Communication method, communication apparatus, and communication system

Abstract

A communication method, a communication apparatus, and a communication system. In the method, a synchronization block sent by a first node comprises at least one training signal and synchronization information. The synchronization block occupies consecutive time domain resources, and therefore, a second node can quickly obtain the training signal and the synchronization information, and quickly complete time and frequency synchronization on the basis of the training signal and the synchronization information, thereby facilitating the reduction of the delay of data transmission and the delay of connection establishment. In addition, the synchronization information comprises identifier information of the first node, so that on the basis of the identifier information of the first node, the second node can accurately determine whether time and frequency synchronization can be performed on the basis of the training signal in the synchronization block, thereby facilitating quick and accurate synchronization.

Description

Communication method, communication apparatus and communication system

[0001] Cross-reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202411127954.9, filed on August 15, 2024, and entitled "A communication method, a communication apparatus and a communication system", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, a communication apparatus and a communication system. BACKGROUND

[0004] Wireless short-range communication refers to the transmission of information between the transmitting and receiving parties through radio waves, and the transmission distance is tens of meters indoors to hundreds of meters outdoors. Wireless short-range communication enables short-range communication devices to move at low speed within a limited space while maintaining network connectivity.

[0005] When the first node and the second node communicate, the first node sends a synchronization signal to the second node, and the second node completes time and frequency synchronization (referred to as time-frequency synchronization) with the first node based on the synchronization signal.

[0006] In the current technology, the synchronization time between the second node and the first node is relatively long, which leads to a relatively large time delay in data transmission and connection establishment. SUMMARY

[0007] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, a communication apparatus and a communication system to reduce the time delay of data transmission and connection establishment.

[0008] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, which can be applied to a first node, a module (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) in the first node, or a logical node, a logical module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the first node. The method comprises: generating a synchronization block, the synchronization block comprising at least one training signal (TS) and synchronization information, the synchronization block occupying continuous time domain resources, the synchronization information comprising identification information of the first node, the at least one training signal being used for at least one second node to perform time and frequency synchronization with the first node; and sending the synchronization block to the at least one second node.

[0009] Based on the above scheme, the synchronization block sent by the first node contains at least one training signal and synchronization information. Since the synchronization block occupies continuous time domain resources, the second node can quickly obtain the training signal and the synchronization information, and quickly complete time and frequency synchronization based on the training signal and the synchronization information, which helps to reduce the time delay of data transmission and connection establishment. Moreover, the identification information of the first node is contained in the synchronization information, so that the second node can accurately determine whether to perform time and frequency synchronization based on the training signal in the synchronization block according to the identification information of the first node, which helps to realize fast and accurate synchronization.

[0010] In a possible implementation method, the synchronization information further includes one or more of the following information:

[0011] First information, the first information is used to indicate the transmission period of the synchronization block;

[0012] Second information, the second information is used to indicate the minimum time length of the current carrier channel occupied by the first node;

[0013] Third information, the third information is used to indicate the transmission mode of the first node, the transmission mode is continuous transmission mode or discontinuous transmission mode;

[0014] Fourth information, the fourth information is used to indicate whether the first node switches to other carrier channels; or,

[0015] Cyclic redundancy check sequence, the cyclic redundancy check sequence is used to check the information carried in the synchronization information.

[0016] Based on the above scheme, by carrying the first information in the synchronization information, the second node can periodically receive the synchronization block and perform time and frequency synchronization based on the synchronization block, so that the second node can maintain close time and frequency synchronization with the first node, which can improve the accuracy of time and frequency synchronization, and further help to accurately schedule the second node for data transmission.

[0017] By carrying the second information in the synchronization information, the second node in the same communication domain as the first node can arrange data transmission and sleep according to the minimum time length of the current carrier channel occupied by the first node. Other nodes in different communication domains as the first node can perform backoff on the current carrier channel occupied by the first node according to the minimum time length of the current carrier channel occupied by the first node, so as to avoid mutual interference between adjacent communication domains.

[0018] By carrying the third information in the synchronization information, the second node can know the transmission mode of the first node, which helps the second node to more accurately perform data transmission with the first node.

[0019] By carrying the fourth information in the synchronization information, the second node can keep frequency domain synchronization with the first node, keep continuity of data transmission, greatly improve throughput of the communication domain, and reduce time delay of data transmission.

[0020] By carrying the cyclic redundancy check sequence in the synchronization information, the second node can check information carried in the synchronization information based on the cyclic redundancy check sequence, which helps to improve speed and accuracy of time and frequency synchronization.

[0021] In a possible implementation, a transmission period of the synchronization block is an integer multiple of a transmission time interval, and the transmission time interval represents a unit time for one transceiving interaction between the first node and one or more nodes of the at least one second node.

[0022] Based on the foregoing scheme, the transmission period of the synchronization block is set as an integer multiple of the transmission time interval, which helps to simplify design and improve data transmission efficiency.

[0023] In a possible implementation, a minimum time length occupied by the first node in the current carrier channel is a positive integer multiple of the transmission period of the synchronization block.

[0024] Based on the foregoing scheme, the minimum time length occupied by the first node in the current carrier channel is set as a positive integer multiple of the synchronization block, which helps to simplify design and improve data transmission efficiency.

[0025] In a possible implementation, when a time length occupied by the first node in the current carrier channel reaches a maximum allowed value, the fourth information is used to instruct the first node to switch to another carrier channel; or when the first node detects interference in the current carrier channel, the fourth information is used to instruct the first node to switch to another carrier channel.

[0026] Based on the foregoing scheme, the first node sends the fourth information, so that the second node can keep frequency domain synchronization with the first node, keep continuity of data transmission, greatly improve throughput of the communication domain, and reduce time delay of data transmission.

[0027] In a possible implementation, the at least one training signal includes a first training signal and a second training signal, the first training signal carries a first training sequence, the second training signal carries a second training sequence, and the first training signal and the second training signal are used for time and frequency synchronization of the at least one second node to the first node.

[0028] Based on the above scheme, accurate time and frequency synchronization between the second node and the first node can be achieved, and the accuracy of data transmission is improved.

[0029] In a possible implementation, the at least one training signal further includes a third training signal, the third training signal carries a third training sequence, and the third training signal is used for channel estimation or is used for channel estimation and time and frequency synchronization of the at least one second node to the first node.

[0030] Based on the above scheme, the second node can perform channel estimation based on the third training signal, and the synchronization information in the synchronization block can be decoded and demodulated more accurately.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the broadcast information is sent to the at least one second node, and the broadcast information is used to indicate the number of symbols occupied by the control information, and the control information is used to indicate the target carrier channel number of the carrier switching.

[0032] Based on the above scheme, the target carrier channel number of the carrier switching is sent through the control information, so that the second node can accurately keep frequency domain synchronization with the first node, and the correctness of data transmission is improved.

[0033] In a possible implementation, the control information is located after the broadcast information in time sequence and adjacent to the broadcast information, or the control information is located after the at least one training signal in time sequence and adjacent to the at least one training signal, or the control information is located after the reference signal corresponding to the control information in time sequence and adjacent to the reference signal.

[0034] In a possible implementation, the sending of the synchronization block to the second node includes: sending the synchronization block to the second node on a single carrier channel, or sending the synchronization block to the second node on multiple carrier channels in a repeated manner.

[0035] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a second node, a module (for example, a circuit, a chip, or a chip system) in the second node, or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the second node. The method includes: receiving a synchronization block from a first node, the synchronization block including at least one training signal and synchronization information, the synchronization block occupying continuous time domain resources, the synchronization information including identification information of the first node, and the at least one training signal being used for time and frequency synchronization of the second node to the first node; and performing time and frequency synchronization to the first node according to the synchronization block.

[0036] Based on the above scheme, the synchronization block sent by the first node contains at least one training signal and synchronization information. Since the synchronization block occupies continuous time domain resources, the second node can quickly obtain the training signal and the synchronization information, and quickly complete time and frequency synchronization based on the training signal and the synchronization information, which helps to reduce the time delay of data transmission and connection establishment. Moreover, the identification information of the first node is contained in the synchronization information, so that the second node can accurately determine whether to perform time and frequency synchronization based on the training signal in the synchronization block according to the identification information of the first node, which helps to realize fast and accurate synchronization.

[0037] In a possible implementation method, the synchronization information further includes one or more of the following information:

[0038] First information, the first information is used to indicate the transmission period of the synchronization block;

[0039] Second information, the second information is used to indicate the minimum time length of the current carrier channel occupied by the first node;

[0040] Third information, the third information is used to indicate the transmission mode of the first node, the transmission mode is continuous transmission mode or discontinuous transmission mode;

[0041] Fourth information, the fourth information is used to indicate whether the first node switches to other carrier channels; or

[0042] Cyclic redundancy check sequence, the cyclic redundancy check sequence is used to check the information carried in the synchronization information.

[0043] Based on the above scheme, by carrying the first information in the synchronization information, the second node can periodically receive the synchronization block and perform time and frequency synchronization based on the synchronization block, so that the second node can maintain close time and frequency synchronization with the first node, which can improve the accuracy of time and frequency synchronization, and further help to accurately schedule the second node for data transmission.

[0044] By carrying the second information in the synchronization information, the second node in the same communication domain as the first node can arrange data transmission and sleep according to the minimum time length of the current carrier channel occupied by the first node. Other nodes in different communication domains as the first node can perform backoff on the current carrier channel occupied by the first node according to the minimum time length of the current carrier channel occupied by the first node, so as to avoid mutual interference between adjacent communication domains.

[0045] By carrying the third information in the synchronization information, the second node can know the transmission mode of the first node, which helps the second node to more accurately perform data transmission with the first node.

[0046] By carrying the fourth information in the synchronization information, the second node can keep frequency domain synchronization with the first node, keep continuity of data transmission, greatly improve throughput of the communication domain, and reduce time delay of data transmission.

[0047] By carrying the cyclic redundancy check sequence in the synchronization information, the second node can check information carried in the synchronization information based on the cyclic redundancy check sequence, which helps to improve speed and accuracy of time and frequency synchronization.

[0048] In a possible implementation, the transmission period of the synchronization block is an integer multiple of a transmission time interval, and the transmission time interval represents a unit time for one transceiving interaction between the first node and one or more nodes of the at least one second node.

[0049] Based on the above scheme, the transmission period of the synchronization block is set as an integer multiple of the transmission time interval, which helps to simplify design and improve data transmission efficiency.

[0050] In a possible implementation, the minimum time length of the current carrier channel occupied by the first node is a positive integer multiple of the transmission period of the synchronization block.

[0051] Based on the above scheme, the minimum time length of the current carrier channel occupied by the first node is set as a positive integer multiple of the synchronization block, which helps to simplify design and improve data transmission efficiency.

[0052] In a possible implementation, when the time length of the current carrier channel occupied by the first node reaches a maximum allowed value, the fourth information is used to indicate that the first node switches to another carrier channel; or when the first node detects interference on the current carrier channel, the fourth information is used to indicate that the first node switches to another carrier channel.

[0053] Based on the above scheme, the first node sends the fourth information, so that the second node can keep frequency domain synchronization with the first node, keep continuity of data transmission, greatly improve throughput of the communication domain, and reduce time delay of data transmission.

[0054] In a possible implementation, the at least one training signal includes a first training signal and a second training signal, the first training signal carries a first training sequence, the second training signal carries a second training sequence, and the first training signal and the second training signal are used for time and frequency synchronization of the at least one second node to the first node.

[0055] Based on the above scheme, accurate time and frequency synchronization between the second node and the first node can be achieved, which helps to improve the accuracy of data transmission.

[0056] In a possible implementation, the at least one training signal further includes a third training signal, the third training signal carries a third training sequence, and the third training signal is used for channel estimation, or the third training signal is used for channel estimation and for time and frequency synchronization of the at least one second node to the first node.

[0057] Based on the above scheme, the second node can perform channel estimation based on the third training signal, which helps to more accurately decode and demodulate the synchronization information in the synchronization block.

[0058] In a possible implementation, broadcast information from the first node is received, and the broadcast information is used to indicate the number of symbols occupied by control information, and the control information is used to indicate the target carrier channel number of carrier switching.

[0059] Based on the above scheme, the target carrier channel number of carrier switching is sent through the control information, so that the second node can accurately maintain frequency domain synchronization with the first node, which helps to improve the correctness of data transmission.

[0060] In a possible implementation, the control information is located after the broadcast information in time sequence and adjacent to the broadcast information, or the control information is located after the at least one training signal in time sequence and adjacent to the at least one training signal, or the control information is located after the reference signal corresponding to the control information in time sequence and adjacent to the reference signal.

[0061] In a possible implementation, the receiving the synchronization block from the first node includes receiving the synchronization block from the first node on a single carrier channel, or receiving the synchronization block from the first node on multiple carrier channels in a repeated manner.

[0062] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which has the function of implementing the first aspect, for example, the communication device includes a module, unit or means corresponding to the operation of the first aspect, which can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0063] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which has the function of the second aspect, e.g., the communication apparatus includes modules, units or means corresponding to the operations of the second aspect, which can be implemented in software, or in hardware, or in a combination of software and hardware.

[0064] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which includes an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled to a memory. The memory is used to store part or all of the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions of the first aspect. The one or more processors can execute the computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication apparatus to implement the method of any possible design or implementation of the first aspect. The interface circuit is used to implement the communication function within the communication apparatus and / or the communication function of the communication apparatus with other apparatuses or components.

[0065] The communication apparatus can be the first node, a module (e.g., a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) in the first node, or a logical node, a logical module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first node.

[0066] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which includes an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled to a memory. The memory is used to store part or all of the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions of the second aspect. The one or more processors can execute the computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication apparatus to implement the method of any possible design or implementation of the second aspect. The interface circuit is used to implement the communication function within the communication apparatus and / or the communication function of the communication apparatus with other apparatuses or components.

[0067] The communication apparatus can be the second node, a module (e.g., a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) in the second node, or a logical node, a logical module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second node.

[0068] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a chip (or a chip system), which includes a processor for executing any possible implementation method of the first aspect to the second aspect.

[0069] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, implement the method of any possible design of the first aspect to the second aspect.

[0070] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which comprises a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect to the second aspect is implemented.

[0071] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which comprises a first node for implementing the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect, and a second node for implementing the method in any possible implementation of the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0072] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a possible communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a flow of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a synchronization block;

[0075] FIG. 4 is an example diagram of a frame structure based on a periodic synchronization block, broadcast information and control information according to the present application;

[0076] FIG. 5 is an example diagram of a frame structure of wireless short-range communication according to the present application;

[0077] FIG. 6 is a possible example block diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG. 7 is a possible example block diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0079] Firstly, the communication system and network architecture to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable are introduced in conjunction with FIG. 1.

[0080] The method provided in the application can be applied to various communication systems, for example, can be an internet of things (IoT) system, a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, a short-range wireless communication network system, for example, a sparklink communication network system (including a sparklink basic (SLB) access technology and a sparklink low energy (SLE) access technology, a sparklink positioning (SLP) access technology), a bluetooth low energy (BLE), can also be a 5th-generation (5G) communication system, and a new communication system in future communication development, etc.

[0081] The technical solution provided in the application can also be applied to machine type communication (MTC), long term evolution-machine (LTE-M), device-to-device (D2D) network, machine to machine (M2M) network, internet of things (IoT) network or other network. The IoT network can include a vehicle network, for example. The communication mode in the vehicle network system is collectively referred to as vehicle-to-everything (V2X, X can represent any thing), for example, the V2X can include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication or vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication, etc.

[0082] In the above-mentioned various communication systems, a device with communication capability can be referred to as a node, and can also be referred to as a communication node. For example, the node can include a handheld terminal, a vehicle, a vehicle-mounted device, or a network-side device, a user equipment, an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user device, etc. independent device, or a component (such as a chip or an integrated circuit) contained in an independent device. The node can be any possible intelligent terminal device (such as a mobile phone), intelligent transportation device (such as a vehicle, a drone, etc.), intelligent manufacturing device, intelligent home device (such as a large screen, a sound box, etc.), etc.

[0083] The node in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various application scenarios, such as the following application scenarios: mobile internet (MI), industrial control, self driving, transportation safety, internet of things (IoT), smart city, or smart home, etc. In some application scenarios or some network types, the name of a device with similar communication capability can not be called a node, but can also be called a device, and the present application does not make any limitation in this regard.

[0084] For example, in the following Figure 1, the nodes can communicate with each other through D2D technology, M2M technology or V2X technology, etc.

[0085] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a possible communication system according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system can include at least one first node (such as a network device) and at least one second node (such as a terminal device). In this document, the first node can also be referred to as a first device, and the second node can also be referred to as a second device, which are not distinguished in this document. The first node and the second node are introduced as follows:

[0086] Exemplarily, the first node can be a master device, specifically, a next generation node B (gNB), a next generation evolved node B (ng-eNB), a node in a short-range wireless communication network system (e.g., a master node or a management node or a G node in a Starlink communication network system), or an access network device in a future communication network, etc. The master device can be any kind of device with wireless transceiving function. The master device can be an access node, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, etc. in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. The master device can be a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. The master device can be a wearable device or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. The master device can also be a small station, a transmission reception point (TRP) (or also referred to as a transmission point), etc.

[0087] Exemplarily, the second node can be a terminal device, which can also be referred to as a user equipment (UE) or a terminal, etc. The terminal device is a kind of device with wireless transceiving function, which can be deployed on land, including indoor or outdoor, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on water, such as a ship, etc.; can also be deployed in the air, for example, deployed on an airplane, a balloon or a satellite, etc. The terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with wireless transceiving function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical treatment, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, etc. It can be understood that the terminal device can also be a node in a short-range wireless communication network system (e.g., a slave node or a terminal node or a T node in a Starlink communication network system, or a station in a WiFi system, etc.), a terminal device in a future communication network, etc.

[0088] It can be understood that the terminal device shown in the present application can not only include a vehicle (such as a whole vehicle) in the vehicle network, but also include a vehicle-mounted device or a vehicle-mounted terminal in the vehicle network, and the present application does not limit the specific form of the terminal device applied to the vehicle network.

[0089] It should be understood that FIG. 1 exemplarily shows one first node (such as the network device shown in FIG. 1) and six second nodes (such as the terminal devices shown in FIG. 1), and the communication links between the nodes. Optionally, the communication system can also include a plurality of first nodes, and each first node can include other numbers of second nodes (such as more or fewer terminal devices) within the coverage range of the first node, and the present application does not limit this.

[0090] Optionally, the communication links between the above-mentioned communication devices can include various types of connection media, including wired links (such as optical fibers), wireless links, or a combination of wired links and wireless links, etc. For example, the short-range wireless connection technology can include star flash, 802.11b / g, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, Zigbee, radio frequency identification (RFID), ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, impulse radio (IR) ultra-wideband (IR-UWB), or a wireless short-range communication system (such as a vehicle-mounted wireless short-range communication system), etc.

[0091] The above-mentioned communication devices, such as the first node, the second node 1 to the second node 6 in FIG. 1, can be configured with multiple antennas. The multiple antennas can include at least one transmitting antenna for transmitting signals and at least one receiving antenna for receiving signals, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific structure of the communication devices. Optionally, the communication system can also include a network controller, a mobile management entity, and other network entities, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0092] It can be understood that the communication architecture diagram shown in FIG. 1 is only an example, and other forms of communication architecture diagrams can refer to related standards or protocols, etc., which will not be described one by one here.

[0093] Wireless short-range communication refers to that the transmitting and receiving parties transmit information through radio waves, and the transmission distance is tens of meters indoors to hundreds of meters outdoors. Wireless short-range communication enables short-range communication devices to move at low speed in a limited space and always maintain network connection.

[0094] In wireless short-range communication, an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal with a physical bandwidth of about 20 megahertz (MHz) is called a carrier, and a carrier is composed of a plurality of continuous subcarriers. The center frequency point (i.e., the direct current (DC) subcarrier) of the carrier is called the carrier frequency. The subcarrier spacing of OFDM is 120 kilohertz (kHz) or 480 kHz. When the subcarrier spacing is 120 kHz, a carrier is composed of 167 continuous subcarriers; when the subcarrier spacing is 480 kHz, a carrier is composed of 39 continuous subcarriers. Taking a carrier including 39 subcarriers as an example, the 39 subcarriers are sequentially numbered as #0, #1, …, #38 in the order of corresponding frequencies from low to high, wherein the subcarrier numbered #19 is called the DC subcarrier, and the other 38 subcarriers except the DC subcarrier are called effective subcarriers. The nodes in wireless short-range communication can work on a plurality of continuous or discontinuous carriers, and the plurality of carriers form a carrier group, for example, 4 carriers can form an 80 MHz working bandwidth.

[0095] When the first node communicates with the second node, the first node sends a synchronization signal to the second node, and the second node completes time and frequency synchronization with the first node based on the synchronization signal.

[0096] In the prior art, the synchronization signal sent by the first node is scattered in a plurality of symbols discontinuous in time, which leads to a relatively long synchronization time between the second node and the first node, and further leads to a relatively large time delay of data transmission and connection establishment.

[0097] To solve the above problems, the present application provides corresponding solutions.

[0098] The communication method and device will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It can be understood that the first node and the second node are taken as an example of the execution subject of the interaction in the present application, but the present application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction. For example, the method executed by the first node in the present application can also be implemented by a module (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) in the first node, or a logical node, a logical module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the first node; the method executed by the second node in the present application can also be implemented by a module (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) in the second node, or a logical node, a logical module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the second node.

[0099] In the present application, the first node can be a management node or a G node in SLB or SLE, can also be a master in BLE, and can also be an AP in WiFi standard, and the present application does not limit this.

[0100] In the present application, the second node can be a terminal device, a terminal node or a T node in SLB or SLE, can also be a slave in BLE, and can also be an STA in WiFi standard, and the present application does not limit this.

[0101] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method comprises the following steps:

[0102] Step 201, a first node generates a synchronization block.

[0103] The synchronization block comprises at least one training signal and synchronization information, and the synchronization block occupies continuous time domain resources, such as a plurality of continuous orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, slots, sub-frames or radio frames.

[0104] The synchronization information is located after the at least one training signal, or the synchronization information is located before the at least one training signal.

[0105] Exemplarily, each training signal corresponds to an OFDM symbol with a cyclic prefix (CP), or the first training signal occupies 1 OFDM symbol resource, the second training signal occupies 2 CP-OFDM symbol resources, and so on.

[0106] In the present application, the synchronization block can also be referred to as a system synchronization block (SSB) or a synchronization information block.

[0107] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a synchronization block. In this example, the synchronization block occupies continuous time domain resources, the synchronization information is adjacent to the at least one training signal in time, and the synchronization information is located after the at least one training signal. The synchronization block occupies continuous time domain resources, which means that the CP-OFDM symbols constituting the synchronization block are continuous in time and do not have a time interval. The synchronization block adopts the above-mentioned compact synchronization design, which will be beneficial to the second node receiving the synchronization block, and the second node can quickly complete time-frequency synchronization to the first node through processing of a single synchronization block.

[0108] In one implementation, the at least one training signal includes a first training signal (FTS) and a second training signal (STS). The first training signal carries a first training sequence, and is used for initial or coarse time and frequency synchronization of the at least one second node to the first node, and optionally, is also used for automatic gain control (AGC). The second training signal carries a second training sequence, and is used for further or fine time and frequency synchronization of the at least one second node to the first node. Exemplarily, the first training sequence and the second training sequence are different Zadoff-Chu sequences (ZC sequences). In terms of transmission timing, the FTS can be transmitted before the STS, or the STS can be transmitted before the FTS.

[0109] In this application, the time and frequency synchronization to the first node is also referred to as the time and frequency synchronization with the first node, or the time and frequency synchronization of the first node, which have the same meaning.

[0110] In another implementation, the at least one training signal includes a first training signal, a second training signal, and a third training signal (TTS). The first training signal carries a first training sequence, and is used for initial or coarse time and frequency synchronization of the at least one second node to the first node, and optionally, is also used for automatic gain control. The second training signal carries a second training sequence, and is used for further or fine time and frequency synchronization of the at least one second node to the first node. The third training signal carries a third training sequence, and is used for channel estimation, or is used for channel estimation and time and frequency synchronization, which refers to the further or fine time and frequency synchronization of the at least one second node to the first node. Exemplarily, the first training sequence, the second training sequence, and the third training sequence are different ZC sequences. In terms of transmission timing, the transmission order among the FTS, the STS, and the TTS is not limited. Based on this method, the second node can perform channel estimation based on the third training signal, which helps to more accurately decode and demodulate the synchronization information in the synchronization block.

[0111] In the embodiments of the present application, the training signal can also be referred to as a signal, a synchronization symbol or a synchronization signal, and therefore the first training signal, the second training signal and the third training signal can also be referred to as a first signal, a second signal and a third signal respectively, or referred to as a first synchronization symbol, a second synchronization symbol and a third synchronization symbol respectively, or referred to as a first synchronization signal, a second synchronization signal and a third synchronization signal respectively, or referred to by other names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0112] In the embodiments of the present application, the synchronization information can also be referred to as synchronization auxiliary information, information for synchronization, auxiliary synchronization information or auxiliary information, or other names.

[0113] In an implementation method, the synchronization information can occupy N consecutive OFDM symbols with a cyclic prefix in time, N is a positive integer, for example, N = 1, 2, 3 or 4, etc. Exemplarily, the synchronization information can be modulated by using a low-order modulation and coding scheme (MCS) (for example, a binary phase shift keying (BPSK) with a code rate of 1 / 2 or a quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) with a code rate of 1 / 4), and encoded by using a reliable channel. Exemplarily, the channel coding of the information bits in the synchronization information can use a polar code or a low-density parity check code (LDPC).

[0114] Exemplarily, the synchronization information includes one or more of the following 1) to 6):

[0115] 1) identification information of the first node.

[0116] The identification information of the first node is identity information for indicating the sending node (i.e. the first node) that sends the synchronization block. Since the second node needs to be synchronized with the first node, through the identification information of the first node, the second node can find the synchronization block that needs to be synchronized.

[0117] Exemplarily, the identification information of the first node can be obtained by performing a hash operation on the layer 2 ID of the first node by the first node, and the identification information of the first node can be a 16-bit, 24-bit or 32-bit bit sequence. Compared with the 48-bit layer 2 ID, it is compressed, thus reducing the transmission overhead.

[0118] By including the identification information of the first node in the synchronization information, the second node can accurately determine whether to perform time and frequency synchronization based on the training signal in the synchronization block according to the identification information of the first node. For example, when the first node is the management node of the second node, i.e., the second node and the first node belong to the same communication domain, the second node determines to use the training signal in the synchronization block to perform time and frequency synchronization. For another example, when the first node is not the management node of the second node, i.e., the second node and the first node do not belong to the same communication domain, the second node determines not to use the training signal in the synchronization block to perform time and frequency synchronization. Wherein, when the first node is a G node, the identification information of the first node can be the identification of the communication domain.

[0119] 2) first information, the first information is used to indicate the transmission period of the synchronization block.

[0120] The first information is also called synchronization block transmission period information.

[0121] The transmission period of the synchronization block refers to the time interval between two adjacent synchronization blocks, i.e., the time interval between the transmission start time of the previous synchronization block and the transmission start time of the next synchronization block.

[0122] In an implementation method, the transmission period of the synchronization block can be 0.25 milliseconds (ms), 0.5 ms, 1 ms, 2 ms, 4 ms or 8 ms, etc., which can be indicated by 2 bits or 3 bits of indication bits. Taking the use of 3 bits to indicate the transmission period of the synchronization block as an example, when the first information takes the value of 000, it indicates that the transmission period of the synchronization block is 0.25 ms; when the first information takes the value of 001, it indicates that the transmission period of the synchronization block is 0.5 ms, etc. Taking the use of 2 bits to indicate the transmission period of the synchronization block as an example, when the first information takes the value of 00, it indicates that the transmission period of the synchronization block is 1 ms; when the first information takes the value of 01, it indicates that the transmission period of the synchronization block is 2 ms; when the first information takes the value of 10, it indicates that the transmission period of the synchronization block is 4 ms; when the first information takes the value of 11, it indicates that the transmission period of the synchronization block is 8 ms, etc.

[0123] In another implementation, the transmission period of the synchronization block is an integer multiple of a transmission time interval (TTI), such as 1, 2, or 3, and so on. The transmission time interval represents a unit time for one transceiving interaction between the first node and one or more of the at least one second node. One transmission time interval can include one or more downlink radio frames (also referred to as G-link radio frames) for downlink data transmission and / or one or more uplink radio frames (also referred to as T-link radio frames) for uplink data transmission. Each radio frame is a time unit of a preset length, which can be used for data transmission of the first node and / or the second node. When the transmission time interval includes both downlink radio frames and uplink radio frames, there is a switching radio frame in the transmission time interval, which is used to switch from the downlink radio frame to the uplink radio frame.

[0124] In one implementation, for a star flash communication system, the length of one TTI can be 1 ms, including 8 radio frames, some of which are used for G-link (downlink) data transmission or T-link (uplink) data transmission, and between the uplink radio frame and the downlink radio frame, there is a radio frame for switching between uplink and downlink. One TTI can include a synchronization block, broadcast information, control information (i.e., scheduling information), downlink and uplink data transmission, and acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement, and so on.

[0125] By periodically transmitting the synchronization block, the following benefits are achieved: the second node can receive the synchronization block multiple times periodically and synchronize time and frequency based on the synchronization block, so that the second node can maintain close time and frequency synchronization with the first node, the accuracy of time and frequency synchronization can be improved, and thus it is beneficial to accurately schedule the second node for data transmission or reduce the interference of the second node to the data transmission of the first node.

[0126] For the at least one second node, the identification information of the first node is used to indicate the identity information of the transmitter of the synchronization block, so that in the case of dense networking, the second node can also accurately identify the identification information of the first node to determine whether the synchronization block is the synchronization block of the target node, the synchronization relationship will not be changed by the synchronization block of other nodes adjacent to the target node, and the synchronization block of the target node (e.g., the first node) is periodically received according to the periodic information (i.e., the first information) of the synchronization block of the target node.

[0127] 3) The second information is used to indicate the minimum time length of the current carrier channel occupied by the first node.

[0128] The second information is also referred to as channel occupancy time (COT) information.

[0129] Exemplarily, the minimum time length that the first node occupies the current carrier channel is a positive integer multiple of the transmission period of the synchronization block. That is, the minimum time length that the first node occupies the current carrier channel is equal to M*the transmission period of the synchronization block, where M is a positive integer, and M represents the number of continuously transmitted synchronization blocks. It should be noted that when M=1, it means that the minimum time length that the first node occupies the current carrier channel is equal to the transmission period of the synchronization block, and then the first node does not transmit the synchronization block after transmitting the synchronization block on the current carrier channel.

[0130] By carrying the second information in the synchronization information, the following advantages exist: the second node in the same communication domain as the first node can arrange data transmission and sleep according to the minimum time length that the first node occupies the current carrier channel. Other nodes in different communication domains as the first node can back off on the current carrier channel occupied by the first node according to the minimum time length that the first node occupies the current carrier channel, so as to avoid mutual interference between adjacent communication domains.

[0131] 4) The third information is used to indicate the transmission mode of the first node, and the transmission mode is a continuous transmission mode or a discontinuous transmission mode.

[0132] The continuous transmission mode means that the first node continuously occupies the same carrier channel.

[0133] The discontinuous transmission mode means that the first node does not continuously occupy the same carrier channel, that is, the first node occupies the carrier channel with a maximum channel occupation time length. When the occupation of the carrier channel reaches the maximum channel occupation time length, the first node will not be able to continue to occupy the carrier channel. When the first node needs to transmit and receive data subsequently, the first node needs to transmit the synchronization block to compete for the channel, and in the case of successfully competing for the carrier channel, the first node can occupy the carrier channel again.

[0134] Exemplarily, the third information can be 1-bit information. For example, when the third information takes a value of 0, it means that the transmission mode of the first node is the discontinuous transmission mode. When the third information takes a value of 1, it means that the transmission mode of the first node is the continuous transmission mode.

[0135] Exemplarily, when the first node works in a 5.8 gigahertz (GHz) frequency band, the first node can adopt the continuous transmission mode, adopt a transmission power of not higher than 14 decibel-milliwatts (dBm), and continuously transmit the synchronization block without interruption according to the transmission period of the synchronization block.

[0136] Exemplarily, when the first node works in a 5.1 GHz frequency band, the first node can adopt the discontinuous transmission mode, switch to another carrier channel after occupying the maximum channel occupation time length on one carrier channel, and continue to transmit the synchronization block according to the transmission period of the synchronization block.

[0137] In the present application, switching carrier channel refers to that the direct current subcarrier of the OFDM symbol sent by the first node is switched from the center frequency point of one carrier channel to the center frequency point of another carrier channel. For channel switching of a single carrier (for example, a 20MHz carrier), it refers to that the direct current subcarrier is switched from one carrier channel to another carrier channel. For channel switching of multiple carriers, it refers to that a carrier channel group corresponding to multiple carriers is switched to another carrier channel group. For example, the first node and the second node originally work in carrier channel group #1 and work in carrier channel group #2 after switching. Wherein, carrier channel group #1 contains carrier 1~carrier 4, and carrier channel group #1 contains carrier 5~carrier 8.

[0138] By carrying the third information in the synchronization information, the second node can know the transmission mode of the first node, which helps the second node to more accurately transmit data with the first node.

[0139] 5) The fourth information is used to indicate whether the first node switches to other carrier channels.

[0140] The fourth information is also called carrier switching indication information.

[0141] Optionally, the fourth information can indicate whether the first node switches to other carrier channels at the start time of the next synchronization block after the end of the transmission period of the current synchronization block.

[0142] Exemplarily, the trigger condition for triggering the first node to switch to other carrier channels includes but is not limited to:

[0143] A) The time for the first node to occupy the current carrier channel reaches the maximum allowed value.

[0144] That is, in the case that the time for the first node to occupy the current carrier channel reaches the maximum allowed value, the fourth information is used to indicate the first node to switch to other carrier channels.

[0145] B) The first node detects interference in the current carrier channel.

[0146] Exemplarily, in the case that the degree value of the interference detected in the current carrier channel is greater than the interference degree threshold value, the fourth information is used to indicate the first node to switch to other carrier channels.

[0147] In the case that the first node detects interference in the current carrier channel, the first node can perform fast interference sensing and avoiding (FISA) and switch to other carrier information to continue sending the synchronization block. The FISA can be performed in time domain, frequency domain and power domain simultaneously, thereby forming three-dimensional FISA (3D-FISA). Exemplarily, when the detected interference degree value is greater than the interference degree threshold value, the first node performs FISA and switches to other carrier information to continue sending the synchronization block.

[0148] Therefore, when the time that the first node occupies the current carrier channel reaches the maximum allowed value and / or the first node detects interference in the current carrier channel, the first node can send the fourth information to instruct the second node or other nodes that have not established connection with the first node to switch the carrier channel and quickly switch to other carrier channel to maintain the time and frequency synchronization with the first node, thereby continuing to receive the synchronization block sent by the first node on the other carrier channel to maintain the accurate time and frequency synchronization with the first node. In addition, through the carrier channel switching, the continuity of data transmission can be maintained, thereby greatly improving the throughput of the communication domain and reducing the time delay of data transmission without interrupting the data transmission.

[0149] 6) a cyclic redundancy check sequence, the cyclic redundancy check sequence being used to check the information carried in the synchronization information.

[0150] Exemplarily, the information carried in the synchronization information (i.e., one or more of 1) to 5) described above) and the corresponding bit sequence are taken as input bit sequences, and an output bit sequence is obtained according to a specific algorithm and the input bit sequence, and the output bit sequence is the cyclic redundancy check sequence.

[0151] For example, the synchronization information is composed of the identification information of the first node, the first information and the cyclic redundancy check sequence, and the cyclic redundancy check sequence is obtained according to the identification information of the first node and the first information and the corresponding bit sequence.

[0152] For another example, the synchronization information is composed of the identification information of the first node, the first information, the fourth information and the cyclic redundancy check sequence, and the cyclic redundancy check sequence is obtained according to the identification information of the first node, the first information and the fourth information and the corresponding bit sequence.

[0153] The synchronization block is transmitted in a manner of synchronously transmitting a training signal and synchronization information, and can quickly transmit the synchronization information through physical layer signaling and quickly indicate the transmission parameters of the synchronization block (identification information of the transmission node (such as identification information of the first node) and information of the synchronization block transmission period (i.e., the first information), whether to switch the carrier channel and other physical layer actions, so as to realize the combination mode of the synchronization block with indication information, and the compact structure enables the transmission node or other nodes outside the communication domain to quickly synchronize the time and frequency of the transmission node.

[0154] In step 202, the first node transmits a synchronization block to a second node. Correspondingly, the second node receives the synchronization block.

[0155] Exemplarily, the first node can transmit the synchronization block to one or more second nodes.

[0156] Exemplarily, the first node can transmit the synchronization block in a unicast or broadcast manner.

[0157] Exemplarily, the synchronization block is transmitted on a single carrier channel.

[0158] Exemplarily, the synchronization block is transmitted on multiple carrier channels in a repeated manner.

[0159] In step 203, the second node synchronizes the time and frequency of the first node according to the synchronization block.

[0160] Exemplarily, the synchronization block is designed for a single carrier channel, and when the first node works on multiple carrier channels, the same synchronization block is transmitted on each carrier channel, so it is called repeated transmission. Here, the repetition refers to copying multiple copies of the synchronization block in a frequency domain repeated manner for transmission on multiple carrier channels.

[0161] Based on the above scheme, the synchronization block transmitted by the first node contains at least one training signal and synchronization information. Since the synchronization block occupies continuous time domain resources, the second node can quickly obtain the training signal and the synchronization information, and quickly complete the time and frequency synchronization based on the training signal and the synchronization information, which helps to reduce the time delay of data transmission and connection establishment.

[0162] In a possible implementation, the first node can further send broadcast information (also referred to as master information block, MIB) to the one or more second nodes, where the broadcast information is used to indicate the number of symbols occupied by control information used to transmit scheduling information of the first node, for example, the control information is used to indicate the target carrier channel number of the carrier switching, i.e., the carrier channel number after the switching. The broadcast information can be carried in a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). For example, the control information can be G-node control information (GCI), downlink control information (DCI), or physical layer control information of SLB (for example, G-link physical layer control information or T-link physical layer control information), etc. For example, the sending period of the broadcast information is greater than or equal to the sending period of the synchronization block. Based on this method, in the case where the fourth information is used to indicate that the first node switches to another carrier channel, the second node can obtain the target carrier channel number of the carrier switching from the broadcast information, and receive the synchronization block and the broadcast information sent by the first node on the target carrier channel according to the target carrier channel number. In addition to indicating the number of symbols occupied by the control information, the broadcast information can also indicate the resource location of the control information. Optionally, the broadcast information can also carry indication information used to indicate the length of the TTI (for example, indicating that the length of the TTI is 0.125 ms, 0.25 ms, 0.5 ms, 1 ms, 2 ms, 4 ms, or 8 ms, etc.).

[0163] Optionally, the control information can also indicate the time of the carrier channel switching, i.e., indicating when to start the carrier channel switching.

[0164] Optionally, the control information can also indicate the time interval of the carrier channel switching, i.e., indicating how long the time interval is after the completion of the carrier switching. For example, the time interval of the carrier channel switching is equal to an integer multiple of the TTI. The time interval of the carrier channel switching refers to the switching stabilization time required after the completion of the carrier channel switching, and no synchronization block or other information is sent in this time period.

[0165] For example, the control information is located after the broadcast information in time sequence and adjacent to the broadcast information. Alternatively, the control information is located after the at least one training signal in time sequence and adjacent to the at least one training signal. Alternatively, the control information is located after the reference signal (for example, demodulation reference signal (DMRS) or second type of data information demodulation reference signal in star flash) corresponding to the control information in time sequence and adjacent to the reference signal.

[0166] For example, the indication information in the broadcast information can also include indication information indicating the number of OFDM symbols occupied by the control information. For example, the indication information is 2-bit information. When the indication information is 00, it indicates that the number of OFDM symbols occupied by the control information is 1; when the indication information is 01, it indicates that the number of OFDM symbols occupied by the control information is 2; when the indication information is 10, it indicates that the number of OFDM symbols occupied by the control information is 4; and when the indication information is 11, it indicates that the number of OFDM symbols occupied by the control information is 8. Here, the example is only for illustration and does not constitute a limitation on the number of OFDM symbols occupied by the control information.

[0167] For example, the modulation mode of the broadcast information can be the same as the modulation mode of the synchronization information.

[0168] The following examples are given to illustrate.

[0169] FIG. 4 is an example of a frame structure based on a periodic synchronization block, broadcast information and control information provided by the present application. In this example, the transmission period of the synchronization block is equal to 2*TTI, and the transmission period of the broadcast information is equal to 4*the transmission period of the synchronization block, i.e., the transmission period of the broadcast information is equal to 8*TTI. The synchronization block is transmitted at the beginning of each synchronization block transmission period. When a TTI contains both a synchronization block and a broadcast information, the broadcast information is adjacent to and located after the synchronization block in time sequence. Each TTI contains one control information. One broadcast information in a broadcast information transmission period can indicate the number of symbols occupied by multiple control information in the broadcast information transmission period. Each TTI also contains a downlink radio frame and an uplink radio frame. Here, “*” represents multiplication.

[0170] For example, when a TTI contains a broadcast information, the control information in the TTI is adjacent to and located after the broadcast information in the TTI. When a TTI contains a synchronization block but does not contain a broadcast information, the control information in the TTI is adjacent to and located after the synchronization block in the TTI. When a TTI does not contain a synchronization block and does not contain a broadcast information, the control information in the TTI is adjacent to and located after a reference signal corresponding to the control information in the TTI.

[0171] For example, if a synchronization block transmission period contains multiple control information, the multiple control information can indicate the same carrier channel switching time.

[0172] FIG. 5 is an example diagram of a frame structure of a wireless short-range communication provided by the present application. In this example, the first node and the second node are currently operating in carrier channel #1. When the fourth information in a certain synchronization block is used to indicate that the first node switches to another carrier channel after the end of the transmission period of the synchronization block, the transmission period of the synchronization block in which the synchronization block is located is the switching time of the carrier channel. The control information #1 and the control information #2 in the synchronization block are used to indicate the same switching time, which is the end time of the transmission period of the synchronization block or the start time of the transmission period of the next synchronization block. It is assumed that the first node and the second node are switched to carrier channel #2, and the first node continues to periodically transmit the synchronization block, the broadcast information, and the control information and the like in the carrier channel #2. In the process of switching from the carrier channel #1 to the carrier channel #2, there can also be a time interval for switching the carrier channel, and in the time interval, the first node does not transmit the synchronization block, the broadcast information, and the control information and the like.

[0173] FIG. 6 shows a possible example block diagram of a communication device involved in the embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG. 6, the communication device 600 can include modules or units for implementing the above-mentioned method embodiments. In one possible design, the communication device 600 includes a processing unit 602 and a communication unit 603. Optionally, the communication device 600 can further include a storage unit 601 for storing device program codes and / or data.

[0174] The communication device 600 can be a first node side device in the above-mentioned embodiments, for example, a first node, a module (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) in the first node, or a logic node, a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the first node.

[0175] For example, in one embodiment, the processing unit 602 is configured to generate a synchronization block, the synchronization block including at least one training signal and synchronization information, the synchronization block occupying continuous time domain resources, the synchronization information including identification information of the first node, the at least one training signal being used for at least one second node to perform time and frequency synchronization with the first node; and the communication unit 603 is configured to transmit the synchronization block to the at least one second node.

[0176] In one possible implementation method, the synchronization information further includes one or more of the following information:

[0177] The first information is used to indicate a transmission period of the synchronization block;

[0178] The second information is used to indicate a minimum time length of the first node occupying a current carrier channel;

[0179] The third information is used for indicating a transmission mode of the first node, and the transmission mode is a continuous transmission mode or a discontinuous transmission mode.

[0180] The fourth information is used for indicating whether the first node switches to other carrier channels.

[0181] A cyclic redundancy check sequence is used for checking information carried in the synchronization information.

[0182] In a possible implementation, a transmission period of the synchronization block is an integer multiple of a transmission time interval, and the transmission time interval represents a unit time for one transceiving interaction between the first node and one or more nodes in the at least one second node.

[0183] In a possible implementation, a minimum time length that the first node occupies the current carrier channel is a positive integer multiple of the transmission period of the synchronization block.

[0184] In a possible implementation, when a time that the first node occupies the current carrier channel reaches a maximum allowed value, the fourth information is used for indicating that the first node switches to other carrier channels; or when the first node detects interference on the current carrier channel, the fourth information is used for indicating that the first node switches to other carrier channels.

[0185] In a possible implementation, the at least one training signal includes a first training signal and a second training signal, the first training signal carries a first training sequence, the second training signal carries a second training sequence, and the first training signal and the second training signal are used for time and frequency synchronization of the at least one second node to the first node.

[0186] In a possible implementation, the at least one training signal further includes a third training signal, the third training signal carries a third training sequence, and the third training signal is used for channel estimation or is used for channel estimation and for time and frequency synchronization of the at least one second node to the first node.

[0187] In a possible implementation, the communication unit 603 is further configured to send, to the at least one second node, broadcast information used for indicating a number of symbols occupied by control information, and the control information is used for indicating a target carrier channel number of carrier switching.

[0188] In a possible implementation, the control information is located in time sequence after the broadcast information and adjacent to the broadcast information; or the control information is located in time sequence after the at least one training signal and adjacent to the at least one training signal; or the control information is located in time sequence after the reference signal corresponding to the control information and adjacent to the reference signal.

[0189] In a possible implementation, the communication unit 603 is configured to send the synchronization block to the second node, including: configured to send the synchronization block to the second node on a single carrier channel; or configured to send the synchronization block to the second node on multiple carrier channels in a repeated manner.

[0190] The communication apparatus 600 can also be a second node side apparatus in the above-mentioned embodiments, for example, a second node, a module (for example, a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) in the second node, or a logic node, a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the second node.

[0191] For example, in an embodiment, the communication unit 603 is configured to receive a synchronization block from a first node, the synchronization block including at least one training signal and synchronization information, the synchronization block occupying continuous time domain resources, the synchronization information including identification information of the first node, and the at least one training signal being used for time and frequency synchronization of a second node to the first node; and the processing unit 602 is configured to perform time and frequency synchronization to the first node according to the synchronization block.

[0192] In a possible implementation, the synchronization information further includes one or more of the following information:

[0193] First information, the first information being used for indicating a transmission period of the synchronization block;

[0194] Second information, the second information being used for indicating a minimum time length of the first node occupying a current carrier channel;

[0195] Third information, the third information being used for indicating a transmission mode of the first node, the transmission mode being a continuous transmission mode or a discontinuous transmission mode;

[0196] Fourth information, the fourth information being used for indicating whether the first node switches to another carrier channel; or

[0197] A cyclic redundancy check sequence, the cyclic redundancy check sequence being used for checking information carried in the synchronization information.

[0198] In a possible implementation, the transmission period of the synchronization block is an integer multiple of a transmission time interval, and the transmission time interval represents a unit time for one transceiving interaction between the first node and one or more of the at least one second node.

[0199] In a possible implementation, the minimum time length that the first node occupies the current carrier channel is a positive integer multiple of the transmission period of the synchronization block.

[0200] In a possible implementation, when the time that the first node occupies the current carrier channel reaches a maximum allowed value, the fourth information is used to instruct the first node to switch to another carrier channel; or, when the first node detects interference on the current carrier channel, the fourth information is used to instruct the first node to switch to another carrier channel.

[0201] In a possible implementation, the at least one training signal includes a first training signal and a second training signal, the first training signal carries a first training sequence, the second training signal carries a second training sequence, and the first training signal and the second training signal are used for time and frequency synchronization of the at least one second node to the first node.

[0202] In a possible implementation, the at least one training signal further includes a third training signal, the third training signal carries a third training sequence, and the third training signal is used for channel estimation or is used for both channel estimation and time and frequency synchronization of the at least one second node to the first node.

[0203] In a possible implementation, the communication unit 603 is further configured to receive broadcast information from the first node, and the broadcast information is used to indicate a number of symbols occupied by control information, and the control information is used to indicate a target carrier channel number of carrier switching.

[0204] In a possible implementation, the control information is located after the broadcast information in time sequence and adjacent to the broadcast information, or the control information is located after the at least one training signal in time sequence and adjacent to the at least one training signal, or the control information is located after a reference signal corresponding to the control information in time sequence and adjacent to the reference signal.

[0205] In a possible implementation, the communication unit 603 is configured to receive a synchronization block from the first node, including: being configured to receive the synchronization block from the first node on a single carrier channel, or being configured to receive the synchronization block from the first node on multiple carrier channels in a repeated manner.

[0206] It can be understood that the division of units in the above apparatus is only a logical function division, one function can correspond to one functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or part of the units can be integrated into one physical entity, or can be distributed in different physical entities. In addition, the above functional units can be realized in the form of hardware, or in the form of software, or in the form of hardware combined with software. Whether a certain function is executed in the form of hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical scheme. Professional technicians can use different methods to implement the described functions for specific applications, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0207] In one example, the functional units in any of the above apparatuses can be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more microcontroller units (MCUs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

[0208] In one example, the storage unit 601 can include random access memory, flash memory, read only memory, programmable read only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, and / or registers, etc.

[0209] FIG. 7 shows a possible exemplary block diagram of a communication apparatus involved in the embodiments of the present application. The communication apparatus 700 shown in FIG. 7 includes a processor 710 and an interface circuit 720. The processor 710 and the interface circuit 720 are coupled to each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 720 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication apparatus 700 can also include a memory 730 for storing instructions executed by the processor 710 or storing input data required by the processor 710 to run instructions or storing data generated after the processor 710 runs instructions.

[0210] When the communication apparatus 700 is used to implement the above method embodiments, the processor 710 is configured to implement the functions of the above processing unit 602, and the interface circuit 720 is configured to implement the functions of the above communication unit 603.

[0211] It can be appreciated that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, or any conventional processor.

[0212] The present application provides a chip (or a chip system), which comprises a processor configured to perform any of the above method embodiments.

[0213] The present application provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, any of the above method embodiments is implemented.

[0214] The present application provides a computer program product, which comprises a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, any of the above method embodiments is implemented.

[0215] The present application provides a communication system, which comprises the first node and the second node in the above method embodiments.

[0216] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be realized by hardware or by the processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a register, a hard disk, a mobile hard disk, a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor, so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in the first network element or the store-and-forward ground function network element. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the first node or the second node.

[0217] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. The computer program refers to a set of instructions for instructing an electronic computer or other devices with message processing capability to perform each step. The computer program is usually written in a certain programming language and runs on a certain target architecture. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on the computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network or other programmable devices. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired or wireless mode. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center and the like integrated with one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape; or an optical medium, such as a digital video disc; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid state disk. The computer readable storage medium can be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or can include both volatile and non-volatile storage media.

[0218] In various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referred to each other if there is no special description and logical conflict. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0219] In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the literal description of the present application, the character " / ", generally represents that the front and rear associated objects have an "or" relationship; in the formula of the present application, the character " / ", represents that the front and rear associated objects have a "division" relationship.

[0220] It can be understood that various numerical numbers involved in the embodiments of the present application are only distinguished for convenience of description, and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the serial numbers of the above processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of the processes should be determined according to their functions and inherent logic.

[0221] The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present application can be used interchangeably. "At least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the 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 front and rear associated objects. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single item or multiple items. For example, "at least one of A, B or C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC, and "at least one of A, B and C" can also be understood to include A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. In addition, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers "first", "second" and the like mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish a plurality of objects, and are not used to limit the order, time sequence, priority or importance of the plurality of objects.

[0222] Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Therefore, the present application can take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Moreover, the present application can take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0223] The present application is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams according to the methods, devices (systems) and computer program products of the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, and the combination of flows and / or blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to the processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more flows in the flowcharts and / or one or more blocks in the block diagrams.

[0224] These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function specified in the flowchart or flowsheets and / or block or blocks of the block diagrams.

[0225] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart or flowsheets and / or block or blocks of the block diagrams.

[0226] Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present application are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, the application can be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: generating a synchronization block, the synchronization block comprising at least one training signal and synchronization information, the synchronization block occupying continuous time domain resources, the synchronization information comprising identification information of a first node, the at least one training signal being used for time and frequency synchronization of at least one second node to the first node; sending the synchronization block to the at least one second node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The synchronization information further comprises one or more of the following information: first information used for indicating a transmission period of the synchronization block; second information used for indicating a minimum time length of a current carrier channel occupied by the first node; third information used for indicating a transmission mode of the first node, the transmission mode being a continuous transmission mode or a discontinuous transmission mode; fourth information used for indicating whether the first node switches to another carrier channel; or a cyclic redundancy check sequence used for checking information carried in the synchronization information. The transmission period of the synchronization block is an integer multiple of a transmission time interval, the transmission time interval representing a unit time of one transceiving interaction of the first node with one or more of the at least one second node.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The minimum time length of the current carrier channel occupied by the first node is a positive integer multiple of the transmission period of the synchronization block.

4. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein, 5. The method of any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein in a case where a time of the current carrier channel occupied by the first node reaches a maximum allowed value, the fourth information is used for indicating that the first node switches to another carrier channel; or in a case where the first node detects interference on the current carrier channel, the fourth information is used for indicating that the first node switches to another carrier channel. The at least one training signal comprises a first training signal and a second training signal, the first training signal carrying a first training sequence, the second training signal carrying a second training sequence, the first training signal and the second training signal being used for time and frequency synchronization of the at least one second node to the first node.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The at least one training signal further comprises a third training signal, the third training signal carrying a third training sequence, the third training signal being used for channel estimation, or the third training signal being used for channel estimation and for time and frequency synchronization of the at least one second node to the first node.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, Further comprising:

8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, sending broadcast information to the at least one second node, the broadcast information being used for indicating a number of symbols occupied by control information, the control information being used for indicating a target carrier channel number of carrier switching.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the control information is located in time sequence after and adjacent to the broadcast information; or the control information is located in time sequence after and adjacent to the at least one training signal; or the control information is located in time sequence after and adjacent to a reference signal corresponding to the control information. ​ 10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, The sending of the synchronization block to the second node comprises: sending the synchronization block to the second node on a single carrier channel; or sending the synchronization block to the second node on multiple carrier channels in a repeated manner.

11. A communication method, comprising: The method comprises: receiving a synchronization block from a first node, the synchronization block comprising at least one training signal and synchronization information, the synchronization block occupying continuous time domain resources, the synchronization information comprising identification information of the first node, the at least one training signal being used by a second node to synchronize time and frequency with the first node; synchronizing time and frequency with the first node according to the synchronization block.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The synchronization information further comprises one or more of the following information: first information, the first information being used to indicate a transmission period of the synchronization block; second information, the second information being used to indicate a minimum time length of a current carrier channel occupied by the first node; third information, the third information being used to indicate a transmission mode of the first node, the transmission mode being a continuous transmission mode or a discontinuous transmission mode; fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate whether the first node switches to other carrier channels; or a cyclic redundancy check sequence, the cyclic redundancy check sequence being used to check information carried in the synchronization information. The transmission period of the synchronization block is an integer multiple of a transmission time interval, the transmission time interval representing a unit time for one transceiving interaction between the first node and one or more of the at least one second node.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The minimum time length of the current carrier channel occupied by the first node is a positive integer multiple of the transmission period of the synchronization block.

14. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein, 15. The method of any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein in a case where a time during which the first node occupies the current carrier channel reaches a maximum allowed value, the fourth information is used to indicate that the first node switches to other carrier channels; or in a case where the first node detects interference on the current carrier channel, the fourth information is used to indicate that the first node switches to other carrier channels. The at least one training signal comprises a first training signal and a second training signal, the first training signal carrying a first training sequence, the second training signal carrying a second training sequence, the first training signal and the second training signal being used by the at least one second node to synchronize time and frequency with the first node.

16. The method of any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein, The at least one training signal further comprises a third training signal, the third training signal carrying a third training sequence, the third training signal being used for channel estimation, or the third training signal being used for channel estimation and for the at least one second node to synchronize time and frequency with the first node.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, Further comprising:

18. The method of any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein, receiving broadcast information from the first node, the broadcast information being used to indicate a number of symbols occupied by control information, the control information being used to indicate a target carrier channel number of carrier switching.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the control information is located in time sequence after the broadcast information and adjacent to the broadcast information; or the control information is located in time sequence before the broadcast information and adjacent to the broadcast information. The control information is located after the at least one training signal in time sequence, and is adjacent to the at least one training signal; or The control information is located after the reference signal corresponding to the control information in time sequence, and is adjacent to the reference signal.

20. The method of any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein, The receiving the synchronization block from the first node comprises: Receiving the synchronization block from the first node on a single carrier channel; or Receiving the synchronization block from the first node on multiple carrier channels in a repeated manner.

21. A chip, characterized by The chip comprises a processor, and the processor is configured to execute the method in any one of claims 1 to 10 or execute the method in any one of claims 11 to 20.

22. A communications device, characterized by The chip comprises a processor and an interface circuit, and the processor is configured to communicate with other devices through the interface circuit to implement the method in any one of claims 1 to 10 or implement the method in any one of claims 11 to 20.

23. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the method in any one of claims 1 to 10 is implemented or the method in any one of claims 11 to 20 is implemented.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the method in any one of claims 1 to 10 is implemented or the method in any one of claims 11 to 20 is implemented.

25. A communication system, characterized by The computer program product comprises a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the method in any one of claims 1 to 10 is implemented or the method in any one of claims 11 to 20 is implemented. The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the method in any one of claims 1 to 10 is implemented or the method in any one of claims 11 to 20 is implemented. The computer program product comprises a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the method in any one of claims 1 to 10 is implemented or the method in any one of claims 11 to 20 is implemented. The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the method in any one of claims 1 to 10 is implemented or the method in any one of claims 11 to 20 is implemented.

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