Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and apparatus, used for allowing a terminal device to transmit or receive a sidelink positioning reference signal on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed spectrum. The method comprises: a first terminal device transmits capability information to an access network device, the capability information indicating that the first terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving a sidelink positioning reference signal on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed spectrum; the access network device receives the capability information from the first terminal device, and transmits configuration information to the first terminal device, the configuration information indicating a first resource used for transmitting and / or receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal, and the first resource being a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum; and the first terminal device receives the configuration information from the access network device.

Description

Method and apparatus for communication

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411393306.8, filed on September 30, 2024, and entitled "Method and apparatus for communication", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for communication. BACKGROUND

[0003] In order to meet the needs of indoor or inter-vehicle positioning scenarios, terminal-to-terminal sidelink (SL) based positioning is introduced in R18 of the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). In the SL positioning scenario, sidelink positioning reference signals (SL-PRS) need to be transmitted between terminal devices, and other data information may also need to be transmitted between terminal devices, such as positioning-related assistance data, capability information, SL PRS configuration information, measurement results, location information, and connection control information.

[0004] In the SL positioning scenario, since the terminal device needs to transmit SL PRS, the terminal device can use the sidelink grant (SL grant) resource of the SL PRS dedicated resource pool to transmit SL PRS, and the terminal device can also use the sidelink grant resource of the shared resource pool on the licensed spectrum to transmit SL PRS. Among them, the SL PRS dedicated resource pool is a resource pool dedicated for transmitting SL PRS; the shared resource pool is a resource pool that can be used for transmitting data in addition to transmitting SL PRS. At present, the problem of how the terminal device transmits SL PRS on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum needs to be solved. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a method and apparatus for communication, which can enable a terminal device to transmit or receive SL-PRS on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed spectrum.

[0006] In a first aspect, a method of communication is provided that can be performed by a first terminal device or a chip or chip system in the first terminal device. The method includes sending, to an access network device, capability information indicating that the first terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed frequency spectrum; and receiving, from the access network device, configuration information indicating a first resource for transmitting and / or receiving the SL-PRS, the first resource being a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0007] Based on the above technical solution, the terminal device (the first terminal device) reports to the access network device the capability information indicating that the terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving an SL-PRS on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed frequency spectrum. The access network device sends, to the terminal device, configuration information according to the capability information, the configuration information indicating a first resource for transmitting and / or receiving the SL-PRS. The terminal device can transmit or receive the SL-PRS by using the first resource. Therefore, the solution can enable the access network device to know whether the terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving the SL-PRS on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, thereby enabling the terminal device to transmit or receive the SL-PRS on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0008] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, after the sending, to the access network device, of the capability information, the method further includes receiving, from the access network device, indication information indicating that the first terminal device is to transmit and / or receive the sidelink positioning reference signal using a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0009] For example, after receiving the configuration information, the first terminal device receives the indication information from the access network device. The first terminal device can transmit and / or receive the SL-PRS by using the first resource indicated by the configuration information according to the indication information. For example, before receiving the configuration information, the first terminal device receives the indication information from the access network device. The first terminal device can transmit and / or receive the SL-PRS by using a resource in the shared resource pool according to the indication information.

[0010] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before the sending, to the access network device, of the capability information, the method further includes receiving, from the access network device, first capability request information for requesting the capability information.

[0011] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending the capability information to the second terminal device. Based on this optional implementation, the second terminal device can learn whether the first terminal device supports sending and / or receiving SL-PRS on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum, thereby enabling sidelink positioning between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. For example, the capability information sent by the first terminal device to the second terminal device indicates that the first terminal device supports receiving SL-PRS on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum, and then the second terminal device can send SL-PRS to the first terminal device, and the first terminal device can determine the position of the second terminal device according to the SL-PRS sent by the second terminal device.

[0012] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, before the sending of the capability information to the second terminal device, the method further includes: receiving second capability request information from the second terminal device, the second capability request information being used to request the capability information.

[0013] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, after the receiving of the configuration information from the access network device, the method further includes: sending, to the second terminal device, the sidelink positioning reference signal on the first resource. Based on this optional implementation, the second terminal device can determine the position of the first terminal device according to the SL-PRS sent by the first terminal device.

[0014] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, before the sending of the sidelink positioning reference signal to the second terminal device on the first resource, the method further includes: sending, to the second terminal device, first-stage sidelink control information (SCI), the first-stage SCI being used to indicate a resource of second-stage SCI; and sending, to the second terminal device, the second-stage SCI on the resource of the second-stage SCI, the second-stage SCI being used to indicate the first resource. For example, the format of the first-stage SCI is SCI format 1-A, and the format of the second-stage SCI is SCI format 2-D. Based on this implementation, the first terminal device indicates the resource of the second-stage SCI through the first-stage SCI, for example, the first terminal device indicates the resource of the second-stage SCI through SCI format 1-A, the second-stage SCI indicates the first resource for sending the sidelink positioning reference signal, and the first resource is a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum, thereby enabling the first terminal device to send the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum.

[0015] In a second aspect, a method of communication is provided, which can be performed by an access network device or a chip or chip system in the access network device. The method comprises: receiving capability information from a first terminal device, the capability information indicating that the first terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving a sidelink positioning reference signal on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed frequency spectrum; and transmitting, to the first terminal device, configuration information according to the capability information, the configuration information indicating a first resource for transmitting and / or receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal, the first resource being a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0016] The method provided in the second aspect is a method on the side of the access network device corresponding to the first aspect, and the beneficial effects can be referred to the first aspect.

[0017] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, after the receiving the capability information from the first terminal device, the method further comprises: transmitting, to the first terminal device, indication information indicating that the first terminal device transmits and / or receives the sidelink positioning reference signal using a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0018] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, before the receiving the capability information from the first terminal device, the method further comprises: transmitting, to the first terminal device, first capability request information for requesting to obtain the capability information.

[0019] In a third aspect, a method of communication is provided, which can be performed by a second terminal device or a chip or chip system in the second terminal device. The method comprises: receiving capability information from a first terminal device, the capability information indicating that the first terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving a sidelink positioning reference signal on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed frequency spectrum; and receiving, from the first terminal device, the sidelink positioning reference signal on a first resource, the first resource being a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0020] The method provided in the third aspect is a method on the side of the second terminal device corresponding to the first aspect, and the beneficial effects can be referred to the first aspect.

[0021] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, before the receiving the capability information from the first terminal device, the method further comprises: transmitting, to the second terminal device, second capability request information for requesting to obtain the capability information.

[0022] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, before the receiving, from the first terminal device, the sidelink positioning reference signal on the first resource, the method further includes receiving, from the first terminal device, a first-stage SCI, the first-stage SCI being used to indicate a resource of a second-stage SCI; receiving, from the first terminal device, the second-stage SCI on the resource of the second-stage SCI, the second-stage SCI being used to indicate the first resource.

[0023] A fourth aspect provides a communication apparatus, which can be applied in the first terminal device of the first aspect, and the communication apparatus comprises a transceiver configured to send capability information to an access network device, the capability information being used to indicate that the first terminal device supports sending and / or receiving a sidelink positioning reference signal on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0024] The transceiver is further configured to receive configuration information from the access network device, the configuration information being used to indicate a first resource for sending and / or receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal, the first resource being a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0025] With reference to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver is further configured to receive indication information from the access network device, the indication information being used to indicate that the first terminal device sends and / or receives the sidelink positioning reference signal using the resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0026] With reference to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver is further configured to receive first capability request information from the access network device, the first capability request information being used to request the capability information.

[0027] With reference to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver is further configured to send the capability information to a second terminal device.

[0028] With reference to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver is further configured to receive second capability request information from the second terminal device, the second capability request information being used to request the capability information.

[0029] With reference to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver is further configured to send, to a second terminal device, the sidelink positioning reference signal on the first resource.

[0030] In a fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver is further configured to: transmit, to the second terminal device, a first stage sidelink control information (SCI), the first stage SCI being used to indicate a resource of a second stage SCI; and transmit, to the second terminal device, the second stage SCI on the resource of the second stage SCI, the second stage SCI being used to indicate the first resource.

[0031] In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can be applied in the access network device of the second aspect. The communication apparatus comprises: a transceiver configured to receive capability information from a first terminal device, the capability information indicating that the first terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving a sidelink positioning reference signal on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed frequency spectrum; and the transceiver is further configured to transmit, to the first terminal device, configuration information according to the capability information, the configuration information indicating a first resource used for transmitting and / or receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal, the first resource being a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0032] Optionally, the communication apparatus further comprises a processing module configured to allocate the first resource.

[0033] In a fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the transceiver is further configured to transmit, to the first terminal device, indication information, the indication information indicating that the first terminal device transmits and / or receives the sidelink positioning reference signal using a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0034] In a fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the transceiver is further configured to transmit, to the first terminal device, first capability request information, the first capability request information being used to request the capability information.

[0035] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can be applied in the second terminal device of the third aspect. The communication apparatus comprises: a transceiver configured to receive capability information from a first terminal device, the capability information indicating that the first terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving a sidelink positioning reference signal on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed frequency spectrum; and the transceiver is further configured to receive, from the first terminal device, the sidelink positioning reference signal on a first resource, the first resource being a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0036] In a sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the transceiver is further configured to transmit, to the second terminal device, second capability request information, the second capability request information being used to request the capability information.

[0037] In a sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the transceiver is further configured to receive a first-stage SCI from the first terminal device, the first-stage SCI indicating a resource of a second-stage SCI; and receive the second-stage SCI from the first terminal device on the resource of the second-stage SCI, the second-stage SCI indicating the first resource.

[0038] In a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which comprises a processor configured to implement a method in accordance with the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. Optionally, the communication apparatus further comprises an interface circuitry configured to receive a signal from another communication apparatus and transmit it to the processor or send a signal from the processor to another communication apparatus.

[0039] In an eighth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which comprises a processor configured to implement a method in accordance with the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. Optionally, the communication apparatus further comprises an interface circuitry configured to receive a signal from another communication apparatus and transmit it to the processor or send a signal from the processor to another communication apparatus.

[0040] In a ninth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which comprises a processor configured to implement a method in accordance with the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect. Optionally, the communication apparatus further comprises an interface circuitry configured to receive a signal from another communication apparatus and transmit it to the processor or send a signal from the processor to another communication apparatus.

[0041] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which comprises a first terminal device configured to implement the method in accordance with the first aspect, an access network device configured to implement the method in accordance with the second aspect, and a second terminal device configured to implement the method in accordance with the third aspect.

[0042] In an eleventh aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program; when the computer program is run by a processor, the method in the first aspect to the third aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect to the third aspect is performed.

[0043] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which comprises a computer program that, when executed, causes the method in the first aspect and the second aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect and the second aspect to be performed.

[0044] The solutions provided by the fourth aspect to the twelfth aspect are used to implement or assist in implementing the method provided by the first aspect or the second aspect or the third aspect, and thus can achieve the same or corresponding beneficial effects as the first aspect or the second aspect or the third aspect. Therefore, no further description is given here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0045] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system to which embodiments of the present application are applicable;

[0046] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of SL positioning;

[0047] FIG. 3 is an example diagram of an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN) system;

[0048] FIG. 4 is a schematic flow interaction diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG. 5 is a schematic flow interaction diagram of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG. 6 is a schematic flow interaction diagram of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIGS. 8 to 10 are schematic block diagrams of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] The technical solutions provided by the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0054] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as a sidelink communication system, a vehicle to everything (V2X) system, a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, a narrow band-internet of things (NB-IoT) system, a global system for mobile communications (GSM) system, an enhanced data rate for gsm evolution (EDGE) system, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, a code division multiple access 2000 (CDMA2000) system, a time division-synchronization code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, a satellite communication system, a 5th generation (5G) system, or a future communication network system, etc.

[0055] The terminal device involved in the embodiments of the present application can be a device with wireless transceiving function, and can specifically refer to a subscriber unit, a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a cellular phone, a user station, a mobile station (MS), a customer-premises equipment (CPE), a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent or a user apparatus. The terminal device can also be a satellite phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a wireless data card, a personal digital assistant (PDA) computer, a tablet computer, a wireless modulator demodulator (modem), a laptop computer, a machine type communication (MTC) device and a wireless terminal in self-driving, etc. The terminal device can also be a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a communication device carried on an airship, a drone, a robot, a smart point of sale (POS) machine, a terminal in device-to-device (D2D) communication, a terminal in vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home or a terminal device in future communication network, etc. The user equipment includes a vehicle user equipment.With the rise of the internet of things (IoT) technology, more and more devices that do not have communication functions previously, such as but not limited to, household appliances, vehicles, tool devices, service devices and service facilities, begin to obtain wireless communication functions by configuring wireless communication units, so as to access wireless communication networks and accept remote control. Such devices have wireless communication functions due to the configuration of wireless communication units, and thus also belong to the category of wireless communication devices. This application is not limited.

[0056] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the terminal device can be a terminal device; or can be a device capable of supporting the terminal device to implement the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal device or used in matching with the terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0057] The network device involved in the embodiments of the present application is a device in a wireless network, for example, a radio access network (RAN) node that accesses a terminal device to a wireless network. The network device can be a node in a radio access network, also known as a base station, and can also be referred to as a radio access network (RAN) node (or device). The network device can be a base transceiver station (BTS) in a GSM or CDMA network, a Node B (NB) in WCDMA, an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, or a next generation Node B (gNB) in a 5G network; the network device can be a base station in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN) or an access device in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP); the network device can also be a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. Optionally, the network device in the embodiments of the present application can include various forms of base stations, for example: a relay station, an access point, a device that implements the function of a base station in a communication system evolved after 5G, a mobile switching center, a home base station (home evolved NodeB or home Node B, HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), a device that undertakes the function of a base station in device to device (D2D), an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, a transmission point (TP), or a transmission and reception point (TRP), and the like, a device that undertakes the function of a base station in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, and the like, and can also include a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) in a CRAN system, a network device in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system.The network device in the embodiments of the present application can also be a gNB or a transmission point in new radio (NR), one or a group (including multiple) antenna panels of a base station in NR, or can also be a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point, or the network device can also be a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and a network device in a future communication network, or a network device in a future evolved PLMN network, etc., or a network device deployed on a satellite, and the embodiments of the present application do not make any limitation in this regard. In addition, according to the size of the service coverage area provided, the base station can be divided into a macro base station for providing a macro cell, a micro base station for providing a pico cell, and a femto base station for providing a femto cell. With the continuous evolution of wireless communication technology, the future base station can also be named as other names.

[0058] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the network device can be a network device; or can be a device capable of supporting the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the network device or used in matching with the network device.

[0059] In order to facilitate understanding of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application, the system architecture of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described below. It can be understood that the system architecture described in the embodiments of the present application is to more clearly illustrate the scheme of the embodiments of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the scheme provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0060] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable. The system architecture can be used for positioning of a terminal device in a 5G core network. The system architecture includes the following network elements.

[0061] (1) Location management function (LMF): a device or component deployed in a core network to provide positioning function for a terminal device; can be connected with an enhanced serving mobile location centre (E-SMLC) and a service location protocol (SLP).

[0062] (2) Access and mobility management function (AMF): The AMF can be used to manage the access control and mobility of the terminal device, and in actual application, it includes the access and mobility management function in the mobility management entity (MME) in the network framework in LTE, and adds the access management function, and can be specifically responsible for the registration of the terminal device, mobility management, tracking area update process, reachability detection, selection of session management network elements, mobile state conversion management, etc. For example, in 5G, the access and mobility management network element can be an AMF network element; in the future communication network, the access and mobility management network element can still be an AMF network element, or have other names, which are not limited by the present application.

[0063] (3) Terminal device: including various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem with wireless communication function.

[0064] (4) Next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN): including next-generation eNodeB (ng-eNB) and 5G base station (gNodeB, gNB).

[0065] ng-eNB: a device or apparatus deployed in a wireless access network to meet the 4G standard and provide wireless communication function for terminal devices. The ng-eNB can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small stations), relay stations, access points, wearable devices, vehicle-mounted devices. The ng-eNB can also be a TRP.

[0066] gNB: a device or apparatus deployed in a wireless access network to meet the 5G standard and provide wireless communication function for terminal devices. The gNB can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small stations), relay stations, access points, wearable devices, vehicle-mounted devices. The gNB can also be a TRP, transmission measurement function (TMF). The gNB can include a centralized unit (CU) and a DU integrated on the gNB.

[0067] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of application scenarios of SL positioning. In scenario 1, two terminal devices (sidelink users) implement mutual positioning (e.g., ranging or angle measurement) by transmitting SL PRS in a scenario without network coverage. In scenario 2, one terminal device implements sidelink positioning by receiving SL PRS transmitted by multiple roadside units (RSUs). In scenario 3, two terminal devices are within network coverage, and implement mutual ranging or angle measurement by transmitting SL PRS under the control of a base station, and transmit the measurement results to an LMF of a core network through the base station.

[0068] Among them, RSU is a roadside unit deployed on the roadside, which meets the sidelink communication / positioning related protocol and provides wireless communication function for terminal devices. RSU can be various forms of roadside stations, access points, sidelink devices, etc.

[0069] FIG. 3 is an example diagram of an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN) system, which can include other components than those shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, an access network device (e.g., an eNB or gNB or next-generation access network device) communicates with a core network (CN) through a backhaul and communicates with a terminal device through an air interface.

[0070] Specifically, a baseband unit (BBU) in the access network device communicates with the core network through a backhaul, and a radio unit (RU) in the access network device communicates with at least one terminal device through an air interface. The BBU communicates with at least one RU through a front-haul, and the BBU and the RU can be co-located or not.

[0071] The BBU includes at least one control unit (CU) and at least one DU, which can communicate through at least one mid-haul.

[0072] The DU and the RU have an interface. According to the functions possessed by the DU and the RU, and / or different splitting manners, the interface between the DU and the RU can be a common public radio interface (CPRI) or an enhanced common public radio interface (eCPRI).

[0073] The following is a brief introduction to the technical solutions related to the embodiments of the present application to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application.

[0074] 1、SCI format

[0075] In NR sidelink communication, SCI includes first-level SCI and second-level SCI, wherein the first-level SCI is carried on a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), and the second-level SCI is carried on a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH).

[0076] The first-level SCI includes one format, SCI format 1-A. The fields included in SCI format 1-A are: priority value, frequency domain resource allocation, time domain resource allocation, resource reservation period, demodulation reference signal (DMRS) mode, format of second-level SCI, beta-offset indication, DMRS port number indication, modulation and coding scheme (MCS), MCS table indication, PSFCH overhead indication, and reserved bits.

[0077] The second-level SCI includes four formats, SCI format 2-A, SCI format 2-B, SCI format 2-C, and SCI format 2-D.

[0078] The fields included in SCI format 2-A are: hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process number, new data indicator (NDI), redundancy version (RV), source ID, destination ID, HARQ feedback enable / disable indication, cast type indicator, and channel state information (CSI) request.

[0079] The fields included in SCI format 2-B are: HARQ process number, NDI, RV, source ID, destination ID, HARQ feedback enable / disable indication, zone ID, and communication range requirement.

[0080] The fields included in the SCI format 2-C are: HARQ process number, new data indication, redundancy version, source ID, destination ID, HARQ feedback enable / disable indication, CSI request, provide / request indication.

[0081] The fields included in the SCI format 2-D are: SL-PRS resource ID, SL-PRS request, embedded SCI format, embedded SCI format payload.

[0082] In the current SL positioning technology, the resources of SL-PRS are indicated by the SCI format 1-A and the SCI format 2-D. The SCI format 1-A is used to schedule the PSSCH and the second-stage SCI of the PSSCH, and the SCI format 2-D is used to indicate the resources of SL-PRS and the information of the traditional SL communication. Table 1 shows the values of the fields of the second-stage SCI corresponding to different second-stage SCI formats.

[0083] Table 1

[0084] 2. Unlicensed spectrum and listen-before-talk (LBT) technology

[0085] The spectrum resources used by terminal devices are divided into licensed spectrum and unlicensed spectrum. The licensed spectrum can only be used by certain institutions or operators; the unlicensed spectrum is a shared spectrum, which can be used by different operators / institutions. In order to use the unlicensed spectrum fairly, the terminal device and the network device need to perform an LBT process before transmitting data. The LBT process can be understood as a channel access process.

[0086] Generally, LBT is performed in the granularity of a channel, for example, a channel with a bandwidth of 20 MHz. Before transmitting a signal (data signal) on a first channel, a communication device can first detect whether the first channel is idle, for example, whether a nearby communication device is occupying the first channel to transmit a signal. This detection process can be referred to as a clear channel assessment (CCA) process or a channel access process. Specifically, the channel access process includes a first type of channel access process and a second type of channel access process. The communication device in the embodiments of the present application can be a terminal device or a network device.

[0087] The first type of channel access process can be referred to as a fixed-time-based channel access process. For a certain bandwidth, the communication device performs energy detection of a received signal within a fixed time period. If the energy of the received signal is less than or equal to a first preset threshold, it is considered that the channel is idle, and the communication device can use the idle channel to transmit data; otherwise, the communication device considers that the channel is busy, and the communication device does not use the busy channel to transmit data.

[0088] The second type of channel access procedure can be referred to as a backoff-based channel access procedure. For a certain bandwidth, a window is defined, which defines a range of values of the number of time slots for energy detection of a received signal, and a communication device randomly selects a value A from the range of values. After the communication device determines that at least A time slots are idle through energy detection, it is considered that the channel is idle, so that the communication device can use the idle channel to transmit data. Otherwise, the communication device considers that the channel is busy, and the communication device does not use the busy channel to transmit data. Specifically, if the energy of a signal received by the communication device in a fixed time period in each of at least A time slots is less than or equal to a second preset threshold, it is considered that the channel is idle. The first preset threshold and the second preset threshold can be predefined, and there is no restriction between the first preset threshold and the second preset threshold. The first preset threshold and the second preset threshold can be the same or different. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0089] When performing a channel access procedure, two results can be obtained: the channel access procedure is completed and the channel access procedure is not completed. The completion of the channel access procedure can be referred to as LBT success, and the completion of the channel access procedure can be referred to as LBT failure. Among them, there are multiple time domain starting positions in the time-frequency resource used for data transmission. If it is determined that the channel is idle before any time domain starting position, it is considered that the channel access procedure is completed. If it is determined that the channel is busy before all time domain starting positions, it is considered that the channel access procedure is not completed.

[0090] In summary, in the scenario of working based on licensed spectrum, after the base station schedules uplink resources for the terminal device, the terminal device can directly use the uplink resources for uplink transmission. In the scenario of working based on unlicensed spectrum, after the base station schedules uplink resources for the terminal device, the terminal device needs to perform LBT on the uplink resources. Only after LBT success, the uplink resources can be used for uplink transmission. FIG. 2 is a schematic flow interaction diagram for uplink transmission based on unlicensed spectrum. It should be understood that if the terminal device performs LBT on the uplink resources, LBT failure occurs, and the uplink resources cannot be used.

[0091] 3. Shared resource pool (shared resource pool)

[0092] In the SL positioning scenario, since the terminal device needs to transmit SL PRS, the terminal device can transmit SL PRS using the sidelink grant (SL grant) resource of the SL PRS dedicated resource pool, and the terminal device can also transmit SL PRS using the sidelink grant resource of the shared resource pool. Among them, the SL PRS dedicated resource pool is a resource pool specially used for transmitting SL PRS; the shared resource pool is a resource pool that can be used for transmitting data in addition to transmitting SL PRS. For one SL grant, the same terminal device can only send information to one opposite terminal device. For example, for the dedicated resource pool, the same terminal device can use one SL grant in the dedicated resource pool to transmit SL PRS to one opposite terminal device. For example, for the shared resource pool, the same terminal device can use one SL grant in the shared resource pool to transmit SL PRS and data to one opposite terminal device at the same time; the same terminal device can also use one SL grant in the shared resource pool to transmit SL PRS to one opposite terminal device without transmitting data; the same terminal device can also use one SL grant in the shared resource pool to transmit data to one opposite terminal device without transmitting SL PRS. The purposes of the SL grants selected by different terminal devices in the shared resource pool can be different; for example, terminal device 1 can also select an SL grant in the shared resource pool for transmitting SL PRS, and terminal device 2 can select an SL grant in the shared resource pool for transmitting data. Compared with the dedicated resource pool that does not support data transmission, the shared resource pool can support the transmission of SL PRS and data.

[0093] At present, whether the terminal device supports transmitting SL PRS on the shared resource pool in the unlicensed frequency spectrum is unknown to the network side, so the problem of how the terminal device transmits SL PRS on the shared resource pool in the unlicensed frequency spectrum needs to be solved. Among them, transmitting SL PRS includes sending SL PRS and / or receiving SL PRS.

[0094] Therefore, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can realize that the terminal device sends SL-PRS or receives SL-PRS on the shared resource pool in the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0095] FIG. 4 is a schematic flow interaction diagram of a method 400 of communication according to an embodiment of the present application. Unless otherwise specifically noted, the "first terminal device" of the present application can refer to the first terminal device itself, or a component (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) in the first terminal device, or a logical module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the first terminal device. The "second terminal device" of the present application can refer to the second terminal device itself, or a component (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) in the second terminal device, or a logical module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the second terminal device. The "access network device" of the present application can refer to the access network device itself, or a component (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) in the access network device, or a logical module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0096] S410, the first terminal device sends capability information to the access network device, the capability information indicating that the first terminal device supports sending and / or receiving a sidelink positioning reference signal on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed frequency spectrum. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the capability information from the first terminal device. Exemplarily, the first terminal device sends the capability information to the access network device through a radio resource control (RRC) message or a sidelink message carrying a field "SidelinkUEInformationNR", the sidelink message being a message used in a sidelink positioning protocol (SLPP).

[0097] Exemplarily, the capability information indicates that the first terminal device supports sending a sidelink positioning reference signal on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed frequency spectrum; or the capability information indicates that the first terminal device supports receiving a sidelink positioning reference signal on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed frequency spectrum; or the capability information indicates that the first terminal device supports sending and receiving a sidelink positioning reference signal on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0098] Optionally, before the first terminal device sends the capability information to the access network device, the access network device sends first capability request information to the first terminal device, the first capability request information being used to request to obtain capability information of whether the first terminal device can support sending and / or receiving a sidelink positioning reference signal on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed frequency spectrum; correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the first capability request information from the access network device.

[0099] Exemplarily, the first capability request information is used for requesting to obtain capability information of whether the first terminal device supports transmitting sidelink positioning reference signals on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, and the capability information sent by the first terminal device to the access network device indicates that the first terminal device supports transmitting the sidelink positioning reference signals on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0100] Exemplarily, the first capability request information is used for requesting to obtain capability information of whether the first terminal device supports receiving sidelink positioning reference signals on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, and the capability information sent by the first terminal device to the access network device indicates that the first terminal device supports receiving the sidelink positioning reference signals on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0101] Exemplarily, the first capability request information is used for requesting to obtain capability information of whether the first terminal device supports transmitting and receiving sidelink positioning reference signals on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum; and the capability information sent by the first terminal device to the access network device indicates that the first terminal device supports transmitting and receiving the sidelink positioning reference signals on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, or the first terminal device supports transmitting the sidelink positioning reference signals on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, or the first terminal device supports receiving the sidelink positioning reference signals on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0102] S420, after the access network device receives the capability information from the first terminal device, the access network device sends configuration information to the first terminal device according to the capability information, the configuration information indicating a first resource for transmitting and / or receiving the sidelink positioning reference signals, the first resource being a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the configuration information from the access network device.

[0103] It should be noted that the shared resource pool indicated by the capability information and the shared resource pool in which the first resource indicated by the configuration information is located can be the same shared resource pool or different shared resource pools; for example, the resources in the shared resource pool indicated by the capability information include the resources in the shared resource pool indicated by the configuration information.

[0104] Exemplarily, the capability information indicates that the first terminal device supports transmitting the sidelink positioning reference signals on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, and the configuration information indicates the first resource for transmitting the sidelink positioning reference signals.

[0105] Exemplarily, the capability information indicates that the first terminal device supports receiving the sidelink positioning reference signals on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, and the configuration information indicates the first resource for receiving the sidelink positioning reference signals.

[0106] Exemplarily, the capability information indicates that a sidelink positioning reference signal is supported to be transmitted and received on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed spectrum; and the configuration information indicates a first resource for transmitting and receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal, in other words, the first resource indicated by the configuration information can be used for transmitting the sidelink positioning reference signal or receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal.

[0107] In the technical scheme provided in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device (the first terminal device) reports capability information supporting transmitting and / or receiving a SL-PRS on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed spectrum to the access network device, the access network device sends configuration information to the terminal device according to the capability information, the configuration information indicates a first resource for transmitting and / or receiving the SL-PRS, and the terminal device can use the first resource to transmit or receive the SL-PRS. Therefore, the scheme can enable the access network device to know whether the terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving the SL-PRS on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum, thereby enabling the terminal device to transmit or receive the SL-PRS on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum.

[0108] Optionally, after the access network device receives the capability information from the first terminal device, the access network device sends indication information to the first terminal device, the indication information indicating that the first terminal device uses a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum to transmit and / or receive a sidelink positioning reference signal. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the indication information from the access network device.

[0109] Optionally, step S430 can be executed before step S420, or step S430 can be executed after step S420. In the case that step S430 is executed before step S420, the first terminal device can use the resource in the shared resource pool to transmit and / or receive the SL-PRS according to the indication information. In the case that step S430 is executed after step S420, the first terminal device can use the first resource indicated by the configuration information to transmit and / or receive the SL-PRS according to the indication information.

[0110] It should be noted that the shared resource pool indicated by the indication information and the shared resource pool indicated by the capability information can be the same shared resource pool or different shared resource pools; for example, the resource in the shared resource pool indicated by the capability information includes the resource in the shared resource pool indicated by the indication information. The shared resource pool indicated by the indication information and the shared resource pool indicated by the configuration information can be the same shared resource pool or different shared resource pools.

[0111] Exemplarily, the capability information indicates that the first terminal device supports transmitting sidelink positioning reference signals on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum, and the indication information indicates that the first terminal device transmits the sidelink positioning reference signals using resources in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum.

[0112] Exemplarily, the capability information indicates that the first terminal device supports receiving sidelink positioning reference signals on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum, and the indication information indicates that the first terminal device receives the sidelink positioning reference signals using resources in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum.

[0113] Exemplarily, the capability information indicates that the first terminal device supports transmitting and receiving sidelink positioning reference signals on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum, and the indication information indicates that the first terminal device transmits and receives the sidelink positioning reference signals using resources in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum, in other words, the indication information indicates that the first terminal device can transmit the sidelink positioning reference signals using resources in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum, and can also receive the sidelink positioning reference signals using resources in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum.

[0114] Optionally, S440, the first terminal device sends capability information to the second terminal device, the capability information indicating that the first terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving sidelink positioning reference signals on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum. Correspondingly, the second terminal device receives the capability information from the first terminal device. Exemplarily, the first terminal device sends the capability information to the second terminal device through a sidelink message carrying a field “UECapabilityInformationSidelink”.

[0115] It should be noted that step S440 can be performed before step S410, step S440 can be performed after step S410, and step S440 can be performed simultaneously with step S410, which is not limited in the present application.

[0116] Based on the optional implementation, the second terminal device can know whether the first terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving SL-PRS on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum, so as to realize sidelink positioning between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. For example, the capability information sent by the first terminal device to the second terminal device indicates that the first terminal device supports receiving SL-PRS on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed spectrum, then the second terminal device can send SL-PRS to the first terminal device, and the first terminal device can determine the position of the second terminal device according to the SL-PRS sent by the second terminal device.

[0117] Optionally, before the first terminal device sends the capability information to the second terminal device, the second terminal device sends second capability request information to the first terminal device, the second capability request information being used for requesting to obtain capability information of whether the first terminal device can support transmitting and / or receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the second capability request information from the second terminal device.

[0118] Exemplarily, the second capability request information is used for requesting to obtain capability information of whether the first terminal device can support transmitting the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, and the capability information sent by the first terminal device to the second terminal device indicates that the first terminal device supports transmitting the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0119] Exemplarily, the second capability request information is used for requesting to obtain capability information of whether the first terminal device can support receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, and the capability information sent by the first terminal device to the second terminal device indicates that the first terminal device supports receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0120] Exemplarily, the second capability request information is used for requesting to obtain capability information of whether the first terminal device can support transmitting and receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum; and the capability information sent by the first terminal device to the second terminal device indicates that the first terminal device supports transmitting and receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, or the first terminal device supports transmitting the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, or the first terminal device supports receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0121] Optionally, S450, in the case where the first terminal device supports transmitting the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, after the first terminal device receives the configuration information from the access network device (after step S420), the first terminal device transmits the sidelink positioning reference signal to the second terminal device on the first resource; correspondingly, the second terminal device receives the sidelink positioning reference signal from the first terminal device on the first resource. Based on the optional implementation, the second terminal device can determine the position of the first terminal device according to the SL-PRS transmitted by the first terminal device.

[0122] Exemplarily, the configuration information indicates the first resource used for transmitting the sidelink positioning reference signal; and the first terminal device transmits the sidelink positioning reference signal to the second terminal device on the first resource.

[0123] Exemplarily, the first resource indicated by the configuration information can be used for transmitting the sidelink positioning reference signal or receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal; and the first terminal device transmits the sidelink positioning reference signal to the second terminal device on the first resource.

[0124] Optionally, before the first terminal device transmits the sidelink positioning reference signal to the second terminal device on the first resource, the first terminal device transmits first-stage SCI to the second terminal device, the first-stage SCI being used for indicating a resource of second-stage SCI, correspondingly, the second terminal device receives the first-stage SCI from the first terminal device; and the first terminal device transmits the second-stage SCI to the second terminal device on the resource of the second-stage SCI, the second-stage SCI being used for indicating the first resource, correspondingly, the second terminal device receives the second-stage SCI from the first terminal device. Exemplarily, a format of the first-stage SCI is SCI format 1-A, and a format of the second-stage SCI is SCI format 2-D. Based on the implementation manner, the first terminal device indicates the resource of the second-stage SCI through the first-stage SCI, for example, the first terminal device indicates the resource of the second-stage SCI through the SCI format 1-A, the second-stage SCI indicates the first resource used for transmitting the sidelink positioning reference signal, and the first resource is a resource in a shared resource pool of unlicensed spectrum, so that the first terminal device can transmit the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of unlicensed spectrum.

[0125] Optionally, the first terminal device supports receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of unlicensed spectrum, after the first terminal device receives the configuration information from the access network device (after step S420), the first terminal device receives the sidelink positioning reference signal from the second terminal device on the first resource.

[0126] Optionally, before the first terminal device receives the sidelink positioning reference signal from the second terminal device on the first resource, the second terminal device transmits first-stage SCI to the first terminal device, the first-stage SCI being used for indicating a resource of second-stage SCI, correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the first-stage SCI from the second terminal device; and the second terminal device transmits the second-stage SCI to the first terminal device on the resource of the second-stage SCI, the second-stage SCI being used for indicating the first resource, correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the second-stage SCI from the second terminal device. In the optional implementation manner, the second terminal device supports transmitting the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of unlicensed spectrum, and the access network device also configures the first resource for the second terminal device.

[0127] FIG. 5 is a schematic flow interaction diagram of another method 500 of communication provided by the embodiments. In this embodiment, a terminal device (a first terminal device) reports capability information supporting transmitting and / or receiving SL-PRS on a shared resource pool of unlicensed spectrum to an LMF, the LMF sends a request message to an access network device according to the capability information, the request message is used to request the access network device to configure a resource for the first terminal device to transmit and / or receive SL-PRS, and the access network device sends configuration information to the terminal device according to the request message, the configuration information indicates a first resource for transmitting and / or receiving SL-PRS, and the terminal device can transmit SL-PRS or receive SL-PRS by using the first resource. Therefore, the embodiments can enable the LMF and the access network device to know whether the terminal device supports transmitting SL-PRS and / or receiving SL-PRS on the shared resource pool of unlicensed spectrum, so as to enable the terminal device to transmit SL-PRS or receive SL-PRS on the shared resource pool of unlicensed spectrum.

[0128] S510, the first terminal device sends capability information to the LMF, the capability information indicating that the first terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving SL-PRS on a shared resource pool of unlicensed spectrum. Correspondingly, the LMF receives the capability information from the first terminal device. Exemplarily, the first terminal device sends the capability information to the LMF through an RRC message or a sidelink message carrying a field "SidelinkUEInformationNR".

[0129] Exemplarily, the capability information indicates that the first terminal device supports transmitting SL-PRS on the shared resource pool of unlicensed spectrum; or the capability information indicates that the first terminal device supports receiving SL-PRS on the shared resource pool of unlicensed spectrum; or the capability information indicates that the first terminal device supports transmitting and receiving SL-PRS on the shared resource pool of unlicensed spectrum.

[0130] Optionally, before the first terminal device sends the capability information to the LMF, the first terminal device receives third capability request information from the LMF, the third capability request information being used to request to obtain capability information of whether the first terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving SL-PRS on the shared resource pool of unlicensed spectrum. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the third capability request information from the LMF.

[0131] Exemplarily, the third capability request information is used to request to obtain capability information of whether the first terminal device supports transmitting SL-PRS on the shared resource pool of unlicensed spectrum, and the capability information sent by the first terminal device to the LMF indicates that the first terminal device supports transmitting SL-PRS on the shared resource pool of unlicensed spectrum.

[0132] Exemplarily, the third capability request information is used for requesting to obtain the capability information of whether the first terminal device supports receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, and the capability information sent by the first terminal device to the LMF indicates that the first terminal device supports receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0133] Exemplarily, the third capability request information is used for requesting to obtain the capability information of whether the first terminal device supports transmitting and receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum; and the capability information sent by the first terminal device to the LMF indicates that the first terminal device supports transmitting and receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, or the first terminal device supports transmitting the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, or the first terminal device supports receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0134] S520, after the LMF receives the capability information from the first terminal device, the LMF sends a request message to the access network device, the request message being used for requesting the access network device to configure resources for the first terminal device to transmit and / or receive the sidelink positioning reference signal; correspondingly, the access network device receives the request message from the LMF.

[0135] S530, after the access network device receives the request message from the LMF, the access network device sends configuration information to the first terminal device, the configuration information indicating the first resources for transmitting and / or receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal; correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the configuration information from the access network device.

[0136] Exemplarily, the capability information indicates supporting transmitting the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, the request message is used for requesting the access network device to configure resources for the first terminal device to transmit the sidelink positioning reference signal, and the configuration information indicates the first resources for transmitting the sidelink positioning reference signal. Optionally, S540, the first terminal device sends the capability information to the second terminal device, the capability information indicating that the first terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum. Correspondingly, the second terminal device receives the capability information from the first terminal device.

[0137] It should be noted that the step S540 can be executed before the step S510, the step S540 can be executed after the step S510, or the step S540 can be executed simultaneously with the step S510, and the present application does not limit this.

[0138] Optionally, before the first terminal device sends the capability information to the second terminal device, the second terminal device sends second capability request information to the first terminal device, the second capability request information being used for requesting to obtain capability information of whether the first terminal device can support transmitting and / or receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the second capability request information from the second terminal device.

[0139] Optionally, S550, in a case where the first terminal device supports transmitting the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, after the first terminal device receives the configuration information from the access network device, the first terminal device transmits the sidelink positioning reference signal to the second terminal device on the first resource; correspondingly, the second terminal device receives the sidelink positioning reference signal from the first terminal device on the first resource. The second terminal device can determine the position of the first terminal device according to the SL-PRS transmitted by the first terminal device.

[0140] FIG. 6 is a schematic flow interaction diagram of another method 600 of communication provided by the embodiments of the present application. In this embodiment, a terminal device (a first terminal device) reports capability information of supporting transmitting and / or receiving a SL-PRS on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed frequency spectrum to an access network device, the access network device sends indication information to the terminal device according to the capability information, the indication information indicating that the first terminal device transmits and / or receives a sidelink positioning reference signal using a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, and the terminal device can transmit or receive the SL-PRS by using the resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum in a sensing manner. Therefore, this embodiment can enable the access network device to know whether the terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving the SL-PRS on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, thereby enabling the terminal device to transmit or receive the SL-PRS on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0141] S610, the first terminal device sends capability information to the access network device, the capability information indicating that the first terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving a sidelink positioning reference signal on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed frequency spectrum. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the capability information from the first terminal device.

[0142] Exemplarily, the capability information indicates that the first terminal device supports transmitting the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum; or the capability information indicates that the first terminal device supports receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum; or the capability information indicates that the first terminal device supports transmitting and receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0143] Optionally, before the first terminal device sends the capability information to the access network device, the access network device sends first capability request information to the first terminal device, the first capability request information being used for requesting to obtain capability information of whether the first terminal device can support sending and / or receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum; correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the first capability request information from the access network device.

[0144] S620, after the access network device receives the capability information from the first terminal device, the access network device sends indication information to the first terminal device, the indication information indicating that the first terminal device uses the resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum to send and / or receive the sidelink positioning reference signal. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the indication information from the access network device.

[0145] Exemplarily, the capability information indicates that the sending of the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum is supported, and the indication information indicates that the first terminal device uses the resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum to send the sidelink positioning reference signal.

[0146] Exemplarily, the capability information indicates that the receiving of the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum is supported, and the indication information indicates that the first terminal device uses the resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum to receive the sidelink positioning reference signal.

[0147] Exemplarily, the capability information indicates that the sending and receiving of the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum are supported; and the indication information indicates that the first terminal device uses the resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum to send and receive the sidelink positioning reference signal, in other words, the indication information indicates that the first terminal device can use the resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum to send the sidelink positioning reference signal, and can also use the resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum to receive the sidelink positioning reference signal.

[0148] Optionally, S630, the first terminal device sends capability information to the second terminal device, the capability information indicating that the first terminal device supports sending and / or receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum. Correspondingly, the second terminal device receives the capability information from the first terminal device.

[0149] It should be noted that the step S630 can be executed before the step S610, the step S630 can be executed after the step S610, or the step S630 can be executed simultaneously with the step S610, and the present application does not limit this.

[0150] Optionally, before the first terminal device sends the capability information to the second terminal device, the second terminal device sends second capability request information to the first terminal device, the second capability request information being used for requesting to obtain capability information of whether the first terminal device can support transmitting and / or receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the second capability request information from the second terminal device.

[0151] Optionally, S640, in a case where the first terminal device supports transmitting the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, after the first terminal device receives the indication information from the access network device, the first terminal device selects an SL resource on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum in a listening manner, and transmits the sidelink positioning reference signal to the second terminal device on the selected SL resource; correspondingly, the second terminal device receives the sidelink positioning reference signal from the first terminal device. The second terminal device can determine the position of the first terminal device according to the SL-PRS transmitted by the first terminal device.

[0152] The above introduces the method for communication provided by the embodiments of the present application, and the following introduces an execution subject for executing the method for communication.

[0153] FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 700 according to an embodiment of the present application. The apparatus can be applied to the first terminal device in the method described in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, or FIG. 6. The communication apparatus 700 comprises:

[0154] a transceiver module 710, configured to send capability information to an access network device, the capability information indicating that the first terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving a sidelink positioning reference signal on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0155] The transceiver module 710 is further configured to receive configuration information from the access network device, the configuration information indicating a first resource for transmitting and / or receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal, the first resource being a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0156] Optionally, the transceiver module 710 is further configured to receive indication information from the access network device, the indication information indicating that the first terminal device transmits and / or receives the sidelink positioning reference signal using the resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0157] Optionally, the transceiver module 710 is further configured to receive first capability request information from the access network device, the first capability request information being used for requesting to obtain the capability information.

[0158] Optionally, the transceiver 710 is further configured to send the capability information to the second terminal device.

[0159] Optionally, the transceiver 710 is further configured to receive second capability request information from the second terminal device, the second capability request information being used to request the capability information.

[0160] Optionally, the transceiver 710 is further configured to send the sidelink positioning reference signal to the second terminal device on the first resource.

[0161] Optionally, the transceiver 710 is further configured to:

[0162] send first-stage sidelink control information (SCI) to the second terminal device, the first-stage SCI being used to indicate a resource of second-stage SCI;

[0163] send the second-stage SCI to the second terminal device on the resource of the second-stage SCI, the second-stage SCI being used to indicate the first resource.

[0164] FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of another communication apparatus 800 according to an embodiment of the present application. The apparatus can be applied to the access network device in the method of FIG. 4, FIG. 5, or FIG. 6.

[0165] The transceiver 810 is configured to receive capability information from a first terminal device, the capability information indicating that the first terminal device supports sending and / or receiving a sidelink positioning reference signal on a shared resource pool of unlicensed spectrum.

[0166] The transceiver 810 is further configured to send configuration information to the first terminal device, the configuration information indicating a first resource for sending and / or receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal, the first resource being a resource in the shared resource pool of unlicensed spectrum.

[0167] Optionally, the communication apparatus 800 further includes a processing module 820 configured to allocate the first resource.

[0168] Optionally, the transceiver 810 is further configured to send indication information to the first terminal device, the indication information indicating that the first terminal device uses a resource in the shared resource pool of unlicensed spectrum to send and / or receive the sidelink positioning reference signal.

[0169] Optionally, the transceiver 810 is further configured to send first capability request information to the first terminal device, the first capability request information being used to request the capability information.

[0170] FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of another communication apparatus 900 according to an embodiment of the present application. The apparatus can be applied in the second terminal device in the method of FIG. 4, FIG. 5, or FIG. 6. The communication apparatus 900 comprises:

[0171] The transceiver 910 is configured to receive the capability information from the first terminal device, the capability information indicating that the first terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal on the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0172] The transceiver 910 is further configured to receive the sidelink positioning reference signal from the first terminal device on the first resource, the first resource being a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

[0173] Optionally, the transceiver 910 is further configured to send second capability request information to the second terminal device, the second capability request information being used to request the capability information.

[0174] Optionally, the transceiver 910 is further configured to receive the first-stage SCI from the first terminal device, the first-stage SCI being used to indicate the resource of the second-stage SCI; and receive the second-stage SCI from the first terminal device on the resource of the second-stage SCI, the second-stage SCI being used to indicate the first resource.

[0175] FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of another communication apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 1000 can be applied in the first terminal device, the access network device, or the second terminal device. The communication apparatus 1000 comprises a processor 1010, which is configured to implement the method of communication according to the embodiments of the present application by means of a logic circuit or by executing code instructions.

[0176] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1000 can further comprise an interface circuit 1020. The processor 1010 and the interface circuit 1020 are coupled to each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 1020 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0177] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1000 can further comprise a memory 1030, which is configured to store the instructions executed by the processor 1010 or store the input data required by the processor 1010 for executing the instructions or store the data generated after the processor 1010 executes the instructions.

[0178] The processor 1010 described above can be an integrated circuit chip with a signal processing capability. In the implementation process, each step of the method embodiment described above can be completed by the integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor or the instruction in the form of software. The processor described above can be a general processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. Each method, step and logic block diagram disclosed in the embodiment of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiment of the present application can be directly embodied as a hardware code processor for execution, or a combination of hardware and software modules in the code processor for execution. The software module can be located in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read only memory, a programmable read only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register or other mature storage medium in the art. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and combines the hardware to complete the steps of the above method.

[0179] The embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, comprising the first terminal device, the access network device and the second terminal device in the method for communication provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0180] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program for implementing the method in the method embodiment described above. When the computer program runs on the computer, the computer can implement the method in the method embodiment described above.

[0181] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, which comprises a computer program. When the computer program runs on the computer, the method in the method embodiment described above is executed.

[0182] The embodiment of the present application also provides a chip, which comprises a processor, the processor is connected with a memory, the memory is used for storing a computer program, and the processor is used for executing the computer program stored in the memory, so that the chip executes the method in the method embodiment described above.

[0183] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, for a technical feature, the technical features in the technical feature are distinguished by "first", "second", "third" and the like, and there is no order or size order between the technical features described by "first", "second" and "third".

[0184] In addition, the term "and / or" in the present application is only to describe the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this paper generally represents that the front and rear associated objects are an "or" relationship; the term "at least one" in the present application can represent "one" and "two or more", for example, A, B and C can represent the following seven cases: A exists alone, B exists alone, C exists alone, A and B exist together, A and C exist together, C and B exist together, and A, B and C exist together.

[0185] "Sending" and "receiving" in the embodiments of the present application represent the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending information to XX" can be understood as that the destination of the information is XX, which can include direct sending through the air interface, and also includes indirect sending through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving information from YY" can be understood as that the source of the information is YY, which can include direct receiving from YY through the air interface, and also can include indirect receiving from YY through the air interface from other units or modules. "Sending" can also be understood as "output" of a chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as "input" of a chip interface.

[0186] In other words, sending and receiving can be carried out between devices, for example, between access network devices and terminal devices, or can be carried out within devices, for example, between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules in devices through buses, wires or interfaces.

[0187] It can be understood that the information between the source and the destination of the information transmission can be processed as necessary, such as encoding, modulation, etc., but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in the present application can be similarly understood, and will not be repeated here.

[0188] In the embodiments of the present application, the indication can include direct indication and indirect indication, and can also include explicit indication and implicit indication. The information indicated by certain information (indication information described below) is referred to as to-be-indicated information. In the implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the to-be-indicated information, for example, but not limited to, the to-be-indicated information can be directly indicated, such as the to-be-indicated information itself or an index of the to-be-indicated information. The to-be-indicated information can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where the other information and the to-be-indicated information have an association relationship. The to-be-indicated information can also be indicated only by a part of the to-be-indicated information, and the other part of the to-be-indicated information is known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of a specific information can be achieved by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, protocol predefined), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. The specific manner of indication is not limited in the present application. It can be understood that the indication information can be used to indicate the to-be-indicated information for the sender of the indication information, and the indication information can be used to determine the to-be-indicated information for the receiver of the indication information.

[0189] In the present application, the same or similar parts between various embodiments can be mutually referred to, unless otherwise specified. In the various embodiments of the present application, and the various implementation manners / implementation methods / implementation approaches in each embodiment, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments, and between various implementation manners / implementation methods / implementation approaches in each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referred to, if not specially specified and there is no logical conflict. The technical features in different embodiments, and in various implementation manners / implementation methods / implementation approaches in each embodiment can be combined to form new embodiments, implementation manners, implementation methods, or implementation approaches according to their inherent logical relationship. The implementation manners of the present application described below do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present application.

[0190] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are performed 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 the present application.

[0191] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0192] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other manners. For example, the described device embodiments are merely schematic. The division of the units is merely logical function division. There can be other division manners in actual implementation. For example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections can be indirect couplings or communication connections through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0193] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, i.e., can be located in one place, or can be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0194] In addition, each functional unit in the various embodiments of the present application can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can be a physically separate unit, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0195] If the functions are realized in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, and includes a number of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The foregoing storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various program code storage media.

[0196] The above description is merely a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of communication, comprising: The method applied to a first terminal device or a chip in the first terminal device, the method comprising: sending capability information to an access network device, the capability information indicating that the first terminal device supports sending and / or receiving a sidelink positioning reference signal on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed frequency spectrum; receiving configuration information from the access network device, the configuration information indicating a first resource for sending and / or receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal, the first resource being a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, After the sending of the capability information to the access network device, the method further comprises: receiving indication information from the access network device, the indication information indicating that the first terminal device uses a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum to send and / or receive the sidelink positioning reference signal.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Before the sending of the capability information to the access network device, the method further comprises: receiving first capability request information from the access network device, the first capability request information being used to request acquisition of the capability information.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further comprises: sending the capability information to a second terminal device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, Before the sending of the capability information to the second terminal device, the method further comprises: receiving second capability request information from the second terminal device, the second capability request information being used to request acquisition of the capability information.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, After the receiving of the configuration information from the access network device, the method further comprises: sending the sidelink positioning reference signal to a second terminal device on the first resource.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, Before the sending of the sidelink positioning reference signal to the second terminal device on the first resource, the method further comprises: sending first-stage sidelink control information (SCI) to the second terminal device, the first-stage SCI being used to indicate a resource of second-stage SCI; sending the second-stage SCI to the second terminal device on the resource of the second-stage SCI, the second-stage SCI being used to indicate the first resource.

8. A method of communication, comprising: The method applied to an access network device or a chip in the access network device, the method comprising: receiving capability information from a first terminal device, the capability information indicating that the first terminal device supports sending and / or receiving a sidelink positioning reference signal on a shared resource pool of an unlicensed frequency spectrum; sending configuration information to the first terminal device, the configuration information indicating a first resource for sending and / or receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal, the first resource being a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, After the receiving of the capability information from the first terminal device, the method further comprises: sending indication information to the first terminal device, the indication information indicating that the first terminal device uses a resource in the shared resource pool of the unlicensed frequency spectrum to send and / or receive the sidelink positioning reference signal.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, Before the receiving of the capability information from the first terminal device, the method further comprises: sending first capability request information to the first terminal device, the first capability request information being used to request acquisition of the capability information.

11. A method of communication, comprising: The method applied to a second terminal device or a chip in the second terminal device, the method comprising: receiving capability information from a first terminal device, the capability information indicating that the first terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving a sidelink positioning reference signal on a shared resource pool of unlicensed spectrum; receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal from the first terminal device on a first resource, the first resource being a resource in the shared resource pool of unlicensed spectrum.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, Before the receiving the capability information from the first terminal device, further comprising: sending second capability request information to the second terminal device, the second capability request information being used for requesting to obtain the capability information.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, Before the receiving the sidelink positioning reference signal from the first terminal device on the first resource, further comprising: receiving a first stage SCI from the first terminal device, the first stage SCI being used for indicating a resource of a second stage SCI; receiving the second stage SCI from the first terminal device on the resource of the second stage SCI, the second stage SCI being used for indicating the first resource.

14. A communications device, characterized by A module for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or a module for performing the method of any one of claims 8 to 10, or a module for performing the method of any one of claims 11 to 13.

15. A communications device, characterized by A processor for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or for implementing the method of any one of claims 8 to 10, or for implementing the method of any one of claims 11 to 13.

16. A communication system, characterized by comprising: a first terminal device, a second terminal device, and an access network device, the first terminal device being configured to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, the second terminal device being configured to implement the method of any one of claims 11 to 13, and the access network device being configured to implement the method of any one of claims 8 to 10.

17. A computer readable storage medium characterized by comprising: The computer readable medium stores a computer program; The computer program, when executed by the processor, causes the method of any one of claims 1 to 13 to be performed.

18. A computer program product, characterised in that, A computer program, when executed, causes the method of any one of claims 1 to 13 to be performed.

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