Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and a related apparatus, which are applied to the technical field of wireless sensing. The present application supports IEEE protocols, such as the IEEE 802.11be / Wi-Fi 7 / EHT protocol, the IEEE 802.11bn / UHR / Wi-Fi 8 protocol, the IEEE integrated mmWave / integrated MilliMeter Wave / IMMW protocol, the IEEE 802.15 / UWB protocol, or the IEEE 802.11bf / sensing / sensing protocol. The present application can also support the sparklink / spark link / nearlink standard protocol. In the embodiments of the present application, a sensing indication is broadcast by means of first information, so that a receiving device determines whether a broadcast frame carries a sensing measurement signal, so as to determine whether to trigger a subsequent sensing task. The present application can effectively save communication resources, and improve the efficiency of a sensing task and the flexibility and reliability of data transmission.

Description

Communication methods and related devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411182650.2, filed on August 26, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Related Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of wireless technology, and more particularly to wireless sensing technology, specifically to communication methods and related devices. Background Technology

[0003] In wireless positioning technology, the signal transmitter and receiver must interact to ensure accurate time synchronization and location measurement, which places high demands on communication accuracy and device synchronization capabilities. However, in wireless sensing technology, the sensing task can be completed simply by the signal transmitter sending a signal and the receiver receiving it. Its process is simpler and its deployment more flexible compared to wireless positioning technology.

[0004] In wireless sensing technology, taking the Wi-Fi sensing standard 802.11BF as an example, in most cases, device A is responsible for sending sensing signals, and device B receives the sensing signals. However, this method is not suitable for Sparklink Low Energy (SLE) sensing. SLE currently uses measurement signals for sensing, which involves specific frequency switching. Therefore, it is necessary to instruct other receiving devices to receive the sensing measurement signals. In contrast, Wi-Fi sensing sends signals using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) technology with a larger bandwidth. There is no measurement signal or frequency switching, and there is no need to instruct other receiving devices to receive the sensing measurement signals.

[0005] Low-power, short-range communication systems involving smart devices typically support data transmission for various service types, including low-latency, high-reliability voice services and high-reliability internet data transmission services. Therefore, effectively ensuring that the receiving device can perform non-associative sensing tasks and improving the flexibility and reliability of data transmission during data transmission involving multiple service types is a hot research topic for those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and related apparatus that can effectively ensure that the receiving device can perform rapid sensing, realize non-associated sensing tasks, improve the efficiency of sensing tasks, and enhance the flexibility and reliability of data transmission.

[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides a communication method applicable to a first communication device. The first communication device may be, for example, a network device or a communication module within a network device, or a circuit or chip within a network device responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip). Taking the application of the method to a first communication device as an example, where no communication connection has been established between the first communication device and one or more second communication devices, the method includes: generating a broadcast frame, wherein the broadcast frame includes first information indicating whether the broadcast frame carries a sensing measurement signal; and sending the broadcast frame to the one or more second communication devices.

[0008] In this application, to effectively ensure that the receiving device performs non-associated sensing tasks, the first communication device can broadcast sensing indications through first information in the transmitted broadcast frame. This allows the signal receiving end to determine whether the broadcast frame carries a sensing measurement signal based on the indication of the first information, thereby enabling the receiving device to determine whether to trigger subsequent sensing tasks. This application effectively saves communication resources, improves the efficiency of sensing tasks, and enhances the flexibility and reliability of data transmission.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the first information is set to a first value, used to indicate that the broadcast frame carries the sensing measurement signal. Alternatively, the first information is set to a second value, used to indicate that the broadcast frame does not carry the sensing measurement signal.

[0010] Optionally, the first value is 1 and the second value is 0.

[0011] In the above implementation, the value of the first information is defined. When the first information is a first value, it indicates that the broadcast frame carries a sensing measurement signal. When the broadcast frame carries a sensing measurement signal, the receiving device is triggered to execute subsequent sensing tasks. This allows for more flexible triggering of subsequent sensing tasks.

[0012] In another possible implementation, the broadcast frame further includes second information, which includes length indication information and sensing measurement signal indication information, wherein the length indication information is used to indicate the length of the second information and the sensing measurement signal indication information is used to indicate the sensing measurement signal.

[0013] In the above embodiment, when the first information takes the first value, it indicates that the broadcast frame carries a sensing measurement signal. In this case, the first communication device can determine the relevant information for sending the sensing measurement signal, namely the second information (wherein, the second information may include length indication information and sensing measurement signal indication information). After sending the first and second information in the broadcast frame, the sensing measurement signal is then sent, enabling the receiving device to quickly perform sensing based on the first and second information, thereby improving the efficiency of the sensing task and the flexibility and reliability of data transmission.

[0014] In another possible implementation, the sensing measurement signal indication information includes at least one of sensing measurement signal index information, sensing measurement count information, sensing measurement signal transmission time, and sensing measurement signal transmission interval; the sensing measurement signal index information is used to indicate the broadcast channel frequency point for transmitting the sensing measurement signal; the sensing measurement count information is used to indicate the number of times the sensing measurement signal is transmitted; the sensing measurement signal transmission time is used to indicate the start time of the sensing measurement signal transmission; and the sensing measurement signal transmission interval is used to indicate the time interval for repeatedly transmitting the sensing measurement signal.

[0015] In the above embodiments, the sensing measurement signal is transmitted based on at least one of the following: the broadcast channel frequency for transmitting the sensing measurement signal, the number of repetitions of transmitting the sensing measurement signal, the start time of transmitting the sensing measurement signal, and the time interval between repetitions of transmitting the sensing measurement signal. This enables the receiving device to prepare in advance at least one of the following information: the channel to be switched, the number of sensing measurement signals collected, the start time of transmitting the sensing measurement signal, and the time interval between repetitions of transmitting the sensing measurement signal. This further enables the receiving device to quickly perform sensing, improves the efficiency of the sensing task, and enhances the flexibility and reliability of data transmission.

[0016] In another possible implementation, the second information further includes stability indication information, which indicates whether the current state of the sensing measurement signal transmitted by the first communication device is stable.

[0017] In the above implementation, this method can effectively indicate the current state of the sensing measurement signal sent by the first communication device through stability indication information.

[0018] In another possible implementation, the stability indication information takes a first value, used to indicate that the current state of the sensing measurement signal transmitted by the first communication device is stable. The stability indication information takes a second value, used to indicate that the current state of the sensing measurement signal transmitted by the first communication device is unstable.

[0019] Optionally, the first value is 1 and the second value is 0.

[0020] In the above embodiments, the value of the stability indication information is defined. A first value indicates that the current state of the sensing measurement signal transmitted by the first communication device is stable. When the current state of the sensing measurement signal transmitted by the first communication device is stable, the quality of the transmitted signal is higher, ensuring the stability of the receiving device's sensing task execution process, and thus effectively improving the accuracy or precision of the measurement results. When the first communication device is currently in an unstable state, it can further decide whether to transmit the sensing measurement signal based on its own capability information. This allows the first communication device to transmit sensing measurement signals more flexibly.

[0021] In another possible implementation, the second information includes N bits, of which M bits are used to carry the length indication information, and P bits are used to carry the sensing measurement signal indication information, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, M is an integer and 0 < M < N, P is an integer and 0 < P < N, and the length indication information is associated with the value of N.

[0022] In the above embodiments, some or all of the N bits included in the second information of this application are used to carry the relevant information of the sensing measurement signal (e.g., M bits out of the N bits are used to carry length indication information, and P bits out of the N bits are used to carry sensing measurement signal indication information), without adding any additional bits to indicate the relevant information of the sensing measurement signal. This application achieves the indication effect without occupying additional storage space, thus reducing resource consumption.

[0023] In another possible implementation, the bits other than the M bits and the P bits in the N bits are used to carry the stability indication information; or, if there are spare bits in the M bits, the spare bits are used to carry the stability indication information.

[0024] In the above embodiments, some or all of the N bits included in the second information of this application are used to carry relevant information of the sensing measurement signal (e.g., stability indication information is carried by bits other than M and P bits of the N bits). Alternatively, if not all M bits of the N bits included in the second information of this application are used, the remaining M bits can also be used to carry stability indication information. Neither of these two schemes adds extra bits for indicating relevant information of the sensing measurement signal. This application achieves the indication effect without occupying additional storage space, thus reducing resource consumption.

[0025] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to a second communication device. The second communication device can be, for example, a terminal or a communication module within a terminal, or a circuit or chip within the terminal responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip). Taking the application of the method to a second communication device as an example, where the second communication device has not established a communication connection with a first communication device, the method includes: receiving a broadcast frame from the first communication device; parsing the broadcast frame, wherein the broadcast frame includes first information, the first information indicating whether the broadcast frame carries a sensing measurement signal.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the first information is set to a first value, used to indicate that the broadcast frame carries the sensing measurement signal. Alternatively, the first information is set to a second value, used to indicate that the broadcast frame does not carry the sensing measurement signal.

[0027] In another possible implementation, the broadcast frame further includes second information, the length indication information indicating the length of the second information, and the sensing measurement signal indication information indicating the sensing measurement signal.

[0028] In another possible implementation, the sensing measurement signal indication information includes at least one of sensing measurement signal index information, sensing measurement count information, sensing measurement signal transmission time, and sensing measurement signal transmission interval; the sensing measurement signal index information is used to indicate the broadcast channel frequency point for transmitting the sensing measurement signal; the sensing measurement count information is used to indicate the number of times the sensing measurement signal is transmitted; the sensing measurement signal transmission time is used to indicate the start time of the sensing measurement signal transmission; and the sensing measurement signal transmission interval is used to indicate the time interval for repeatedly transmitting the sensing measurement signal.

[0029] In another possible implementation, the second information further includes stability indication information, which indicates whether the current state of the sensing measurement signal transmitted by the first communication device is stable.

[0030] In another possible implementation, the stability indication information takes a first value, used to indicate that the current state of the sensing measurement signal transmitted by the first communication device is stable. The stability indication information takes a second value, used to indicate that the current state of the sensing measurement signal transmitted by the first communication device is unstable.

[0031] In another possible implementation, the second information includes N bits, of which M bits are used to carry the length indication information, and P bits are used to carry the sensing measurement signal indication information, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, M is an integer and 0 < M < N, P is an integer and 0 < P < N, and the length indication information is associated with the value of N.

[0032] In another possible implementation, the bits other than the M bits and the P bits in the N bits are used to carry the stability indication information; or, if there are spare bits in the M bits, the spare bits are used to carry the stability indication information.

[0033] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device that can be used in the first communication device of the first aspect. The communication device can be a network device, a device in the network device (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit), or a device that can be matched with the network device. It can also be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the communication device may include modules or units that perform the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect. These modules or units may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0035] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device that can be used in the second communication device of the second aspect. The communication device can be a terminal, a device in the terminal (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit), or a device that can be matched with the terminal. It can also be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the communication device may include modules or units that perform the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect one by one. These modules or units may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0037] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes at least one processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is used for inputting and / or outputting information, and the at least one processor is used for calling a computer program stored in at least one memory to implement the method described in any of the embodiments of the first aspect.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes at least one of the aforementioned memories. Optionally, the memory and processor are integrated together.

[0039] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes at least one processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is used for inputting and / or outputting information, and the at least one processor is used for calling a computer program stored in at least one memory to implement the method described in any of the embodiments of the second aspect.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes at least one of the aforementioned memories. Optionally, the memory and processor are integrated together.

[0041] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes a logic circuit and an interface, the logic circuit and the interface being coupled; the interface is used to input and / or output information, and the logic circuit is used to implement the method described in any of the embodiments of the first to second aspects.

[0042] In one possible implementation of the seventh aspect, the communication device is a chip or chip system.

[0043] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication system including a first communication device and a second communication device, which are communicatively connected. The first communication device is used to implement the method of any embodiment of the first aspect, and the second communication device is used to implement the method of any embodiment of the second aspect.

[0044] In a ninth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium for storing instructions or a computer program; the instructions or computer program are executed to implement the method of any one of the embodiments of the first to second aspects.

[0045] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a computer program product including computer instructions that run on at least one processor and can implement the methods described in any of the first to second aspects or any possible implementations thereof. Exemplarily, the computer program product can be a software installation package, which can be downloaded and executed on a computing device when the aforementioned methods are required.

[0046] The beneficial effects of the technical solutions provided in aspects two through ten of this application can be referred to the beneficial effects of the technical solutions in aspect one, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0047] The accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below.

[0048] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a WLAN architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a wireless sensing scenario provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a partial general structure corresponding to a broadcast frame provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an N-bit embodiment provided in this application;

[0053] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 60 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another communication device 70 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 8 is a structural schematic diagram of another communication device 80 provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0056] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0057] The system architecture used in the embodiments of this application is described below. It should be noted that the system architecture and business scenarios described in this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0058] The embodiments of this application can be applied to WLAN scenarios, for example, to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 system standards, such as the 802.11be standard, Wi-Fi 7 or Extremely High Throughput (EHT), 802.11bf, and next-generation standards of 802.11be, such as Wi-Fi 8 or even later. Alternatively, the embodiments of this application can also be applied to wireless local area network systems such as Internet of Things (IoT) networks or Vehicle-to-X (V2X) networks. Of course, the embodiments of this application can also be applied to other possible communication systems, such as worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, 5G communication systems, and future communication systems.

[0059] The following examples illustrate how the embodiments of this application can be applied to WLAN scenarios. It should be understood that WLAN standards have evolved from 802.11a / g to 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, and the currently discussed 802.11be. 802.11n can also be called high throughput (HT); 802.11ac can also be called very high throughput (VHT); 802.11ax can also be called high efficiency (HE) or Wi-Fi 6; 802.11be can also be called EHT or Wi-Fi 7. Standards prior to HT, such as 802.11a / b / g, can be collectively referred to as non-high throughput (Non-HT). Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a WLAN architecture provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, taking the WLAN as an example, which includes one wireless access point (AP) and several stations (STAs), the STAs associated with the AP can receive wireless frames sent by the AP and can also send wireless frames to the AP. Furthermore, this embodiment of the application is also applicable to communication between APs, for example, APs can communicate with each other through a distributed system (DS). This embodiment of the application is also applicable to communication between STAs. It should be understood that the number of APs and STAs in Figure 1 is only an example, and there can be more or fewer.

[0060] Access points, which are the points through which terminals (such as mobile phones) access wired (or wireless) networks, are primarily deployed in homes, buildings, and campuses, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters. They can also be deployed outdoors. An access point acts as a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks, its main function being to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet. Specifically, an access point can be a terminal (such as a mobile phone) with a Wi-Fi chip, a network device (such as a router), or a wireless communication chip, wireless sensor, or wireless communication terminal with access point functionality. Access points can be devices supporting the 802.11be standard. Access points can also be devices supporting various wireless local area networks (WLAN) standards within the 802.11 family, including 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11be next-generation.

[0061] A site can be a wireless communication chip, wireless sensor, or wireless communication terminal, and can also be referred to as a user. For example, a site can be a mobile phone supporting Wi-Fi communication, a tablet computer supporting Wi-Fi communication, a set-top box supporting Wi-Fi communication, a smart TV supporting Wi-Fi communication, a smart wearable device supporting Wi-Fi communication, an in-vehicle communication device supporting Wi-Fi communication, and a computer supporting Wi-Fi communication, etc. Optionally, the site can support the 802.11be standard. The site can also support various wireless local area network (WLAN) standards of the 802.11 family, such as 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11be next generation.

[0062] For example, access points and sites can be devices used in the Internet of Vehicles (IoV), IoT nodes and sensors in the Internet of Things (IoT), smart cameras, smart remote controls, smart water and electricity meters in smart homes, and sensors in smart cities.

[0063] The AP and STA involved in the embodiments of this application can be APs and STAs applicable to the IEEE 802.11 system standard. An AP is a device deployed in a wireless communication network to provide wireless communication functions for its associated STA, such as a first communication device. The AP can serve as the hub of the communication system and is typically a network-side product supporting the MAC and PHY of the 802.11 system standard. Examples include base stations, routers, gateways, repeaters, communication servers, switches, or bridges. The base station can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, repeater stations, etc. For ease of description, the devices mentioned above are collectively referred to as APs. STAs are typically terminal products supporting the media access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) of the 802.11 system standard, such as second and third communication devices. In the embodiments of this application, the terminals involved can include various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem with wireless communication functions. A terminal, also known as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), or mobile terminal (MT), is a device used to provide voice or data connectivity to users, and can also be an Internet of Things (IoT) device. For example, terminals include handheld devices with wireless connectivity and in-vehicle devices. Currently, terminals can include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices (such as smartwatches, smart bracelets, pedometers, smart glasses, etc.), in-vehicle equipment (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), satellite terminals, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, point-of-sale (POS) machines, customer-premises equipment (CPE), light user equipment (UE), reduced capability user equipment (REDCAP UE), wireless terminals in industrial control, smart home devices (such as refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), intelligent robots, robotic arms, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in autonomous driving, wireless terminals in telemedicine, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, or wireless terminals in smart homes, and flying equipment (such as intelligent robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes), etc.The terminal can also be a vehicle device, such as a complete vehicle unit, vehicle module, vehicle chip, on-board unit (OBU), or telematics box (T-BOX). The terminal can also be other devices with terminal functions; for example, it can be a device that functions as a terminal in D2D communication, such as a mobile phone or laptop.

[0064] It should be noted that the communication system shown in Figure 1 does not constitute a limitation on the communication systems to which the embodiments of this application can be applied. Therefore, the method provided in the embodiments of this application is applicable to various wireless communication systems, such as Wi-Fi systems, 5th generation (5G) communication systems, or various future mobile communication systems, and this application does not limit it. In addition, this application supports IEEE protocols, such as IEEE 802.11be / Wi-Fi7 / EHT protocol, IEEE 802.11bn / UHR / Wi-Fi 8 protocol, IEEE Integrated mmWave / IMMW protocol, IEEE 802.15 / UWB protocol, or IEEE 802.11bf / sensing protocol; this application may also support the Spark Link / NearLink standard protocols.

[0065] In wireless positioning technology, the signal transmitter and receiver must interact to ensure accurate time synchronization and location measurement, which places high demands on communication accuracy and device synchronization capabilities. However, in wireless sensing technology, the sensing task can be completed simply by the signal transmitter sending a signal and the receiver receiving it. Its process is simpler and its deployment more flexible compared to wireless positioning technology.

[0066] The existing wireless sensing scenarios are shown in Figure 2(a), Figure 2(b) and Figure 2(c), which mainly include three categories of scenarios: base station-based sensing, base station and terminal-based sensing, and terminal-based sensing. Figure 2(a) shows sensing based on a single-base station (i.e., the single base station acts as both the receiver and the transmitter to perform sensing services on the sensing target) and sensing based on a dual-base station (including two base stations performing sensing services, with the transmitter base station performing sensing measurements on the sensing target and then sending the obtained sensing measurement results to the receiver base station); Figure 2(b) shows sensing based on a dual-base station and a terminal (i.e., the transmitter base station performs sensing measurements on the sensing target and then sends the obtained sensing measurement results to the receiver terminal) and sensing based on a dual-base station, a terminal, and a base station (i.e., the transmitter terminal performs sensing measurements on the sensing target and then sends the obtained sensing measurement results to the receiver base station); Figure 2(c) shows sensing based on a single-base station and a terminal (i.e., the single terminal acts as both the receiver and the transmitter to perform sensing services on the sensing target) and sensing based on a dual-base station and a terminal (including two terminals performing sensing services, with the transmitter terminal performing sensing measurements on the sensing target and then sending the obtained sensing measurement results to the receiver terminal).

[0067] In wireless sensing technology, taking the Wi-Fi sensing standard 802.11BF as an example, in most cases, device A is responsible for sending sensing signals, and device B receives them. However, this method is not suitable for Sparklink Low Energy (SLE) sensing. SLE currently uses measurement signals for sensing, which involves specific frequency switching, thus requiring other receiving devices to receive the sensing measurement signals. In contrast, Wi-Fi sensing transmits signals using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology with a larger bandwidth, without measurement signals or frequency switching, and therefore does not require instructing other receiving devices to receive the sensing measurement signals. Therefore, how to effectively ensure that receiving devices can perform non-associative sensing tasks is a hot research topic for those skilled in the art.

[0068] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method and related apparatus. To effectively ensure that the receiving device performs a non-associated sensing task, the first communication device can broadcast a sensing indication through first information in the broadcast frame, so that the signal receiving end can determine whether the broadcast frame carries a sensing measurement signal based on the indication of the first information, thereby enabling the receiving device to determine whether to trigger a subsequent sensing task. This application can effectively save communication resources and improve the efficiency of sensing tasks.

[0069] In the communication method described below (as shown in Figure 3), the specific descriptions of the first communication device, the second communication device, and the third communication device can be found in Figure 1, and will not be detailed here. For ease of description, in the embodiments of this application, specific examples may be used to illustrate that the first communication device is a network device, the second communication device is a first terminal, and the third communication device is a second terminal, but this should not be construed as a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0070] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0071] Please refer to Figure 3, which is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Optionally, this method can be applied to a communication system, such as the communication system shown in Figure 1.

[0072] The method shown in Figure 3 may include steps S301-S302. It should be understood that this application describes the steps in the order of S301-S302 for ease of description, and is not intended to limit the execution to this specific order. This application's embodiments do not limit the order of execution, the execution time, or the number of executions of one or more of the above steps. Steps S301-S302 are as follows:

[0073] Step S301: The first communication device generates a broadcast frame.

[0074] The broadcast frame includes first information, where the first message is an exemplary name used to distinguish a particular message, and the first information indicates whether the broadcast frame carries a sensing measurement signal. Exemplarily, the first message can be message 1 or other messages.

[0075] In this application, the first communication device broadcasts a sensing instruction via first information in the broadcast frame, enabling the second communication device to determine whether the broadcast frame carries a sensing measurement signal based on the indication of the first information. This, in turn, allows the second communication device to determine whether to trigger subsequent sensing tasks. This application effectively saves communication resources, improves the efficiency of sensing tasks, and enhances the flexibility and reliability of data transmission.

[0076] For example, please refer to Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of a partial general structure corresponding to a broadcast frame provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4, the broadcast frame includes a basic broadcast frame, an extended broadcast frame, a query request frame, a query response frame, an access request frame, and an access response frame, etc. Optionally, one or more general structures can be sent in a physical frame.

[0077] In Figure 4, the placement of the first information can be, for example, placed in the reserved bit of byte 0, such as the 5th bit of byte 0, or the 6th bit of byte 0, or the 7th bit of byte 0. The placement of the first information can also be a combination of the above three bit positions. This application does not limit the specific bit position of the first information in the reserved bit of byte 0.

[0078] For example, the first information can be placed in the reserved bits of byte 1, such as the 6th bit or the 7th bit of byte 1, or a combination of the above two bit positions. This application does not limit the specific bit position of the first information in the reserved bits of byte 1. This application uses the reserved bits of the broadcast frame to carry the first information, avoiding additional overhead and improving communication efficiency.

[0079] The following exemplifies a possible scenario where the first information is used to indicate whether a broadcast frame carries a sensing measurement signal:

[0080] In the first scenario, the first information value is set to the first value, which is used to indicate that the broadcast frame carries the sensing measurement signal and triggers the second communication device to execute subsequent sensing tasks, making it more flexible.

[0081] In one possible design, if the first communication device determines that another receiving device needs to perform a sensing task, the first communication device can set the value of the first information in the broadcast frame (or data) to be transmitted to a first value. For example, the first value is 1.

[0082] In the second scenario, the first information value is taken as the second value, which is used to indicate that the broadcast frame does not carry sensing measurement signals.

[0083] In one possible design, if the first communication device determines that no other receiving device is currently required to perform the sensing task, the first communication device can set the value of the first information in the broadcast frame (or data) to be transmitted to a second value. For example, the second value is 0.

[0084] It should be noted that the above values ​​for the first and second values ​​are merely examples, and vice versa. The values ​​for the first and second values ​​in this application are not limited.

[0085] Step S302: The first communication device sends a broadcast frame to one or more second communication devices.

[0086] In this case, no communication connection is established between the first communication device and one or more second communication devices; in other words, the first communication device and one or more second communication devices are not associated.

[0087] Accordingly, the broadcast frame can be received by one or more second communication devices. For example, it can be received by one second communication device (e.g., terminal 1) or by multiple second communication devices (e.g., terminal 1, terminal 2, and terminal 3).

[0088] Optionally, when a broadcast frame is received by multiple second communication devices (e.g., by terminal 1, terminal 2, and terminal 3), terminal 1, terminal 2, and terminal 3 may receive the broadcast frame but not send a response message to the first communication device, or they may send a response message to the first communication device after the multiple second communication devices have received the broadcast frame, thereby achieving two-way confirmation of information.

[0089] In one possible implementation, the broadcast frame also includes second information, and the first communication device transmits the first and second information in the broadcast frame.

[0090] Accordingly, when the first information takes the first value, the second communication device acquires the second information, enabling the second communication device to quickly perform perception based on the first and second information, thereby improving the efficiency of the perception task and the flexibility and reliability of data transmission.

[0091] Optionally, the second information includes length indication information and sensing measurement signal indication information.

[0092] Among them, the length indication information is used to indicate the length of the second information, and the sensing measurement signal indication information is used to indicate the sensing measurement signal.

[0093] For example, the broadcast frame is a Starlight broadcast frame, which includes a data type field to indicate the type of broadcast data or the name of the message carried by the broadcast frame. As shown in Table 1, the data type field values ​​include 0x00, 0x01, 0x02, 0x03, 0x04, 0x05, 0x06, 0x07, 0x08-0xFE, 0xFF, etc. For example, a data type field value of 0x00 indicates that the type of broadcast data or the name of the message is "Discovery Access Resource Configuration Information," and its length is "variable length." Another example is a data type field value of 0x06, which indicates that the type of broadcast data or the name of the message is "Non-linked Broadcast Link Information," and its length is 70 bytes. Furthermore, data type field values ​​0x08-0xFE are reserved values. In this embodiment, a value can be selected from the reserved values ​​0x08-0xFE to indicate that the broadcast frame carries second information, and the message name can be "Sensing Measurement Signal Indication Information." For example, the data type field is set to 0x08, indicating that the broadcast frame carries second information of variable length. Specifically, the length of the second information can be 1 byte or 2 bytes. This application uses a reserved value in the data type field to indicate that the broadcast frame carries second information, avoiding additional overhead and saving communication resources.

[0094] Table 1

[0095] In one possible implementation, the second information includes N bits, of which M bits are used to carry length indication information and P bits are used to carry sensing measurement signal indication information.

[0096] Where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, M is an integer and 0 < M < N, P is an integer and 0 < P < N, and the length indication information is associated with the value of N.

[0097] Optionally, the bit values ​​of M and P are different, for example, M is 2 and P is 4.

[0098] Optionally, the positions of the M bits and P bits in the N bits are different.

[0099] Optionally, the N bits can be reserved bits.

[0100] It should be noted that the sensing measurement signal indication information may include at least one of sensing measurement signal index information, sensing measurement count information, sensing measurement signal transmission time, and sensing measurement signal transmission interval. The sensing measurement signal index information is used to indicate the broadcast channel frequency point for transmitting the sensing measurement signal, i.e., the transmission frequency point combination; the sensing measurement count information is used to indicate the number of times the sensing measurement signal is transmitted; the sensing measurement signal transmission time is used to indicate the start time of the sensing measurement signal transmission; and the sensing measurement signal transmission interval is used to indicate the time interval for repeatedly transmitting the sensing measurement signal. The first communication device transmits the sensing measurement signal according to the sensing measurement signal indication information, enabling the second communication device to prepare in advance at least one of the following information: the channel to be switched, the number of sensing measurement signals collected, the start time of the sensing measurement signal transmission, and the time interval for repeatedly transmitting the sensing measurement signal. This further enables the receiving device to quickly perform sensing, improves the efficiency of the sensing task, and enhances the flexibility and reliability of data transmission.

[0101] For example, the transmission frequency combination may include 79 single-tone sensing measurement signals and 21 possible combinations. The 79 single-tone sensing measurement signals are sensing measurement signal 1, sensing measurement signal 2, ..., sensing measurement signal 79. The 21 possible combinations are formed by combining and arranging multiple sensing measurement signals from the previous 79 single-tone sensing measurement signals. For example, one possible combination could be: sensing measurement signal 1, sensing measurement signal 3, sensing measurement signal 5, sensing measurement signal 7, sensing measurement signal 9, ..., sensing measurement signal 79; another possible combination could be: sensing measurement signal 2, sensing measurement signal 4, sensing measurement signal 6, sensing measurement signal 8, sensing measurement signal 10, ..., sensing measurement signal 78. Each single-tone sensing measurement signal can be transmitted individually or in combination. The number of sensing measurements, i.e., the number of repetitions of the sensing measurement signal, can be 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, or 128. Therefore, in the above example, there are a total of 100 transmission frequency combinations, and each case can have 8 different repetition counts, resulting in a total of 800 possible combinations. This application does not limit the specific combination method and quantity of the transmission frequency band combination, nor does it limit the specific number of repetitions of the sensing measurement signal.

[0102] For example, please refer to Figure 5, which is a schematic diagram of N bits provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 5(a), taking 2 bytes as an example, assuming N=16, that is, the second information includes 16 bits, corresponding to 2 bytes. If M=1, that is, the content broadcast through 2 bytes can be indicated by the first bit of the first byte in the 2 bytes. Optionally, the sensing measurement signal indication information includes at least one of sensing measurement signal index information, sensing measurement count information, sensing measurement signal transmission time, and sensing measurement signal transmission interval.

[0103] For example, referring to Figure 5(a), four cases of sensing measurement signal indication information indicated by indexing P bits are described below:

[0104] In the first scenario, the sensing measurement signal indication information only includes the sensing measurement signal index information, which is indicated by P bits. For example, if P = 4, then 4 bits are used to indicate the sensing measurement signal index information. For instance, if the P bits are all 0000, the frequency point combination indicated by index 0000 can be used to indicate sensing measurement signal 1. Similarly, if the P bits are all 0101, the frequency point indicated by index 0101 can be used to indicate sensing measurement signal 3. Furthermore, if the P bits are all 1010, the frequency point indicated by index 1010 can be used to indicate sensing measurement signal 5. And if the P bits are all 1111, the frequency point indicated by index 1111 can be used to indicate sensing measurement signal 7.

[0105] In the second scenario, the sensing measurement signal indication information only includes the sensing measurement signal index and the number of sensing measurements, indicated by P bits of index. For example, if P = 4, then 4 bits are used to indicate the sensing measurement signal index and the number of sensing measurements. For instance, if the 4 bits correspond to index 0000, the first two bits (index 00) indicate that the transmitted frequency is sensing measurement signal 1, and the last two bits (index 00) indicate that sensing measurement signal 1 is repeated 8 times. Similarly, if the 4 bits correspond to index 0101, the first two bits (index 01) indicate that the transmitted frequency is sensing measurement signal 3, and the last two bits (index 01) indicate that sensing measurement signal 3 is repeated 16 times. And again, if the 4 bits correspond to index 1010, the first two bits (index 10) indicate that the transmitted frequency is sensing measurement signal 5, and the last two bits (index 10) indicate that sensing measurement signal 5 is repeated 32 times. For example, the 4 bits correspond to index 1111. The first two bits, corresponding to index 11, indicate that the frequency point to be transmitted is the sensing measurement signal 7, and the last two bits, corresponding to index 11, indicate that the number of repetitions of the sensing measurement signal 7 is 64.

[0106] Scenario 3: The sensing measurement signal indication information includes sensing measurement signal index information, sensing measurement count information, and the transmission time of the sensing measurement signal. P bits are used as indices to indicate the sensing measurement signal index information, sensing measurement count information, and the transmission time of the sensing measurement signal, respectively. For example, if P = 4, then 4 bits are used to indicate the sensing measurement signal index information, sensing measurement count information, and the transmission time of the sensing measurement signal. For instance, if the 4 bits correspond to index 0000, the first two bits (index 00) indicate that the transmission frequency is sensing measurement signal 1, the third bit (index 0) indicates that sensing measurement signal 1 is repeated 8 times, and the fourth bit (index 0) indicates that sensing measurement signal 1 is transmitted at a 1µs interval at the end of the broadcast frame. As another example, if the 4 bits correspond to index 0101, the first two bits (index 01) indicate that the transmission frequency is sensing measurement signal 3, the third bit (index 0) indicates that sensing measurement signal 3 is repeated 16 times, and the fourth bit (index 1) indicates that sensing measurement signal 3 is transmitted at a 10µs interval at the end of the broadcast frame. For example, 4 bits corresponding to index 1010 can indicate that the frequency point to be transmitted is sensing measurement signal 5, the third bit corresponding to index 10 indicates that the number of repetitions of sensing measurement signal 5 is 32, and the fourth bit corresponding to index 0 indicates that sensing measurement signal 5 is transmitted at a 100µs interval at the end of the broadcast frame. Similarly, 4 bits corresponding to index 1111 can indicate that the frequency point to be transmitted is sensing measurement signal 7, the third bit corresponding to index 1 indicates that the number of repetitions of sensing measurement signal 7 is 64, and the fourth bit corresponding to index 1 indicates that sensing measurement signal 7 is transmitted at a 1000µs interval at the end of the broadcast frame.

[0107] Scenario 4: The sensing measurement signal indication information includes sensing measurement signal index information, sensing measurement count information, and the transmission time and interval of the sensing measurement signal. P bits are used as indices to indicate the sensing measurement signal index information, sensing measurement count information, sensing measurement signal transmission time, and sensing measurement signal transmission interval, respectively. For example, if P = 4, then 4 bits are used to indicate the sensing measurement signal index information, sensing measurement count information, sensing measurement signal transmission time, and sensing measurement signal transmission interval, respectively. For instance, if the 4 bits correspond to index 0000, the first bit (index 0) indicates that the transmitted frequency is sensing measurement signal 1; the second bit (index 0) indicates that sensing measurement signal 1 is repeated 8 times; the third bit (index 0) indicates that sensing measurement signal 1 is transmitted at a 1µs interval at the end of the broadcast frame; and the fourth bit (index 0) indicates that the transmission interval of sensing measurement signal 1 is 1µs. For example, 4 bits corresponding to index 0101 can indicate that the frequency point to be transmitted is sensing measurement signal 3 through index 0 corresponding to the first bit; the number of repetitions of sensing measurement signal 3 is 16 through index 1 corresponding to the second bit; the number of repetitions of sensing measurement signal 3 is 10µs through index 0 corresponding to the third bit; and the number of repetitions of sensing measurement signal 3 is 10µs through index 1 corresponding to the fourth bit. Similarly, 4 bits corresponding to index 1010 can indicate that the frequency point to be transmitted is sensing measurement signal 5 through index 1 corresponding to the first bit; the number of repetitions of sensing measurement signal 5 is 32 through index 0 corresponding to the second bit; the number of repetitions of sensing measurement signal 5 is 32 through index 0 corresponding to the second bit; the number of repetitions of sensing measurement signal 5 is 32 through index 1 corresponding to the third bit; the number of repetitions of sensing measurement signal 5 is 100µs through index 1 corresponding to the third bit; and the number of repetitions of sensing measurement signal 5 is 100µs through index 0 corresponding to the fourth bit. For example, the four bits corresponding to index 1111 can indicate that the transmitted frequency is sensing measurement signal 7 through index 1 corresponding to the first bit; the index 1 corresponding to the second bit indicates that the sensing measurement signal 7 is repeated 64 times through index 1; the index 1 corresponding to the third bit indicates that the sensing measurement signal 7 is transmitted at an interval of 1000µs at the end of the broadcast frame through index 1 corresponding to index 1 corresponding to index 1; and the transmission interval of the sensing measurement signal 7 is 1000µs through index 1 corresponding to index 1. It should be noted that the above situation is only an example of sensing measurement signal indication information, and the specific representation of sensing measurement signal indication information in the embodiments of this application is not limited.

[0108] Optionally, the second information may also include stability indication information.

[0109] The stability indication information is used to indicate whether the current state of the sensing measurement signal sent by the first communication device is stable.

[0110] For example, the first communication device can first detect whether it is currently in one of the following situations. If the first communication device detects any of the following situations, the first communication device determines that its current state is unstable. If none of the following situations are detected, the first communication device determines that its current state is stable.

[0111] (1) Changes in ambient temperature of the first communication device. If the first communication device detects a change in the ambient temperature nearby, it can confirm that its current state is unstable.

[0112] (2) The first communication device switches its antenna. If the first communication device detects that its own antenna is about to switch, it can confirm that its current state is unstable.

[0113] (3) Interference exists in the environment of the first communication device. If the first communication device detects interfering objects or devices in its vicinity, it can confirm that its current state is unstable.

[0114] (4) The first communication device switches its power mode. If the first communication device detects that its own power mode is about to switch, it can confirm that its current state is unstable.

[0115] (5) The first communication device is moved. If the first communication device detects that its own position is about to change or has changed, it can confirm that its current state is unstable.

[0116] The following is an example illustrating a possible situation where stability indication information is used to indicate whether the current state of the sensing measurement signal transmitted by the first communication device is stable:

[0117] In the first scenario, the stability indication information is set to the first value, which is used to indicate that the current state of the sensing measurement signal sent by the first communication device is stable.

[0118] In one possible design, if the first communication device detects that none of the above-mentioned conditions exist, then the first communication device determines that the current state of transmitting the sensing measurement signal is stable, and the first communication device can set the value of the stability indication information carried in the broadcast frame (or data) to be transmitted to a first value. For example, the first value is 1.

[0119] In the second scenario, the stability indication information takes the second value, which indicates that the current state of the sensing measurement signal sent by the first communication device is unstable.

[0120] In one possible design, if the first communication device detects the existence of any of the aforementioned situations, it determines that the current state of transmitting the sensing measurement signal is unstable. The first communication device can then set the value of the stability indication information carried in the broadcast frame (or data) to be transmitted to a second value. For example, the second value is 0.

[0121] It should be noted that the above values ​​for the first and second values ​​are merely examples, and vice versa. The values ​​for the first and second values ​​in this application are not limited.

[0122] In one possible implementation, the bits other than M bits and P bits out of the N bits are used to carry stability indication information.

[0123] For example, referring to Figure 5(a), when N=16, M=1, P=4, there are 11 bits remaining out of the 16 bits. These 11 bits can all be used to indicate stability indication information, such as setting all of them to 0 or all of them to 1.

[0124] In another possible implementation, if there are spare bits among the M bits, the spare bits are used to carry stability indication information.

[0125] For example, referring to Figure 5(b), when N=16, M=2, P=4, if the content broadcast by the two bytes is indicated by the first and second bits of the first byte in the two bytes, then there are two bits remaining in the M bits. These two bits can be used to carry stability indication information, such as setting all bits to 0 or all bits to 1.

[0126] In this application, to effectively ensure that the receiving device performs non-associated sensing tasks, the first communication device can broadcast sensing indications through first information in the transmitted broadcast frame. This allows the signal receiving end to determine whether the broadcast frame carries a sensing measurement signal based on the indication of the first information, thereby enabling the receiving device to determine whether to trigger subsequent sensing tasks. This application effectively saves communication resources, improves the efficiency of sensing tasks, and enhances the flexibility and reliability of data transmission.

[0127] The methods of the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above. The apparatus of the embodiments of this application is provided below.

[0128] It should be understood that the division of units in the apparatus provided in this application embodiment is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, the units in the apparatus can be implemented by a processor calling software. For example, the apparatus includes a processor connected to a memory, which stores instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or to implement the functions of each unit of the apparatus. The processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is either internal or external to the apparatus.

[0129] Alternatively, the units in the device can be implemented as hardware circuits. The functionality of some or all of the units can be achieved through the design of these hardware circuits, which can be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The functionality of some or all of the above units is achieved through the design of the logical relationships between the components within the circuit. In another implementation, the hardware circuit can be implemented using a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gates. The connection relationships between the logic gates are configured through a configuration file, thereby achieving the functionality of some or all of the above units.

[0130] In the embodiments of this application, each unit in the device may be one or more processors (or processing circuits) configured to implement the above methods, such as: CPU, graphics processing unit (GPU), neural network processing unit (NPU), tensor processing unit (TPU), deep learning processing unit (DPU), microprocessor unit (MPU), digital signal processor (DSP), ASIC, FPGA, or a combination of at least two of these processor forms.

[0131] Furthermore, the units in the above devices can be integrated in whole or in part, or they can be implemented independently. In one implementation, these units are integrated together as a system-on-a-chip (SOC). The SOC may include at least one processor for implementing any of the above methods or for implementing the functions of the units in the device. The at least one processor can be of different types, such as including a CPU and an FPGA, or including a CPU and an AI processor, or including a CPU and a GPU, etc. Several possible devices are listed below.

[0132] Please refer to Figure 6, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 60 provided in an embodiment of this application. Optionally, the communication device 60 can be a first communication device, an independent device, or a component within an independent device, such as a chip or integrated circuit. The communication device 60 is used to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in Figure 3.

[0133] In one possible design, the communication device 60 includes a processing unit 601 and a communication unit 602. The communication device 60 is used to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in FIG3. Exemplarily, the communication device is used, for example, to execute the method executed by the first communication device.

[0134] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 601 is configured to generate a broadcast frame, wherein the broadcast frame includes first information indicating whether the broadcast frame carries a sensing measurement signal. The communication unit 602 is configured to send the broadcast frame to multiple communication devices, wherein no communication connection is established between the first communication device and the one or more second communication devices.

[0135] In another possible implementation, the first information is set to a first value, used to indicate that the broadcast frame carries the sensing measurement signal. Alternatively, the first information is set to a second value, used to indicate that the broadcast frame does not carry the sensing measurement signal.

[0136] In another possible implementation, the broadcast frame further includes second information, which includes length indication information and sensing measurement signal indication information. The length indication information indicates the length of the second information, and the sensing measurement signal indication information indicates the sensing measurement signal. The communication unit 602 is also configured to transmit the sensing measurement signal.

[0137] In another possible implementation, the sensing measurement signal indication information includes at least one of sensing measurement signal index information, sensing measurement count information, sensing measurement signal transmission time, and sensing measurement signal transmission interval; the sensing measurement signal index information is used to indicate the broadcast channel frequency point for transmitting the sensing measurement signal; the sensing measurement count information is used to indicate the number of times the sensing measurement signal is transmitted; the sensing measurement signal transmission time is used to indicate the start time of the sensing measurement signal transmission; and the sensing measurement signal transmission interval is used to indicate the time interval for repeatedly transmitting the sensing measurement signal.

[0138] In another possible implementation, the second information further includes stability indication information, which indicates whether the current state of the sensing measurement signal transmitted by the first communication device is stable.

[0139] In another possible implementation, the stability indication information takes a first value, used to indicate that the current state of the sensing measurement signal transmitted by the first communication device is stable. The stability indication information takes a second value, used to indicate that the current state of the sensing measurement signal transmitted by the first communication device is unstable.

[0140] In another possible implementation, the second information includes N bits, of which M bits are used to carry the length indication information, and P bits are used to carry the sensing measurement signal indication information, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, M is an integer and 0 < M < N, P is an integer and 0 < P < N, and the length indication information is associated with the value of N.

[0141] In another possible implementation, the bits other than the M bits and the P bits in the N bits are used to carry the stability indication information; or, if there are spare bits in the M bits, the spare bits are used to carry the stability indication information.

[0142] The embodiments of this application and the method embodiments shown above are based on the same concept and have the same technical effects. For the specific principles, please refer to the description of the embodiments shown above, which will not be repeated here.

[0143] Please refer to Figure 7, which is a schematic diagram of another communication device 70 provided in an embodiment of this application. Optionally, the communication device 70 can be a second communication device, an independent device, or a component within an independent device, such as a chip or integrated circuit. The communication device 70 is used to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in Figure 3.

[0144] In one possible design, the communication device 70 includes a communication unit 701 and a processing unit 702. The communication device 70 is used to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in FIG3. Exemplarily, the communication device may be used to execute a method performed by a second communication device.

[0145] In one possible implementation, the communication unit 701 is configured to receive a broadcast frame, wherein the broadcast frame includes first information indicating whether the broadcast frame carries a sensing measurement signal. The processing unit 702 is configured to process the received broadcast frame (data).

[0146] In another possible implementation, the first information is set to a first value, used to indicate that the broadcast frame carries the sensing measurement signal. Alternatively, the first information is set to a second value, used to indicate that the broadcast frame does not carry the sensing measurement signal.

[0147] In another possible implementation, the communication unit 701 is further configured to take the first information as the first value, acquire second information, wherein the second information includes length indication information and sensing measurement signal indication information, the length indication information indicating the length of the second information, and the sensing measurement signal indication information indicating the sensing measurement signal. The communication unit 701 is also configured to receive the sensing measurement signal.

[0148] In another possible implementation, the sensing measurement signal indication information includes at least one of sensing measurement signal index information, sensing measurement count information, sensing measurement signal transmission time, and sensing measurement signal transmission interval; the sensing measurement signal index information is used to indicate the broadcast channel frequency point for transmitting the sensing measurement signal; the sensing measurement count information is used to indicate the number of times the sensing measurement signal is transmitted; the sensing measurement signal transmission time is used to indicate the start time of the sensing measurement signal transmission; and the sensing measurement signal transmission interval is used to indicate the time interval for repeatedly transmitting the sensing measurement signal.

[0149] In another possible implementation, the second information further includes stability indication information, which indicates whether the current state of the sensing measurement signal transmitted by the first communication device is stable.

[0150] In another possible implementation, the stability indication information takes a first value, used to indicate that the current state of the sensing measurement signal transmitted by the first communication device is stable. The stability indication information takes a second value, used to indicate that the current state of the sensing measurement signal transmitted by the first communication device is unstable.

[0151] In another possible implementation, the second information includes N bits, of which M bits are used to carry the length indication information, and P bits are used to carry the sensing measurement signal indication information, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, M is an integer and 0 < M < N, P is an integer and 0 < P < N, and the length indication information is associated with the value of N.

[0152] In another possible implementation, the bits other than the M bits and the P bits in the N bits are used to carry the stability indication information; or, if there are spare bits in the M bits, the spare bits are used to carry the stability indication information.

[0153] The embodiments of this application and the method embodiments shown above are based on the same concept and have the same technical effects. For the specific principles, please refer to the description of the embodiments shown above, which will not be repeated here.

[0154] Please refer to Figure 8, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device 80 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 80 can be a standalone device, such as a first communication device or a second communication device, or it can be a component included in a standalone device, such as a chip, software module, or integrated circuit. The communication device 80 may include at least one processor 801 and a communication interface 802. Optionally, it may also include at least one memory 803. Further optionally, it may also include a connection line 804, wherein the processor 801, the communication interface 802, and / or the memory 803 are connected through the connection line 804, and / or communicate with each other through the connection line 804 to transmit control signals and / or data signals.

[0155] Wherein: Processor 801 is a module that performs arithmetic and / or logical operations, and may specifically include one or more of the following modules: filter, modem, power amplifier, low noise amplifier (LNA), baseband processor, radio frequency processor, radio frequency circuit, CPU, AP, microcontroller unit (MCU), electronic control unit (ECU), GPU, MPU, ASIC, image signal processor (ISP), DSP, FPGA, complex programmable logic device (CPLD), or coprocessor, etc.

[0156] The communication interface 802 can be used to provide information input or output to at least one processor, or to receive signals sent externally and / or send signals externally.

[0157] For example, the communication interface 802 may include interface circuitry, such as input / output interfaces, chip pins, etc.

[0158] For example, the communication interface 802 may include a wired link interface such as an Ethernet cable, or a wireless link interface (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, general wireless transmission, vehicle short-range communication technology and other short-range wireless communication technologies, etc.).

[0159] Optionally, the communication interface 802 may also include a radio frequency transmitter, an antenna, etc. When the communication interface 802 includes an antenna, the number of antennas can be one or more.

[0160] As one possible design, if the communication device 80 is a standalone device, the communication interface 802 may include a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver and transmitter may be the same component or different components. When the receiver and transmitter are the same component, this component can be referred to as a transceiver.

[0161] As another possible design, if the communication device 80 is a chip or circuit, the communication interface 802 may include an input interface and an output interface. The input interface and the output interface may be the same interface or they may be different interfaces.

[0162] Alternatively, the functions of the communication interface 802 can be implemented by a transceiver circuit or a dedicated transceiver chip.

[0163] Memory 803 provides storage space, in which data such as the operating system and computer programs can be stored. Memory 803 can be one or a combination of several of the following: cache, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), hard disk drive (HDD), solid-state drive (SSD), etc. Memory is any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures, and accessible by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiments of this application can also be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing storage functions, used to store computer programs or instructions, and / or data.

[0164] The functions and operations of each module or unit in the communication device 80 listed above are merely illustrative examples.

[0165] Each functional unit in the communication device 80 can be used to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in FIG3, for example, to execute the method executed by the first communication device, or to execute the method executed by the second communication device.

[0166] Optionally, the processor 801 may be a processor specifically designed to perform the aforementioned methods (for ease of distinction, referred to as a dedicated processor), or a processor that performs the aforementioned methods by calling a computer program (for ease of distinction, referred to as a dedicated processor). Optionally, at least one processor may include both dedicated processors and general-purpose processors.

[0167] Optionally, if the communication device 80 includes at least one memory 803, and the processor 801 implements the aforementioned communication method by calling a computer program, the computer program may be stored in the memory 803.

[0168] This application also provides a chip, which includes logic circuitry and a communication interface. The communication interface is used to receive or transmit signals; the logic circuitry is used to receive or transmit signals through the communication interface. The chip is used to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in FIG3, for example, to execute a method executed by a first communication device, or to execute a method executed by a second communication device.

[0169] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on at least one processor (or communication device), implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in FIG3, for example, a method executed by a first communication device, or a method executed by a second communication device.

[0170] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer instructions for implementing the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in FIG3, for example, for executing a method executed by a first communication device, or for executing a method executed by a second communication device.

[0171] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the words "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplarily" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of the words "exemplarily" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0172] In the embodiments of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more items, and "more than one" refers to two or more items. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of a single item or a plurality of items.

[0173] For example, at least one of a, b, or c can be represented as: a, b, c, (a and b), (a and c), (b and c), or (a and b and c), where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. "AND / OR" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "OR" relationship.

[0174] Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, the use of ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of this application is for distinguishing multiple objects and is not for limiting the order, sequence, priority, or importance of multiple objects. Similarly, terms like "first node" and "second node" are merely for convenience in describing new parameters in different implementations and do not indicate differences in their execution operations, importance, structure, etc.

[0175] In the above embodiments, the term "when..." can be interpreted, depending on the context, as meaning "if...", "before...", "determined...", or "detected...". The above descriptions are merely optional embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the concept and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

[0176] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps of the above embodiments can be implemented by hardware or by a program instructing related hardware. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as a read-only memory, a disk, or an optical disk.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a first communication device, the method includes: Generate a broadcast frame, wherein the broadcast frame includes first information, the first information being used to indicate whether the broadcast frame carries a sensing measurement signal; The broadcast frame is sent to one or more second communication devices.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information is set to 0, which indicates that the broadcast frame does not carry the sensing measurement signal.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The broadcast frame also includes length indication information and sensing measurement signal indication information, wherein the length indication information is used to indicate the length of the sensing measurement signal indication information, and the sensing measurement signal indication information is used to indicate the sensing measurement signal.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The sensing measurement signal indication information includes at least one of the following: sensing measurement signal index information, sensing measurement count information, sensing measurement signal transmission time, and sensing measurement signal transmission interval; The sensing measurement signal index information is used to indicate the broadcast channel frequency point for transmitting the sensing measurement signal; The sensing measurement count information is used to indicate the number of times the sensing measurement signal is sent; The transmission time of the sensing measurement signal is used to indicate the start time of the transmission of the sensing measurement signal; The transmission interval of the sensing measurement signal is used to indicate the time interval for repeatedly transmitting the sensing measurement signal.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The second information also includes stability indication information, which indicates whether the current state of the sensing measurement signal sent by the first communication device is stable.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The stability indication information takes the first value, which is used to indicate that the current state of the sensing measurement signal sent by the first communication device is stable; The stability indication information takes the value of a second value, which is used to indicate that the current state of the sensing measurement signal sent by the first communication device is unstable.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The broadcast frame is either a basic broadcast frame or an extended broadcast frame.

8. The method according to any one of claims 3-7, characterized in that, The second information includes N bits, of which M bits are used to carry the length indication information, and P bits are used to carry the sensing measurement signal indication information. N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, M is an integer and 0 < M < N, P is an integer and 0 < P < N, and the length indication information is associated with the value of N.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, Of the N bits, the bits other than the M bits and the P bits are used to carry the stability indication information, or, If there are any empty bits among the M bits, the empty bits are used to carry the stability indication information.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, The method applied to the second communication device includes: Receive broadcast frames from the first communication device; The broadcast frame is parsed, and the broadcast frame includes first information, which is used to indicate whether the broadcast frame carries a sensing measurement signal.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that... The first information is set to 0, which indicates that the broadcast frame does not carry the sensing measurement signal.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The broadcast frame also includes second information, which includes length indication information and sensing measurement signal indication information. The length indication information is used to indicate the length of the second information, and the sensing measurement signal indication information is used to indicate the sensing measurement signal.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The sensing measurement signal indication information includes at least one of sensing measurement signal index information and sensing measurement count information. The sensing measurement signal index information is used to indicate the broadcast channel frequency point for transmitting the sensing measurement signal, and the sensing measurement count information is used to indicate the number of repetitions of transmitting the sensing measurement signal. Alternatively, the sensing measurement signal index information is used to indicate the time for transmitting the sensing measurement signal, and the sensing measurement count information is used to indicate the repetition time interval for transmitting the sensing measurement signal.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The second information also includes stability indication information, which indicates whether the current state of the sensing measurement signal sent by the first communication device is stable.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The stability indication information takes the first value, which is used to indicate that the current state of the sensing measurement signal sent by the first communication device is stable; The stability indication information takes the value of a second value, which is used to indicate that the current state of the sensing measurement signal sent by the first communication device is unstable.

16. The method according to any one of claims 10-15, characterized in that, The broadcast frame is either a basic broadcast frame or an extended broadcast frame.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12-16, characterized in that, The second information includes N bits, of which M bits are used to carry the length indication information, and P bits are used to carry the sensing measurement signal indication information. N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, M is an integer and 0 < M < N, P is an integer and 0 < P < N, and the length indication information is associated with the value of N.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, Of the N bits, the bits other than the M bits and the P bits are used to carry the stability indication information, or, If there are any empty bits among the M bits, the empty bits are used to carry the stability indication information.

19. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a communication unit and a processing unit, the communication unit and the processing unit being used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-9.

20. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a communication unit and a processing unit, the communication unit and the processing unit being used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 10-18.

21. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes the communication device as described in claim 19 and the communication device as described in claim 20.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium is used to store instructions or computer programs; The instructions or the computer program are executed to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-18.

23. A computer program product, characterized in that, include: Instructions or computer programs; The instructions or the computer program are executed to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-18.

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