Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and a related apparatus, which are applied to the technical field of communications. In one aspect, according to an embodiment of the present application, by means of first transmission resource information and first reference information included in a first message, a first communication apparatus can transmit a first sensing signal in a non-connected state without entering a connected state. In other words, in the present application, the solution in which the first communication apparatus transmits the first sensing signal in a non-connected state can effectively reduce the overhead of a terminal entering a connected state and reduce the power consumption of the terminal. In another aspect, the present solution adds a scenario for transmitting sensing signals in an inactive state, thereby enabling more diversified scenario selection.

Description

Communication method and related apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority from the Chinese patent application No. 202411083348.1 filed on August 7, 2024, and entitled "Communication method and related 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 related apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] With the development of communication technology, a communication system will have interconnection sensing capability, and a single communication system can integrate wireless signal sensing and communication capability, so that each communication system can improve the performance of each other.

[0004] There are a large number of low-power and low-cost Internet of Things terminals in the network, which are widely distributed, and some of the terminals are fixed and cannot be moved. If these terminals are introduced into the sensing service, the business scope of sensing can be enriched and the sensing accuracy can be improved. However, when the terminals participate in the sensing service, how to reduce the power consumption of these terminals as much as possible is a problem that needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. SUMMARY

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and related apparatus, which can effectively reduce the power consumption of the terminal and save the transmission resource overhead.

[0006] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, which can be applied to a first communication apparatus. The first communication apparatus can be, for example, a terminal device or a communication module in the terminal device, or a circuit or chip responsible for communication function in the terminal device (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a system in package (SIP) chip containing a modem core). The method comprises: receiving a first message from a second communication apparatus, wherein the first message carries first transmission resource information and first reference information, the first transmission resource information is used for transmitting a first sensing signal, and the first reference information is associated with the first sensing signal. In a non-connected state, the first sensing signal is transmitted according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information.

[0007] Optionally, the first message can be a radio resource control release (RRC release) message or other messages.

[0008] Optionally, the non-connected state includes an idle state and an inactive state.

[0009] Optionally, the transmission can be receiving or sending.

[0010] In the present application, the first communication device is taken as an example of a terminal, and the second communication device is taken as an example of an access network device. On the one hand, generally speaking, the message issued by the access network device is mainly used for communication services, but in the present scheme, the first sensing signal can be transmitted in the non-connected state through the first transmission resource information and the first reference information carried in the first message, without entering the connected state. In other words, through the scheme of transmitting the first sensing signal in the non-connected state by the terminal, the present application can effectively reduce the overhead of the terminal entering the connected state and reduce the power consumption of the terminal.

[0011] On the other hand, since the existing scheme does not involve the scenario of transmitting the sensing signal in the non-activated state, the selection of the scenario can be more diversified.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the first reference information includes at least one of the following: first period information, first condition information, and second condition information, wherein the first period information is period information of transmitting the first sensing signal, the first condition information is condition information of transmitting the first sensing signal, and the second condition information is condition information of reporting the sensing measurement result.

[0013] In the above implementation, the first communication device is taken as an example of a terminal, and the second communication device is taken as an example of an access network device. The first reference information includes at least one of the first period information, the first condition information, or the second condition information, which can start the operation of transmitting the first sensing signal by the terminal according to the first transmission resource information only when the first reference information is met, thereby effectively saving the overhead of the transmission resource.

[0014] Optionally, the first period information is related to the first condition information. If the first sensing signal does not need to be transmitted periodically, the first reference information can not include the first period information and the first condition information.

[0015] In yet another possible implementation, the first condition information includes at least one of the following: a change in the relative position between the first communication device and the second communication device is less than a first preset range; a fluctuation in the reference signal receiving power or the reference signal receiving quality is less than a second preset range; or a difference between the current time of transmitting the first sensing signal and the time of the last transmission of the sensing signal is greater than or equal to a first time value.

[0016] In the above embodiments, the first communication device is taken as an example of a terminal, and the second communication device is taken as an example of an access network device. Since the environment in which the terminal is located and the demand of the terminal itself are likely to change, an event (e.g., the first condition) that is likely to affect the transmission accuracy can be taken as a trigger condition for transmitting the first perception signal. In this way, the first perception signal is transmitted only when the trigger condition is met, so that the transmission accuracy of the first perception signal is ensured while the cost of transmission resources is saved.

[0017] In another possible implementation, the method further includes: in the connected state, sending, to the second communication device, capability information, where the capability information includes a capability of supporting non-active state perception signal transmission or a capability of supporting non-active state perception signal measurement.

[0018] In the above embodiments, the capability information sent by the first communication device can intuitively show the second communication device whether the first communication device has the capability of performing the perception service required by the second communication device. In this way, the second communication device can timely adjust the device that performs the perception service.

[0019] In another possible implementation, the first message is further used to instruct the first communication device to enter the non-connected state.

[0020] Optionally, the first message can be an RRC release message, and the RRC release message is used to instruct the first communication device to enter the non-connected state.

[0021] In the above embodiments, the first communication device is taken as an example of a terminal, and the second communication device is taken as an example of an access network device. The terminal is currently in the connected state, and the access network device can instruct the terminal to enter the non-connected state by sending the first message. In other words, the access network device can previously tell the terminal to perform the perception service in the non-active state, so that when the terminal is in the non-connected state, the terminal can also participate in the perception service in the non-active state in a timely manner.

[0022] In another possible implementation, before the first message is received from the second communication device, the method further includes: in the non-active state, receiving a paging message from the second communication device, where the paging message indicates that the first communication device is a sending end of the first perception signal. Sending, to the second communication device, a first request message, where the first request message is used to indicate that the first communication device initiates an RRC resume access request to send the first perception signal.

[0023] In the above embodiments, the first communication device is taken as an example of a terminal, and the second communication device is taken as an example of an access network device. The terminal is in an inactive state, but needs to perform a sensing service. The access network device can first wake up the terminal by paging, and then notify the terminal that the sensing signal can be transmitted in a connected state or the terminal can re-enter the inactive state (for example, the access network device can send an RRC release message to the terminal to indicate that the terminal re-enters the inactive state), so that the terminal continues to transmit the sensing signal in the inactive state, thereby saving the transmission resource overhead. The paging message is used to instruct the terminal to transmit the sensing signal in the inactive state to perform a sensing-related service, rather than simply paging to perform a calling or called communication-related service. In addition, the terminal that is not in the connected state can also participate in the sensing service in a timely manner.

[0024] In another possible implementation, the first condition information further includes that the first communication device is in a coverage range of the second communication device, and the transmitting the first sensing signal in the inactive state according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information includes receiving the first sensing signal in the inactive state according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information. The method further includes performing sensing measurement on the first sensing signal to obtain a sensing measurement result.

[0025] In the above embodiments, the first communication device is taken as an example of a terminal, and the second communication device is taken as an example of an access network device. When a trigger condition that the terminal is in a coverage range of the access network device is met, the terminal receives a first sensing signal according to first transmission resource information, and performs sensing measurement on the first sensing signal to obtain a sensing measurement result. The terminal does not need to enter a connected state to receive the sensing signal. In other words, the terminal receives the sensing signal in the inactive state, which can effectively reduce the overhead of the terminal entering the connected state and reduce the power consumption of the terminal.

[0026] In another possible implementation, the method further includes: if a second condition is met and the first communication device is in a coverage area of a third communication device, sending a second request message to the third communication device, where the second request message is used to indicate that the first communication device initiates an RRC resume access request to send a sensing measurement result. Receiving a third message from the third communication device, where the third message is used to indicate that a communication connection between the first communication device and the third communication device is established. Sending a fourth message to the third communication device, where the fourth message is used to indicate that the communication connection between the first communication device and the third communication device is resumed, and the fourth message carries the sensing measurement result.

[0027] In the above embodiments, the first communication device is a terminal, the second communication device is an access network device A, and the third communication device is an access network device B. If the terminal initially performs sensing signal sensing measurement in the coverage area of the access network device A, then moves to the coverage area of the access network device B after a period of time, initiates an RRC resume access request to the access network device B to send the sensing measurement result under the access network device B, and sends a resume complete message to the access network device B after the access network device B confirms the resume, the sensing measurement result is reported. This scheme is suitable for the scenario of reporting the sensing measurement result in the case of terminal movement.

[0028] In another possible implementation, the second condition includes at least one of the following: a preset reporting period is met; a current reference signal received power is lower or higher than a first preset power value; the sensing signal received power is lower or higher than the first preset power value; or a difference between a current time for sending the sensing measurement result and a time for sending the sensing measurement result last time is greater than or equal to a first time value.

[0029] Optionally, the reporting period can be a reporting frequency.

[0030] Further optionally, the preset reporting period can be the same as or different from the first period information. For example, the preset reporting period can be a reporting period of the sensing measurement result or another period.

[0031] In the above embodiments, the first communication device is a terminal, and the second communication device is an access network device. Since the environment in which the terminal is located and the demand of the terminal itself can change easily, an event (for example, the second condition) that can easily affect the reporting accuracy of the sensing measurement result can be used as a triggering condition for reporting the sensing measurement result. The sensing measurement result is reported only when the triggering condition is met, which can ensure the reporting accuracy of the sensing measurement result and save the transmission resource overhead.

[0032] In another possible implementation, the second request message is sent to the third communication device, including: if the second condition is met and a reporting condition of small data transmission (SDT) data is met, the second request message is sent to the third communication device.

[0033] In the above embodiments, the SDT procedure is an optimized procedure for transmitting data by the terminal in an inactive state. The first communication device initiates random access only when both the second condition (that is, the reporting condition of the sensing measurement result) and the reporting condition of the SDT data are met. This scheme can ensure the reporting accuracy of the sensing measurement result and save the transmission resource overhead.

[0034] In a further possible implementation, initiating the random access comprises initiating the random access by sensing a preamble sequence corresponding to the SDT.

[0035] In the above implementation, the first communication device initiates the random access by sensing a preamble sequence corresponding to the SDT, which can early inform the second communication device that the current operation is the random access for reporting the sensing measurement result, so that the second communication device can process the current service in a targeted manner, and also can maximize the utilization of the air interface resource and shorten the recovery delay of the sensing service.

[0036] In a further possible implementation, the first message further comprises second transmission resource information and second reference information, the second transmission resource information is used for transmitting a second sensing signal, and the second reference information is associated with the second sensing signal; and the method further comprises: in the inactive state, transmitting the second sensing signal according to the second transmission resource information and the second reference information.

[0037] In the above implementation, taking the first communication device as a terminal and the second communication device as an access network device as an example, the application provides a scheme in which a first message issued by the access network device carries multiple transmission resource information and multiple reference information (for example, the first message carries second transmission resource information and second reference information in addition to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information), which can improve the processing efficiency of the sensing signal measurement service and make the application of the sensing service scenario more diverse.

[0038] Optionally, the second transmission resource information can be the same as or different from the first transmission resource information. The second reference information can be the same as or different from the first reference information.

[0039] In a further possible implementation, the method further comprises: obtaining a fifth message, wherein the fifth message is used to instruct to continue to perform the sensing signal measurement service; receiving a sixth message from the second communication device or receiving a third sensing signal and the sixth message from a third communication device, wherein the sixth message carries third transmission resource information and third reference information, the third transmission resource information and the third reference information are used to measure the third sensing signal, and the third reference information is associated with the third sensing signal.

[0040] In the above implementation, taking the first communication device as a terminal and the second communication device as an access network device as an example, the application provides a scheme in which a message issued by the access network device is used to instruct the terminal to continue the sensing signal measurement service, and the terminal can trigger the continuous execution of the sensing signal measurement service according to the instruction of the access network device, so that the terminal does not need to be in the working state when there is no instruction to trigger the continuous execution of the sensing signal measurement service, thereby effectively saving the power consumption of the terminal.

[0041] Optionally, the indication information can be carried in the radio resource control resume (RRC resume) message. The indication information can be a timer. When the trigger condition of the timer is met, the terminal is instructed to continue to perform the sensing signal measurement service.

[0042] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a first communication device. The first communication device can be a first communication apparatus, or a component in the first communication apparatus, such as a processor, a chip or a chip system, etc. The first communication device can also be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the first communication device. The method comprises: receiving a seventh message from a second communication device, wherein the seventh message carries first transmission resource information and first reference information, the first transmission resource information and the first reference information are used to measure a first sensing signal, and the first reference information is associated with the first sensing signal; and measuring the first sensing signal according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information in an idle state.

[0043] In the present application, the first communication device is taken as a terminal, and the second communication device is taken as an access network device. On the one hand, generally, the messages issued by the access network device are mainly used for communication services. However, in the present application, the first transmission resource information and the first reference information carried in the first message can be used to send the sensing measurement result in the idle state without entering the connected state. In other words, the present application can effectively reduce the overhead of the terminal entering the connected state and reduce the power consumption of the terminal by sending the sensing measurement result in the idle state.

[0044] On the other hand, since the existing scheme does not involve the scenario of sending the sensing measurement result in the idle state, the selection of the scenario can be more diversified.

[0045] In a possible implementation, the seventh message is a system information block (SIB) message or an RRC release message.

[0046] In the above implementation, the first communication device is taken as a terminal, and the second communication device is taken as an access network device. If the terminal is in the connected state, the sensing service has been started in this scenario, and the access network device can instruct the terminal to perform the sensing measurement in the idle state through the RRC release message. If the terminal is in the idle state, the terminal can receive the SIB message but cannot receive the RRC release message in the idle state. Therefore, the access network device can instruct the terminal to perform the sensing measurement through the SIB message in the idle state of the terminal. The present application provides corresponding messages according to different scenarios, which can make the configuration of the messages more flexible.

[0047] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, applied to a second communication device, which can be, for example, a network device or a communication module in the network device, or a circuit or chip responsible for communication function in the network device (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a system in package (SIP) chip containing a modem core). The method comprises: sending a first message to a first communication device, wherein the first message carries first transmission resource information and first reference information, the first transmission resource information is used for transmitting a first sensing signal, and the first reference information is associated with the first sensing signal; and transmitting the first sensing signal.

[0048] In a possible implementation, the first reference information comprises at least one of first periodicity information, first condition information, and second condition information, wherein the first periodicity information is periodicity information of transmitting the first sensing signal, the first condition information is condition information of transmitting the first sensing signal, and the second condition information is condition information of reporting a sensing measurement result.

[0049] In another possible implementation, the first condition information comprises at least one of the following: a change in relative position between the first communication device and the second communication device is less than a first preset range; a fluctuation in reference signal received power or reference signal received quality is less than a second preset range; or a difference between a current time at which the first sensing signal is to be transmitted and a time at which a sensing signal was last transmitted is greater than or equal to a first time value.

[0050] In another possible implementation, the second condition information comprises at least one of the following: a preset reporting period is met; a current reference signal received power is lower or higher than a first preset power value; the sensing signal received power is lower or higher than the first preset power value; or a difference between a current time at which the sensing measurement result is to be sent and a time at which a sensing measurement result was last sent is greater than or equal to a first time value.

[0051] In another possible implementation, the method further comprises: receiving capability information from the first communication device, wherein the capability information comprises a capability of supporting non-active state sensing signal transmission or a capability of supporting non-active state sensing signal measurement.

[0052] In another possible implementation, the first message is further used to instruct the first communication device to enter a non-connected state.

[0053] In a further possible implementation, before the first message is sent to the first communication device, the method further includes: sending a paging message to the first communication device, wherein the paging message indicates that the first communication device is a sending end of the first sensing signal; and receiving a first request message from the first communication device, wherein the first request message is used to indicate that the first communication device initiates an RRC resume access request to send the first sensing signal.

[0054] In a further possible implementation, the transmitting the first sensing signal includes: receiving the first sensing signal. The method further includes: performing sensing measurement on the first sensing signal to obtain a first sensing measurement result; sending the first message to a third communication device, wherein the first message is used for the third communication device to receive the first sensing signal and generate a second sensing measurement result; and receiving the second sensing measurement result from the third communication device. The first sensing measurement result and the second sensing measurement result are fused to obtain a target sensing result.

[0055] In a further possible implementation, the first message further includes second transmission resource information and second reference information, the second transmission resource information is used for transmitting a second sensing signal, and the second reference information is associated with the second sensing signal; and the method further includes: transmitting the second sensing signal.

[0056] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a second communication device. The second communication device can be a second communication device or a component in the second communication device, such as a processor, a chip or a chip system, and can also be a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the second communication device. The method includes: sending a seventh message to a first communication device, wherein the seventh message carries first transmission resource information and first reference information, the first transmission resource information and the first reference information are used for measuring a first sensing signal, and the first reference information is associated with the first sensing signal.

[0057] In a possible implementation, the seventh message is an SIB message or an RRC release message.

[0058] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which can be used for the first communication device in the first aspect or the second aspect. The communication device can be a terminal, a device (for example, a chip or a chip system or a circuit) in the terminal, or a device capable of being matched with the terminal, and can also be a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the terminal function.

[0059] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus can include a module or unit corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect or the second aspect, which can be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0060] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which can be used for the second communication apparatus in the third aspect or the fourth aspect, and can be a network device, a device (for example, a chip or a chip system or a circuit) in the network device, or a device capable of being matched with the network device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0061] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus can include a module or unit corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the third aspect or the fourth aspect, which can be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0062] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which includes at least one processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is configured to input and / or output information, and the at least one processor is configured to call a computer program stored in at least one memory to implement the method described in any one of the embodiments of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0063] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus further includes the at least one memory. Optionally, the memory and the processor are integrated together.

[0064] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which includes at least one processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is configured to input and / or output information, and the at least one processor is configured to call a computer program stored in at least one memory to implement the method described in any one of the embodiments of the third aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0065] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus further includes the at least one memory. Optionally, the memory and the processor are integrated together.

[0066] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which includes a logic circuit and an interface, and the logic circuit and the interface are coupled; the interface is configured to input and / or output information, and the logic circuit is configured to implement the method described in any one of the embodiments of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0067] In a possible implementation of the ninth aspect, the communication apparatus is a chip or a chip system.

[0068] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which comprises a first communication device and a second communication device, and the first communication device and the second communication device are communicatively connected. The first communication device is configured to implement the method in any of the embodiments of the first aspect or the second aspect, and the second communication device is configured to implement the method in any of the embodiments of the third aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0069] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, which is configured to store instructions or a computer program. When the instructions or the computer program are executed, the method in any of the embodiments of the first aspect to the fourth aspect is implemented.

[0070] In a twelfth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which comprises computer instructions. When the instructions are executed on at least one processor, the method in any of the first aspect to the fourth aspect or any possible implementation manner thereof is implemented. Exemplarily, the computer program product can be a software installation package. When the method is needed, the computer program product can be downloaded and executed on a computing device.

[0071] The technical solutions provided in the third aspect to the twelfth aspect of the present application have the beneficial effects of the technical solutions of the first aspect to the second aspect, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0072] The drawings needed in the following embodiment description will be briefly introduced.

[0073] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of another architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an O-RAN system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] FIG. 5 is a diagram of functional division of network elements and protocol layer structure of an O-RAN system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a wireless sensing scenario according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a communication architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0080] FIG. 8a is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a wireless sensing service network according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] Fig. 8b is a schematic diagram of another wireless sensing service network according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0082] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of an Internet of Things terminal according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0083] Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a transition between different states according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0084] Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0085] Fig. 12a is a schematic diagram of a process of transmitting a first sensing signal according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0086] Fig. 12b is a schematic diagram of another process of transmitting a first sensing signal according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0087] Fig. 12c is a schematic diagram of another process of transmitting a first sensing signal according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0088] Fig. 12d is a schematic diagram of another process of transmitting a first sensing signal according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0089] Fig. 12e is a schematic diagram of another process of transmitting a first sensing signal according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0090] Fig. 12f is a schematic diagram of another process of transmitting a first sensing signal according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0091] Fig. 12g is a schematic diagram of another process of transmitting a first sensing signal according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0092] Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of a communication apparatus 130 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0093] Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram of another communication apparatus 140 according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0094] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0095] The system architecture to which the embodiments of the present application are applied will be described below. It should be noted that the system architecture and service scenarios described herein are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the present application. Those skilled in the art can know that, as the system architecture evolves and new service scenarios appear, the technical solutions provided by the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0096] Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in (a) of FIG. 1, the communication system includes a first communication apparatus 101 and a second communication apparatus 102. Optionally, the communication system further includes a third communication apparatus 103. Optionally, the first communication apparatus 101, the second communication apparatus 102 and the third communication apparatus 103 can be devices of the same type or devices of different types. For example, as shown in (b) of FIG. 1, the first communication apparatus 101 is a terminal, the second communication apparatus 102 is a first network device, and the third communication apparatus 103 is a second network device. For another example, as shown in (c) of FIG. 1, the first communication apparatus 101 is a terminal, the second communication apparatus 102 is a terminal, and the third communication apparatus 103 is also a terminal. In the following, the architecture of the communication system is described in detail by taking the first communication apparatus 101 as a terminal, the second communication apparatus 102 as a first network device, and the third communication apparatus 103 as a second network device as an example.

[0097] It can be understood that, in the case where the communication system includes only the first communication apparatus 101 and the second communication apparatus 102, the communication system only shows one terminal and one network device. In actual use, at least one terminal and / or at least one network device can be adopted according to needs (for example, the architecture shown in (a) of FIG. 1). For example, the communication system shown in FIG. 2 includes one network device and multiple terminals or includes multiple network devices and one terminal. A single network device can transmit a sensing signal or send a message to a single terminal or multiple terminals. Multiple network devices can simultaneously transmit a sensing signal or send a message to a single terminal.

[0098] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device 210 is a node in a radio access network (RAN), which can also be referred to as an access network device, and can also be referred to as a RAN node (or device). The network device 210 is used to help a terminal to implement wireless access. Multiple network devices 210 in the communication system 2000 can be nodes of the same type or nodes of different types. In some scenarios, the roles of the network device 210 and the terminal 220 are relative, for example, the network element 220i in FIG. 2 can be a helicopter or a drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For a terminal 220j that accesses the RAN 200 through the network element 220i, the network element 220i is a base station; but for the base station 210a, the network element 220i is a terminal. The network device 210 and the terminal 220 are sometimes collectively referred to as a communication apparatus, for example, the network elements 210a and 210b in FIG. 2 can be understood as communication apparatuses having a base station function, and the network elements 220a-220j can be understood as communication apparatuses having a terminal function.

[0099] In a possible scenario, the network device can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, a satellite, or an access point (AP) in a WiFi system, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a network device in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system, i.e., can be deployed in a high-altitude platform or a satellite, etc. The network device can be a macro base station (such as 210a in FIG. 2), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 210b in FIG. 2), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. The network device can also be a device assuming a base station function in device to device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, unmanned aircraft communication, or machine communication. Alternatively, the network device can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. For example, the access network device in the vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a road side unit (RSU).

[0100] In another possible scenario, a terminal is assisted by multiple network devices to implement wireless access, and different network devices respectively implement part of functions of a base station. For example, a network device can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately arranged, or can be included in the same network element, for example, in a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, for example, in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna processing unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). It can be understood that a network device can be a CU node, or a DU node, or a device including a CU node and a DU node. In addition, the CU can be divided into network devices in a radio access network (RAN), or the CU can be divided into network devices in a core network (CN), which is not limited here.

[0101] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminals involved can include various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems with wireless communication functions. The terminal 220, also known as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., or a device for providing voice or data connectivity to a user, can also be an Internet of Things device. For example, the terminal device includes handheld devices with wireless connection functions, vehicle-mounted devices, etc. At present, the terminal device can be: a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a palm computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device (such as a smart watch, a smart bracelet, a pedometer, smart glasses, etc.), a vehicle-mounted device (such as a car, a bicycle, an electric vehicle, an airplane, a ship, a train, a high-speed rail, etc.), a satellite terminal, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a smart point of sale (POS) machine, a customer-premises equipment (CPE), a light UE, a reduced capability UE (REDCAP UE), a wireless terminal in industrial control, a smart home device (such as a refrigerator, a television, an air conditioner, an electric meter, etc.), a smart robot, a mechanical arm, a workshop device, a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical treatment, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, or a wireless terminal in a smart home, a flight device (such as a smart robot, a hot air balloon, a drone, an airplane), etc. The terminal device can also be a vehicle device, such as a whole vehicle device, a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted chip, an on board unit (OBU) or a telematics box (T-BOX), etc. The terminal device can also be other devices with terminal functions, for example, the terminal device can also be a device with terminal functions in D2D communication.

[0102] Alternatively, the communication between each network device and each terminal device in the communication system shown in FIG. 2 can also be represented in another form, as shown in FIG. 3, the communication system includes a terminal 310 and a first network device 320, the terminal 310 includes a first processor 311, a first memory 312 and a first transceiver 313, the first transceiver 313 includes a first transmitter 3131, a first receiver 3132 and a first antenna 3133. The first network device 320 includes a second processor 321, a second memory 322 and a second transceiver 323, the second transceiver 323 includes a second transmitter 3231, a second receiver 3232 and a second antenna 3233. The first transmitter 3131 can be configured to send a first sensing signal to the first network device 320 through the first antenna 3133, and the first receiver 3132 can be configured to receive a first message from the first network device 320 through the first antenna 3133. The second transmitter 3231 can be configured to send the first message to the terminal 310 through the second antenna 3233, and the second receiver 3232 can be configured to receive the first sensing signal from the terminal 310 through the second antenna 3233.

[0103] Alternatively, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to an O-RAN system, please refer to FIG. 4, which is a schematic diagram of an O-RAN system provided by the embodiments of the present application. The O-RAN system can also include other components in addition to the components shown in FIG. 4, which are not limited by the present application. Alternatively, the network device shown in FIG. 4 can be an access network device, for example, it can be an eNB or a gNB or a next-generation access network device. The access network device communicates with the core network (CN) through a backhaul link and communicates with the terminal through an air interface. The BBU in the access network device communicates with the core network through a backhaul link, and the RU in the access network device communicates with at least one terminal through an air interface. The BBU communicates with at least one RU through a front-haul link, and the BBU and the RU can be co-located or not. The BBU includes at least one control unit (CU) and at least one distributed unit (DU), which can communicate through at least one mid-haul link.

[0104] Further optionally, referring to FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a diagram of a network element function division and protocol layer structure of an open radio access network (O-RAN) system provided by an embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG. 5, in some examples, the CU is a logical node that carries an RRC layer, a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and other control functions of an access network device. The CU is connected to network nodes such as a core network through some interfaces, which can be E2 interfaces and the like. Optionally, the CU can have part of the functions of the core network, such as the PDCP layer and higher layers. The CU is connected to the DU (such as the RLC layer and lower layers) through some interfaces, which can be F1 interfaces and the like. In some examples, these interfaces (such as the F1 interface) can provide control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane) functions (such as interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, and the like). The F1AP is an application protocol of the F1 interface, which defines signaling procedures of the F1 in some examples. The F1 interface supports a control plane F1-C and a user plane F1-U.

[0105] 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 the fifth generation mobile communication system (5G). The AMF network element is used to be responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as location update of the terminal, registration network of the terminal, handover of the terminal device, etc. The CU-UP is a logical node carrying the SDAP layer and the PDCP-U (user plane part of PDCP) layer for user plane data, 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 the 5G system, is used to be responsible for forwarding and receiving data in the terminal device. It should be understood that the above configuration of the CU and the DU is only an example, and the CU and the DU can also be configured to have functions according to needs, and the present application does not make too many limitations on this. For example, the CU or the DU can be configured to have more functions of protocol layers, or the CU or the DU can be configured to have partial processing functions of protocol layers. For another 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.

[0106] In some examples, a DU is a logical node that hosts radio link control (RLC) layer, MAC layer, higher physical layer (higher PHY), and other functions. In some examples, a DU can control at least one RU. The DU is connected to the RU 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.

[0107] In some examples, an RU is a logical node that hosts lower physical layer (lower PHY) and radio frequency chain (RF chain) processing. In some examples, an RU can be a 3GPP 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.

[0108] Optionally, the DU and the RU can be co-located or not co-located. The DU and the RU exchange control plane information through a lower-layer split CUS-plane (LLS-CUS) and synchronization interface via a fronthaul link. The LLS-CUS can include a LLS-C interface and a LLS-U interface that provide control plane (C-Plane) and 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 through 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.

[0109] Optionally, the DUs and RUs can cooperate to jointly implement the functions of the PHY layer. One DU can be connected with one or more RUs. The functions of the DUs and RUs can be configured in multiple ways according to the design. For example, the DUs are configured to implement baseband functions, and the RUs are configured to implement intermediate radio frequency functions. For another example, the DUs are configured to implement high-layer functions in the PHY layer, and the RUs are configured to implement low-layer functions in the PHY layer or 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 intermediate radio frequency side.

[0110] 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 O-CU (Open CU), the DU can also be referred to as O-DU, the CU-CP can also be referred to as O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as O-RU. For the convenience of description, the CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU are taken as examples for description in this application. The deployment modes of the network devices listed here are only examples, and as the standard technology evolves, there can be other deployment forms of network devices.

[0111] Current communication systems are mainly designed to support communication services. The scope of perception is limited, for example, 5G only supports the perception of active devices such as terminal positions, and does not provide the perception of passive objects such as speed, direction, material, imaging, etc. However, future communication systems will have interconnected sensing capabilities, which will far exceed the scope of communication, have higher frequency bands, larger bandwidths, and more densely distributed large-scale antenna arrays. Therefore, a single communication system can integrate wireless signal sensing and communication capabilities to improve the performance of each communication system. On the other hand, sensing can achieve high-precision positioning, imaging, and environmental reconstruction capabilities, thereby more accurately mastering channel information and improving communication performance. In addition, as a basic feature of future communication systems, sensing can observe and sample the physical and biological worlds, thereby opening up a "new channel" for the fusion of the physical and biological worlds with the digital world. Future communication systems will natively support communication, sensing, and computing services, becoming the network information foundation supporting the efficient and sustainable development of future society, and empowering a colorful future new business. The development of communication technology makes it possible for integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) in the future. Compared with systems that separate sensing and communication, integrated sensing and communication systems can bring many advantages, such as cost savings, reduced device size, reduced power consumption, improved spectral efficiency, and reduced mutual interference between communication and sensing.

[0112] Existing wireless sensing scenarios are shown in (a) of FIG. 6, (b) of FIG. 6, and (c) of FIG. 6, mainly including three categories of scenarios: base station-based sensing, base station and terminal-based sensing, and terminal-based sensing. Among them, (a) of FIG. 6 shows single-base station-based sensing (i.e., the only base station both as a receiving end and a sending end to perform sensing services on a sensing target) and double-base station-based sensing (i.e., two base stations perform sensing services, and the base station as a sending end sends the obtained sensing measurement results to the base station as a receiving end after sensing measurement on the sensing target); (b) of FIG. 6 shows double-base station and terminal-based sensing (i.e., the base station as a sending end sends the obtained sensing measurement results to the terminal as a receiving end after sensing measurement on the sensing target) and double-base terminal and base station-based sensing (i.e., the terminal as a sending end sends the obtained sensing measurement results to the base station as a receiving end after sensing measurement on the sensing target); and (c) of FIG. 6 shows single-terminal-based sensing (i.e., the only terminal both as a receiving end and a sending end to perform sensing services on a sensing target) and double-terminal-based sensing (i.e., two terminals perform sensing services, and the terminal as a sending end sends the obtained sensing measurement results to the terminal as a receiving end after sensing measurement on the sensing target).

[0113] The communication mode of the existing 5G network is developed on the basis of traditional voice service, which is a point-to-point single connection communication mode between terminals or between terminals and servers, and provides a kind of on-demand high-speed pipeline service. The gNB and the core network include the control plane and the data plane connected between them, thereby providing such an on-demand high-speed pipeline service. Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 7, the management interface between the gNB and the core network about the connection includes the AMF providing the access and mobility management function and the UPF providing the user plane function. Among them, N1 is a reference point between the UE and the AMF, and the N1 interface is used for the UE and the core network to interact with the control plane signaling, such as the non-access layer signaling (NAS); N2 is a reference point between the RAN and the AMF, and the N2 interface is used for the RAN and the core network AMF to interact with the control plane signaling, such as the N2 INITIAL UE Message; N3 is a reference point between the RAN and the UPF, and the N3 interface is used for the RAN and the core network UPF to interact with the user plane data.

[0114] In some possible implementations, the architecture of the wireless sensing service network is shown in FIGS. 8a and 8b, and the sensing service is mainly implemented through a data communication proxy (DCP) network element or an SSCF network element and an SDPF network element. The DCP serves as an intermediate medium between devices and is used for transmitting sensing data. The transmission of sensing data or artificial intelligence (AI) data or internet of things (IOT) data in the core network is performed through the DCP, and the implementation manner can be a message queue. The DCP can be deployed as a standalone network element or can be combined with an existing network element. The SSCF is used to implement the control plane function of the sensing service, for example, to receive the capability registration of a sensing entity, implement the orchestration of the sensing service (including the selection of a sensing signal receiving end and a sensing signal sending end entity, the delivery of configuration information, the establishment of a data bearer, and the like), the lifecycle management of the sensing service, the generation of a charging event, the generation of an incentive event, and the delivery of a policy. The SSCF communicates with other network elements through a service-based interface (SBI) and registers the services that it can provide to the network repository function (NRF) network element. The SDPF is used to process sensing data, including, for example, calculating sensing measurement data from sensing raw data, calculating sensing results from the sensing measurement data, data routing and forwarding, and policy implementation (for example, the implementation of traffic engineering terms such as quality of service (QoS), charging, incentives, and security policies). The SDPF can also provide an interface for exposing data to the network exposure function (NEF) network element. Optionally, the SDPF can also manage the address information of a terminal and protect data privacy. In addition, the SDPF also has an interface with the DCP, which is used for communication between the two.

[0115] As shown in FIG. 9, there are a large number of low-power and low-cost IOT terminals in the network, which are widely distributed and some of which are fixed in position and cannot be randomly deployed or moved to a smart city. In the vehicle-to-everything (V2X) scenario, 10% of the wide-area connections of high-rate devices, in the smart wear or vehicle management scenario, 30% of the wide-area connections of medium-rate devices, and in the smart parking or smart metering scenario, 60% of the wide-area connections of low-rate devices. If these terminals are introduced into the sensing service, the business scope of sensing can be enriched, and the sensing accuracy can be improved.

[0116] Please refer to FIG. 10, which is a schematic diagram of state transition according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 10, the different states include a connected state, an inactive state and an idle state.

[0117] For example, the idle state can represent that neither the terminal nor the base station establishes a connection with the target terminal, and neither the base station nor the core network establishes a connection with the target terminal.

[0118] For example, the inactive state can represent that the terminal and the base station do not establish a connection, but the base station and the core network establish a connection with the terminal. Once there is data to be sent to the terminal, the base station will issue a paging message, and the terminal will quickly establish a connection with the base station (for example, quickly recover within 10 ms) after receiving the paging message. The terminal is transferred from the inactive state to the connected state. Alternatively, the base station issues an RRC release message containing a suspend config field, so that the terminal is transferred from the connected state to the inactive state.

[0119] For example, the connected state can represent that the terminal and the base station, and the base station and the core network establish a connection with the target terminal, and data transmission can be performed at any time. This state does not need to establish a time delay, so the time delay is the shortest. If there is data to be sent to the terminal, or the terminal needs to send data, the terminal can send an RRC resume message to establish a connection with the base station, so that the terminal is transferred from the idle state to the connected state. If the terminal has no service to perform, the base station can issue an RRC release message to transfer the terminal from the connected state to the idle state. However, when the terminal participates in the sensing service, a large amount of power consumption is inevitably generated. How to reduce the power consumption of these terminals as much as possible is a problem that needs to be solved by those skilled in the art.

[0120] Therefore, the present application provides a communication method and related device, taking a first communication device as a terminal and a second communication device as an access network device as an example. On the one hand, generally, the messages issued by the access network device are mainly used for communication services, but in the present application, the first sensing signal can be transmitted in the non-connected state through the first transmission resource information and the first reference information carried in the first message, without entering the connected state. In other words, through the scheme of transmitting the first sensing signal in the non-connected state by the terminal, the present application can effectively reduce the overhead of entering the connected state by the terminal and reduce the power consumption of the terminal. On the other hand, since the existing scheme does not involve the scenario of transmitting the sensing signal in the inactive state, the selection of the scenario is more diversified.

[0121] The specific description of the first communication device, the second communication device and the third communication device in the communication method shown below (such as FIG. 11) can refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, which will not be described in detail here. For the convenience of description, the first communication device may be taken as an example of a terminal, the second communication device may be taken as an example of a first network device, and the third communication device may be taken as an example of a second network device in the embodiments of the present application, but this should not be understood as a limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0122] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0123] Please refer to FIG. 11, which is a flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the method can be applied to a communication system, for example, the communication system shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5.

[0124] The method shown in FIG. 11 can include steps S1101 and S1102. It should be understood that, for the convenience of description, the steps S1101-S1102 are described in this order, and it is not intended to limit the execution of the above steps in the above order. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the execution order, execution time, execution times, etc. of one or more steps described above. Steps S1101-S1102 are as follows:

[0125] Step S1101: The second communication device sends a first message to the first communication device.

[0126] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the first message.

[0127] The first message is an exemplary name made to distinguish a certain message. For example, the first message can be an RRC release message or other messages. Optionally, the first message is a message sent when the second communication device and the first communication device establish a secure communication connection.

[0128] The first message carries first transmission resource information and first reference information, the first transmission resource information is used to transmit the first sensing signal, and the first reference information is associated with the first sensing signal.

[0129] The first transmission resource information is an exemplary name made to distinguish a certain transmission resource information. Optionally, the first transmission resource information can also be referred to as first resource location information or first location information, etc. For example, the first transmission resource information can be the location of the first communication device to transmit the first sensing signal, such as the location of the first sensing signal in the time domain or the space domain or the frequency domain, and the first transmission resource information can be location 1 or other locations.

[0130] For example, the first reference information includes at least one of the following:

[0131] (1) First periodicity information. Optionally, the second communication device can indicate the first communication device to periodically transmit the first sensing signal through the first message, and the first periodicity information is the periodicity information of transmitting the first sensing signal. For example, in the inactive state, the period of the first communication device transmitting the first sensing signal to the second communication device is 10 μs, 10 ms or 10 s.

[0132] (2) First condition information. Optionally, the second communication device can indicate the first communication device to transmit the first sensing signal only when the first condition is met through the first message, and the first condition information is the condition information of transmitting the first sensing signal. For example, the first condition information includes at least one of the following:

[0133] a. The change of the relative position between the first communication device and the second communication device is less than a first preset range. In some cases, if the change of the relative position between the first communication device and the second communication device is less than the first preset range, the first communication device can be in a fixed and immobile state, or the terminal can only move a small part and not exceed the coverage area of the second communication device. For example, it is assumed that the initial position of the first communication device relative to the second communication device is: 20° southwest, 300 m away. After a period of time, the position of the first communication device relative to the second communication device is: 16° southwest, 360 m away, and the first preset range of the first communication device relative to the second communication device is 15.1°-20.5° southwest and 300-400 m away. It can be seen that after a period of time, the position of the first communication device relative to the second communication device does not exceed the first preset range compared to the initial position of the first communication device relative to the second communication device, so it can be determined that the position of the first communication device is still within the coverage area of the second communication device, thereby successfully triggering the subsequent operation of the first communication device transmitting the first sensing signal according to the first transmission resource information.

[0134] b. The fluctuation of the reference signal received power or the reference signal received quality is less than a second preset range. In some cases, if the fluctuation of the reference signal received power or the reference signal received quality of the first communication device relative to the second communication device is less than the second preset range, the first communication device can be in a fixed and immobile state, or the terminal can only move a small part and not exceed the coverage area of the second communication device. For example, it is assumed that the reference signal received power of the first communication device relative to the second communication device is -95 dBm initially, and the reference signal received power of the first communication device relative to the second communication device is -97 dBm after a period of time. As can be seen from the above, the fluctuation of the reference signal received power is 2 dBm, and the second preset range is 1 dBm-3 dBm. It can be seen that after a period of time, the reference signal received power of the first communication device relative to the second communication device, compared with the reference signal received power of the first communication device relative to the second communication device initially, the fluctuation of the two does not exceed the second preset range, and therefore it can be determined that the position of the first communication device is still in the coverage area of the second communication device, so that the operation of the first communication device transmitting the first sensing signal according to the first transmission resource information can be successfully triggered.

[0135] c. The difference between the time of the current first sensing signal to be transmitted and the time of the last sensing signal transmission is greater than or equal to a first time value. Optionally, if the time of the current first sensing signal to be transmitted is periodic transmission, it indicates that the first condition is met. For example, it is assumed that the time of the last sensing signal transmission of the first communication device is 5 ms initially, and the time of the current first sensing signal to be transmitted is 7 ms, the difference between the two is 2 ms, and the first time value is 2 ms. It can be seen that the difference between the time of the current first sensing signal to be transmitted and the time of the last sensing signal transmission is greater than or equal to the first time value 2 ms, and therefore the operation of the first communication device transmitting the first sensing signal according to the first transmission resource information can be triggered.

[0136] Optionally, the first period information is related to the first condition information, and if the first sensing signal does not need to be periodically transmitted, the first reference information can not include the first period information and the first condition information.

[0137] In a possible implementation, the first message is also used to instruct the first communication device to enter a non-connected state.

[0138] Optionally, the non-connected state can include an inactive state and an idle state.

[0139] Exemplarily, the first message can be an RRC release message, and the first communication device is currently in a connected state, and the second communication device can instruct the first communication device to enter an inactive state through the RRC release message. In other words, the second communication device can previously tell the first communication device to perform the sensing service in the inactive state, so that when the first communication device is in the inactive state, the first communication device can also participate in the sensing service in a timely manner.

[0140] In a possible implementation, the second communication device configures the first communication device to perform the sensing service (such as transmitting a sensing signal or reporting a sensing measurement result) only when the first communication device has at least one capability (such as a capability of supporting transmission of the sensing signal in the inactive state or a capability of supporting measurement of the sensing signal in the inactive state).

[0141] Therefore, optionally, before the first communication device transmits the first sensing signal according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information, the first communication device can first send capability information to the second communication device, and the second communication device sends configuration information (for example, represented as a first message) to the first communication device only after determining that the first communication device has at least one capability (such as a capability of supporting transmission of the sensing signal in the inactive state or a capability of supporting measurement of the sensing signal in the inactive state).

[0142] As a possible implementation, in the connected state, the first communication device can send capability information to the second communication device.

[0143] Optionally, the capability information can be whether the first communication device has a capability of supporting transmission of the sensing signal in the inactive state or whether the first communication device has a capability of supporting measurement of the sensing signal in the inactive state.

[0144] Optionally, the first communication device has a capability of supporting transmission of the sensing signal in the inactive state or the first communication device has a capability of supporting measurement of the sensing signal in the inactive state.

[0145] As a possible implementation, before receiving the first message from the second communication device, the first communication device can also receive a paging message from the second communication device in the inactive state and send a first request message to the second communication device.

[0146] The paging message indicates that the first communication device is a sending end of the first sensing signal, and the first request message is used to indicate that the first communication device initiates an RRC resume access request to transmit the first sensing signal.

[0147] Exemplarily, if the first communication device is currently in the non-connected state, but the second communication device needs the first communication device to perform the sensing service, the second communication device can first wake up the first communication device through paging, and then notify the first communication device that the sensing signal can be transmitted in the connected state, and the first communication device can also re-enter the non-activated state (for example, the first communication device re-enters the non-activated state in a manner that the RRC release message sent by the second communication device to the first communication device indicates the first communication device to re-enter the non-activated state), so that the first communication device continues to transmit the sensing signal in the non-activated state to save transmission resources. In the embodiment of the application, the second communication device sends the paging message to instruct the first communication device to transmit the sensing signal in the non-activated state to perform the sensing-related service, rather than simply paging to perform the calling or called communication-related service. In addition, the scheme can also enable the first communication device not in the connected state to participate in the sensing service in time.

[0148] In a possible implementation, the second communication device can actively send the first message to the first communication device, or send the first message to the first communication device based on the request of the first communication device.

[0149] Step S1102: In the non-connected state, the first communication device transmits the first sensing signal according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information.

[0150] Correspondingly, the second communication device transmits the first sensing signal.

[0151] Optionally, the transmission can be receiving or sending.

[0152] The following exemplarily introduces two possible implementation manners of the first communication device transmitting the first sensing signal according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information, as follows:

[0153] In the first implementation manner, the first communication device sends the first sensing signal according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information in the non-activated state.

[0154] Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the first sensing signal. Optionally, the first communication device sends the first sensing signal to the second communication device according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information.

[0155] Further optionally, in the non-activated state, the first communication device sends the first sensing signal to the second communication device according to the first transmission resource information, the first reference information, and the timing advance (TA) value determined in the connected state.

[0156] Further optionally, as indicated by step S1101, the second communication device can instruct the first communication device to transmit the first sensing signal according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information only when the first condition is met, and the first condition information is condition information for transmitting the first sensing signal.

[0157] In a possible design, the second communication device can further obtain a final sensing measurement result in combination with sensing measurement results generated by multiple communication devices, so as to improve the accuracy of the sensing result.

[0158] The following is an exemplary introduction to the second communication device obtaining the final sensing measurement result, and the specific implementation is as follows.

[0159] (1) The second communication device performs sensing measurement on the first sensing signal, and obtains a first sensing measurement result.

[0160] (2) The second communication device sends a first message to a third communication device.

[0161] The first message is used for the third communication device to receive the first sensing signal and generate a second sensing measurement result.

[0162] (3) The second communication device receives the second sensing measurement result from the third communication device.

[0163] (4) The second communication device performs fusion processing on the first sensing measurement result and the second sensing measurement result, and obtains a target sensing result.

[0164] Optionally, the third communication device can send the second sensing measurement result in a signaling manner, or establish a GTP-U tunnel between the second communication device and the third communication device, and send the second sensing measurement result in a user plane data transmission manner.

[0165] In embodiment two, in the non-activated state, the first communication device receives the first sensing signal according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information.

[0166] Optionally, the first condition information further includes that the first communication device is in the coverage of the second communication device, and when the first communication device is in the coverage of the second communication device, the first communication device can receive the first sensing signal from the second communication device according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information.

[0167] Further optionally, after receiving the first sensing signal from the second communication device, the first communication device can perform sensing measurement on the first sensing signal, and obtain a sensing measurement result.

[0168] Further optionally, the first communication device sends the sensing measurement result to the second communication device.

[0169] In some designs, the first reference message can further comprise second condition information. Optionally, the second communication device can instruct the first communication device to report the sensing measurement result only when a second condition is met, and the second condition information is the condition information for reporting the sensing measurement result.

[0170] For example, the second condition comprises at least one of the following:

[0171] ①The preset reporting period is met. Optionally, the reporting period can be a reporting frequency. Further optionally, the preset reporting period can be the same as the first period information or different. For example, the reporting period can be a reporting period of the sensing measurement result or other period. For example, the preset reporting period can be 10 ms for reporting the sensing measurement result once or 10 ms for reporting the sensing measurement result twice.

[0172] ②The fluctuation of the reference signal received power or the reference signal received quality is less than a second preset range. In some cases, if the fluctuation of the reference signal received power or the reference signal received quality of the first communication device relative to the second communication device is less than the second preset range, the first communication device can be in a fixed and immobile state, or the terminal can only move a small part and not exceed the coverage area of the second communication device. For example, it is assumed that the reference signal received power of the first communication device relative to the second communication device is -95 dBm initially, and the reference signal received power of the first communication device relative to the second communication device is -97 dBm after a period of time. As can be seen, the fluctuation of the reference signal received power is 2 dBm, and the second preset range is 1 dBm-3 dBm. It can be seen that after a period of time, the reference signal received power of the first communication device relative to the second communication device, compared with the reference signal received power of the first communication device relative to the second communication device initially, the fluctuation of the two does not exceed the second preset range, and therefore it can be determined that the position of the first communication device is still in the coverage area of the second communication device.

[0173] ③ the fluctuation of the perceived signal received power or the perceived signal received quality of the first communication device relative to the second communication device is less than a third preset range. In some cases, if the fluctuation of the perceived signal received power or the perceived signal received quality of the first communication device relative to the second communication device is less than the third preset range, the first communication device can be in a fixed and immobile state, or the terminal can only move a small part and not beyond the coverage area of the second communication device. For example, it is assumed that initially the perceived signal received power of the first communication device relative to the second communication device is -90 dBm, and after a period of time, the perceived signal received power of the first communication device relative to the second communication device is -92 dBm. As can be seen from the above, the fluctuation of the perceived signal received power is 2 dBm, and the third preset range is 1 dBm to 3 dBm. It can be seen that after a period of time, the perceived signal received power of the first communication device relative to the second communication device, compared with the perceived signal received power of the first communication device relative to the second communication device at the beginning, the fluctuation of the two does not exceed the third preset range, and therefore it can be determined that the position of the first communication device is still in the coverage area of the second communication device.

[0174] ④ the difference between the current time for sending the perceived measurement result and the time for the last sending of the perceived measurement result is greater than or equal to a first time value. For example, it is assumed that initially the time for the last sending of the perceived measurement result by the first communication device is 5 ms, and the current time for sending the perceived measurement result is 7 ms, and the difference between the two is 2 ms, and the first time value is 2 ms. It can be seen that the difference between the current time for sending the perceived measurement result and the time for the last sending of the perceived measurement result is equal to the first time value 2 ms, and therefore the operation of the first communication device for sending the perceived measurement result according to the first transmission resource information can be triggered. For another example, it is assumed that initially the time for the last sending of the perceived measurement result by the first communication device is 5 ms, and the current time for sending the perceived measurement result is 7.5 ms, and the difference between the two is 2.5 ms, and the first time value is 2 ms. It can be seen that the difference between the current time for sending the perceived measurement result and the time for the last sending of the perceived measurement result is greater than the first time value 2 ms, and therefore the operation of the first communication device for sending the perceived measurement result according to the first transmission resource information can also be triggered.

[0175] In the embodiments of the present application, when the first communication device is in the coverage area of the second communication device, the processes of transmitting the first perceived signal and reporting the perceived measurement result are both implemented between the first communication device and the second communication device. In some cases, if the position of the first communication device moves during the execution of the sensing service, the processes of transmitting the first perceived signal and reporting the perceived measurement result can need to be implemented between different communication devices, or can also be implemented between the same communication device.

[0176] As a possible implementation, if the first communication device meets the second condition and is in the coverage area of the third communication device, a second request message is sent to the third communication device, a third message is received from the third communication device, and a fourth message is sent to the third communication device.

[0177] The second request message is used to indicate that the first communication device initiates an RRC resume access request to send the awareness measurement result, the third message is used to indicate that a communication connection between the first communication device and the third communication device is established, and the fourth message is used to indicate that the communication connection between the first communication device and the third communication device is resumed and complete, and the fourth message carries the awareness measurement result.

[0178] For example, the first communication device is a terminal, the second communication device is an access network device A, and the third communication device is an access network device B. If the terminal first performs awareness signal measurement in the coverage area of the access network device A, then moves to the coverage area of the access network device B after a period of time, initiates an RRC resume access request to the access network device B to send the awareness measurement result, and after the access network device B confirms the resumption of the connection between the terminal and the access network device B by sending the third message, the terminal reenters the connected state, and then sends a resume complete message to the access network device B, where the resume complete message carries the awareness measurement result reported above.

[0179] In a possible implementation, if the first communication device meets the second condition and meets the reporting condition of small data transmission (SDT) data, random access is initiated. A second request message is sent to the third communication device.

[0180] In the embodiments of the present application, the SDT process is an optimized process required when the terminal in the inactive state transmits data. The first communication device initiates random access only when both the second condition (i.e., the reporting condition of the awareness measurement result) and the reporting condition of the SDT data are met. This scheme can ensure the accuracy of the awareness measurement result reporting while saving the transmission resource overhead.

[0181] Further optionally, the first communication device initiates random access by sensing a preamble sequence corresponding to the SDT.

[0182] In the embodiments of the present application, the first communication device initiates random access by sensing a preamble sequence corresponding to the SDT, which can early inform the second communication device that the current operation is random access for reporting the awareness measurement result, so that the second communication device can process the current service in a targeted manner, and also can maximize the utilization rate of the air interface resource and shorten the recovery delay of the awareness service.

[0183] In the embodiments of the present application, in order to improve the processing efficiency of the sensing signal measurement service and make the application of the sensing service scenario more abundant, the first message sent by the second communication device can carry multiple transmission resource information and multiple reference information (for example, the first message carries the second transmission resource information and the second reference information in addition to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information).

[0184] As a possible implementation, the first message further includes second transmission resource information and second reference information, the second transmission resource information is used for transmitting a second sensing signal, and the second reference information is associated with the second sensing signal. In the inactive state, the first communication device transmits the second sensing signal according to the second transmission resource information and the second reference information.

[0185] Optionally, the second transmission resource information can also be referred to as second resource location information or second location information, etc. For example, the second transmission resource information can be a location for the first communication device to transmit the second sensing signal, such as a location for transmitting the second sensing signal in the time domain or the space domain or the frequency domain, and the second transmission resource information can be location 2 or other locations.

[0186] Optionally, the second transmission resource information can be the same as or different from the first transmission resource information.

[0187] For example, the second transmission resource information and the first transmission resource information are both location 1.

[0188] For another example, the first transmission resource information is location 1, and the second transmission resource information is location 2.

[0189] Optionally, the second reference information can be the same as or different from the first reference information.

[0190] For example, the first reference information includes first period information and first condition information. The second reference information also includes second period information and second condition information. The first period information is 10 ms, the first condition information is that the change of the relative position between the first communication device and the second communication device is less than a first preset range, the second period information is also 10 ms, and the second condition information is also that the change of the relative position between the first communication device and the second communication device is less than the first preset range.

[0191] For another example, the first period information is 5 ms, the first condition information is that the fluctuation of the reference signal received power or the reference signal received quality is less than a second preset range, the second period information is 10 ms, and the second condition information is that the difference between the current time for transmitting the first sensing signal and the time for transmitting the sensing signal last time is greater than or equal to a first time value.

[0192] In a possible implementation, the second communication device can indicate the first communication device to continue or end the sensing signal measurement service through a message, and the first communication device can determine whether to continue the sensing signal measurement service according to the indication of the second communication device, without being in the working state all the time, thereby effectively saving the power consumption of the first communication device.

[0193] As a possible implementation, the first communication device acquires the fifth message, receives the sixth message from the second communication device, or receives the third sensing signal and the sixth message from the third communication device.

[0194] The fifth message is used to indicate the continuation of the sensing signal measurement service, the sixth message carries the third transmission resource information and the third reference information, the third transmission resource information and the third reference information are used to measure the third sensing signal, and the third reference information is associated with the third sensing signal.

[0195] In this solution, taking the first communication device as a terminal and the second communication device as an access network device as an example, the present application provides a solution that the access network device issues a message to indicate the terminal to continue the sensing signal measurement service, and the terminal can trigger the continuation of the sensing signal measurement service according to the indication of the access network device, without being in the working state when there is no indication to trigger the continuation of the sensing signal measurement service, thereby effectively saving the power consumption of the terminal.

[0196] Optionally, the fifth message is an RRC resume message or other message.

[0197] Further optionally, the RRC resume message can also carry indication information, and the indication information can be a timer, for example, which indicates the continuation of the sensing signal measurement service when the trigger condition of the timer is met.

[0198] In the present application, taking the first communication device as a terminal and the second communication device as an access network device as an example, on the one hand, generally speaking, the message issued by the access network device is mainly used for communication services, but in this solution, the first sensing signal can be transmitted in the non-connected state through the first transmission resource information and the first reference information carried in the first message, without entering the connected state. In other words, the solution of transmitting the first sensing signal in the non-connected state by the terminal can effectively reduce the overhead of entering the connected state of the terminal and reduce the power consumption of the terminal.

[0199] On the other hand, since the existing solution does not involve the scenario of transmitting the sensing signal in the non-activated state, the selection of the scenario can be more diversified.

[0200] The embodiment shown in FIG. 11 details the principle of the main interaction between the first communication device and the second communication device, and in order to facilitate understanding, seven specific cases of transmitting the first sensing signal are exemplified below in connection with FIGS. 12a-12g.

[0201] Referring to FIG. 12a, FIG. 12a is a flow diagram of transmitting the first sensing signal according to an embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the present application is described in the order of steps 11-14 for the convenience of description, and is not intended to limit the execution in the above order. The present application does not limit the order of execution, the time of execution, the number of execution, etc. of one or more steps described above. As shown in FIG. 12a, the specific steps of case one are as follows:

[0202] Step 11: In the connected state, the first communication device sends the capability information to the second communication device.

[0203] Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the capability information.

[0204] Optionally, the capability information includes the capability of supporting non-active state sensing signal transmission.

[0205] Step 12: The second communication device sends the first message to the first communication device.

[0206] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the first message.

[0207] The first message carries the first transmission resource information and the first reference information, the first transmission resource information is used for transmitting the first sensing signal, and the first reference information is associated with the first sensing signal.

[0208] Step 13: In the non-connected state, the first communication device sends the sensing signal to the second communication device according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information.

[0209] Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the first sensing signal.

[0210] Optionally, in the non-active state, the first communication device sends the sensing signal to the second communication device according to the first transmission resource information, the first reference information, and the TA value in the connected state.

[0211] Step 14: The second communication device performs sensing measurement on the first sensing signal to obtain a sensing measurement result.

[0212] In the solution, the first communication device is taken as a terminal, and the second communication device is taken as an access network device. On one hand, generally, the message issued by the access network device is mainly used for communication service, but in the solution, the first perception signal can be transmitted in the non-connected state through the first transmission resource information and the first reference information carried in the first message, without entering the connected state. In other words, through the solution that the terminal transmits the first perception signal in the non-connected state, the terminal entering the connected state can be effectively reduced, and the power consumption of the terminal can be reduced.

[0213] On the other hand, since the existing solution does not involve the scenario of transmitting the perception signal in the non-activated state, the selection of the scenario can be more diversified.

[0214] It should be explained that the detailed explanations of steps 11 to 14 can be referred to the embodiments described in FIG. 11, which will not be described here.

[0215] Please refer to FIG. 12b, which is another flow diagram for transmitting the first perception signal provided by the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are described in the order of steps 21 to 27 for convenience, and are not intended to limit the execution of the above-mentioned order. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the execution order, execution time, execution times, etc. of one or more steps. As shown in FIG. 12b, the specific steps of case two are as follows:

[0216] Step 21: The second communication device sends a paging message to the first communication device.

[0217] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the paging message in the non-activated state. The paging message indicates that the first communication device is the sending end of the first perception signal.

[0218] Step 22: The first communication device sends a first request message to the second communication device.

[0219] Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the first request message.

[0220] The first request message is used to indicate that the first communication device initiates an RRC resume access request to transmit the first perception signal.

[0221] Step 23: The second communication device sends a radio resource control resume (RRC resume) message to the first communication device.

[0222] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the RRC resume message.

[0223] The RRC resume message carries first transmission resource information and first reference information, the first transmission resource information is used for transmitting the first sensing signal, and the first reference information is associated with the first sensing signal.

[0224] Step 24: The first communication device sends an RRC resume complete message to the second communication device.

[0225] Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the RRC resume complete message.

[0226] The RRC resume complete message is used to indicate that the communication connection between the first communication device and the second communication device is resumed.

[0227] Step 25: In the connected state, the first communication device sends the first sensing signal to the second communication device according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information.

[0228] Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the first sensing signal.

[0229] Step 26: The second communication device performs sensing measurement on the first sensing signal to obtain a sensing measurement result.

[0230] Step 27: The second communication device sends an RRC release message to the first communication device.

[0231] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the RRC release message.

[0232] The RRC release message is used to indicate that the first communication device enters the inactive state. If the first communication device needs to continue to perform the sensing transmission service, the RRC release message carries the first transmission resource information and the first reference information; if the first communication device does not need to continue to perform the sensing transmission service, the RRC release message directly indicates the first communication device to end the transmission service of the sensing signal.

[0233] Taking the first communication device as a terminal and the second communication device as an access network device as an example, the current terminal is already in the non-connected state, but needs the terminal to perform the sensing service, the access network device can first wake up the terminal through paging, and then notify the terminal that the sensing signal can be transmitted in the connected state, or the terminal can re-enter the non-activated state (for example, the access network device can send an RRC release message to the terminal to instruct the terminal to re-enter the non-activated state), so that the terminal continues to transmit the sensing signal in the non-activated state, thereby saving the transmission resource overhead. The paging message is sent to instruct the terminal to transmit the sensing signal in the non-activated state to perform the sensing-related service, rather than simply paging to perform the calling or called communication-related service. In addition, the terminal that is not in the connected state can also be prompted in time to participate in the sensing service. In addition, the scheme is suitable for the scenario of single access network device sensing signal measurement, and can make the sensing measurement result more efficient.

[0234] It should be noted that the detailed explanations of steps 21-27 can be referred to the embodiments described in FIG. 11, which will not be described here.

[0235] Please refer to FIG. 12c, which is a flowchart of transmitting the first sensing signal according to an embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the present application is described in the order of steps 31-41 for the convenience of description, and is not intended to limit the execution of the above-mentioned order. The present application does not limit the order of execution, the time of execution, the number of execution, etc. of one or more steps. As shown in FIG. 12c, the specific steps of case three are as follows:

[0236] Step 31: The second communication device sends a paging message to the first communication device.

[0237] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the paging message in the non-activated state.

[0238] The paging message indicates that the first communication device is the sending end of the first sensing signal.

[0239] Step 32: The first communication device sends a first request message to the second communication device.

[0240] Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the first request message.

[0241] The first request message is used to indicate that the first communication device initiates an RRC resume access request to transmit the first sensing signal.

[0242] Step 33: The second communication device sends an RRC resume message to the first communication device.

[0243] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the RRC resume message.

[0244] The RRC resume message carries first transmission resource information and first reference information, the first transmission resource information is used for transmitting the first sensing signal, and the first reference information is associated with the first sensing signal.

[0245] Step 34: The second communication device sends the first transmission resource information and the first reference information to the third communication device.

[0246] Correspondingly, the third communication device receives the first transmission resource information and the first reference information.

[0247] Step 35: In the connected state, the first communication device sends the first sensing signal according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information.

[0248] Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the first sensing signal.

[0249] Step 36: In the connected state, the first communication device sends the first sensing signal according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information.

[0250] Correspondingly, the third communication device receives the first sensing signal.

[0251] It should be noted that step 35 and step 36 are the same action for the first communication device, the difference is that after the first communication device sends the first sensing signal, the devices around the first communication device, such as the second communication device and the third communication device, can all receive the first sensing signal.

[0252] Step 37: The second communication device performs sensing measurement on the first sensing signal to obtain a first sensing measurement result.

[0253] Step 38: The third communication device performs sensing measurement on the first sensing signal to obtain a second sensing measurement result.

[0254] Step 39: The third communication device sends the second sensing measurement result to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the second sensing measurement result. Optionally, the third communication device can send the second sensing measurement result in a signaling manner, or establish a GTP-U tunnel between the second communication device and the third communication device to send the second sensing measurement result in a user plane data transmission manner.

[0255] Step 40: The second communication device performs fusion processing on the first sensing measurement result and the second sensing measurement result to obtain a target sensing result.

[0256] Step 41: The second communication device sends an RRC release message to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the RRC release message.

[0257] The RRC release message is used to indicate the first communication device to enter the inactive state. If the first communication device needs to continue to perform the sensing transmission service, the RRC release message carries the first transmission resource information and the first reference information; if the first communication device does not need to continue to perform the sensing transmission service, the RRC release message directly indicates the first communication device to end the sensing signal transmission service.

[0258] Taking the first communication device as a terminal, the second communication device as an access network device A, and the third communication device as an access network device B as an example, the current terminal has already entered the non-connected state, but needs the terminal to perform the sensing service. The access network device can first wake up the terminal through paging, and then notify the terminal that the sensing signal can be transmitted in the connected state, or re-enter the inactive state (for example, the access network device can send an RRC release message to the terminal to indicate the terminal to re-enter the inactive state), so that the terminal continues to transmit the sensing signal in the inactive state to save the transmission resource overhead. The paging message in the scheme is used to indicate the terminal to transmit the sensing signal in the inactive state to perform the sensing related service, instead of simply paging to perform the calling or called communication related service. In addition, the scheme can also enable the terminal not in the connected state to participate in the sensing service in time. In addition, the scheme is used for the scenario of sensing signal measurement by multiple access network devices, and the access network device A performs fusion processing on the sensing measurement result obtained by itself and the sensing measurement result from the access network device B, so that the measurement accuracy of the final obtained target sensing result is higher.

[0259] It should be noted that the detailed explanations of steps 31 to 41 can be referred to the embodiments described in FIG. 11, which will not be described here again.

[0260] Please refer to FIG. 12d, which is a flowchart of transmitting the first sensing signal according to an embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the present application is described in the order of steps 51 to 57 for convenience, and is not intended to limit the execution in the above order. The present application does not limit the execution order, execution time, execution times, etc. of one or more steps. As shown in FIG. 12d, the specific steps of case four are as follows:

[0261] Step 51: In the connected state, the first communication device sends the capability information to the second communication device.

[0262] Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the capability information.

[0263] Optionally, the capability information includes the capability of supporting the inactive state sensing signal transmission.

[0264] Step 52: The second communication device sends a first message to the first communication device.

[0265] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the first message.

[0266] The first message carries first transmission resource information and first reference information, the first transmission resource information is used for transmitting the first sensing signal, and the first reference information is associated with the first sensing signal.

[0267] Step 53: The first communication device receives the first sensing signal according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information, and performs sensing measurement on the first sensing signal to obtain a sensing measurement result.

[0268] Step 54: If a second condition is met and the first communication device is in a coverage area of the second communication device, the first communication device sends a second request message to the second communication device.

[0269] Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the second request message.

[0270] The second request message is used to indicate that the first communication device initiates an RRC resume access request to send the sensing measurement result.

[0271] Step 55: The second communication device sends a third message to the first communication device.

[0272] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the third message.

[0273] The third message is used to indicate that a communication connection between the first communication device and the second communication device is established.

[0274] Step 56: The first communication device sends a fourth message to the second communication device.

[0275] Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the fourth message.

[0276] The fourth message is used to indicate that the communication connection between the first communication device and the second communication device is resumed, and the fourth message carries the sensing measurement result.

[0277] Step 57: The second communication device sends an RRC release message to the first communication device.

[0278] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the RRC release message.

[0279] The RRC release message is used to indicate that the first communication device enters the inactive state. If the first communication device needs to continue to perform the sensing transmission service, the RRC release message carries the first transmission resource information and the first reference information; if the first communication device does not need to continue to perform the sensing transmission service, the RRC release message directly indicates the first communication device to end the sensing signal transmission service.

[0280] In the scheme, the first communication device is taken as a terminal, and the second communication device is taken as an access network device. When a trigger condition that the terminal is in the coverage range of the access network device is met, the terminal receives a first sensing signal according to first transmission resource information, and performs sensing measurement on the first sensing signal to obtain a sensing measurement result. The terminal does not need to enter a connected state to receive the sensing signal. In other words, through the scheme that the terminal receives the sensing signal in the inactive state, the overhead of the terminal entering the connected state can be effectively reduced, and the power consumption of the terminal is reduced.

[0281] It should be noted that the detailed explanations of steps 51 to 57 can be referred to the embodiments described in FIG. 11, which will not be described herein again.

[0282] Please refer to FIG. 12e, which is a flowchart of transmitting a first sensing signal according to an embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the embodiment of the present application is described in the order of steps 61 to 68 for convenience, and is not intended to limit the execution of the above-mentioned steps in the above-mentioned order. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the execution order, execution time, execution times, etc. of one or more steps described above. As shown in FIG. 12e, the specific steps of Case Five are as follows:

[0283] Step 61: In the connected state, the first communication device sends capability information to the second communication device.

[0284] Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the capability information.

[0285] Optionally, the capability information includes the capability of supporting the inactive state sensing signal measurement.

[0286] Step 62: The second communication device sends a first message to the first communication device.

[0287] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the first message.

[0288] The first message carries first transmission resource information and first reference information. The first transmission resource information is used to transmit the first sensing signal, and the first reference information is associated with the first sensing signal.

[0289] Step 63: The first communication device receives the first sensing signal according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information, and performs sensing measurement on the first sensing signal to obtain a sensing measurement result.

[0290] Step 64: If the second condition is met and the first communication device is in the coverage area of the third communication device, the first communication device sends a second request message to the third communication device.

[0291] Correspondingly, the third communication device receives the second request message.

[0292] The second request message is used to indicate that the first communication device initiates an RRC resume access request to send the sensing measurement result.

[0293] Step 65: The third communication device sends a third message to the first communication device.

[0294] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the third message.

[0295] The third message is used to indicate that a communication connection between the first communication device and the third communication device is established.

[0296] Step 66: The first communication device sends a fourth message to the third communication device.

[0297] Correspondingly, the third communication device receives the fourth message.

[0298] The fourth message is used to indicate that the communication connection between the first communication device and the third communication device is resumed, and the fourth message carries the sensing measurement result.

[0299] Step 67: The third communication device sends the sensing measurement result to the second communication device.

[0300] Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the sensing measurement result.

[0301] Optionally, the third communication device can send the sensing measurement result in a signaling manner, or can establish a GTP-U tunnel between the second communication device and the third communication device, and send the sensing measurement result according to a user plane data transmission manner.

[0302] Step 68: The second communication device sends an RRC release message to the first communication device.

[0303] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the RRC release message.

[0304] The RRC release message is used to indicate that the first communication device enters an inactive state. If the first communication device needs to continue to perform the sensing transmission service, the RRC release message carries first transmission resource information and first reference information; if the first communication device does not need to continue to perform the sensing transmission service, the RRC release message directly indicates the first communication device to end the sensing signal transmission service.

[0305] In the scheme, the first communication device is a terminal, the second communication device is an access network device A, and the third communication device is an access network device B. If the terminal initially performs sensing measurement of a sensing signal in a coverage area of the access network device A, then moves to a coverage area of the access network device B after a period of time, initiates an RRC resume access request to the access network device B to send the sensing measurement result, and after the access network device B confirms the resume, sends a resume completion message to the access network device B to report the sensing measurement result. The scheme is applicable to a scenario of reporting the sensing measurement result in a case where the terminal moves.

[0306] It should be noted that the detailed explanations of steps 61-68 can be referred to the embodiments described in FIG. 11, which will not be described herein again.

[0307] Referring to FIG. 12f, FIG. 12f is a flowchart of another method for transmitting a first sensing signal according to an embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the present application is described in the order of steps 71-78 for convenience, and is not intended to limit the execution of the above-mentioned order. The present application does not limit the order, time, and number of execution of one or more steps. As shown in FIG. 12f, the specific steps of case six are as follows:

[0308] Step 71: In a connected state, the first communication device sends capability information to the second communication device.

[0309] Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the capability information.

[0310] Optionally, the capability information includes a capability of supporting inactive state sensing signal measurement.

[0311] Step 72: The second communication device sends a first message to the first communication device.

[0312] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the first message.

[0313] The first message carries first transmission resource information and first reference information. The first transmission resource information is used to transmit the first sensing signal, and the first reference information is associated with the first sensing signal.

[0314] Step 73: The first communication device receives the first sensing signal according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information, and performs sensing measurement on the first sensing signal to obtain a sensing measurement result.

[0315] Step 74: If the second condition is met and a reporting condition of small data transmission (SDT) data is met, the first communication device initiates random access.

[0316] In a possible implementation, the first communication device initiates random access by sensing a preamble sequence corresponding to the SDT.

[0317] Step 75: The first communication device sends a second request message to the second communication device.

[0318] Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the second request message.

[0319] The second request message is used to indicate that the first communication device initiates an RRC resume access request to send the sensing measurement result.

[0320] Step 76: The second communication device sends a third message to the first communication device.

[0321] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the third message.

[0322] The third message is used to indicate that a communication connection between the first communication device and the second communication device is established.

[0323] Step 77: The first communication device sends a fourth message to the second communication device.

[0324] Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the fourth message.

[0325] The fourth message is used to indicate that the communication connection between the first communication device and the second communication device is resumed, and the fourth message carries the sensing measurement result.

[0326] Step 78: The second communication device sends an RRC release message to the first communication device.

[0327] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the RRC release message.

[0328] The RRC release message is used to indicate that the first communication device enters an inactive state. If the first communication device needs to continue to perform sensing transmission service, the RRC release message carries the first transmission resource information and the first reference information; if the first communication device does not need to continue to perform sensing transmission service, the RRC release message directly indicates the first communication device to end the sensing signal transmission service.

[0329] In the solution, the SDT procedure is an optimization of the procedure required when the terminal transmits data in the inactive state. Only when both the second condition (i.e., the reporting condition of the awareness measurement result) and the reporting condition of the SDT data are met, the first communication device initiates the RRC resume access request after the first communication device initiates the random access through the dedicated awareness SDT corresponding preamble sequence. The solution can ensure the accuracy of the awareness measurement result reporting while saving the transmission resource overhead.

[0330] It should be noted that the detailed explanations of steps 71-78 can be referred to the embodiments described in FIG. 11, which will not be described here.

[0331] Please refer to FIG. 12g, which is a flowchart of another embodiment provided by the present application for transmitting the first awareness signal. It should be understood that the present application is described in the order of steps 81-86 for convenience, and is not intended to limit the execution of the above-mentioned steps in the above-mentioned order. The present application does not limit the execution order, execution time, and execution times of the above-mentioned one or more steps. As shown in FIG. 12g, the specific steps of case seven are as follows:

[0332] Step 81: The second communication device sends a seventh message to the first communication device.

[0333] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the seventh message.

[0334] The seventh message carries the first transmission resource information and the first reference information, the first transmission resource information and the first reference information are used to measure the first awareness signal, and the first reference information is associated with the first awareness signal.

[0335] Optionally, the seventh message is an SIB message or an RRC release message.

[0336] Step 82: In the idle state, the first communication device measures the first awareness signal according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information to obtain the awareness measurement result.

[0337] Step 83: The first communication device sends a second request message to the second communication device.

[0338] Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the second request message.

[0339] The second request message is used to indicate that the first communication device initiates the RRC resume access request to send the awareness measurement result.

[0340] Step 84: The second communication device sends a third message to the first communication device.

[0341] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the third message.

[0342] The third message is used to instruct to establish the communication connection between the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0343] Step 85: The first communication device sends a fourth message to the second communication device.

[0344] Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the fourth message.

[0345] The fourth message is used to instruct that the communication connection between the first communication device and the second communication device is resumed, and the fourth message carries the sensing measurement result.

[0346] Step 86: The second communication device sends an RRC release message to the first communication device.

[0347] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the RRC release message.

[0348] The RRC release message is used to instruct the first communication device to enter the idle state. If the first communication device needs to continue to perform the sensing transmission service, the RRC release message carries the first transmission resource information and the first reference information; if the first communication device does not need to continue to perform the sensing transmission service, the RRC release message directly instructs the first communication device to end the sensing signal transmission service.

[0349] In the present application, the first communication device is taken as a terminal, and the second communication device is taken as an access network device. On the one hand, generally speaking, the message issued by the access network device is mainly used for communication service, but in the present application, the first transmission resource information and the first reference information carried in the first message can be used to send the sensing measurement result in the idle state without entering the connected state. In other words, the present application can effectively reduce the overhead of the terminal entering the connected state and reduce the power consumption of the terminal by sending the sensing measurement result in the idle state.

[0350] On the other hand, since the existing scheme does not involve the scene of sending the sensing measurement result in the idle state, the selection of the scene can be more diversified. It should be noted that the detailed explanations of steps 81-86 can be referred to the embodiments described in FIG. 11, which will not be repeated here.

[0351] The above describes the method of the embodiments of the present application in detail, and the device of the embodiments of the present application is provided below.

[0352] It should be understood that the division of units in the apparatus provided in the embodiments of the present application is only a logical functional division, and all or part of the units can be integrated into a physical entity or physically separated when actually implemented. In addition, the units in the apparatus can be implemented in the form of processor calling software. For example, the apparatus includes a processor, the processor is connected with a memory, the memory stores instructions, and the processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any one of the above methods or to realize the functions of each unit of the apparatus, wherein the processor is, for example, a general processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is an internal memory of the apparatus or an external memory of the apparatus.

[0353] Alternatively, the units in the apparatus can be implemented in the form of hardware circuit, and the functions of part or all of the units can be realized by the design of the hardware circuit, which can be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the functions of part or all of the units are realized by the design of the logical relationship of elements in the circuit. For another example, in another implementation, the hardware circuit is a programmable logic device (PLD), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA) is taken as an example, which can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by a configuration file, so as to realize the functions of part or all of the units.

[0354] In the embodiments of the present application, each unit in the apparatus can be one or more processors (or processing circuits) configured to implement the above methods, such as CPU, (graphics processing unit, GPU), neural network processing unit (NPU), tensor processing unit (TPU), deep learning processing unit (DPU), microprocessor unit (MPU), digital signal processor (DSP), ASIC, FPGA, or a combination of at least two of these processor forms.

[0355] In addition, all or some of the units in the above apparatus can be integrated or can be independent. In one implementation, the units are integrated together to form a system-on-a-chip (SOC, or system-level chip). The SOC can include at least one processor for implementing any of the above methods or functions of the units of the apparatus. The at least one processor can be of different types, such as including CPUs and FPGAs, or including CPUs and artificial intelligence processors, or including CPUs and GPUs, and the like. The following are several possible apparatuses.

[0356] Please refer to FIG. 13, which is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus 130 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the communication apparatus 130 can be a first communication apparatus, and the communication apparatus 130 can be a standalone device or one component in a standalone device, such as a chip or an integrated circuit, and the like. The communication apparatus 130 is configured to implement the foregoing communication method, such as the communication method shown in FIG. 11.

[0357] In a possible design, the communication apparatus 130 includes a communication unit 1301 and a processing unit 1302, and the communication apparatus 130 is configured to implement the foregoing communication method, such as the communication method shown in FIG. 11. For example, the communication apparatus is configured to perform the method performed by the first communication apparatus.

[0358] In a possible implementation, the communication unit 1301 is configured to receive a first message from a second communication apparatus, where the first message carries first transmission resource information and first reference information, the first transmission resource information is used for transmitting a first sensing signal, and the first reference information is associated with the first sensing signal. The communication unit 1301 is further configured to transmit the first sensing signal according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information in an inactive state. The processing unit 1302 is configured to process data.

[0359] In yet another possible implementation, the first reference information includes at least one of first periodicity information, first condition information, and second condition information, where the first periodicity information is periodicity information of transmitting the first sensing signal, the first condition information is condition information of transmitting the first sensing signal, and the second condition information is condition information of reporting a sensing measurement result.

[0360] In a further possible implementation, the first condition information comprises at least one of the following: a change in relative position between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus is less than a first preset range; a fluctuation in reference signal received power or reference signal received quality is less than a second preset range; or a difference between a current time at which the first awareness signal is to be transmitted and a time at which an awareness signal was last transmitted is greater than or equal to a first time value.

[0361] In a further possible implementation, the communication unit 1301 is further configured to transmit, in the connected state, capability information to the second communication apparatus, wherein the capability information comprises a capability of supporting non-active state awareness signal transmission or a capability of supporting non-active state awareness signal measurement.

[0362] In a further possible implementation, the first message is further configured to instruct the first communication apparatus to enter a non-connected state.

[0363] In a further possible implementation, the communication unit 1301 is further configured to receive, in the non-active state, a paging message from the second communication apparatus, wherein the paging message indicates that the first communication apparatus is a sending end of the first awareness signal. The communication unit 1301 is further configured to transmit a first request message to the second communication apparatus, wherein the first request message is configured to indicate that the first communication apparatus initiates an RRC resume access request to transmit the first awareness signal.

[0364] In a further possible implementation, the first condition information further comprises that the first communication apparatus is in a coverage range of the second communication apparatus, and in the non-active state, the communication unit 1301 is specifically configured to: in the non-active state, receive the first awareness signal according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information. The processing unit 1302 is further configured to: perform awareness measurement on the first awareness signal to obtain an awareness measurement result.

[0365] In a further possible implementation, the communication unit 1301 is further configured to send a second request message to a third communication device if the second condition is met and the first communication device is in a coverage area of the third communication device, where the second request message is used to indicate that the first communication device initiates an RRC resume access request to send the awareness measurement result. The communication unit 1301 is further configured to receive a third message from the third communication device, where the third message is used to indicate that a communication connection between the first communication device and the third communication device is established. The communication unit 1301 is further configured to send a fourth message to the third communication device, where the fourth message is used to indicate that the communication connection between the first communication device and the third communication device is resumed, and the fourth message carries the awareness measurement result.

[0366] In a further possible implementation, the second condition includes at least one of the following: a preset reporting period is met; a current reference signal received power is lower than or higher than a first preset power value; the awareness signal received power is lower than or higher than the first preset power value; or a difference between a current time at which the awareness measurement result is to be sent and a time at which awareness measurement result is last sent is greater than or equal to a first time value.

[0367] In a further possible implementation, in the sending of the second request message to the third communication device, the communication unit 1301 is specifically configured to initiate random access if the second condition is met and a reporting condition of small data transmission (SDT) data is met, and send the second request message to the third communication device.

[0368] In a further possible implementation, in the initiating of the random access, the processing unit 1302 is specifically configured to initiate the random access by using a preamble sequence corresponding to the awareness SDT.

[0369] In a further possible implementation, the first message further includes second transmission resource information and second reference information, the second transmission resource information is used to transmit a second awareness signal, and the second reference information is associated with the second awareness signal. The communication unit 1301 is further configured to transmit the second awareness signal according to the second transmission resource information and the second reference information in the inactive state.

[0370] In yet another possible implementation, the processing unit 1302 is further configured to acquire a fifth message, where the fifth message is used to indicate to continue the sensing signal measurement service. The communication unit 1301 is further configured to receive a sixth message from the second communication device, or the communication unit 1301 is further configured to receive a third sensing signal and the sixth message from a third communication device, where the sixth message carries third transmission resource information and third reference information, the third transmission resource information and the third reference information are used to measure the third sensing signal, and the third reference information is associated with the third sensing signal.

[0371] The embodiments of the present application and the above-mentioned method embodiments are based on the same concept, and have the same technical effects. For specific principles, refer to the description of the above-mentioned embodiments, and no longer be repeated.

[0372] In another possible design, the communication device 130 includes a communication unit 1301 and a processing unit 1302, and the communication device 130 is configured to implement the above-mentioned communication method, for example, the communication method shown in FIG. 11. For example, the communication device is configured to perform the method performed by the first communication device.

[0373] In a possible implementation, the communication unit 1301 is configured to receive a seventh message from a second communication device, where the seventh message carries first transmission resource information and first reference information, the first transmission resource information and the first reference information are used to measure a first sensing signal, and the first reference information is associated with the first sensing signal. The processing unit 1302 is configured to measure the first sensing signal according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information in an idle state.

[0374] In yet another possible implementation, the seventh message is an SIB message or an RRC release message.

[0375] The embodiments of the present application and the above-mentioned method embodiments are based on the same concept, and have the same technical effects. For specific principles, refer to the description of the above-mentioned embodiments, and no longer be repeated.

[0376] In yet another possible design, the communication device 130 includes a communication unit 1301 and a processing unit 1302, and the communication device 130 is configured to implement the above-mentioned communication method, for example, the communication method shown in FIG. 11. For example, the communication device is configured to perform the method performed by the second communication device.

[0377] In a possible implementation, the communication unit 1301 is configured to send a first message to the first communication apparatus, where the first message carries first transmission resource information and first reference information, the first transmission resource information is used for transmitting a first sensing signal, and the first reference information is associated with the first sensing signal. The communication unit 1301 is further configured to transmit the first sensing signal. The processing unit 1302 is configured to process the data received and / or transmitted.

[0378] In another possible implementation, the first reference information includes at least one of first periodicity information, first condition information, and second condition information, where the first periodicity information is periodicity information of transmitting the first sensing signal, the first condition information is condition information of transmitting the first sensing signal, and the second condition information is condition information of reporting a sensing measurement result.

[0379] In another possible implementation, the first condition information includes at least one of the following: a change in relative position between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus is less than a first preset range; a fluctuation in reference signal received power or reference signal received quality is less than a second preset range; or a difference between a current time at which the first sensing signal is to be transmitted and a time at which a sensing signal was last transmitted is greater than or equal to a first time value.

[0380] In another possible implementation, the second condition information includes at least one of the following: a preset reporting periodicity is met; a fluctuation in reference signal received power or reference signal received quality is less than a second preset power range; a fluctuation in the sensing signal received power is less than a third preset power range; or a difference between a current time at which the sensing measurement result is to be transmitted and a time at which a sensing measurement result was last transmitted is greater than or equal to a first time value.

[0381] In another possible implementation, the communication unit 1301 is further configured to receive capability information from the first communication apparatus, where the capability information includes a capability of supporting non-active state sensing signal transmission or a capability of supporting non-active state sensing signal measurement.

[0382] In another possible implementation, the first message is further used to instruct the first communication apparatus to enter a non-connected state.

[0383] In another possible implementation, the communication unit 1301 is further configured to send a paging message to the first communication device, where the paging message indicates that the first communication device is a transmission end of the first sensing signal. The communication unit 1301 is further configured to receive a first request message from the first communication device, where the first request message is used to indicate that the first communication device initiates an RRC resume access request to transmit the first sensing signal.

[0384] In another possible implementation, in the transmitting the first sensing signal, the communication unit 1301 is specifically configured to receive the first sensing signal. The processing unit 1302 is further configured to perform a sensing measurement on the first sensing signal to obtain a first sensing measurement result. The communication unit 1301 is further configured to send the first message to a third communication device, where the first message is used for the third communication device to receive the first sensing signal and generate a second sensing measurement result. The communication unit 1301 is further configured to receive the second sensing measurement result from the third communication device. The processing unit 1302 is further configured to perform a fusion processing on the first sensing measurement result and the second sensing measurement result to obtain a target sensing result.

[0385] In another possible implementation, the first message further includes second transmission resource information and second reference information, the second transmission resource information is used to transmit a second sensing signal, and the second reference information is associated with the second sensing signal. The communication unit 1301 is further configured to transmit the second sensing signal.

[0386] The embodiments of the application and the above-mentioned method embodiments are based on the same concept, and the technical effects brought by them are the same. For specific principles, refer to the description of the above-mentioned embodiments, and details are not repeated.

[0387] In another possible design, the communication device 130 includes a communication unit 1301 and a processing unit 1302, and the communication device 130 is configured to implement the above-mentioned communication method, for example, the communication method shown in FIG. 11. For example, the communication device is configured to perform the method performed by the second communication device.

[0388] In a possible implementation, the communication unit 1301 is configured to send a seventh message to a first communication device, where the seventh message carries first transmission resource information and first reference information, the first transmission resource information and the first reference information are used to measure a first sensing signal, and the first reference information is associated with the first sensing signal. The processing unit 1302 is configured to process the received data.

[0389] In yet another possible implementation, the seventh message is a SIB message or an RRC release message.

[0390] The embodiments of the present application and the above-mentioned method embodiments are based on the same concept and bring the same technical effects. For specific principles, refer to the description of the above-mentioned embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0391] Please refer to FIG. 14, which is a structural schematic diagram of another communication apparatus 140 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 140 can be a stand-alone device, such as a first communication apparatus or a second communication apparatus, or a component included in a stand-alone device, such as a chip, a software module, or an integrated circuit, etc. The communication apparatus 140 can include at least one processor 1401 and a communication interface 1402. Optionally, it can also include at least one memory 1403. Further optionally, it can also include a connection line 1404, wherein the processor 1401, the communication interface 1402, and / or the memory 1403 are connected through the connection line 1404, and / or communicate with each other through the connection line 1404 to transfer control signals and / or data signals.

[0392] The processor 1401 is a module for performing arithmetic operations and / or logical operations, and can specifically include one or more of the following modules: a filter, a modem, a power amplifier, a low noise amplifier (LNA), a baseband processor, a radio frequency processor, a radio frequency circuit, a CPU, an AP, a microcontroller unit (MCU), an electronic control unit (ECU), a GPU, an MPU, an ASIC, an image signal processor (ISP), a DSP, an FPGA, a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), or a co-processor, etc.

[0393] The communication interface 1402 can be used to provide information input or output for the at least one processor, or to receive externally transmitted signals and / or transmit signals to the outside.

[0394] For example, the communication interface 1402 can include interface circuits, such as input / output interfaces, chip pins, etc.

[0395] For example, the communication interface 1402 can include a wired link interface, such as an Ethernet cable, and can also be a wireless link (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, universal wireless transmission, vehicle-mounted short-range communication technology, and other short-range wireless communication technologies, etc.) interface.

[0396] Optionally, the communication interface 1402 can also include a radio frequency transmitter, an antenna, etc. In the case where the communication interface 1402 includes an antenna, the number of antennas can be one or more.

[0397] As a possible design, if the communication apparatus 140 is a standalone device, the communication interface 1402 can include a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver and the transmitter can be the same component, or can be different components. When the receiver and the transmitter are the same component, the component can be referred to as a transceiver.

[0398] As another possible design, if the communication apparatus 140 is a chip or a circuit, the communication interface 1402 can include an input interface and an output interface. The input interface and the output interface can be the same interface, or can be different interfaces.

[0399] Optionally, the functions of the communication interface 1402 can be implemented by a transceiver circuit or a dedicated chip of the transceiver.

[0400] The memory 1403 is configured to provide a storage space, in which data such as an operating system and a computer program can be stored. The memory 1403 can be one or a combination of a cache, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), and the like. The memory is any medium capable of storing or carrying the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to this. The memory in the embodiments of the present application can also be a circuit or any other device capable of realizing a storage function, configured to store computer programs or instructions, and / or data.

[0401] It is to be understood that the functions and actions of the modules or units in the above-mentioned communication apparatus 140 are only exemplary.

[0402] The various functional units in the communication device 140 can be used to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in FIGS. 11-12g, for example, to perform the method performed by the first communication device, or to perform the method performed by the second communication device.

[0403] Optionally, the processor 1401 can be a processor specially used for performing the aforementioned method (conveniently distinguished as a special-purpose processor), or a processor that performs the aforementioned method by invoking a computer program (conveniently distinguished as a special-purpose processor). Optionally, the at least one processor can include both a special-purpose processor and a general-purpose processor.

[0404] Optionally, in the case where the communication device 140 includes at least one memory 1403, if the processor 1401 performs the aforementioned communication method by invoking a computer program, the computer program can be stored in the memory 1403.

[0405] The embodiments of the present application also provide a chip, which includes a logic circuit and a communication interface. The communication interface is used to receive a signal or send a signal; the logic circuit is used to receive a signal or send a signal through the communication interface. The chip is used to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in FIGS. 11-12g, for example, to perform the method performed by the first communication device, or to perform the method performed by the second communication device.

[0406] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer readable storage medium, which stores instructions. When the instructions are run on at least one processor (or communication device), the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in FIGS. 11-12g, for example, to perform the method performed by the first communication device, or to perform the method performed by the second communication device, is implemented.

[0407] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product, which includes computer instructions. The computer instructions are used to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in FIGS. 11-12g, for example, to perform the method performed by the first communication device, or to perform the method performed by the second communication device.

[0408] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the words "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to represent as an example, illustration or description. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplarily" or "for example" in the present application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Rather, the words "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to present the relevant concept in a specific manner.

[0409] The "at least one" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application refers to one or more, and "multiple" refers to two or more. "At least one of the following" or the like refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items.

[0410] For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, (a and b), (a and c), (b and c), or (a and b and c), where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. "And / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after it.

[0411] In addition, unless otherwise stated, the ordinal numbers "first", "second", etc. used in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the order, time sequence, priority or importance of the multiple objects. For example, the first node and the second node are only used to facilitate the description of fresh parameters in different embodiments, and do not mean that their operation, importance, structure, etc. are different.

[0412] In the above embodiments, according to the context, the term "when" can be interpreted as meaning "if", "before", "determine", or "detect". The above is only an optional embodiment of the present application and does not limit the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. within the concept and principle of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

[0413] A person of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or part of the steps of the above-mentioned embodiments can be completed by hardware, or by a program instructing relevant hardware, and the program can be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as a read-only memory, a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a first communication device, and comprises the following steps: receiving a first message from a second communication device, wherein the first message carries first transmission resource information and first reference information, the first transmission resource information is used for transmitting a first sensing signal, and the first reference information is associated with the first sensing signal; in an inactive state, transmitting the first sensing signal according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first reference information comprises at least one of the following: first periodic information, first condition information and second condition information, wherein the first periodic information is periodic information of transmitting the first sensing signal, the first condition information is condition information of transmitting the first sensing signal, and the second condition information is condition information of reporting a sensing measurement result.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first condition information comprises at least one of the following: a change in relative position between the first communication device and the second communication device is less than a first preset range; a fluctuation in reference signal received power or reference signal received quality is less than a second preset range; or a difference between a current time at which the first sensing signal is to be transmitted and a time at which a sensing signal was last transmitted is greater than or equal to a first time value.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further comprises the following steps: in a connected state, sending capability information to the second communication device, wherein the capability information comprises a capability of supporting inactive-state sensing signal transmission or a capability of supporting inactive-state sensing signal measurement.

5. The method of any one of claims 1-3, wherein: the first message is further used to instruct the first communication device to enter an inactive state.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, Before the step of receiving the first message from the second communication device, the method further comprises the following steps: in an inactive state, receiving a paging message from the second communication device, wherein the paging message instructs the first communication device to be a sending end of the first sensing signal; sending a first request message to the second communication device, wherein the first request message is used to instruct the first communication device to initiate a radio resource control (RRC) resume access request to send the first sensing signal.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first condition information further comprises that the first communication device is in a coverage range of the second communication device, and the step of transmitting the first sensing signal in the inactive state according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information comprises the following step: in the inactive state, receiving the first sensing signal according to the first transmission resource information and the first reference information. The method further comprises the following step: performing sensing measurement on the first sensing signal to obtain a sensing measurement result.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein, The method further comprises the following steps: if a second condition is met and the first communication device is in a coverage area of a third communication device, sending a second request message to the third communication device, wherein the second request message is used to instruct the first communication device to initiate an RRC resume access request to send a sensing measurement result; receiving a third message from the third communication device, wherein the third message is used to instruct to establish a communication connection between the first communication device and the third communication device; sending a fourth message to the third communication device, wherein the fourth message is used to indicate that the communication connection between the first communication device and the third communication device is restored, and the fourth message carries the sensing measurement result.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The second condition includes at least one of the following: a preset reporting period is met; a current reference signal receiving power is lower than or higher than a first preset power value; the sensing signal receiving power is lower than or higher than the first preset power value; or a difference between a current time for sending the sensing measurement result and a time for sending the sensing measurement result last time is greater than or equal to a first time value.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, The sending of the second request message to the third communication device includes: initiating random access if the second condition is met and a reporting condition of small data transmission (SDT) data is met; sending the second request message to the third communication device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The initiation of random access includes: initiating random access through a sensing SDT corresponding preamble sequence.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The first message further includes second transmission resource information and second reference information, the second transmission resource information is used for transmitting a second sensing signal, and the second reference information is associated with the second sensing signal; and the method further includes: transmitting the second sensing signal according to the second transmission resource information and the second reference information in the inactive state.

13. A method of communication, comprising: The method applied to the second communication device includes: sending a first message to a first communication device, wherein the first message carries first transmission resource information and first reference information, the first transmission resource information is used for transmitting a first sensing signal, and the first reference information is associated with the first sensing signal; transmitting the first sensing signal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The first reference information includes at least one of the following: first period information, first condition information, and second condition information, wherein the first period information is period information of transmitting the first sensing signal, the first condition information is condition information of transmitting the first sensing signal, and the second condition information is condition information of reporting a sensing measurement result.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The first condition information includes at least one of the following: a change in relative position between the first communication device and the second communication device is less than a first preset range; a fluctuation in reference signal receiving power or reference signal receiving quality is less than a second preset range; or a difference between a current time for transmitting the first sensing signal and a time for transmitting the sensing signal last time is greater than or equal to a first time value.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein, The second condition information includes at least one of the following: a preset reporting period is met; a fluctuation in reference signal receiving power or reference signal receiving quality is less than a second preset range; a fluctuation in sensing signal receiving power or sensing signal receiving quality is less than a third preset range; or a difference between a current time for sending the sensing measurement result and a time for sending the sensing measurement result last time is greater than or equal to a first time value.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13-16, characterized by, The method further includes: receiving capability information from the first communication device, wherein the capability information includes a capability of supporting sensing signal transmission in the inactive state or a capability of supporting sensing signal measurement in the inactive state.

18. The method of any one of claims 13-16, wherein the first message is further configured to instruct the first communication device to enter an unconnected state. The method further comprises, before the transmitting the first message to the first communication device:

19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that, transmitting a paging message to the first communication device, wherein the paging message is configured to instruct the first communication device to be a transmitting end of the first sensing signal; receiving a first request message from the first communication device, wherein the first request message is configured to indicate that the first communication device initiates an RRC resume access request to transmit the first sensing signal. The transmitting the first sensing signal comprises:

20. The method according to any one of claims 13-16, characterized by, receiving the first sensing signal. The method further comprises: performing sensing measurement on the first sensing signal to obtain a first sensing measurement result; transmitting the first message to a third communication device, wherein the first message is configured to instruct the third communication device to receive the first sensing signal and generate a second sensing measurement result; receiving the second sensing measurement result from the third communication device; performing fusion processing on the first sensing measurement result and the second sensing measurement result to obtain a target sensing result. The first message further comprises second transmission resource information and second reference information, the second transmission resource information is configured to transmit a second sensing signal, and the second reference information is associated with the second sensing signal; the method further comprises:

21. The method according to any one of claims 13-20, characterized in that, transmitting the second sensing signal. The communication device comprises a communication unit and a processing unit, and the communication unit and the processing unit are configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1-12.

22. A communications device, characterized by The communication device comprises a communication unit and a processing unit, and the communication unit and the processing unit are configured to perform the method of any one of claims 13-21.

23. A communications device, characterized by The communication device comprises a processor.

24. A communications device, characterized by When the processor invokes a computer program or instructions in a memory, the method of any one of claims 1-12 is implemented. The communication device comprises a processor.

25. A communications device, characterized by When the processor invokes a computer program or instructions in a memory, the method of any one of claims 13-21 is implemented. The communication device comprises a logic circuit and an interface, and the logic circuit and the interface are coupled.

26. A communications device, characterized by The interface is configured to input and / or output information, and the logic circuit is configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1-21. The communication device is a chip or a chip system.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein, The computer readable storage medium is configured to store instructions or a computer program.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, When the instructions or the computer program are executed, the method of any one of claims 1-21 is implemented. The communication device comprises:

29. A computer program product, characterised in that, instructions or a computer program; When the instructions or the computer program are executed, the method of any one of claims 1-21 is implemented. ​

Images