Communication method, apparatus and system

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and provides a communication method, apparatus and system. The method comprises: sending physical layer dedicated configuration information to a terminal node, the physical layer dedicated configuration information being used for configuring, for the terminal node, a time period in which a resource for resource request information is located and a subcarrier group index; and in each superframe, sending control information resource overhead indication information to the terminal node, the control resource overhead indication information being used for indicating whether there is a time domain resource for the resource request information in the superframe or a superframe following the superframe. The present application can be applied to a next-generation NearLink system that supports more application scenarios, service models, and larger user specifications.

Description

Communication methods, devices and systems

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411158080.3, filed on August 21, 2024, entitled "Communication Method, Apparatus and System", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus and system. Background Technology

[0003] In a centrally scheduled wireless communication system, the network side uniformly schedules air interface resources from the network side to the user side and from the user side to the network side for all users. For a StarSpark wireless communication network composed of a grant node (G node) and terminal nodes (T nodes), when a T node has data services that need to be transmitted to a G node, the T node needs to request the G node to schedule and allocate air interface resources for the T link (the communication link from the T node to the G node) before the T node can complete the data transmission via the T link.

[0004] In related technologies, node T uses access resources to send a request for air interface resources of link T to node G. If the request fails to be responded to, node T needs to randomly back off for a certain number of superframes according to the rules for competing for access resources, and then send the request for air interface resources of link T to node G again using access resources.

[0005] Currently, a single superframe in the StarSpark system contains a maximum of 15 contention-based access resources, which are shared by the sending node and the random access node when making T-link resource requests. As the number of T-nodes increases (i.e., the number of user specifications increases), the resource request latency of the T-nodes also increases. However, next-generation StarSpark wireless communication networks present new requirements regarding the number of user specifications. The current T-link resource request method is not suitable for next-generation StarSpark wireless communication networks; therefore, a suitable T-link resource request method for next-generation StarSpark systems is urgently needed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and system that solves the problem in related technologies that the resource request latency of T nodes increases when the number of T nodes increases, and is applicable to the next-generation Starflash system that supports more application scenarios, business models, and larger user specifications.

[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides a communication method, the method comprising: sending physical layer dedicated configuration information to a terminal node, the physical layer dedicated configuration information being used to configure the time period and subcarrier group index of the resource in the resource request information for the terminal node; and sending control information resource overhead indication information to the terminal node within each superframe, the control resource overhead indication information being used to indicate whether there are time-domain resources for the resource request information in the superframe or the next superframe.

[0008] Its beneficial effects include configuring dedicated resources for resource request information through physical layer-specific configuration information, eliminating the need for resource request information to share resources with other information, thus supporting high user specifications. Furthermore, by using control information resource overhead indication information, it achieves dynamic resource reservation for resource request information, resulting in lower fixed overhead for control-related resources. This, in turn, improves overall data transmission efficiency and air interface resource utilization efficiency while implementing a reasonable, concise, and low-latency uplink resource request process, making it suitable for next-generation Starflash systems that support more application scenarios, business models, and larger user specifications.

[0009] In one possible implementation, when the superframe's frame structure is a Class A frame or a Class B frame, the control resource overhead indication information is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the superframe.

[0010] In this case, a Class A frame contains one Mixed Frame (MF) within 1 ms. A Class B frame contains two 0.5 ms half-superframes within 1 ms, and each half-superframe contains one MF.

[0011] In one possible implementation, when the frame structure of the superframe is a Class C frame, the control resource overhead indication information is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the next superframe of the superframe.

[0012] Among them, a Class C frame contains 8 MFs within 1ms, and the duration of each MF is 125us.

[0013] Secondly, this application provides a communication method, which includes: receiving physical layer dedicated configuration information, the physical layer dedicated configuration information being used to configure the time period and subcarrier group index of the resource request information for a terminal node; receiving control resource overhead indication information in each superframe, the control resource overhead indication information received in the superframe being used to indicate whether there are time-domain resources for the resource request information in the superframe or the next superframe; when the received control resource overhead indication information indicates that there are time-domain resources for the resource request information in a target superframe specified by the time period, if there is an uplink resource requirement, then sending the resource request information in the target superframe.

[0014] In one possible implementation, when the frame structure of the superframe is a Class A frame or a Class B frame, the control resource overhead indication information received in the superframe is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the superframe.

[0015] In this case, a Class A frame contains one Multi-Frame (MF) within 1 ms. A Class B frame contains two 0.5 ms half-superframes within 1 ms, and each half-superframe contains one MF.

[0016] In one possible implementation, when the frame structure of the superframe is a Class C frame, the control resource overhead indication information received in the superframe is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the next superframe.

[0017] Among them, a Class C frame contains 8 MFs within 1ms, and the duration of each MF is 125us.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the process of sending resource request information includes: in the frequency domain, using the corresponding K subcarriers according to the subcarrier group index to send resource request information.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the K subcarriers corresponding to the subcarrier group index are 157 subcarriers included in the carriers used for resource request information. After being numbered and indexed according to 1 / 16 comb subcarriers, the K comb subcarriers included in the comb subcarrier group with the subcarrier group index are numbered sequentially in ascending order of their corresponding frequencies before being numbered and indexed according to 1 / 16 comb subcarriers.

[0020] Its beneficial effect is that frequency domain resources are grouped according to 1 / 16 comb subcarriers. Since interference is usually concentrated in a narrow band, it has better anti-interference and anti-frequency selection capabilities compared to the method of uniformly grouping subcarriers in blocks starting from the lowest subcarrier.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the process of sending resource request information using the corresponding K subcarriers based on the subcarrier group index includes: reordering the index of the K subcarriers from 0; and assigning complex values ​​to the resource request information of the K / 2 subcarriers with even-numbered indices among the K subcarriers.

[0022] Its beneficial effect is that it can make resource request information more resistant to interference and reduce the probability of false detection in the demodulation judgment of management nodes.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the process of sending resource request information using the corresponding K subcarriers according to the subcarrier group index further includes: making the remaining K / 2 subcarriers among the K subcarriers correspond to the complex value 0.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the process of sending resource request information using the corresponding K subcarriers based on the subcarrier group index includes: reordering the index of the K subcarriers from 0; and assigning complex values ​​to the resource request information for the first K / 2 subcarriers among the K subcarriers.

[0025] Its beneficial effect is that it can make resource request information more resistant to interference and reduce the probability of false detection in the demodulation judgment of management nodes.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the process of sending resource request information using the corresponding K subcarriers according to the subcarrier group index further includes: making the remaining K / 2 subcarriers among the K subcarriers correspond to the complex value 0.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the process of sending resource request information using the corresponding K subcarriers according to the subcarrier group index includes: making the resource request information corresponding to the K subcarriers complex values.

[0028] Its beneficial effect is that the management node has a lower probability of false detection in demodulating and judging resource request information.

[0029] For time-domain resource locations, each superframe carries at most one symbol carrying access resource request information. In one possible implementation, the process of sending resource request information within the target superframe further includes: within the target superframe, at the first T-link symbol after a handover interval in the time-domain resource location of the target superframe, sending resource request information, where the handover interval is the time interval for handover time protection when a G-link or T-link handover occurs.

[0030] Its beneficial effect is that the time-frequency resource unit carrying resource request information can be 1 symbol in the time domain and 1 / 16 comb subcarrier group in the frequency domain. The resource frequency division of resource request information among various users (i.e., terminal nodes) allows each superframe to support up to 16 users sending resource request information. When the number of user specifications is high, the resources allocated to all terminal nodes for resource request information can be distributed across various superframes, reducing the latency of resource request information to the millisecond level. This makes it suitable for next-generation star-flash systems that support more application scenarios, business models, and larger user specifications.

[0031] In one possible implementation, when the frame structure of the target superframe is a Class B frame or a Class C frame, the process of sending resource request information within the target superframe includes: within the target superframe, at the first T-link symbol after the last handover interval of the first MF in the target superframe, the resource request information is sent; wherein, a Class B frame contains two 0.5ms half-superframes within 1ms, and each half-superframe includes one MF; a Class C frame contains eight MFs within 1ms, and the duration of each MF is 125us.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: when the received control resource overhead indication information indicates that there are no time-domain resources for resource request information in the target superframe, if there is an uplink resource requirement, when the subsequently received control resource overhead indication information indicates that there are time-domain resources for resource request information in the corresponding superframe, sending resource request information in the corresponding superframe.

[0033] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device, which includes a star flash module for transmitting star flash signals. The communication device further includes: a module for sending physical layer-specific configuration information to a terminal node, wherein the physical layer-specific configuration information is used to configure the time period and subcarrier group index of the resource in the resource request information for the terminal node; and a module for sending control information resource overhead indication information to the terminal node in each superframe, wherein the control resource overhead indication information is used to indicate whether there are time-domain resources for the resource request information in the superframe or the next superframe.

[0034] In one possible implementation, when the frame structure of the superframe is a Class A frame or a Class B frame, the control resource overhead indication information is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the superframe; wherein, a Class A frame contains one hybrid radio frame (MF) within 1 ms, and a Class B frame contains two 0.5 ms half-superframes within 1 ms, each half-superframe including one MF, and the duration of the MF is 125 μs.

[0035] In one possible implementation, when the frame structure of the superframe is a Class C frame, the control resource overhead indication information is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the next superframe of the superframe; wherein, the Class C frame contains 8 hybrid radio frames (MF) within 1ms, and the duration of the MF is 125us.

[0036] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device, which includes a star flash module for transmitting star flash signals. The communication device further includes: a module for receiving physical layer dedicated configuration information, which is used to configure the time period and subcarrier group index of the resource in the resource request information for the terminal node; a module for receiving control resource overhead indication information in each superframe, which is used to indicate whether there is time-domain resource for the resource request information in the superframe or the next superframe; and a module for transmitting the resource request information in the target superframe if there is an uplink resource requirement when the received control resource overhead indication information indicates that there is time-domain resource for the resource request information in the target superframe specified by the time period.

[0037] In one possible implementation, when the frame structure of the superframe is a Class A frame or a Class B frame, the control resource overhead indication information received in the superframe is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the superframe; wherein, a Class A frame contains one hybrid radio frame (MF) within 1 ms, and a Class B frame contains two 0.5 ms half-superframes within 1 ms, each half-superframe including one MF, and the duration of the MF is 125 μs.

[0038] In one possible implementation, when the frame structure of the superframe is a Class C frame, the control resource overhead indication information received in the superframe is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the next superframe; wherein, the Class C frame contains 8 hybrid radio frames (MF) within 1ms, and the duration of the MF is 125us.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the module for sending resource request information is specifically used to: in the frequency domain, use the corresponding K subcarriers according to the subcarrier group index to send the resource request information.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the K subcarriers corresponding to the subcarrier group index are 157 subcarriers included in the carriers used for resource request information. After being numbered and indexed according to 1 / 16 comb subcarriers, the K comb subcarriers included in the comb subcarrier group with the subcarrier group index are numbered sequentially in ascending order of their corresponding frequencies before being numbered and indexed according to 1 / 16 comb subcarriers.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the module for sending resource request information is specifically used to: reorder the indexes of the K subcarriers from 0; and to assign complex values ​​to the resource request information of the K / 2 subcarriers with even-numbered indices among the K subcarriers.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the module for sending resource request information is specifically used to: make the remaining K / 2 subcarriers out of the K subcarriers correspond to the complex value 0.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the module for sending resource request information is specifically used to: reorder the index of the K subcarriers from 0; and assign complex values ​​to the resource request information of the first K / 2 subcarriers among the K subcarriers.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the module for sending resource request information is specifically used to: make the remaining K / 2 subcarriers out of the K subcarriers correspond to the complex value 0.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the module for sending resource request information is specifically used to: make the resource request information correspond to complex values ​​for K subcarriers.

[0046] In one possible implementation, the module for sending resource request information is specifically used to: send resource request information within the target superframe, at the first T-link symbol after a handover interval in the time domain resource location of the target superframe, wherein the handover interval is the time interval for handover time protection when a G-link or T-link handover occurs.

[0047] In one possible implementation, when the frame structure of the target superframe is a Class B frame or a Class C frame, the module for sending resource request information is specifically used to: send resource request information within the target superframe at the first T-link symbol after the last handover interval of the first hybrid radio frame (MF) in the target superframe in the time domain resource location; wherein, a Class B frame contains two 0.5ms half-superframes within 1ms, each half-superframe including one MF; a Class C frame contains eight MFs within 1ms, and the duration of each MF is 125us.

[0048] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes: a module for transmitting resource request information in a corresponding superframe if there is an uplink resource requirement, when the received control resource overhead indication information indicates that there are no time-domain resources for resource request information in the target superframe, and the subsequently received control resource overhead indication information indicates that there are time-domain resources for resource request information in the corresponding superframe.

[0049] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a Bluetooth module for transmitting Bluetooth signals and / or a WiFi module for transmitting wireless fidelity (WiFi) signals. One or more of the StarScan module, Bluetooth module, or WiFi module share at least one of the following: a radio frequency (RF) unit, a modem unit, a MAC unit, and a central processing unit (CPU).

[0050] In one possible implementation, the Sparklink module and the WiFi module for WiFi signal transmission are located in different subsystems of the communication device. The Sparklink module subsystem and the WiFi module subsystem are integrated in the communication device with at least one of the following: Bluetooth system, Sparklink low energy (SLE) system, global navigation satellite system (GNSS), always-on system, power management unit (PMU), clock management unit (CMU), flash memory, application system, and audio system.

[0051] In one possible implementation, the StarScan module and the WiFi module for WiFi signal transmission are located in the same subsystem of the communication device. The subsystems of the StarScan module and the WiFi module are integrated into the communication device with at least one of the following: Bluetooth system, StarScan Low Power SLE system, GNSS, always-on system, PMU, CMU, flash memory, application system, and audio system.

[0052] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a Bluetooth module for transmitting Bluetooth signals and / or a WiFi module for transmitting WiFi signals. At least one of the Bluetooth module or WiFi module and the star-flash module coexist and communicate with each other through different antennas. The coexistence strategy includes at least one of the following: frequency division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, time division multiplexing, channel avoidance, or aggregation scheduling.

[0053] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a Bluetooth module for transmitting Bluetooth signals and / or a WiFi module for transmitting WiFi signals. At least one of the Bluetooth module or WiFi module coexists and communicates with the star-flash module through the same antenna. The coexistence strategy includes at least one of the following: frequency division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, time division multiplexing, software static strategy, or package traffic arbitration (PTA) strategy.

[0054] Fifthly, this application provides a communication device comprising: one or more processors; a memory for storing one or more computer programs or instructions; and, when the one or more computer programs or instructions are executed by the one or more processors, causing the one or more processors to implement the method as described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0055] In a sixth aspect, this application provides a communication device, including a processor for performing the method as described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0056] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a communication system comprising: a management node and a terminal node; the management node is configured to perform the method as described in any one of the first aspects, and the terminal node is configured to perform the method as described in any one of the second aspects.

[0057] Eighthly, this application provides a communication device, the device comprising: a processing circuit and an interface circuit; wherein the interface circuit is configured to couple with a memory external to the communication device and provide a communication interface for the processing circuit to access the memory; the processing circuit is configured to execute program instructions in the memory to implement the method as described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0058] In practical implementation, the communication device can be a chip, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, gate circuit, flip-flop, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be output to, for example, but not limited to, a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0059] In one implementation, the communication device can be a wireless communication device, i.e., a computer device that supports wireless communication functions. Specifically, the wireless communication device can be a terminal such as a smartphone, or a wireless access network device such as a base station. The network chip can also be called a system-on-a-chip (SoC), or simply a SoC chip. The communication chip may include a baseband processing chip and a radio frequency (RF) processing chip. The baseband processing chip is sometimes also called a modem or baseband chip. The RF processing chip is sometimes called an RF transceiver or RF chip. In physical implementation, some or all of the chips in the communication chip can be integrated within the SoC chip. For example, the baseband processing chip is integrated into the SoC chip, while the RF processing chip is not integrated with the SoC chip. The interface circuit can be the RF processing chip in the wireless communication device, and the processing circuit can be the baseband processing chip in the wireless communication device.

[0060] In another implementation, the communication device can be a component of a wireless communication device, such as an integrated circuit product like a network chip or communication chip. The interface circuit can be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip network. The processor can also be represented as a processing circuit or logic circuit.

[0061] Ninthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing program code, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method as described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0062] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a chip comprising: at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to perform the method as described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0063] Optionally, the chip also includes memory. At least one processor is used to execute code in the memory, and when the at least one processor executes the code, the chip implements the method as described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0064] In one aspect, this application provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when the computer program product is run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of the first to second aspects. Attached Figure Description

[0065] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a superframe structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a semi-superframe provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the temporal resource location occupied by resource request information in different types of frame structures according to an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the frequency domain resources occupied by resource request information according to an embodiment of this application;

[0072] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of frequency domain resources occupied by another resource request information provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0073] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0074] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0075] Figure 11 is a block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0076] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0077] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a chip architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0078] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of another chip architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0079] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of another chip architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0080] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of another chip architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0081] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of a chip module framework provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0082] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of another chip module framework provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0083] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of the framework of a software static strategy provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0084] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the framework of a software static strategy provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0085] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of a message transmission arbitration strategy provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0086] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0087] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification, embodiments, claims, and drawings of this application are for distinguishing purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or order. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such as including a series of steps or units. A method, system, product, or apparatus is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products, or apparatuses.

[0088] It should be understood that in this application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, and "more than" means two or more. "And / or" is used to describe the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent three cases: only A exists, only B exists, and both A and B exist simultaneously, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one (item) of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0089] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to, but are not limited to, short-range wireless communication systems and wireless communication systems that support longer-distance transmission (such as 1-18km, or over 18km) (such as the next-generation StarSpark wireless communication system). The short-range wireless communication system can include short-range wireless communication technology (also known as StarSpark 1.0 technology), which has advantages such as ultra-low latency, ultra-high reliability, and precise synchronization, making it suitable for applications in smart cars, smart homes, smart terminals, and smart manufacturing. For example, applications in smart car scenarios include: immersive in-vehicle sound field & noise reduction, wireless interactive projection, and 360-degree panoramic surround view, which can achieve an immersive interactive experience and improve vehicle safety.

[0090] Wireless communication systems that support longer transmission distances (e.g., 1–18 km) mainly include next-generation StarSpark wireless communication systems, such as StarSpark 2.0 and StarSpark 3.0. These systems are not only suitable for communication scenarios with low latency requirements, such as the aforementioned vehicle communication and industrial control scenarios, but also for communication scenarios with less stringent latency requirements.

[0091] In some possible implementations, the aforementioned communication system may be used in conjunction with a mobile communication system, including but not limited to 3GPP-related cellular systems such as 4G (e.g., Long Term Evolution, LTE), 5G (e.g., New Radio, NR), and future-oriented evolution systems (e.g., 6G). The communication system can also be an open radio access network (OORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a WiFi system. Furthermore, the communication system can be a convergence of two or more of the above systems.

[0092] The wireless short-range communication system provided in this application embodiment may include a management node (grantnode, G node) and a terminal node (terminal node, T node). Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting wireless short-range communication system. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 includes at least one management node 110 and at least one terminal node 120.

[0093] In this context, the G node can be a node in the wireless short-range communication system that has resource scheduling capabilities and sends control information such as resource management information and / or data scheduling information. The T node can be a node in the wireless short-range communication system that receives the control information such as resource management information and / or data scheduling information sent by the G node, and performs data transmission or reception based on this control information. For ease of description, the short-range protocol in the wireless short-range communication system is referred to as the Star Flash protocol in this disclosure.

[0094] In the StarScan protocol corresponding to StarScan technology, there are uplink and downlink transmissions between the G node and the T node. Uplink transmission is achieved through the T link, which is the link between the T node and the G node, and can also be called the uplink. Downlink transmission is achieved through the G link, which is the link between the G node and the T node, and can also be called the downlink.

[0095] In this embodiment, the communication device has wireless communication capabilities and can be configured with multiple antennas. These multiple antennas may include at least one transmitting antenna for transmitting signals and at least one receiving antenna for receiving signals. Additionally, each communication device also includes a transmitter chain and a receiver chain. Those skilled in the art will understand that these chains may include multiple components related to signal transmission and reception (e.g., processors, modulators, multiplexers, demodulators, demultiplexers, or antennas). The communication device can be a management node or a terminal node, and this is not limited.

[0096] The management node (G node) 110 is located on the network side of the aforementioned communication system. It assists terminal nodes in achieving wireless access and is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, or a chip or chip system that can be installed in this device. The management node 110 includes, but is not limited to, network devices, radio access network (RAN) nodes, access network devices, RAN entities, or access nodes. Multiple management nodes 110 in the communication system can be of the same type or different types.

[0097] In one possible scenario, management node 110 can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a 6th-generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. Management node 110 can be a macro base station, a micro base station, an indoor station, a relay node, a donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Management node 110 can be a macro base station, a micro base station, an indoor station, a relay node, a donor node, an open radio access network (ORAN), or a radio controller in a centralized radio access network (CRAN) scenario. The management node 110 can also be one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a 5G base station, or it can be a network node constituting a gNB, TRP, TP, or transmission measurement function (TMF), such as a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), a radio unit (RU), or a roadside unit (RSU) with base station functionality. CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0098] In different systems, CU (or CU-control plane and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-control plane can also be called O-CU-control plane, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, the embodiments of this application use CU, CU-control plane, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any unit among CU (or CU-control plane, CU-UP), DU, and RU in the embodiments of this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0099] Optionally, the management node 110 can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, the management node can be an RSU (Roadside Unit). Optionally, the management node can also be a control unit in autonomous driving, a central controller in a smart factory / smart home, or a handheld or automatic control remote sensor for flying equipment. Optionally, the management node can also be a control device such as a central control unit or control panel, like a drone controller or a control unit in industrial control. All or part of the functions of the management node in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The management node in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the management node functions.

[0100] In this application embodiment, the form of the management node is not limited. The device used to implement the function of the management node can be the management node itself; it can also be a device that supports the management node in implementing this function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the management node or used in conjunction with the management node.

[0101] Terminal node 120 (T-node) is a device, equipment, module, chip, or chip system with transceiver capabilities. It can also be referred to as terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, user station, mobile station (MS), mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device, etc. Terminal nodes can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart homes, smart offices, smart wearables, intelligent transportation, and smart cities.

[0102] The terminal nodes in the embodiments of this application can be mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, tablets, mice, remote controls, styluses, set-top boxes, routers, cameras, screens, smart screens, wireless data cards, personal digital assistant computers (PDAs), wireless modems, handsets, laptop computers, smartwatches, smart bracelets, wireless headphones, electronic whiteboards, machine-type communication (MTC) terminals, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminals, augmented reality (AR) terminals, smart home devices (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, washing machines, rice cookers, table lamps, electricity meters, etc.), smart robots, robotic arms, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in autonomous driving, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, and transportation security. Wireless terminals in various applications include those related to safety, smart cities, smart homes, in-vehicle terminals, in-vehicle screens, in-vehicle audio systems, car keys, roadside units (RSUs) with terminal functions, and flying equipment (e.g., intelligent robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes). The terminal node in this application can also be an in-vehicle module, in-vehicle component, in-vehicle chip, or in-vehicle unit integrated into a vehicle as one or more components or units. The terminal node can also be other devices with terminal functions; for example, it can be a device that performs terminal functions in device-to-device (D2D) communication.

[0103] The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. The device used to implement the function of the terminal node can be the terminal node itself; it can also be a device that supports the terminal node in implementing the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal node or used in conjunction with the terminal node. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0104] It should be noted that the solutions in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to other communication systems, and the corresponding names can be replaced by the names of the corresponding functions in other communication systems.

[0105] It is understood that the structure of the communication system shown in Figure 1 does not constitute a specific limitation on the communication system. In other embodiments of this application, the communication system may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements. The components shown may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0106] The following explains some key terms involved in the embodiments of this application:

[0107] G-Link: A communication link between the management node and the terminal node. This link can carry data channels, control channels, broadcast channels, synchronization signals, etc., between the management node and the terminal node.

[0108] T-Link: A communication link between the terminal node and the management node. This link can carry data channels, access channels, feedback signals, etc., between the terminal node and the management node.

[0109] Communication domain: The resources of G-links and T-links consisting of a G node and multiple T nodes scheduled by the G node.

[0110] G Symbol (GS): A symbol used for transmission over a G link.

[0111] T Symbol (TS): A symbol used for transmission on a T link.

[0112] Switching symbol (GAP): A symbol used for G / T symbol switching time protection.

[0113] A radio frame is a frame composed of several cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM) symbols, with a duration of 125 µs. A radio frame contains... The symbols are numbered sequentially as follows: The number of symbols corresponding to the four CP formats are: Format 0: 14; Format 1: 13; Format 2: 12; Format 3: 10. Radio frames are divided into three types: G radio frames (GF), T radio frames (TF), and MF.

[0114] GF (G Frame, G Radio Frame): All symbols in the GF are used for G link transmission, meaning the GF contains... GS.

[0115] TF (T Frame): All symbols in a TF are used for transmission on the T link, meaning the TF contains... One TS.

[0116] MF (Mixed Frame): Contains several GS, GAP and several TS.

[0117] Superframe (SF): A physical resource in the system consisting of 8 radio frames. The duration of a superframe is Tsf = 30720 × Ts = 1 ms. For example, please refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of a superframe structure provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 exemplarily shows four superframes, SuperFrame#0 to SuperFrame#3. Taking SuperFrame#1 as an example, it includes eight radio frames, Frame#0 to Frame#7. Taking Frame#1 as an example, the radio frame format can be Format0, Format1, Format2, or Format3. Specifically, the CP length of a Format0 radio frame is 0.59 μs, the CF-OFDM symbol length is 8.92 μs, and each radio frame includes 14 symbols. The CP length of a Format1 radio frame is 1.27 μs, the CF-OFDM symbol length is 9.6 μs, and each radio frame includes 13 symbols. The CP length of a Format 2 radio frame is 2.08 µs, the CF-OFDM symbol number length is 10.42 µs, and each radio frame contains 12 symbols. The CP length of a Format 3 radio frame is 4.16 µs, the CF-OFDM symbol number length is 12.5 µs, and each radio frame contains 10 symbols.

[0118] Half superframe (HSF): A physical resource consisting of the first four or last four radio frames in a superframe, with a duration of 0.5ms. For example, please refer to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of a half superframe structure provided in an embodiment of this application. In a 1ms superframe with eight radio frames, the first four radio frames form a half superframe, numbered HSF#0; the last four radio frames form a second half superframe, numbered HSF#1.

[0119] Please refer to Figure 4, which is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method can be executed, for example, at a management node, and specifically includes the following processes:

[0120] 201. Send physical layer-specific configuration information to the terminal node. The physical layer-specific configuration information is used to configure the time period and subcarrier group index of the resource in the resource request information for the terminal node.

[0121] Step 201 is equivalent to specifying the time period and subcarrier group for the terminal node to send resource request information.

[0122] For example, a G node can send physical layer-specific configuration information to a T node. For instance, the G node configures the time period and subcarrier group index of the T link control information format0 resource for the T node using the physical layer-specific configuration information physicalConfigDedicated->ControlResource->tlinkControlResource-format0.

[0123] The T-link control information (TCI) type includes format0 (resource request information) and format1 (T-link ACK feedback information). The resources occupied by format0 and format1 are indicated by the relevant bits in the control resource indication (CR-IND) information. T-link control information format0 carries T-node resource request information (SR).

[0124] In one example, physical layer-specific configuration information can be located in the XRC Setup message. XRCSetup is sent by the G node to the T node for XRC connection-related configuration. Specifically, this includes the T node's access process contention resolution and physical layer identifier configuration (identityConfig), logical channel-related configuration (domainlogicalchannelConfig), the response to the association request message (associationSetupWithSec, in scenarios with security context), the response to the association request message (associationSetupNonSec, in scenarios without security context), the physical layer-specific configuration (physicalConfigDedicated), and other configuration information (otherConfig).

[0125] In another example, physical layer-specific configuration information can also be located in the reconfiguration message. XRCReconfiguration is used for XRC reconfiguration and can specifically include power configuration (p0-NominalConfig), logical channel configuration (domainlogicalchannelConfig), measurement and reporting configuration (meas-reportConfig), key update configuration (securityConfig), SPS scheduling configuration (sps-Config), physical layer-specific configuration (physicalConfigDedicated), carrier switching configuration (carrierSwitch-TSpecific), multicarrier configuration (multiCarrierConfig), timing adjustment information (TimeDomainSyncIndication), frequency synchronization adjustment information (frequencySyncIndication), multicast configuration (groupcastConfig), and other configurations (otherConfig).

[0126] 202. Within each superframe, control information resource overhead indication information is sent to the terminal node. The control resource overhead indication information is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the superframe or the next superframe.

[0127] In this disclosure, the symbols occupied by the resource request information are not fixedly reserved, but are indicated by the control information resource overhead indication information. Therefore, through step 201, the terminal node can determine whether there are temporal resources for sending resource request information within each superframe based on the received control information resource overhead indication information. Therefore, when the control information resource overhead indication information received by the terminal node indicates that there are temporal resources for resource request information within the target superframe specified by the time period (i.e., the time period configured for the terminal node in step 201), if there is an uplink resource requirement, the resource request information can be sent at the corresponding temporal resource within the target superframe. In addition, in the frequency domain, the terminal node can use the K subcarriers corresponding to the subcarrier group indicated by the subcarrier group index (i.e., the subcarrier group index configured for the terminal node in step 201) to send the resource request information. However, if the terminal node has uplink resource requirements, but the received control resource overhead indication information indicates that there are no time-domain resources with resource request information in the target superframe, then when the subsequently received control resource overhead indication information indicates that there are time-domain resources with resource request information in the corresponding superframe, the terminal node can send resource request information at the corresponding time-domain resource in the corresponding superframe.

[0128] For example, a G node can send a control resource indication (CR-IND) to a T node.

[0129] Control resource overhead indication information is used to indicate the total number of symbols occupied by control information in the G / T link of the communication domain. The T node uses this information to determine its own specific control resources or the number of control information symbols to avoid when the T node transmits / receives data. When the system occupies multiple 20MHz carriers (communication domains), the G node transmits CR-IND information independently on each carrier (communication domain).

[0130] Control Information Resource Overhead Indication (CR-IND) information is included in each superframe, meaning the length of the control information resource overhead remains constant within a superframe. Class A / B frames indicate the length of the control information resource overhead in the current superframe, while Class C frames indicate the length of the control information resource overhead in the next superframe.

[0131] The control resource overhead indication information and the corresponding CRC total 23 bits, from the least significant bit to the most significant bit. The specific information contained is shown in Table 1 below:

[0132] Table 1

[0133] As described in Table 1 above, the 7th bit of the control resource overhead indication information indicates whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the corresponding superframe.

[0134] Therefore, when the frame structure of the superframe is a Class A frame or a Class B frame, the control resource overhead indication information is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the superframe.

[0135] When the frame structure of the superframe is a Class C frame, the control resource overhead indication information is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the next superframe of the superframe.

[0136] The following provides explanations for Class A, Class B, and Class C frames. Based on the intra-superframe GF / MF / TF configuration structure, the time slot allocation is defined at the radio frame time granularity. The protocol supports 11 allocations, numbered #0 to #10, as shown in Table 2 below:

[0137] Table 2 Definition of Time Slot Ratio

[0138] Based on the superframe GF / MF / TF configuration structure and applicable scenarios, the system frame structure is divided into three categories: Category A, Category B, and Category C.

[0139] (1) Class A: The time slot allocation adopts 0 to 6 in Table 2 above. 1 ms contains 1 MF frame and is uniformly scheduled within 1 ms. That is, the transmission time interval (TTI) is 1 ms, which supports 1 ms level transmission delay applications.

[0140] (2) Class B: The time slot allocation adopts 7 / 8 / 9 in Table 2 above. 1ms contains two 0.5ms half-superframes. Each half-superframe includes one MF, that is, every 0.5ms contains one HSF frame. The two HSFs are scheduled independently. TTI = 0.5ms, supporting 0.5ms level transmission delay applications.

[0141] (3) Class C: The time slot ratio adopts 10 in Table 2 above. 1ms contains 8 MF radio frames (duration is 125us). Each radio frame is independently scheduled, that is, TTI = 125us, which supports 125us level transmission latency applications.

[0142] In this embodiment of the application, during process 202, the time-domain resource reservation of the resource request information is supported by the control information resource overhead indication information, and is not used as a fixed resource overhead to affect the channel peak rate.

[0143] Please refer to Figure 5, which is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method can be executed, for example, at a terminal (e.g., node T), and includes the following processes:

[0144] 301. Receive physical layer-specific configuration information. This physical layer-specific configuration information is used to configure the time period and subcarrier group index of the resource in the resource request information for the terminal node.

[0145] Optionally, the terminal node can receive physical layer-specific configuration information sent by the management node. For example, node T can receive physical layer-specific configuration information sent by node G. For details regarding the physical layer configuration information, please refer to the aforementioned process 201; these details will not be repeated here in this embodiment.

[0146] 302. Receive control resource overhead indication information within each superframe. The control resource overhead indication information received within the superframe is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the superframe or the next superframe.

[0147] Optionally, the terminal node may receive control resource overhead indication information sent by the management node within each superframe. For example, node T may receive control resource overhead indication information sent by node G within each superframe. A description of the control resource overhead indication information can be found in the aforementioned process 202, and will not be repeated here in this embodiment.

[0148] For example, when the frame structure of a superframe is a Class A frame or a Class B frame, the control resource overhead indication information received within the superframe is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the superframe.

[0149] For example, when the frame structure of a certain superframe is a Class C frame, the control resource overhead indication information received within that superframe is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the next superframe of that superframe.

[0150] 303. When the received control resource overhead indication information indicates that there are time-domain resources for resource request information in the target superframe specified in the time period (i.e., the time period configured for the terminal node in step 301), if there is an uplink resource requirement, the resource request information is sent in the target superframe.

[0151] As described in step 302 above, control resource overhead indication information is received within each superframe. This control resource overhead indication information received within a superframe indicates whether temporal resources for resource request information exist in that superframe or the next superframe. Therefore, control resource overhead indication information received in a target superframe or the superframe preceding it can indicate whether temporal resources for resource request information exist in that target superframe. For example, if the target superframe is a Class A or Class B frame, the control resource overhead indication information received within that target superframe can be used to indicate whether temporal resources for resource request information exist in that target superframe. Similarly, if the frame preceding the target superframe is a Class C frame, the control resource overhead indication information received within the frame preceding that target superframe can be used to indicate whether temporal resources for resource request information exist in that target superframe.

[0152] In this disclosure, if the received control resource overhead indication information indicates the existence of time-domain resources for carrying and transmitting resource request information within the target superframe, it means that time-domain resources for carrying and transmitting resource request information exist within the target superframe. In this case, if the terminal node has uplink resource requirements, it can send resource request information to the management node at that time-domain resource within the target superframe. For example, if node T has uplink resource requirements, node T can send resource request information to node G at that time-domain resource within the target superframe. The T link control information format0 carries the T node's resource request information (source request, SR). When new data arrives at node T, but node T lacks uplink resources for data transmission or to report the size of the data link layer data, node T can periodically execute this process 303. When the received control resource overhead indication information indicates the existence of time-domain resources for resource request information within the target superframe, if the terminal node does not have uplink resource requirements, the terminal node will not send resource request information within the target superframe.

[0153] In this disclosure, for each time-domain resource location, at most one symbol carries access resource request information per superframe. Therefore, time-domain resources containing resource request information in a target superframe refer to symbols within the target superframe that can be used to carry access resource request information. In this disclosure, this symbol can be, for example, the first T-link symbol after a handover interval in the target superframe. Therefore, in one possible implementation, when determining that a time-domain resource containing resource request information exists in the target superframe, if there is an uplink resource requirement, the resource request information can be sent within that target superframe at the time-domain resource location of the first T-link symbol after a handover interval in the target superframe.

[0154] The handover interval (GAP) is the time interval for handover time protection when a G-link or T-link handover occurs. For ease of description in this application, the G-link and T-link handover in the frame structure is performed within the MF frame, uniformly represented as one GAP (which may contain multiple GAP symbols). During implementation, a G / T transmit / receive direction switch is required between the end of the current superframe / radio frame and the start of the next superframe / radio frame. Therefore, in actual use, the GAP is decomposed into two parts: GAP1 and GAP2, and the time of the GAP is equal to the sum of the times of GAP1 and GAP2. GAP1 includes the sum of the T-node timing advance time and the T-node transmit / receive handover time, while GAP2 includes the G-node transmit / receive handover time.

[0155] For different types of frame structures, the location of time-domain resources occupied by resource request information varies due to the different number of handover intervals. For example, please refer to Figure 6, which is a schematic diagram of the location of time-domain resources occupied by resource request information in different types of frame structures according to an embodiment of this application. When the target superframe is a type A frame, there is only one MF within the target superframe; therefore, the time-domain resource occupied by the resource request information is the first T-link symbol after the gap in this MF. When the target superframe is a type B or type C frame, the time-domain resource occupied by the resource request information can be the first T-link symbol after the last gap in the first MF of the target superframe; that is, the resource request information is sent at the first T-link symbol after the last gap in the first MF of the target superframe. In Figure 6, non-SRs can carry other information besides resource request information.

[0156] For frequency domain resource locations, in the frequency domain, resource request information can be transmitted using the corresponding K subcarriers (i.e., the K subcarriers included in the subcarrier group indicated by the subcarrier group index) according to the subcarrier group index (i.e., the subcarrier group index configured for the terminal node in step 301). In this disclosure, the K subcarriers corresponding to the subcarrier group index are the 157 subcarriers included in the carriers used for resource request information, which are numbered and indexed according to 1 / 16 comb subcarriers. These are the K comb subcarriers included in the comb subcarrier group whose index is the subcarrier group index. Before being numbered and indexed according to the modulo 1 / 16 comb subcarriers, the 157 subcarriers have been numbered sequentially in ascending order of their corresponding frequencies.

[0157] Frequency domain resources are grouped into 1 / 16 comb-tooth subcarriers. Since interference is usually concentrated in a narrow band, this method has better anti-interference and anti-frequency selection capabilities compared to the method of uniformly grouping subcarriers in blocks starting from the lowest subcarrier.

[0158] In a star-flash system, one carrier corresponds to a 20MHz frequency bandwidth, consisting of 157 consecutive subcarriers (occupying a bandwidth of 18.84MHz). These 157 subcarriers are numbered sequentially from low to high frequency as #0, #1, ..., #156, where subcarrier #78 is a DC subcarrier. The other 156 subcarriers are called active subcarriers. In this disclosure, these 157 subcarriers are indexed using a 1 / 16 comb pattern, from subcarrier groups with a subcarrier index modulo 16 of 0 to subcarrier groups with a subcarrier index modulo 16 of 15, resulting in 16 comb-type subcarrier groups with subcarrier group indices from 0 to 15. These 16 comb-type subcarrier groups can be used by a maximum of 16 T-nodes to send resource request information. That is, the 157 subcarriers of one carrier are divided into 16 resources, which can be used by 16 T-nodes to send resource request information. For example, among the 157 subcarriers of a carrier, 10 subcarriers numbered #0, #16, #32...#144 form a comb subcarrier group with a modulo 16 value of 0 (i.e., a comb subcarrier group with a subcarrier group index of 0). Similarly, among the 157 subcarriers of a carrier, 10 subcarriers numbered #1, #17, #33...#145 form a comb subcarrier group with a modulo 16 value of 1 (i.e., a comb subcarrier group with a subcarrier group index of 1), and so on. Figure 7 or Figure 8 shows a comb subcarrier group with a subcarrier group index of 0, i.e., a comb subcarrier group with a modulo 16 value of 0, where K = 10. In this disclosure, the subcarrier group index configured for the terminal node in step 301 can be any one of the 16 comb subcarrier groups mentioned above, and can be specifically configured by, for example, the management node as needed.

[0159] When sending resource request information using the corresponding K subcarriers according to the subcarrier group index (i.e., the subcarrier group index configured for the terminal node in step 301), in the first embodiment, the K subcarriers corresponding to the subcarrier group index can be reordered from 0, and the complex values ​​of the resource request information can be made so that the K / 2 subcarriers with even-numbered indices among the K subcarriers correspond to the resource request information.

[0160] Based on the first embodiment described above, the remaining K / 2 subcarriers among the K subcarriers corresponding to the subcarrier group index can be assigned a complex value of 0. That is, the remaining K / 2 subcarriers are idle and do not transmit signals.

[0161] For example, as shown in Figure 7, which illustrates a scenario where K / 2 subcarriers with even-numbered indices among K subcarriers correspond to complex values ​​of resource request information. For a comb-shaped subcarrier group with subcarrier group index 0 (where the K subcarriers include #0 / #16 / #32 / #48 / #64 / #80 / #96 / #112 / #128 / #144 subcarriers, K=10), the indices of 10 subcarriers are reordered starting from 0 (e.g., renumbered as #0, #1, #2, #3, #4…#9). Then, the subcarriers with renumbered indices #0, #2, #4, #6, and #8 correspond to complex values ​​of resource request information, and the subcarriers with renumbered indices #1, #3, #5, #7, and #9 correspond to the complex value 0.

[0162] In the second embodiment, when using the corresponding K subcarriers to send resource request information according to the subcarrier group index (i.e., the subcarrier group index configured for the terminal node in step 301), the K subcarriers can also be reordered from 0 to index, and the resource request information corresponding to the first K / 2 subcarriers of the K subcarriers can be made to have complex values.

[0163] Based on the second embodiment described above, the remaining K / 2 subcarriers out of the K subcarriers can be assigned a complex value of 0. That is, the remaining K / 2 subcarriers are idle and do not transmit signals.

[0164] For example, as shown in Figure 8, which illustrates the scenario of complex values ​​of resource request information corresponding to the first K / 2 subcarriers out of K subcarriers. For the comb subcarrier group with subcarrier group index 0, the ten subcarriers #0 / #16 / #32 / #48 / #64 / #80 / #96 / #112 / #128 / #144 are re-indexed from 0 (e.g., renumbered as #0, #1, #2, #3, #4...#9). Then, the resource request information corresponding to the renumbered subcarriers with indices #0, #1, #2, #3, #4 is assigned a complex value, and the complex value corresponding to the renumbered subcarriers with indices #5, #6, #7, #8, #9 is assigned a complex value of 0.

[0165] For the first and second embodiments described above, mapping complex values ​​of the transmitted resource request information onto some subcarriers can give the resource request information better anti-interference capabilities and reduce the probability of false detection in the demodulation judgment of the management node. The management node that receives the resource request information can determine whether there is transmitted resource request information on each subcarrier corresponding to the subcarrier index by power detection (e.g., detecting the signal strength received on each subcarrier).

[0166] In the third embodiment, the resource request information corresponding to the K subcarriers in the subcarrier group indicated by the subcarrier group index (i.e., the subcarrier group index configured for the terminal node in step 301) can be complex values. That is, signals are transmitted on all K subcarriers.

[0167] In the third embodiment, the management node that receives the resource request information can determine whether a resource request information has been transmitted on each subcarrier through sequence detection (e.g., comparison with a preset sequence). The demodulation determination of the resource request information by the management node has a low false detection probability.

[0168] Process 303 describes the case where there are temporal resources with resource request information in the target superframe. However, if the received control resource overhead indication information indicates that there are no temporal resources with resource request information in the target superframe, and if there is an uplink resource requirement, then if a subsequent received control resource overhead indication information indicates that there are temporal resources with resource request information in the corresponding superframe, the resource request information will be sent in the corresponding superframe. The temporal and frequency domain resources for sending resource request information in the corresponding superframe can be referred to in the aforementioned process 303, and will not be elaborated upon here in this embodiment. Of course, if the received control resource overhead indication information indicates that there are no temporal resources with resource request information in the target superframe, and there is no uplink resource requirement, then the resource request information will not be sent in the target superframe.

[0169] Procedure 303 is executed when the terminal node has a data request but lacks uplink resources. If the terminal node does not have a data request, it does not need to send resource request information within the target superframe; that is, within the target superframe, all K subcarriers corresponding to the subcarrier group index remain idle and no information is sent.

[0170] In this embodiment, the time-frequency resource unit carrying resource request information can be a time-domain 1 symbol and a frequency-domain 1 / 16 comb subcarrier group, representing the resource frequency division of resource request information among various users (i.e., terminal nodes). Each superframe can support up to 16 users sending resource request information. When the number of user specifications is high, the resources allocated to all terminal nodes for resource request information can be distributed across multiple superframes, reducing the latency of resource request information to the millisecond level. This makes it suitable for next-generation Starflash systems that support more application scenarios, business models, and larger user specifications.

[0171] Please refer to Figure 9, which is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to a star-flash system and may include the following processes:

[0172] 401. Node G sends physical layer-specific configuration information to node T. This physical layer-specific configuration information is used to configure the time period and subcarrier group index of the resource in the resource request information for node T.

[0173] This process 401 can refer to the aforementioned process 201, and will not be described again in the embodiments of this application.

[0174] 402. In each superframe, the G node sends control information resource overhead indication information to the T node. The control resource overhead indication information is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the superframe or the next superframe.

[0175] This process 402 can refer to the aforementioned process 202, and will not be described in detail here in the embodiments of this application.

[0176] 403. When the received control resource overhead indication information indicates that there are time-domain resources for resource request information in the target superframe specified in the time period (i.e., the time period configured for the terminal node in step 401), if the T node has uplink resource requirements, then the T node, within the target superframe, at the first T link symbol after the last handover interval of the first MF in the target superframe, uses the corresponding K subcarriers according to the subcarrier group index to send resource request information to the G node.

[0177] For example, if node T sends a resource request message using a single antenna port {5000}, which contains a resource element (k, l) in radio frame #n of a superframe, then: when node T has a data request, after reordering the index of the occupied comb subcarriers from 0, the resource element (k, l) is placed in the specified location. The complex value a corresponding to an even-numbered index (subcarrier) k,l =r n,l (k), in the complex value a corresponding to the remaining subcarriers k,l =0.

[0178] When node T has no data transmission request, the complex value 'a' corresponds to all K subcarriers in the occupied comb subcarriers. k,l =0.

[0179] Where (k, l) represents the symbol l occupied by the SR information of node T, subcarrier k (subcarrier number within a 20MHz carrier), and r n,l (k) is a pseudo-random quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) sequence.

[0180] This process 403 can refer to the aforementioned process 303, and will not be described in detail here in the embodiments of this application.

[0181] In summary, the communication method provided in this application involves a management node sending physical layer-specific configuration information to a terminal node. This physical layer-specific configuration information is used to configure the time period and subcarrier group index of the resources in the resource request information for the terminal node. Within each superframe, a control information resource overhead indication information is sent to the terminal node. This control resource overhead indication information indicates whether temporal resources for the resource request information exist in the superframe or the next superframe. The terminal node receives the physical layer-specific configuration information and the control resource overhead indication information within each superframe. When the received control resource overhead indication information indicates that temporal resources for the resource request information exist in the target superframe specified by the time period, if there is an uplink resource requirement, the resource request information is sent within the target superframe. By configuring dedicated resources for the resource request information using physical layer-specific configuration information, the resource request information does not need to share resources with other information, thus supporting high user specifications. Furthermore, by controlling the resource overhead indication information, dynamic reservation of resources for resource request information is achieved, resulting in lower fixed overhead for control-type resources. This improves the overall data transmission efficiency and air interface resource utilization efficiency while realizing a reasonable, simple, and low-latency uplink resource request process, making it suitable for the next-generation Starflash system that supports more application scenarios, business models, and larger user specifications.

[0182] The order of the methods provided in the embodiments of this application can be appropriately adjusted, and the processes can be added, subtracted, and / or combined, or partially combined, as appropriate. Any variations that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the protection scope of this application, and the embodiments of this application do not limit them in this regard.

[0183] The foregoing primarily describes the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application from the perspective of the device. It is understood that, in order to achieve the above functions, the device includes corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0184] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application. The electronic device 500 can be a management node or a terminal node, or it can be a chip or functional module in a management node or a terminal node. As shown in Figure 10, the electronic device 500 includes a processor 501, a transceiver 502, and a communication line 503.

[0185] The processor 501 is used to execute any step in the method embodiments shown in Figures 4, 5 and 9, and when performing processes such as sending physical layer-specific configuration information, it can selectively call the transceiver 502 and the communication line 503 to complete the corresponding operations.

[0186] Furthermore, the electronic device 500 may also include a memory 504. The processor 501, memory 504, and transceiver 502 can be connected via a communication line 503.

[0187] Transceiver 502 is used to communicate with other devices or other communication networks, such as Ethernet, radio access network (RAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), etc. Transceiver 502 can be a module, circuit, transceiver, or any device capable of enabling communication.

[0188] The transceiver 502 is mainly used for sending and receiving messages, and may include a transmitter and a receiver to send and receive messages, respectively; operations other than sending and receiving messages are implemented by the processor, such as generating transmission frames.

[0189] Communication line 503 is used to transmit information between the various components included in electronic device 500.

[0190] In one design, the processor can be viewed as a logic circuit, and the transceiver as an interface circuit.

[0191] Memory 504 is used to store instructions. These instructions can be computer programs.

[0192] It should be noted that the memory 504 can exist independently of the processor 501 or can be integrated with the processor 501. The memory 504 can be used to store instructions, program code, or some data, etc. The memory 504 can be located inside or outside the electronic device 500, without limitation. The processor 501 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 504 to implement the method provided in the above embodiments of this application.

[0193] In one example, processor 501 may include one or more processors, such as processor 0 and processor 1 in Figure 10.

[0194] As an optional implementation, the electronic device 500 may include multiple processors, for example, in addition to the processor 501 in FIG10, it may also include a processor 507.

[0195] As an optional implementation, the electronic device 500 also includes an output device 505 and an input device 506. For example, the input device 506 is a device such as a keyboard, mouse, microphone, or joystick, and the output device 505 is a device such as a display screen or speaker.

[0196] It should be noted that the electronic device 500 can be a chip system or a device with a structure similar to that shown in Figure 10. The chip system can be composed of chips or include chips and other discrete components. Actions, terms, etc., involved in the various embodiments of this application can be referred to mutually without limitation. The message names or parameter names in the messages used for interaction between devices in the embodiments of this application are merely examples; other names can be used in specific implementations without limitation. Furthermore, the composition structure shown in Figure 10 does not constitute a limitation on the electronic device 500. In addition to the components shown in Figure 10, the electronic device 500 may include more or fewer components than shown in Figure 10, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0197] The processor and transceiver described in this application can be implemented on integrated circuits (ICs), analog ICs, radio frequency integrated circuits, mixed-signal ICs, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), electronic devices, etc. The processor and transceiver can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS), n-metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS), p-type metal oxide semiconductors (PMOS), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0198] This application embodiment can divide the device into functional modules according to the above method example. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into a management node or terminal node. The integrated modules can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0199] Figure 11 is a block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. When each functional module is divided according to its corresponding function, the communication device 600 may include a communication module 601 and a processing module 602. Exemplarily, the communication device may be a management node or a terminal node, or a chip or other combined device or component having the aforementioned communication device functions within the management node or terminal node. When the communication device 600 is a management node or a terminal node, the communication module 601 may be a transceiver, which may include an antenna and radio frequency circuits, etc.; the processing module 602 may be a processor (or processing circuit), such as a baseband processor, which may include one or more CPUs. When the communication device 600 is a device or component having the aforementioned functions, the communication module 601 may be a radio frequency unit; the processing module 602 may be a processor (or processing circuit), such as a baseband processor. When the communication device 600 is a chip system, the communication module 601 may be the input / output interface of a chip (e.g., a baseband chip); the processing module 602 may be the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip system, and may include one or more central processing units. It should be understood that the communication module 601 in the embodiments of this application can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit components; the processing module 602 can be implemented by a processor or processor-related circuit components (or, referred to as processing circuit).

[0200] In some instances, the communication device includes a star flash module for transmitting star flash signals. The communication device also includes: a module for sending physical layer-specific configuration information to terminal nodes, the physical layer-specific configuration information being used to configure the time period and subcarrier group index of the resource request information for the terminal nodes; and a module for sending control information resource overhead indication information to terminal nodes within each superframe, the control resource overhead indication information being used to indicate whether there are time-domain resources for the resource request information in the superframe or the next superframe.

[0201] The module for sending physical layer-specific configuration information to the terminal node and the module for sending control information resource overhead indication information to the terminal node in each superframe can be a communication module 601.

[0202] During this process, the processing module 602 can be used to generate physical layer-specific configuration information, as well as control information and resource overhead indication information.

[0203] In conjunction with the above scheme, when the frame structure of the superframe is a Class A frame or a Class B frame, the control resource overhead indication information is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the superframe; wherein, a Class A frame contains one hybrid radio frame (MF) within 1 ms, and a Class B frame contains two 0.5 ms half-superframes within 1 ms, each half-superframe including one MF, and the duration of the MF is 125 μs.

[0204] In conjunction with the above scheme, when the frame structure of the superframe is a Class C frame, the control resource overhead indication information is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the next superframe of the superframe; wherein, the Class C frame contains 8 hybrid radio frames (MF) within 1ms, and the duration of the MF is 125us.

[0205] In some instances, the communication device includes a star flash module for transmitting star flash signals. The communication device also includes: a module for receiving physical layer-specific configuration information, which is used to configure the time period and subcarrier group index of the resource request information for the terminal node; a module for receiving control resource overhead indication information in each superframe, which indicates whether time-domain resources for the resource request information exist in the superframe or the next superframe; and a module for transmitting resource request information in the target superframe if there is an uplink resource requirement, when the received control resource overhead indication information indicates that time-domain resources for the resource request information exist in the target superframe specified by the time period.

[0206] The modules described above for receiving physical layer-specific configuration information, receiving control resource overhead indication information within each superframe, and sending resource request information within the target superframe can be communication modules 601.

[0207] During this process, the processing module 602 can be used to determine whether the control resource overhead indication information indicates that there are time-domain resources for resource request information in the target superframe specified in the time period, and to determine whether the terminal node has uplink resource requirements.

[0208] In conjunction with the above scheme, when the frame structure of the superframe is a Class A frame or a Class B frame, the control resource overhead indication information received in the superframe is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the superframe; wherein, a Class A frame contains one hybrid radio frame (MF) within 1 ms, and a Class B frame contains two 0.5 ms half-superframes within 1 ms, each half-superframe including one MF, and the duration of the MF is 125 μs.

[0209] In conjunction with the above scheme, when the frame structure of the superframe is a Class C frame, the control resource overhead indication information received in the superframe is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for resource request information in the next superframe; wherein, the Class C frame contains 8 hybrid radio frames (MF) within 1ms, and the duration of the MF is 125us.

[0210] In conjunction with the above scheme, the module for sending resource request information is specifically used to: in the frequency domain, use the corresponding K subcarriers according to the subcarrier group index to send resource request information.

[0211] Combining the above scheme, the K subcarriers corresponding to the subcarrier group index are the 157 subcarriers included in the carriers used for resource request information. After being numbered and indexed according to 1 / 16 comb subcarriers, the K comb subcarriers included in the comb subcarrier group with the subcarrier group index are numbered. Before being numbered and indexed according to 1 / 16 comb subcarriers, the 157 subcarriers have been numbered sequentially in ascending order of their corresponding frequencies.

[0212] In conjunction with the above scheme, the module for sending resource request information is specifically used to: reorder the index of the K subcarriers from 0; and make the complex values ​​of the resource request information corresponding to the K / 2 subcarriers with even-numbered indices among the K subcarriers.

[0213] In conjunction with the above scheme, the module used to send resource request information is also specifically used to: make the remaining K / 2 subcarriers out of the K subcarriers correspond to the complex value 0.

[0214] In conjunction with the above scheme, the module for sending resource request information is specifically used to: reorder the index of the K subcarriers from 0; and assign complex values ​​to the resource request information of the first K / 2 subcarriers among the K subcarriers.

[0215] In conjunction with the above scheme, the module used to send resource request information is also specifically used to: make the remaining K / 2 subcarriers out of the K subcarriers correspond to the complex value 0.

[0216] In conjunction with the above scheme, the module used to send resource request information is specifically used to: make the resource request information corresponding to the K subcarriers have complex values.

[0217] In conjunction with the above scheme, the module used to send resource request information is also used to: send resource request information at the first T-link symbol after a handover interval in the target superframe within the target superframe, wherein the handover interval is the time interval for handover time protection when a G-link or T-link handover occurs.

[0218] In conjunction with the above scheme, when the frame structure of the target superframe is a Class B frame or a Class C frame, the module used to send resource request information is specifically used to: send resource request information within the target superframe at the first T-link symbol after the last handover interval of the first hybrid radio frame (MF) in the target superframe at the time-domain resource location; wherein, a Class B frame contains two 0.5ms half-superframes within 1ms, and each half-superframe includes one MF; a Class C frame contains eight MFs within 1ms, and the duration of each MF is 125us.

[0219] In conjunction with the above scheme, the communication device further includes: a module for transmitting resource request information in a corresponding superframe if the received control resource overhead indication information indicates that there is no time-domain resource for resource request information in the target superframe, and if a subsequently received control resource overhead indication information indicates that there is time-domain resource for resource request information in the corresponding superframe. This module may be a communication module 601.

[0220] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the communication device further includes a Bluetooth module for implementing Bluetooth signal transmission and / or a WiFi module for implementing WiFi signal transmission. One or more of the following modules—the StarScan module, the Bluetooth module, or the WiFi module—share at least one of the following: an RF unit, a modem unit, a MAC unit, and a CPU.

[0221] In one possible implementation, the star flash module and the WiFi module for WiFi signal transmission are located in different subsystems of the communication device. The subsystem of the star flash module and the subsystem of the WiFi module are integrated in the communication device with at least one of the following: Bluetooth system, SLE system, GNSS, always-on system, PMU, CMU, flash memory, application system, and audio system.

[0222] In one possible implementation, the StarScan module and the WiFi module for WiFi signal transmission are located in the same subsystem of the communication device. The subsystems of the StarScan module and the WiFi module are integrated into the communication device with at least one of the following: Bluetooth system, StarScan Low Power SLE system, GNSS, always-on system, PMU, CMU, flash memory, application system, and audio system.

[0223] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a Bluetooth module for transmitting Bluetooth signals and / or a WiFi module for transmitting WiFi signals. At least one of the Bluetooth module or WiFi module and the star-flash module coexist and communicate with each other through different antennas. The coexistence strategy includes at least one of the following: frequency division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, time division multiplexing, channel avoidance, or aggregation scheduling.

[0224] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a Bluetooth module for transmitting Bluetooth signals and / or a WiFi module for transmitting WiFi signals. At least one of the Bluetooth module or WiFi module coexists and communicates with the star-flash module through the same antenna. The coexistence strategy includes at least one of the following: frequency division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, time division multiplexing, software static strategy, or PTA strategy.

[0225] In this embodiment, the communication module 601 and the processing module 602 can be deployed simultaneously in the StarSignal module, Bluetooth module, or Wi-Fi module; or, in this embodiment, the communication module 601 can be deployed in the StarSignal module, Bluetooth module, or Wi-Fi module, and the processing module 602 can be deployed in other modules besides the StarSignal module, Bluetooth module, or Wi-Fi module; or, in this embodiment, the processing module 602 can be deployed in the StarSignal module, Bluetooth module, or Wi-Fi module, and the communication module 601 can be deployed in other modules besides the StarSignal module, Bluetooth module, or Wi-Fi module. This embodiment does not specifically limit the specific deployment of these modules.

[0226] As another possible implementation, the communication module 601 in FIG11 can be replaced by the transceiver 502 in FIG10, which can integrate the functions of the communication module 601. The processing module 602 can be replaced by the processor 507, which can integrate the functions of the communication module 602. Furthermore, the communication device 600 shown in FIG11 may also include a memory (not shown in the figure). When the communication module 601 is replaced by the transceiver 502 and the processing module 602 is replaced by the processor 507, the communication device 600 involved in the embodiments of this application can be the electronic device 500 shown in FIG10.

[0227] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication device is applicable to the scenarios shown in the above-described method embodiments. For ease of explanation, Figure 12 only shows the main components of the communication device, including a processor, memory, control circuit, and input / output devices. The processor is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, execute software programs, and process the data of the software programs. The memory is mainly used to store software programs and data. The control circuit is mainly used for power supply and the transmission of various electrical signals. The input / output devices are mainly used to receive user input data and output data to the user.

[0228] When the communication device is a management node or a terminal node, the control circuit can be a motherboard, the memory includes storage media such as hard disks, RAM, and ROM, and the processor can include a baseband processor and a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU is mainly used to control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process data from the software programs. Input / output devices include displays, keyboards, and mice. The control circuit can further include or be connected to transceiver circuits or transceivers, such as network cable interfaces, for sending or receiving data or signals, such as for data transmission and communication with other devices. Furthermore, it can also include an antenna for sending and receiving messages, for data / request transmission with other devices.

[0229] The solutions provided in this application are applicable to at least one of wireless communication methods, including Bluetooth (BT) communication, Sparklink (or Nearlink) communication, and Wi-Fi communication. In this application, BT and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) can refer to each other. Sparklink can include at least one of the following: Sparklink Low Energy (SLE), Sparklink Basic (SLB), or Sparklink Position (SLP). In this application, Sparklink can refer to Sparklink Low Energy (SLE), Sparklink Basic (SLB), or Sparklink Position (SLP).

[0230] The following describes some embodiments of the solution provided in this application.

[0231] Example 1:

[0232] Bluetooth (BT), Wi-Fi, and SparkLink (or NearLink) can all use the 2.4GHz or 5GHz frequency bands and have similarities. Some modules can be reused, thus saving chip cost, area, and power consumption. Chip resources can be highly reused, allowing for rapid iteration of multiple chips.

[0233] WIFI and SLB can share a single RF architecture and path. Figure 13 shows a schematic diagram of a chip architecture provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 13, through design, resource sharing can be achieved among the CPU, radio frequency (RF) unit, analog baseband (ABB) unit, or modem, and some modules of the media access control (MAC) layer can be reused, thereby saving chip area and reducing chip cost and power consumption.

[0234] Figure 14 shows another chip architecture provided in an embodiment of this application. As can be seen from Figure 14, the MAC units for BT, SLB, and WiFi are implemented independently, while the RF units and Modem units for each mode are all shared.

[0235] Figure 15 shows another chip architecture diagram provided in an embodiment of this application. As can be seen from Figure 15, the MAC units of BT, SLB and WiFi are implemented independently, and the Modems of BT, SLB and WiFi are also implemented independently, while the RF units of each mode are all shared.

[0236] Figure 16 shows another chip architecture provided in an embodiment of this application. As can be seen from Figure 16, the MAC units of BT, SLB and WiFi are implemented independently. The modem is shared for some modes such as WiFi and SLB, while the modem of other modes such as BT is implemented independently. The RF of all modes is shared.

[0237] Example 2:

[0238] The StarSpark chip can be manufactured using 14 / 28 / 40nm processes and packaged in chip-size packages (CSP), ball grid arrays (BGA), and quad flat no-lead (QFN) formats, employing either internal or external flash memory. Depending on the application scenario, at least one of the following subsystems can be integrated onto a single chip: power management unit (PMU), clock management unit (CMU), active optical network (AON), wireless local area network (WLAN), or BT, StarSpark, global navigation satellite system (GNSS), application (APP), and audio. This minimizes area, maximizes functionality, and improves performance and reliability.

[0239] This application provides a chip design approach where the stroboscopic subsystem is integrated with other subsystems onto a single chip. Depending on the product, the chip's subsystems can be tailored and combined, and the different subsystems are connected via a bus.

[0240] Figure 17 shows a schematic diagram of a chip module framework provided in an embodiment of this application. As can be seen from Figure 17, for products requiring BT or GNSS functional modules, and simultaneously needing to connect to WIFI and satellite flash devices, WIFI and SLB can be separated into different systems, and then combined with at least one of the following on a single chip: BT System, SLE System, GNSS System, Always On System, PMU, CMU, Flash memory, APP System, and Audio System. Different subsystems are connected via a bus.

[0241] Figure 18 shows another schematic diagram of a chip module framework provided in an embodiment of this application. As can be seen from Figure 18, in some embodiments, in order to save area and cost, WIFI and SLB can be combined into one subsystem, and then combined with at least one of BT System, SLE System, GNSS System, Always On System, PMU, CMU, Flash memory, APP System, Audio System, etc. on a single chip, with different subsystems connected through a bus.

[0242] Example 3:

[0243] The WiFi / SLB 2.4GHz band operates in the 2412–2472MHz range, while the BT / BLE / SLE band operates in the 2402–2480MHz range, which may cause mutual interference. Within the same core, SLB and WiFi can allocate service time slots through software scheduling; however, there is a lack of unified scheduling for SLB and WiFi / BT / BLE / SLE on different cores.

[0244] This application provides a communication coexistence scheme for SLB / WIFI / SLE / BT / BLE. Based on whether SLB and WIFI / SLE / BT / BLE share an antenna, the coexistence scenario is divided into coexistence with different antennas (using different antennas) and coexistence with the same antenna (using the same antenna), and different coexistence strategies are given.

[0245] For the coexistence of different antennas, if SLB and Wi-Fi coexist, it can be ensured that the transmit and receive frequencies of SLB and Wi-Fi are different (i.e., frequency division multiplexing). The software can handle this from the aspects of code division multiplexing, service cycle, and interval (i.e., frequency division multiplexing). If SLB and SLE / BT / BLE coexist, and the isolation requirement cannot be met, it is necessary to avoid the channels where SLE / BT / BLE is located (i.e., channel avoidance) to reduce the impact of SLE / BT / BLE. At the same time, an aggregation scheduling mechanism can be added to aggregate and centrally send SLE / BT / BLE data packets (i.e., aggregation scheduling) to reduce the probability of interference from SLE / BT / BLE.

[0246] For shared antenna coexistence, software static strategies or hardware arbitration time-division strategies (such as packet traffic arbitration, PTA) can be used. Frequency division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, and time division multiplexing can also be employed. The advantages of software static strategies are: low hardware requirements, minimal software modifications, and no dynamic radio frequency (RF) switching (such as RF recovery). The advantages of PTA strategies are: faster service state switching and finer granularity of switching time. Packet traffic arbitration (PTA) can also be called data packet traffic arbitration.

[0247] Taking the coexistence of SLB and SLE / BT / BLE as an example, Figure 19 illustrates a framework diagram of a software static strategy provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 19, the software static strategy may include: after SLB starts, the software configuration host notifies SLE / BT / BLE to exit the current RF path. In this scenario, SLE / BT / BLE can check the SLB startup flag, and the software can be configured to switch from the current RF path to another RF path. The chip needs to support software-configured switching.

[0248] Taking the coexistence of SLB and WIFI as an example, Figure 20 illustrates a framework diagram of a software static strategy provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 20, the software static strategy may include: after SLB starts, the software configures the host to notify WIFI to exit the current radio frequency path. In this scenario, WIFI can check the SLB startup flag, and the software can be configured to switch from the current radio frequency path to another radio frequency path. The chip needs to support software-configured switching.

[0249] For example, Figure 21 illustrates a framework diagram of a Message Transmission Arbitration (PTA) strategy provided in this application embodiment. The PTA can use an arbitrator to determine whether one or more of the SLB / WIFI / SLE / BT / BLE uses the radio frequency (RF) and the RF occupancy status. For instance, if the SLB needs to use the RF, it can request access from the arbitrator. The arbitrator can decide whether the SLB is allowed to occupy the RF based on the SLB's access request, access policy, and actual occupancy status. The PTA architecture can adopt a two-line, three-line, or four-line architecture, etc., specifically designed and configured according to business requirements. As shown in Figure 21, the Message Transmission Arbitration (PTA) strategy includes time-division multiplexing any combination of transmit (TX) and receive (RX) signals from each party in the SLB / WIFI / SLE / BT / BLE. The PTA module can transmit the RF channel occupancy status to each party separately, using different level signals to indicate that the RF channel is occupied by one or more of the SLB / WIFI / SLE / BT / BLE, and using these level signals to notify software or hardware to perform corresponding processing. Different services can also be assigned different PTA priorities, and services with higher priorities can preempt air interface resources.

[0250] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer program code. When the computer program code is run on a computer, it causes the computer to perform any of the methods described in the embodiments of this application.

[0251] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be executed by a computer or a communication-enabled device using computer programs or instructions to control related hardware. The computer program or set of instructions can be stored in the computer-readable storage medium. When executed, the computer program or set of instructions can include the processes described in the above method embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium can be an internal storage unit of the management node or terminal node in any of the foregoing embodiments, such as a hard disk or memory of the management node or terminal node. The computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device of the management node or terminal node, such as a plug-in hard disk, smart media card (SMC), secure digital (SD) card, flash card, etc., equipped on the management node or terminal node. Further, the computer-readable storage medium can include both internal storage units of the management node or terminal node and external storage devices. The computer-readable storage medium is used to store the computer program or instructions and other programs and data required by the management node or terminal node. The computer-readable storage medium can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0252] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0253] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working process of the device described above can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0254] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0255] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0256] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0257] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (personal computer, server, or management node, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0258] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send physical layer-specific configuration information to the terminal node. The physical layer-specific configuration information is used to configure the time period and subcarrier group index of the resource in the resource request information for the terminal node. Within each superframe, control information resource overhead indication information is sent to the terminal node. The control information resource overhead indication information is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for the resource request information in the superframe or the next superframe.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the frame structure of the superframe is a type A frame or a type B frame, the control resource overhead indication information is used to indicate whether there is a temporal resource for the resource request information in the superframe; The Class A frame contains one hybrid radio frame (MF) within 1 ms, and the Class B frame contains two 0.5 ms half-superframes within 1 ms. Each half-superframe includes one MF, and the duration of the MF is 125 μs.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the frame structure of the superframe is a Class C frame, the control resource overhead indication information is used to indicate whether there is a temporal resource for the resource request information in the next superframe of the superframe. The Class C frame contains 8 hybrid radio frames (MF) within 1ms, and the duration of each MF is 125us.

4. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive physical layer dedicated configuration information, which is used to configure the time period and subcarrier group index of the resource in the resource request information for the terminal node; Within each superframe, control resource overhead indication information is received. The control resource overhead indication information received in the superframe is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for the resource request information in the superframe or the next superframe. When the received control resource overhead indication information indicates that there are time-domain resources for the resource request information in the target superframe specified in the time period, if there is an uplink resource requirement, the resource request information is sent in the target superframe.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the frame structure of the superframe is a type A frame or a type B frame, the control resource overhead indication information received by the superframe is used to indicate whether there is a temporal resource for the resource request information in the superframe. The Class A frame contains one hybrid radio frame (MF) within 1 ms, and the Class B frame contains two 0.5 ms half-superframes within 1 ms. Each half-superframe includes one MF, and the duration of the MF is 125 μs.

6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the frame structure of the superframe is a Class C frame, the control resource overhead indication information received by the superframe is used to indicate whether there is a temporal resource for the resource request information in the next superframe. The Class C frame contains 8 hybrid radio frames (MF) within 1ms, and the duration of each MF is 125us.

7. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, Sending the resource request information includes: In the frequency domain, the resource request information is transmitted using the corresponding K subcarriers according to the subcarrier group index.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The K subcarriers corresponding to the subcarrier group index are the 157 subcarriers included in the carriers used for the resource request information. After being numbered and indexed according to 1 / 16 comb subcarriers, the K comb subcarriers included in the comb subcarrier group with the subcarrier group index are the 157 subcarriers that have been numbered sequentially in ascending order of their corresponding frequencies before being numbered and indexed according to 1 / 16 comb subcarriers.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The step of sending the resource request information using the corresponding K subcarriers according to the subcarrier group index includes: The K subcarriers are reordered from 0 to their indexes; and the K / 2 subcarriers with even-numbered indices among the K subcarriers are assigned complex values ​​to the resource request information.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The step of sending the resource request information using the corresponding K subcarriers according to the subcarrier group index further includes: Make the remaining K / 2 subcarriers out of the K subcarriers correspond to the complex value 0.

11. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The step of sending the resource request information using the corresponding K subcarriers according to the subcarrier group index includes: The K subcarriers are re-indexed from 0; and the first K / 2 subcarriers of the K subcarriers are assigned complex values ​​corresponding to the resource request information.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The step of sending the resource request information using the corresponding K subcarriers according to the subcarrier group index further includes: Make the remaining K / 2 subcarriers out of the K subcarriers correspond to the complex value 0.

13. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The step of sending the resource request information using the corresponding K subcarriers according to the subcarrier group index includes: Make the K subcarriers correspond to the complex values ​​of the resource request information.

14. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 13, characterized in that, Sending the resource request information within the target superframe further includes: Within the target superframe, at the first T-link symbol after a handover interval in the time domain resource location of the target superframe, the resource request information is sent, wherein the handover interval is the time interval for handover time protection when a G-link or T-link handover occurs.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, When the frame structure of the target superframe is a type B frame or a type C frame, sending the resource request information within the target superframe includes: Within the target superframe, the resource request information is sent at the first T-link symbol after the last handover interval of the first hybrid radio frame (MF) in the target superframe, where the time-domain resource location is. Specifically, the Class B frame contains two 0.5ms half-superframes within 1ms, and each half-superframe includes one MF; the Class C frame contains eight MFs within 1ms, and the duration of each MF is 125us.

16. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the received control resource overhead indication information indicates that there is no temporal resource for the resource request information in the target superframe, and if there is an uplink resource requirement, then if the subsequently received control resource overhead indication information indicates that there is temporal resource for the resource request information in the corresponding superframe, the resource request information shall be sent in the corresponding superframe.

17. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a star flash module for transmitting star flash signals, and the communication device further includes: A module for sending physical layer-specific configuration information to terminal nodes, wherein the physical layer-specific configuration information is used to configure the time period and subcarrier group index of the resource in the resource request information of the terminal node; A module for sending control information resource overhead indication information to the terminal node in each superframe, wherein the control information resource overhead indication information is used to indicate whether there are temporal resources for the resource request information in the superframe or the next superframe.

18. The communication device according to claim 17, characterized in that, The communication device is also used to implement the method as described in claim 2 or 3.

19. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a star flash module for transmitting star flash signals, and the communication device further includes: A module for receiving physical layer-specific configuration information, wherein the physical layer-specific configuration information is used to configure the time period and subcarrier group index of the resource in the resource request information for the terminal node; A module for receiving control resource overhead indication information in each superframe, wherein the control resource overhead indication information received in the superframe is used to indicate whether there is a temporal resource for the resource request information in the superframe or the next superframe. A module for transmitting the resource request information within the target superframe if there is an uplink resource requirement when the received control resource overhead indication information indicates that there are time-domain resources for the resource request information within the target superframe specified in the time period.

20. The communication device according to claim 19, characterized in that, The communication device is also used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 5 to 16.

21. The communication device according to any one of claims 17 to 20, characterized in that, The communication device further includes a Bluetooth module for transmitting Bluetooth signals and / or a WiFi module for transmitting WiFi signals, wherein one or more of the StarScan module, the Bluetooth module, or the WiFi module share a radio frequency (RF) unit.

22. The communication device according to any one of claims 17 to 21, characterized in that, The StarSpark module and the WiFi module for WiFi signal transmission are located in different subsystems of the communication device. The subsystem of the StarSpark module and the subsystem of the WiFi module are integrated in the communication device with at least one of the following: Bluetooth system, StarSpark Low Power SLE system, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Always On system, Power Management Unit (PMU), Clock Management Unit (CMU), Flash memory, application system, and audio system.

23. The communication device according to any one of claims 17 to 21, characterized in that, The StarSpark module and the WiFi module for WiFi signal transmission are located in the same subsystem of the communication device. The subsystems of the StarSpark module and the WiFi module are integrated in the communication device with at least one of the following: Bluetooth system, StarSpark Low Energy (SLE) system, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Always On System, Power Management Unit (PMU), Clock Management Unit (CMU), Flash memory, application system, and audio system.

24. The communication device according to any one of claims 17 to 23, characterized in that, The communication device further includes a Bluetooth module for realizing Bluetooth signal transmission and / or a WiFi module for realizing WiFi signal transmission. At least one of the Bluetooth module or the WiFi module coexists and communicates with the star flash module through different antennas. The coexistence strategy includes at least one of the following: frequency division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, time division multiplexing, channel avoidance, or aggregation scheduling.

25. The communication device according to any one of claims 17 to 23, characterized in that, The communication device further includes a Bluetooth module for implementing Bluetooth signal transmission and / or a WiFi module for implementing WiFi signal transmission. At least one of the Bluetooth module or the WiFi module coexists and communicates with the StarScan module through the same antenna. The coexistence strategy includes at least one of the following: frequency division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, time division multiplexing, software static strategy, or message transmission arbitration (PTA) strategy.

26. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes: One or more processors; Memory, used to store one or more computer programs or instructions; When the one or more computer programs or instructions are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

27. A communication system, characterized in that, The system includes: a management node and a terminal node; The management node is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, and the terminal node is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 4 to 16.

28. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes: Processing circuits and interface circuits; The interface circuit is used to couple with the memory outside the chip and to provide a communication interface for the processing circuit to access the memory. The processing circuit is used to execute program instructions in the memory to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores program code that, when executed by a processor, implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

30. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes instructions that, when the computer program product is run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

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