plane) and a CU-UP (control unit-user plane), where the CU-CP is a logical node carrying the RRC layer and the PDCP-C (control plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the control plane function of the CU. The CU-CP can interact with a network element in the core network used to implement the control plane function. The network element in the core network used to implement the control plane function can be an access and mobility function network element, such as an access and mobility management function (AMF) in a 5G system. The AMF network element is used to be responsible for mobility management in a mobile network, such as location updating of a terminal device, registration of the terminal device to a network, handover of the terminal device, and the like. The CU-UP is a logical node carrying the SDAP layer and the PDCP-U (User plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the user plane function of the CU. The CU-UP can interact with a network element in the core network used to implement the user plane function. The network element in the core network used to implement the user plane function, for example, a user plane function (UPF) in a 5G system, is used to be responsible for forwarding and receiving data in a terminal device. The above configuration of the CU and the DU is only an example, and the CU and the DU can be configured to have functions as needed. For example, the CU or the DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or the CU or the DU can be configured to have partial processing functions of the protocol layers. For example, part of the functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layers above the RLC layer are arranged in the CU, and the remaining functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layers below the RLC layer are arranged in the DU. For another example, the functions of the CU or the DU can be divided according to the service type or other system requirements, for example, according to the delay. The functions that need to meet the delay requirement are arranged in the DU, and the functions that do not need to meet the delay requirement are arranged in the CU.

[0083] In some examples, a DU is a logical node that hosts radio link control (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, higher physical layer (Higher PHY) layer, and other functions. In some examples, a DU can control at least one RU. The DU is connected with the RUs through some interfaces, which can be a fronthaul interface. In some examples, the Higher PHY layer includes parts of PHY layer processing, such as forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.

[0084] In some examples, an RU is a logical node that hosts lower physical layer (Lower PHY) and radio frequency (RF) processing. In some examples, an RU can be a 3GPP transmission reception point (TRP) or a remote radio head (RRH) or other similar functional entity. In some examples, the Low-PHY includes parts of PHY processing, such as fast fourier transform (FFT), inverse fast Fourier transformation (IFFT), digital beamforming and filtering, etc. An RU communicates with one or more UEs through a wireless link.

[0085] The DU and the RU can be co-located or not. The DU and the RU exchange control plane information and user plane information via a lower-layer split-control, user and synchronization (LLS-CUS) interface through a fronthaul link. The LLS-CUS can include a LLS-C interface and a LLS-U interface that provide a control plane (C-Plane) and a user plane (U-Plane), respectively. In some examples, the control plane (C-Plane) refers to real-time control between the DU and the RU. The DU and the RU exchange management information via a LLS-M interface of the fronthaul link, and the management plane (M-Plane) refers to non-real-time management operations between the DU and the RU.

[0086] The DU and the RU can cooperate to jointly implement the functions of the PHY layer. One DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of the DU and the RU can be configured in various ways according to the design. For example, the DU is configured to implement baseband functions, and the RU is configured to implement radio frequency functions. For another example, the DU is configured to implement high-layer functions in the PHY layer, and the RU is configured to implement low-layer functions in the PHY layer or to implement the low-layer functions and radio frequency functions. The high-layer functions in the PHY layer can include a part of the functions of the PHY layer that are closer to the MAC layer, and the low-layer functions in the PHY layer can include another part of the functions of the PHY layer that are closer to the radio frequency side.

[0087] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), the DU, or the RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an ORAN system, the CU can also be referred to as an O-CU (open CU), the DU can also be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an O-RU. For the convenience of description, the CU, the CU-CP, the CU-UP, the DU, and the RU are taken as examples for description in this application.

[0088] In particular, the embodiments of the present application can be applicable to an IoT system. The so-called IoT is a system in which physical devices, vehicles, home appliances, etc. (also referred to as “connected devices” and “smart devices”) are connected to each other through a network, aiming to realize data collection and exchange among these devices. The core of the Internet of Things is the interconnection of smart devices, automatic data collection, and remote control functions.

[0089] With the popularity of 5G NR system machine type communication (MTC) and IoT communication, more and more IoT devices have been deployed in people's lives. For example: smart water meter, shared bicycle, and smart city, environmental monitoring, smart home, forest fire prevention, and other devices aimed at sensing and data collection, etc. In the future, IoT devices will be ubiquitous, possibly embedded in every piece of clothing, every package, every key, and almost all offline items will be online under the empowerment of Internet of Things technology. At the same time, due to the wide distribution and large number of IoT devices, the process of realizing the Internet of Everything also brings great challenges to the industry, the first of which is the power supply problem. At present, IoT is still mainly driven by operators, and IoT modules need to use standard cellular protocols to communicate with base stations. Since the base station needs to cover as large an area as possible, the IoT module needs to be able to communicate when it is far away from the base station, which makes the IoT device still need to consume a high current of 30mA when communicating wirelessly. Therefore, the current IoT module still needs to use a battery with high capacity to work, which also makes it difficult to reduce the size of the IoT module, increasing the cost of the IoT device.

[0090] In addition, some low-power terminals play an important role in Internet of Things applications such as medical care, smart home, industrial sensors, and wearable devices. However, due to the limited size of such terminals, if you want to extend the running time of these devices, it is difficult to achieve this by simply increasing the battery capacity. Therefore, in order to extend the terminal battery life, the power consumption of wireless communication needs to be reduced, and the radio transceiver is one of the most power-consuming components. Therefore, in order to further popularize IoT, implant IoT modules into the human body, or smaller objects, it is not possible to pair a higher capacity battery, and a smaller battery must be used or completely free of battery restrictions, or a method to reduce the power consumption of the radio transceiver is designed to overcome the limitations of IoT device cost, size, power consumption, etc.

[0091] In the standard discussion of 3GPP Release-18 version, low power consumption research has become the focus of most companies. Around the low power consumption research, 3GPP passed the study project of NR low power wake-up signal and receiver (Study on low-power Wake-up Signal and Receiver for NR). In 3GPP Release-19, low power consumption environment IoT (Ambient IoT, A-IoT) is also a key SI (Study Item) stage issue. In addition, A-IoT is also discussed in 3GPP at present, which is a kind of ultra-low power consumption IoT device, and is mainly divided into active and passive types according to whether it can actively generate or transmit carrier signals.

[0092] Among them, the active A-IoT is an active tag or active terminal, which can complete the transmission of wireless communication signals by means of the energy stored in the self energy storage module. As shown in FIG. 4A, the active A-IoT (also called active tag) can directly perform downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) data reception and transmission with the base station (gNB). The active type can also be called active tag and the like.

[0093] The passive A-IoT mainly relies on energy obtained from external radio frequency signals, and communicates through backscattering radio frequency signals, so as to realize ultra-low power consumption or even zero power consumption. As shown in FIG. 4B, the link between the intermediate node (UE) and the passive A-IoT (also called passive tag) is a passive link, and the passive tag cannot actively send radio frequency signals. The UE needs to first transmit an excitation or carrier signal (carrying downlink data (DL data)), and the passive A-IoT modulates the carrier signal and then sends the signal to the UE or the base station (gNB) (carrying uplink data (UL data)). The type of A-IoT in the present application is not limited. Among them, the passive type can also be called battery-free terminal / device, battery-free terminal / device, backscatter terminal / device, backscatter, passive IoT and the like. That is, it can be understood that the base station (gNB) and the passive A-IoT device (also called backscatter device) can indirectly send data, channels or signals to each other through the intermediate node. Among them, the intermediate node is UE, the base station and the UE are connected through the uu interface, and the UE and the passive A-IoT device can directly transmit data, channels or signals to each other.

[0094] In the embodiments of the present application, the A-IoT device or intermediate node (i.e. UE) here can be considered as a first device, and the base station (i.e. network device) can be considered as a second device.

[0095] In addition, regarding the device type of A-IoT, the A-IoT device can be divided into devices with different capabilities as follows:

[0096] (1) The first type of device (may be referred to as device 1), which contains the following features: no support for uplink and downlink amplification, uplink transmission based on externally provided carrier in backscatter mode;

[0097] (2) The second type of device (may be referred to as device 2a), which contains one of the following features: support for uplink or downlink amplification, uplink transmission based on externally provided carrier in backscatter mode;

[0098] (3) The third type of device (may be referred to as device 2b), which contains one of the following features: support for uplink or downlink amplification, uplink transmission based on internally generated carrier.

[0099] Optionally, the peak power consumption of the first type of device is ~ 1uw, the peak power consumption of the second type of device is <= a few hundred uW, and the peak power consumption of the third type of device is <= a few hundred uW. Optionally, the maximum initial sampling clock deviation of the first type of device is 10^X1 ppm, X1 can be 5 or 4 or 3 or 2, the maximum initial sampling clock deviation of the second type of device is 10^X2 ppm, X2 can be 5 or 4 or 3 or 2, and the maximum initial sampling clock deviation of the third type of device is 10^X3 ppm, X3 can be 5 or 4 or 3 or 2.

[0100] It should be noted that the network application architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are for more clearly illustrating 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 application architecture and the appearance of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0101] In order to facilitate understanding of the scheme provided by the embodiments of the present application, the related concepts involved in the embodiments of the present application are introduced as follows:

[0102] 1. Physical layer R2D channel (physical reader to device channel, PRDCH) module

[0103] The so-called R2D refers to a channel between a reader and a device. The downlink / R2D physical layer signal generation module and process are shown in FIG. 4C. From left to right, the modules are source bits, cyclic redundancy check (CRC), encoding (different encoding types, such as forward error correction (FEC), line code), modulation, and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal generator (i.e., waveform generator). Among them, the encoding module is strongly related to the present application. Given N-bit source bits {b0b1b2...b N-1 For example, when the length of the source bits N > 24, a 16-bit CRC check information is generated using CRC-16 and filled after the source bits. After encoding, the information length changes from (N+K) after CRC to 1 / R*(N+K), where R is the code rate (effective information length / encoded bit information length).

[0104] 2. FEC

[0105] FEC can be referred to as a forward error correction code, which is usually used to increase the reliability of data communication. FEC mainly uses data to transmit redundant information, which can correct or recover data when errors occur during transmission. In short, the transmitter can encode the message and add additional bits using error correction codes, which can be used to assist the receiver in detecting and correcting any limited number of errors that may occur anywhere in the message. Stronger correction capability means more redundancy, but also means lower bit rate, but also improves the signal-to-noise ratio operating point of the receiver.

[0106] For Rel-20 next-generation Internet of Things, there are multiple types of devices coexisting, and different devices can have different capabilities, such as some devices supporting FEC and some devices not supporting FEC. In addition, the downlink transmission also supports different FEC schemes (i.e., FEC types) to improve transmission efficiency, such as when the channel quality between the device and the base station is high, high-rate FEC or no FEC can be considered; when the channel quality between the device and the base station is poor, coverage enhancement is needed, and low-rate FEC can be considered to obtain coding gain to improve coverage.

[0107] ​Therefore, for the downlink transmission of the next generation of IOT, how to improve the demodulation efficiency of devices with different capabilities in the case of supporting multiple encoding schemes in the downlink signal is a problem to be solved.

[0108] Therefore, in order to improve the demodulation efficiency of devices with different capabilities in the case of supporting multiple encoding schemes in the downlink signal, the present application provides a communication method and a communication device. The communication method and the communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below.

[0109] I. The second device sends the first information in the form of broadcast.

[0110] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, the communication method includes the following steps S501 and S502. The method execution subject shown in FIG. 5 can be the first device and the second device mentioned above. Alternatively, the method execution subject shown in FIG. 5 can be a chip in the first device and a chip in the second device, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. FIG. 5 takes the first device and the second device as the method execution subject for example. The first device can be an A-IoT device (such as an active tag or a passive tag) or an intermediate node (such as a UE), and the second device can be a network device (such as a base station), which is not limited herein.

[0111] S501, the second device sends the first information, which is used to indicate any of the following: the first data is encoded by FEC, the first data is not encoded by FEC, or the type of FEC used by the first data. Correspondingly, the first device receives the first information from the second device.

[0112] S502, the first device determines whether to demodulate the first data based on the capability of the first device and the first information.

[0113] In the embodiments of the present application, the downlink signal supports multiple encoding schemes, for example, the downlink signal can be encoded by FEC or not. When the downlink signal is encoded by FEC, different types of FEC encoding can also be used, for example, the downlink signal can be encoded by high-rate FEC or low-rate FEC, which is not limited herein. Here, the downlink signal can be considered as the first data, for example, PRDCH, which is not limited herein. Similarly, the first device can also have different capabilities, for example, some of the first devices support FEC, and some of the first devices do not support FEC, which is not limited herein. Therefore, in order to ensure the adaptability between the capability of the first device and the encoding scheme used by the downlink signal, ensure that the first device can normally demodulate the downlink signal, and improve the demodulation efficiency of devices with different capabilities, the second device can indicate the encoding scheme used by the subsequently transmitted downlink signal to the first device before transmitting the downlink signal, so that the first device can determine whether to receive the downlink signal and whether to demodulate the received downlink signal based on the capability of the first device and the encoding scheme used by the downlink signal.

[0114] Exemplarily, in the R2D channel or the downlink transmission, the second device can transmit the first information in the form of broadcast, and the first information can indicate that the subsequently transmitted first data (i.e. the downlink signal) is encoded by FEC or not, or can indicate the type of FEC used by the subsequently transmitted first data, etc. The first information can be represented by a field, for example, a preamble field, a control field, a command field, etc., or a custom field, which is not limited herein.

[0115] Optionally, the method further comprises: the second device transmitting the first data to the first device.

[0116] The specific implementation of the first device determining whether to demodulate the first data based on the capability of the first device and the first information will be described in detail as follows:

[0117] Case 1: The first information is used to indicate that the first data is encoded by FEC.

[0118] (1) If the first information is used to indicate that the first data is encoded by FEC, and the capability of the first device supports FEC, the first device receives the first data from the second device; and then demodulates the first data.

[0119] The channel quality corresponding to the first device is less than or equal to a first preset threshold, or the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold. The channel quality corresponding to the first device can include reference signal receiving power (RSRP), reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), and the like, which are not limited herein. When the channel quality corresponding to the first device is less than or equal to the first preset threshold, the first device can be considered as a user with poor channel quality. The first preset threshold can be a predefined value or a dynamically changing value, which is not limited herein.

[0120] The signal coverage level corresponding to the first device refers to the signal coverage level of the location where the first device is located. The greater the signal coverage level, the farther the distance between the device and the base station. When the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is greater than or equal to the second preset threshold, the first device can be considered as a user far away from the base station. The second preset threshold can be a predefined value or a dynamically changing value, which is not limited herein.

[0121] It can be understood that when the second device sends the first information in the form of broadcast, and the first information indicates that the first data is encoded by FEC, it means that the current is paging for a user with poor channel quality (i.e., the first device with channel quality less than or equal to the first preset threshold) or a user far away from the base station (i.e., the first device with signal coverage level greater than or equal to the second preset threshold). At this time, the corresponding user equipment can initiate access. That is, the first information can implicitly indicate paging for devices with different coverage capabilities. At this time, it is paging for devices with poor channel quality or devices far away from the base station.

[0122] Further, after the first device receives the first information, since the first information indicates that the first data is encoded by FEC, and the capability of the first device also supports FEC, the first device can directly receive the first data from the second device, and normally demodulate the first data, thereby ensuring the demodulation performance of the first device.

[0123] (2) If the first information is used to indicate that the first data is encoded by FEC, and the capability of the first device does not support FEC, the first device does not receive the first data from the second device.

[0124] It can be understood that, after the first device receives the first information, although the first information indicates that the first data adopts FEC encoding, the capability of the first device does not support FEC, and therefore the first device does not expect to receive the first data from the second device, so as to save the energy and power consumption of the first device.

[0125] Case 2: The first information is used to indicate the type of FEC adopted by the first data.

[0126] (1) If the first information is used to indicate the type of FEC adopted by the first data, and the capability of the first device supports FEC, the first device receives the first data from the second device; and then, the first data is demodulated based on the type of FEC.

[0127] The channel quality corresponding to the first device is less than or equal to a first preset threshold, or the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold. The channel quality corresponding to the first device can include RSRP, RSRQ, RSSI and the like, which are not limited herein. When the channel quality corresponding to the first device is less than or equal to the first preset threshold, it can be considered that the first device is a user with poor channel quality. The first preset threshold can be a pre-defined value or a dynamically changing value, which is not limited herein.

[0128] The signal coverage level corresponding to the first device refers to the signal coverage level of the position where the first device is located. The greater the signal coverage level, the farther the distance between the device and the base station. When the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is greater than or equal to the second preset threshold, it can be considered that the first device is a user far away from the base station. The second preset threshold can be a pre-defined value or a dynamically changing value, which is not limited herein.

[0129] It can be understood that, when the second device sends the first information in the form of broadcast, and the first information indicates the type of FEC adopted by the first data, it means that the user with poor channel quality or the user far away from the base station is currently called (paged), and the corresponding user device can initiate access at this time. That is, the first information can implicitly indicate calling devices with different coverage capabilities, and at this time, it is the call for devices with poor channel quality or devices far away from the base station.

[0130] Further, after receiving the first information, the first device can directly receive the first data from the second device and demodulate the first data by using the FEC type indicated by the first information, because the first information indicates the FEC type used by the first data and the capability of the first device also supports the FEC, which is beneficial to improve the demodulation performance and efficiency of the first device. The FEC type can be a low code rate FEC or other types of FEC, which is not limited herein.

[0131] (2) If the first information is used to indicate the FEC type used by the first data and the capability of the first device does not support the FEC, the first device does not receive the first data from the second device.

[0132] It can be understood that, after receiving the first information, although the first information indicates the FEC type used by the first data, the capability of the first device does not support the FEC, so the first device does not expect to receive the first data from the second device, in order to save the energy and power consumption of the first device.

[0133] Case 3: The first information is used to indicate that the first data does not use FEC encoding.

[0134] (1) If the first information is used to indicate that the first data does not use FEC encoding and the capability of the first device supports the FEC, the first device receives the first data from the second device; and then demodulates the first data.

[0135] The channel quality corresponding to the first device is greater than a first preset threshold, or the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is less than a second preset threshold. The channel quality corresponding to the first device can include RSRP, RSRQ, RSSI and the like, which is not limited herein. When the channel quality corresponding to the first device is greater than the first preset threshold, it can be considered that the first device is a user with good channel quality. The first preset threshold can be a predefined value or a dynamically changing value, which is not limited herein.

[0136] The signal coverage level corresponding to the first device refers to the signal coverage level of the position of the first device. The greater the signal coverage level, the farther the distance between the device and the base station. When the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is less than the second preset threshold, it can be considered that the first device is a user close to the base station. The second preset threshold can be a predefined value or a dynamically changing value, which is not limited herein.

[0137] It can be understood that when the second device sends the first information in the form of broadcast, and the first information indicates that the first data does not use FEC encoding, it means that the current is calling (paging) the user with good channel quality (i.e. the first device with channel quality greater than the first preset threshold) or the user close to the base station (i.e. the first device with signal coverage level less than the second preset threshold), at this time the corresponding user equipment can initiate access. That is, through the first information, the calling of devices with different coverage capabilities can be implicitly indicated, and at this time it is the calling of devices with good channel quality or devices close to the base station.

[0138] Further, after the first device receives the first information, the first information indicates that the first data does not use FEC encoding, and the capability of the first device can support FEC, so the first device can be downward compatible, that is, it can also receive the first data from the second device and demodulate the first data, ensuring the demodulation performance and efficiency of the first device.

[0139] (2) If the first information is used to indicate that the first data does not use FEC encoding, and the capability of the first device does not support FEC, the first device receives the first data from the second device, and then demodulates the first data.

[0140] It can be understood that after the first device receives the first information, the first information indicates that the first data does not use FEC encoding, and the capability of the first device also does not support FEC, at this time the first device can also receive the first data from the second device and demodulate the first data, ensuring the demodulation performance and efficiency of the first device.

[0141] It can be seen that based on the method described in FIG. 5, in the R2D channel or downlink transmission, the second device can send the first information in the form of broadcast, wherein the first information can indicate whether the first data subsequently transmitted uses FEC encoding or the type of FEC used. Devices with different capabilities can access according to the indication of the first information, and before receiving the first data, the first device can determine whether to receive the first data and whether to demodulate the received first data (i.e. downlink signal) according to the capability of the first device and the first information, which can ensure the adaptability between the capability of the first device and the encoding method used by the downlink signal, ensure that the first device can normally demodulate the downlink signal, and improve the demodulation efficiency and performance of devices with different capabilities.

[0142] II. The second device sends the first information to the first device in the form of unicast.

[0143] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 6, the communication method includes the following steps S601-S603. The method execution subject shown in FIG. 6 can be the first device and the second device mentioned above. Alternatively, the method execution subject shown in FIG. 6 can be a chip in the first device and a chip in the second device, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. FIG. 6 takes the first device and the second device as the method execution subject for example. The first device can be an A-IoT device (such as an active tag or a passive tag) or an intermediate node (such as a UE), and the second device can be a network device (such as a base station), which is not limited herein.

[0144] S601, the second device acquires the measurement information of the first device, the measurement information including the channel quality or signal coverage level corresponding to the first device.

[0145] In the embodiments of the present application, the specific implementation of the second device acquiring the measurement information of the first device can adopt any one of the following two ways. Of course, other ways can also be adopted, which are not limited herein.

[0146] Way one: the first device sends the measurement information to the second device, and correspondingly, the second device receives the measurement information from the first device.

[0147] It can be understood that the first device can report its own measurement information to the second device, including the channel quality, signal coverage level and other information corresponding to the first device.

[0148] Way two: the second device can measure the channel quality, signal coverage level and other information corresponding to the first device by itself.

[0149] S602, the second device sends first information to the first device based on the measurement information, the first information being used to indicate any one of the following: the first data adopts FEC encoding, the first data does not adopt FEC encoding, or the type of FEC adopted by the first data. Correspondingly, the first device receives the first information from the second device.

[0150] In the embodiments of the present application, after the second device acquires the measurement information of the first device, it is beneficial for the second device to judge whether the first data to be sent subsequently needs to adopt FEC encoding, so as to indicate to the first device through the first information. For R2D channel or downlink transmission, the second device can send the first information to the first device in the form of unicast.

[0151] Specifically, when the channel quality corresponding to the first device is less than or equal to a first preset threshold, or the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold, the first information can be used to indicate that the first data adopts FEC encoding, or the first information can be used to indicate the type of FEC adopted by the first data.

[0152] It can be understood that, for a user with poor channel quality (i.e., the first device with channel quality less than or equal to the first preset threshold) or a user far away from the base station (i.e., the first device with signal coverage level greater than or equal to the second preset threshold), the first information can be used to indicate that the first data adopts FEC encoding or the type of FEC adopted by the first data.

[0153] When the channel quality corresponding to the first device is greater than the first preset threshold, or the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is less than the second preset threshold, the first information is used to indicate that the first data does not adopt FEC encoding.

[0154] It can be understood that, for a user with good channel quality (i.e., the first device with channel quality greater than the first preset threshold) or a user close to the base station (i.e., the first device with signal coverage distance less than the second preset threshold), the first information can be used to indicate that the first data does not adopt FEC encoding.

[0155] S603, the first device determines whether to demodulate the first data based on the capability of the first device and the first information.

[0156] Specifically, for different cases of the first information, the specific implementation of the first device determining whether to demodulate the first data based on the capability of the first device and the first information can refer to the specific implementation of steps S501 and S502 described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0157] It can be seen that, based on the method described in FIG. 6, in the R2D channel or downlink transmission, the second device can obtain the measurement information of the first device, including the channel quality corresponding to the first device, the signal coverage level and the like; then according to the measurement information, the first information is sent to the first device in the form of unicast, wherein the first information can indicate whether the first data subsequently sent adopts FEC encoding or the type of FEC specifically adopted; then the first device can determine whether to receive the first data and whether to demodulate the received first data (i.e., the downlink signal) in combination with the capability of the first device and the first information, which can ensure the adaptability between the capability of the first device and the encoding mode adopted by the downlink signal, ensure that the first device can normally demodulate the downlink signal, and improve the demodulation efficiency and performance of devices with different capabilities.

[0158] The apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described below.

[0159] The device is divided into functional modules according to the above method embodiments. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional module. It should be noted that the division of the modules in the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical functional division. Actual implementation can have another division manner. The device of the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 7-9.

[0160] FIG. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 7, the communication device includes a processing module 701 and a transceiver module 702. The transceiver module 702 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 701 is configured to implement corresponding processing functions. The transceiver module 702 can also be referred to as an interface, a communication interface, or a communication module, etc.

[0161] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be configured to perform the actions performed by the first device in the above method embodiments. At this time, the communication device can be the first device itself or a chip or functional module configured in the first device, etc. The transceiver module 702 is configured to perform the transceiver-related operations of the first device in the above method embodiments, and the processing module 701 is configured to perform the processing-related operations of the first device in the above method embodiments.

[0162] For example, the transceiver module 702 can be configured to receive first information from the second device, the first information being configured to indicate any one of the following: the first data is encoded by FEC, the first data is not encoded by FEC, or a type of FEC used by the first data.

[0163] The processing module 701 can be configured to determine whether to demodulate the first data based on the capability of the first device and the first information.

[0164] For example, when determining whether to demodulate the first data based on the capability of the first device and the first information, the processing module 701 can be configured to: if the first information indicates that the first data is encoded by FEC and the capability of the first device supports FEC, receive the first data from the second device; and then demodulate the first data.

[0165] For another example, the processing module 701 can also be configured to: if the first information indicates the type of FEC used by the first data and the capability of the first device supports FEC, receive the first data from the second device; and then demodulate the first data based on the type of FEC.

[0166] As another example, the processing module 701 can also be configured to, if the first information is used to indicate that the first data is encoded by FEC, or the first information is used to indicate a type of FEC used by the first data, and the capability of the first device does not support the FEC, not receive the first data from the second device.

[0167] As another example, the channel quality corresponding to the first device is less than or equal to a first preset threshold, or the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold.

[0168] As an example, when determining whether to demodulate the first data based on the capability of the first device and the first information, the processing module 701 can be specifically configured to, if the first information is used to indicate that the first data is not encoded by FEC, and the capability of the first device supports FEC, receive the first data from the second device; and then demodulate the first data.

[0169] As another example, the processing module 701 can also be configured to, if the first information is used to indicate that the first data is not encoded by FEC, and the capability of the first device does not support FEC, receive the first data from the second device; and then demodulate the first data.

[0170] As another example, the channel quality corresponding to the first device is greater than the first preset threshold, or the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is less than the second preset threshold.

[0171] As another example, before receiving the first information from the second device, the transceiver module 702 can also be configured to send measurement information to the second device, the measurement information including the channel quality or the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device.

[0172] Exemplarily, the transceiver module 702 can further include a radio frequency module, an antenna module, etc. Exemplarily, the transceiver module 702 can further include a pin module, etc.

[0173] In another embodiment of the application, the communication apparatus of FIG. 7 can be configured to perform the actions performed by the second device in the above method embodiments. At this time, the communication apparatus can be the second device itself or a chip or functional module configured in the second device. The transceiver module 702 is configured to perform the transceiving-related operations of the second device in the above method embodiments, and the processing module 701 is configured to perform the processing-related operations of the second device in the above method embodiments.

[0174] Exemplarily, the transceiver module 702 can be configured to send the first information, the first information being used to indicate any one of the following: the first data is encoded by FEC, the first data is not encoded by FEC, or a type of FEC used by the first data.

[0175] As an example, the transceiver module 702, before transmitting the first information, can also be configured to: receive measurement information from the first device, the measurement information comprising a channel quality or a signal coverage level corresponding to the first device; and the transceiver module 702, when transmitting the first information, can be configured to: transmit the first information to the first device based on the measurement information.

[0176] As another example, when the channel quality corresponding to the first device is less than or equal to a first preset threshold, or the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold, the first information is used to indicate that the first data adopts FEC encoding, or the first information is used to indicate a type of FEC adopted by the first data.

[0177] When the channel quality corresponding to the first device is greater than the first preset threshold, or the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is less than the second preset threshold, the first information is used to indicate that the first data does not adopt FEC encoding.

[0178] As another example, the transceiver module 702 can be configured to: transmit the first data to the first device.

[0179] For example, the transceiver module 702 can further include a radio frequency module, an antenna module, etc. For example, the transceiver module 702 can further include a pin module, etc.

[0180] Optionally, in each of the above embodiments, the communication device can further include a storage module, which can be configured to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module 701 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module to enable the device to implement the foregoing method embodiments. For example, the storage module can also store the first information, the measurement information, etc. shown above.

[0181] In each of the above embodiments, the specific description of the terms or steps such as FEC in each sub-block, the capability of the first device, the type of FEC, the channel quality, the signal coverage level, etc. can refer to the description in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0182] The specific description of the transceiver module and the processing module shown in each of the above embodiments is only an example. For the specific functions or steps performed by the transceiver module and the processing module, etc., please refer to the above method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0183] The above introduces the device of the embodiments of the present application, and the possible product forms of the device are introduced below. Any product in any form that has the functions of the device described in the above Figure 7 falls within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application. The following introduction is only an example, and does not limit the product form of the device of the embodiments of the present application to only this.

[0184] In a possible implementation, in the communication apparatus shown in FIG. 7, the processing module 701 can be one or more processing circuits, and the transceiver module 702 can be a transceiver circuit, or the transceiver module 702 can also be a sending module and a receiving module, the sending module can be a sending circuit, and the receiving module can be a receiving circuit, and the sending module and the receiving module are integrated in one device, such as a transceiver circuit. In the embodiments of the present application, the processing circuit and the transceiver circuit can be coupled, and the connection mode of the processing circuit and the transceiver circuit is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In the process of executing the above method, the process of sending information in the above method can be the process of outputting the above information by the processing circuit. When the above information is output, the processing circuit outputs the above information to the transceiver circuit, so as to be transmitted (or output) by the transceiver circuit. After the above information is output by the processing circuit, it can also need to be processed further, and then reach the transceiver circuit. Similarly, the process of receiving information in the above method can be the process of receiving inputted above information by the processing circuit. When the processing circuit receives the inputted information, the transceiver circuit receives the above information and inputs it to the processing circuit. Further, after the transceiver circuit receives the above information, the above information can need to be processed further, and then input to the processing circuit.

[0185] FIG. 8 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus provided in the embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG. 8, the communication apparatus 800 includes one or more processing circuits 820 and a transceiver circuit 810.

[0186] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication apparatus can be used to execute the steps or methods or functions executed by the first device, for example, the processing circuit 820 can be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the processing module 701 shown in FIG. 7, and the transceiver circuit 810 can be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the transceiver module 702 shown in FIG. 7. The specific description of the processing circuit 820 and the transceiver circuit 810 can refer to FIG. 7 or the method embodiments shown above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0187] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication apparatus can be used to execute the steps or methods or functions executed by the first device, for example, the processing circuit 820 can be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the processing module 701 shown in FIG. 7, and the transceiver circuit 810 can be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the transceiver module 702 shown in FIG. 7. The specific description of the processing circuit 820 and the transceiver circuit 810 can refer to FIG. 7 or the method embodiments shown above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0188] Exemplarily, the processing circuit can be one or more processors, or all or part of the circuit of the one or more processors. The transceiver circuit can be a transceiver, or an input / output circuit, or an interface circuit, etc.

[0189] Exemplarily, in each implementation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 8, the transceiver circuitry can include a receiver configured to perform the functions (or operations) of receiving and a transmitter configured to perform the functions (or operations) of transmitting. The transceiver circuitry is configured to communicate with other devices / apparatuses via a transmission medium.

[0190] Optionally, the communication apparatus 800 can further include one or more memories 830 configured to store program instructions and / or data. The memory 830 is coupled to the processing circuit 820. The coupling between the apparatuses, units or modules in the embodiments of the present application is indirect coupling or communication connection between the apparatuses, units or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other form, for information interaction between the apparatuses, units or modules. The processing circuit 820 can operate in cooperation with the memory 830. The processing circuit 820 can execute the program instructions stored in the memory 830. Optionally, at least one of the one or more memories can be included in the processing circuit.

[0191] The specific connection medium between the transceiver circuit 810, the processing circuit 820 and the memory 830 in the embodiments of the present application is not limited. In FIG. 8, the memory 830, the processing circuit 820 and the transceiver circuit 810 are connected through the bus 840, which is represented by a thick line in FIG. 8, and the connection mode between other components is only schematically illustrated and is not limited. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For convenience of representation, only one thick line is used in FIG. 8, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0192] In the embodiments of the present application, the processing circuit can be a general-purpose processing circuit, a digital signal processing circuit, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, etc., which can implement or execute the disclosed methods, steps and logic block diagrams in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processing circuit can be a micro-processing circuit or any conventional processing circuit, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as execution completed by a hardware processing circuit, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processing circuit, etc.

[0193] The memory in the embodiments of the present application can include, but is not limited to, a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), a random access memory (RAM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), a read-only memory (ROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), and the like. The memory is any storage medium that can be used to carry or store program codes in the form of instructions or data structures and can be read and / or written by a computer (such as the device shown in the present application and the like). The memory in the embodiments of the present application can also be a circuit or any other device capable of realizing a storage function, used for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0194] Exemplarily, the processing circuit 820 is mainly used for processing communication protocols and communication data, and controlling the whole device, executing software programs, and processing data of the software programs. The memory 830 is mainly used for storing software programs and data. The transceiver circuit 810 can include a control circuit mainly used for conversion between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and processing of the radio frequency signals, and an antenna mainly used for transceiving radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input and output devices such as touch screens, display screens, keyboards, and the like are mainly used for receiving data input by a user and outputting data to the user.

[0195] When the device is powered on, the processing circuit 820 can read the software program in the memory 830, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processing circuit 820 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted, and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal, and transmits the radio frequency signal in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is transmitted to the device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processing circuit 820. The processing circuit 820 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0196] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna can be arranged independently of the processing circuit performing baseband processing, for example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna can be arranged remotely from the device.

[0197] The apparatus shown in the embodiments of the present application can also have more components than those shown in FIG. 8, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. The method performed by the processing circuit and the transceiver circuit shown above is only an example, and the specific steps performed by the processing circuit and the transceiver circuit can refer to the method described above.

[0198] In another possible implementation, in the apparatus shown in FIG. 7, the processing module 701 can be one or more logic circuits, and the transceiving module 702 can be an input / output interface, also referred to as a communication interface, or an interface circuit, or an interface, etc. Alternatively, the transceiving module 702 can also be a sending module and a receiving module, the sending module can be an output interface, and the receiving module can be an input interface, and the sending module and the receiving module are integrated into one module, for example, an input / output interface.

[0199] FIG. 9 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 9, the communication apparatus shown in FIG. 9 includes a logic circuit 901 and an interface circuit 902. That is, the processing module 701 can be implemented by the logic circuit 901, and the transceiving module 702 can be implemented by the interface circuit 902. The logic circuit 901 can be a chip, a processing circuit, an integrated circuit, or a system on chip (SoC) chip, etc., and the interface circuit 902 can be a communication interface, an input / output interface, a pin, etc. For example, FIG. 9 is shown by taking the communication apparatus as a chip, and the chip includes the logic circuit 901 and the interface circuit 902.

[0200] In the embodiments of the present application, the logic circuit and the interface can also be coupled to each other. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific connection mode of the logic circuit and the interface. For example, the logic circuit 901 can be used to perform the functions or steps implemented by the processing module 701 shown in FIG. 7, and the interface circuit 902 can be used to perform the functions or steps implemented by the transceiving module 702 shown in FIG. 7. For specific descriptions of the logic circuit 901 and the interface circuit 902, refer to FIG. 7 or the method embodiments shown above, which will not be described in detail here.

[0201] The apparatus shown in the embodiments of the present application can implement the method provided by the embodiments of the present application in the form of hardware, or implement the method provided by the embodiments of the present application in the form of software, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0202] The embodiments of the present application also provide a communication system, which includes a first device and a second device, and the first device and the second device can be used to perform the method in any of the preceding embodiments.

[0203] In addition, the present application also provides a computer program for implementing the operations and / or processes performed by various apparatuses in the method provided by the present application.

[0204] The application further provides a computer readable storage medium, wherein computer code is stored in the computer readable storage medium, and when the computer code is run on a computer, the computer code causes the computer to perform operations and / or processes performed by various devices in the method provided by the application.

[0205] The application further provides a computer program product, which comprises computer code or a computer program, and when the computer code or the computer program is run on a computer, operations and / or processes performed by various devices in the method provided by the application are performed.

[0206] In several embodiments provided in the application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other manners. For example, the described device embodiments are merely schematic, and the division of the modules is merely a logical function division, and there can be another division manner in actual implementation. For example, a plurality of modules or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the displayed or discussed coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the modules can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or modules, and can also be electrical, mechanical or other forms of connection.

[0207] The modules illustrated as separated components can or can not be physically separated, and the components illustrated as modules can or can not be physical modules, i.e., can be located in one place, or can be distributed on a plurality of network modules. According to actual needs, some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the technical effects of the scheme provided in the embodiments of the application.

[0208] In addition, each functional module in each embodiment of the application can be integrated in one processing module, or each module can be physically present alone, or two or more modules can be integrated in one module. The integrated module can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional module.

[0209] The integrated module, if implemented in the form of a software function module and sold or used as an independent product, can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or say the part that contributes to the prior art, or the whole or part of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a readable storage medium, including a plurality of instructions to make a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) execute all or part of the steps of the method described in various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned readable storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

[0210] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method applied to a first device comprises: receiving first information from a second device, the first information being used to indicate any one of: first data is encoded by forward error correction (FEC), the first data is not encoded by FEC, or a type of FEC used by the first data; determining whether to demodulate the first data based on a capability of the first device and the first information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The determining whether to demodulate the first data based on the capability of the first device and the first information comprises: if the first information is used to indicate that the first data is encoded by FEC and the capability of the first device supports FEC, receiving the first data from the second device; demodulating the first data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The method further comprises: if the first information is used to indicate the type of FEC used by the first data and the capability of the first device supports FEC, receiving the first data from the second device; demodulating the first data based on the type of FEC.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The method further comprises: if the first information is used to indicate that the first data is encoded by FEC or the first information is used to indicate the type of FEC used by the first data and the capability of the first device does not support FEC, not receiving the first data from the second device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that, The channel quality corresponding to the first device is less than or equal to a first preset threshold, or a signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, The determining whether to demodulate the first data based on the capability of the first device and the first information comprises: if the first information is used to indicate that the first data is not encoded by FEC and the capability of the first device supports FEC, receiving the first data from the second device; demodulating the first data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The method further comprises: if the first information is used to indicate that the first data is not encoded by FEC and the capability of the first device does not support FEC, receiving the first data from the second device; demodulating the first data.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The channel quality corresponding to the first device is greater than the first preset threshold, or the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is less than the second preset threshold.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Before the receiving the first information from the second device, the method further comprises: sending measurement information to the second device, the measurement information comprising the channel quality or the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device.

10. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method applied to a second device comprises: sending first information, the first information being used to indicate any one of: first data is encoded by forward error correction (FEC), the first data is not encoded by FEC, or a type of FEC used by the first data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, Before the sending the first information, the method comprises: receiving measurement information from a first device, the measurement information comprising a channel quality or a signal coverage level corresponding to the first device; The sending the first information comprises: sending the first information to the first device based on the measurement information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein when the channel quality corresponding to the first device is less than or equal to a first preset threshold, or, the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold, the first information is used to indicate that the first data adopts FEC encoding, or, the first information is used to indicate the type of FEC adopted by the first data; when the channel quality corresponding to the first device is greater than the first preset threshold, or, the signal coverage level corresponding to the first device is less than the second preset threshold, the first information is used to indicate that the first data does not adopt FEC encoding.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10-12, characterized in that, The method further comprises: sending the first data to the first device.

14. A communications device, characterized by comprising a module for performing the method of any one of claims 1-9, or, comprising a module for performing the method of any one of claims 10-13.

15. A communications device, characterized by comprising a processing circuitry and a transceiver circuitry, the transceiver circuitry being configured to input and / or output information, the processing circuitry being configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1-9, or, the processing circuitry being configured to perform the method of any one of claims 10-13.

16. A chip, characterized by comprising a processing circuitry and an interface circuitry, the processing circuitry and the interface circuitry being coupled; the interface circuitry being configured to input and / or output information, the processing circuitry being configured to execute code instructions to cause the method of any one of claims 1-9 to be performed, or, to cause the method of any one of claims 10-13 to be performed.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium is configured to store a computer program, the computer program being executed to cause the method of any one of claims 1-9 to be performed, or, the method of any one of claims 10-13 to be performed.

18. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product is executed to cause the method of any one of claims 1-9 to be performed, or, the method of any one of claims 10-13 to be performed.

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