Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

The present application is applied to the technical field of communications. Provided are a communication method and a related apparatus. In the embodiments of the present application, a first sensing signal can be transmitted by means of first configuration information and second configuration information that are carried in a first message, so as to perform a sensing task. Specifically, a first communication apparatus in the present application only needs to execute a sensing signal transmission operation according to resources configured by a second communication apparatus (for example, determining a transmission mode of the first sensing signal on the basis of first configuration information issued by an access network device (for example, a terminal is a sending end, and the access network device is a receiving end; or the terminal is a receiving end, and the access network device is a sending end), and after determining, on the basis of discontinuous reception configuration information issued by the access network device, time information for transmitting the first sensing signal, transmitting the first sensing signal), the power consumption overhead of the sensing mode in which the terminal participates can be effectively reduced, thereby achieving a more energy-saving sensing mode in which the terminal participates.

Description

Communication methods and related devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411555814.1, filed on October 31, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Related Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to communication methods and related devices. Background Technology

[0003] With the development of communication technology, communication systems will possess sensing capabilities, and a single communication system can integrate wireless signal sensing and communication capabilities. For the mode of transmitting and receiving sensing signals between base stations and terminals, the sensing resources are configured by the base station, and the sensing signal transmission and reception operations are performed according to the configured resources. However, current terminal energy-saving or network energy-saving mechanisms are all aimed at communication services. If communication energy saving is not applied to sensing services, the power consumption of the sensing mode involving the terminal will be high, and it will occupy a large amount of resources.

[0004] Therefore, how to reduce the power consumption of terminal-participated sensing modes and achieve more energy-efficient terminal-participated sensing modes is a problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and related apparatus that can effectively reduce the power consumption of terminal-involved sensing modes and achieve more energy-efficient terminal-involved sensing modes.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. This method can be applied to a first communication device, which may be, for example, a terminal device or a communication module within the terminal device, or a circuit or chip (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip) responsible for communication functions within the terminal device. The method includes: receiving a first message from a second communication device, wherein the first message carries first configuration information and second configuration information, the first configuration information being used to determine a transmission mode for a first sensing signal, and the second configuration information including discontinuous reception configuration information, which is used to determine time information for transmitting the first sensing signal. Based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information, the first sensing signal is transmitted, wherein the first sensing signal is used to generate first sensing data.

[0007] Optionally, the discontinuous reception configuration information can be discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration information.

[0008] Optionally, the transmission can be either receiving or sending.

[0009] In this application, taking the first communication device as the terminal and the second communication device as the access network device as an example, on the one hand, the discontinuous reception configuration information issued by the access network device is usually used for communication services. However, in this solution, the first and second configuration information carried in the first message can be used to transmit the first sensing signal and perform sensing tasks. Specifically, the terminal in this application only needs to perform the sensing signal transmission operation according to the resources configured by the access network device (for example, determining the transmission mode of the first sensing signal according to the first configuration information issued by the access network device (for example, the terminal is the sender and the access network device is the receiver; or the terminal is the receiver and the access network device is the sender), and determining the time information for transmitting the first sensing signal according to the discontinuous reception configuration information issued by the access network device before transmitting the first sensing signal), which can effectively reduce the power consumption of the sensing mode involving the terminal and realize a more energy-efficient sensing mode with terminal participation.

[0010] On the other hand, since the existing solutions do not cover scenarios where sensing signals are transmitted based on discontinuous reception configuration information issued by access network devices, the choice of application scenarios can be more diverse.

[0011] In one possible implementation, transmitting the first sensing signal includes: transmitting the first sensing signal when a first condition is met.

[0012] In the above embodiments, the operation of transmitting the first sensing signal by the subsequent terminal is initiated only when the first condition is met, which can effectively reduce the power consumption of the sensing mode involving the terminal and realize a more energy-efficient sensing mode involving the terminal.

[0013] In yet another possible implementation, the first condition includes at least one of the following: during the operation of the discontinuous receive-duration timer, during the operation of the discontinuous receive-inactive timer, or during the operation of the discontinuous receive-retransmission timer.

[0014] In the above implementation, the first condition is used as the trigger condition for transmitting the first sensing signal. The sensing signal is transmitted only when the trigger condition is met. This can ensure the transmission accuracy of the first sensing signal while effectively reducing the power consumption of the sensing mode involving the terminal. It adapts to the needs of the sensing task, reduces the impact of the randomness of communication transmission on the sensing task, and realizes a more energy-efficient sensing mode involving the terminal.

[0015] Specifically, the first condition in this application can have several combinations. For example, the first condition may include the period during the operation of the discontinuous reception-duration timer, the period during the operation of the discontinuous reception-inactivity timer, and the period during the operation of the discontinuous reception-retransmission timer. In this approach, whether or not the first sensing signal is transmitted depends entirely on the design for monitoring the PDCCH during communication. The access network device does not need additional configuration for sensing power saving, effectively saving network resource overhead. Alternatively, the first condition may only include the period during the operation of the discontinuous reception-duration timer. In this approach, whether or not the first sensing signal is transmitted depends only on the fixed-period timer and does not need to be determined based on whether there is data transmission or retransmission. The access network device also does not need additional configuration for sensing power saving, thus effectively saving network resource overhead. Yet another example is that the first condition includes the period during the operation of the discontinuous reception-duration timer and the period during the operation of the discontinuous reception-inactivity timer. In this approach, whether or not the first sensing signal is transmitted depends only on the new transmission status and does not need to be determined based on whether there is retransmission. The access network device also does not need additional configuration for sensing power saving, thus effectively saving network resource overhead.

[0016] In another possible implementation, transmitting the first sensing signal according to the first configuration information and the second configuration information includes: switching to a first cycle when the number of times the discontinuous reception-duration timer or the discontinuous reception-inactive timer runs is equal to a first preset value, and switching to a second cycle when the number of transmissions in the first cycle is equal to a second preset value; or, using the configuration of the first cycle or the second cycle; or, switching to the first cycle when a sensing target is detected, and switching to the second cycle when the number of transmissions in the first cycle is equal to the second preset value.

[0017] In the above implementation, discontinuous reception configuration information in communication services can also be reused in the sensing scenario. From the perspective of sensing services, long-cycle or short-cycle configuration can be adopted, or a switching mechanism between long-cycle and short-cycle can be adopted to effectively reduce the power consumption of the sensing mode involving the terminal and achieve a more energy-efficient sensing mode with terminal participation.

[0018] In another possible implementation, the method further includes: when the second condition is met, turning on or repeatedly turning on the discontinuous reception-inactive timer, or starting the discontinuous reception-retransmission timer.

[0019] Optionally, the second condition includes at least one of the following: a sensing target is detected in a preset area, the transmission speed of the first sensing data is greater than a third preset value, and the position change of the sensing target is less than a first preset range.

[0020] In the above embodiments, events that easily affect the monitoring of the first sensing signal (such as a second condition) can be used as trigger conditions to start or repeat the discontinuous reception-inactive timer or to start the discontinuous reception-retransmission timer based on the sensing results. When the trigger conditions are met, the discontinuous reception-inactive timer can be started or repeated, or the discontinuous reception-retransmission timer can be started. This allows the operation of monitoring the first sensing signal to be triggered on demand based on the sensing results, better meeting the needs of sensing services (such as accuracy), effectively reducing the power consumption of the sensing mode with terminal participation, and realizing a more energy-efficient sensing mode with terminal participation.

[0021] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method applied to a second communication device. The second communication device may be, for example, a network device or a communication module within a network device, or a circuit or chip within a network device responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip). The method includes: sending a first message to a first communication device, wherein the first message carries first configuration information and second configuration information, the first configuration information being used to determine a transmission mode for a first sensing signal, and the second configuration information including discontinuous reception configuration information, the discontinuous reception configuration information being used to determine time information for transmitting the first sensing signal. Based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information, the first sensing signal is transmitted, wherein the first sensing signal is used to generate first sensing data.

[0022] In one possible implementation, transmitting the first sensing signal includes: transmitting the first sensing signal when a first condition is met.

[0023] In yet another possible implementation, the first condition includes at least one of the following: during the operation of the discontinuous receive-duration timer, during the operation of the discontinuous receive-inactive timer, or during the operation of the discontinuous receive-retransmission timer.

[0024] In another possible implementation, transmitting the first sensing signal according to the first configuration information and the second configuration information includes: switching to a first cycle when the number of times the discontinuous reception-duration timer or the discontinuous reception-inactive timer runs is equal to a first preset value, and switching to a second cycle when the number of transmissions in the first cycle is equal to a second preset value; or, using the configuration of the first cycle or the second cycle; or, switching to the first cycle when a sensing target is detected, and switching to the second cycle when the number of transmissions in the first cycle is equal to the second preset value.

[0025] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device that can be used in the first communication device of the first aspect. The communication device can be a terminal, a device in the terminal (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit), or a device that can be matched with the terminal. It can also be a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the terminal functions.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the communication device may include modules or units that perform the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect. These modules or units may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0027] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device that can be used in the second communication device of the second aspect. The communication device can be a network device, a device in a network device (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit), or a device that can be matched with a network device, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of a network device.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the communication device may include modules or units that perform the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect one by one. These modules or units may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0029] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes at least one processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is used for inputting and / or outputting information, and the at least one processor is used for calling a computer program stored in at least one memory to implement the method described in any of the embodiments of the first aspect.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes at least one of the aforementioned memories. Optionally, the memory and processor are integrated together.

[0031] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes at least one processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is used for inputting and / or outputting information, and the at least one processor is used to call a computer program stored in at least one memory to implement the method described in any of the embodiments of the second aspect.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes at least one of the aforementioned memories. Optionally, the memory and processor are integrated together.

[0033] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes a logic circuit and an interface, the logic circuit and the interface being coupled; the interface is used to input and / or output information, and the logic circuit is used to implement the method described in any of the embodiments of the first to second aspects.

[0034] In one possible implementation of the seventh aspect, the communication device is a chip or chip system.

[0035] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication system including a first communication device and a second communication device, which are communicatively connected. The first communication device is used to implement the method of either the first or second aspect.

[0036] In a ninth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium for storing instructions or a computer program; when the instructions or the computer program are executed, the method of any one of the embodiments of the first to second aspects is implemented.

[0037] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a computer program product including computer instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, can implement the methods described in any of the first to second aspects or any possible implementations thereof. Exemplarily, the computer program product can be a software installation package, which can be downloaded and executed on a computing device when the aforementioned methods are required.

[0038] The beneficial effects of the technical solutions provided in aspects two through ten of this application can be referred to the beneficial effects of the technical solutions in aspect one, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0039] The accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below.

[0040] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an O-RAN system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 4 is a diagram showing the network element function division and protocol layer structure of an O-RAN system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a wireless sensing scenario provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a sensor network architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 7a is a schematic diagram of a DRX configuration applied to a communication service scenario according to an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 7b is a schematic diagram of an activation period provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 7c is a schematic diagram of another activation period provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 7d is a schematic diagram of another activation period provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 7e is a schematic diagram of a long-cycle and short-cycle switching process provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 7f is a schematic diagram of a Cell DTX / DRX mechanism provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 9a is a schematic diagram illustrating DRX configuration support in a DRX cycle scenario provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 9b is a schematic diagram illustrating another DRX configuration supported in a DRX cycle scenario provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 9c is a schematic diagram of another DRX configuration supported in a DRX cycle scenario provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of network energy saving provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 110 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of another communication device 120 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 13 is a structural schematic diagram of another communication device 130 provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0060] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0061] The system architecture used in the embodiments of this application is described below. It should be noted that the system architecture and business scenarios described in this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0062] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1(a), the communication system includes a first communication device 101 and a second communication device 102. Optionally, the communication system also includes a third communication device 103. Optionally, the first communication device 101, the second communication device 102, and the third communication device 103 can be the same type of device or different types of devices. For example, as shown in Figure 1(b), the first communication device 101 is a terminal, the second communication device 102 is a first network device, and the third communication device 103 is a second network device. As another example, as shown in Figure 1(c), the first communication device 101 is a terminal, the second communication device 102 is a terminal, and the third communication device 103 is also a terminal. Next, taking the first communication device 101 as a terminal and the second communication device 102 as a first network device as an example, the architecture of the communication system will be described in detail.

[0063] It is understood that when the communication system only includes the first communication device 101 and the second communication device 102, the communication system only shows one terminal and one network device. In actual use, an architecture of at least one terminal and / or at least one network device can be adopted as needed (e.g., the architecture shown in Figure 1(a)). Exemplarily, the communication system shown in Figure 2 includes one network device and multiple terminals, or includes multiple network devices and one terminal. A single network device can transmit sensing signals or send configuration messages to one or more terminals. Alternatively, a single terminal can simultaneously transmit sensing signals to multiple network devices or receive configuration messages.

[0064] Typically, network device 210 can be a node in a radio access network (RAN), such as a wireless relay device and / or a wireless backhaul device (not shown in Figure 2). Network device 210 may also be referred to as an access network device or a RAN node (or device), forming part of a communication system to help terminals achieve wireless access. Network device 210 can also be a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) related cellular system, such as a 4th generation (4G) mobile communication system, a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, an NTN (non-terrestrial network) system, or a future-oriented evolution system (such as a 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system). Network device 210 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, or a communication system integrating two or more of the above systems.

[0065] In this embodiment, network device 210 can be a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system. Network device 210 can also be in pass-through mode or regeneration mode, earth fixed cell or earth moving cell.

[0066] In the communication system 2000, multiple network devices 210 can be nodes of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of network devices 210 and terminals 220 are relative. For example, in Figure 2, network element 220i can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 220j accessing the RAN 200 through network element 220i, network element 220i is a base station; however, for base station 210a, network element 220i is a terminal. Network devices 210 and terminals 220 are sometimes referred to as communication devices. For example, in Figure 2, network elements 210a and 210b can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 220a-220j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions. Terminal 220 connects to network device 210 wirelessly. Network device 210 connects to the core network wirelessly or via a wired connection. The core network equipment and network equipment 210 in the core network can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device that integrates core network logical functions and wireless access network logical functions.

[0067] In one possible scenario, network equipment can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, a satellite, or an access point (AP) in a WiFi system, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, or a network device in a mobile switching center non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system, i.e., it can be deployed on a high-altitude platform or satellite, etc. Network equipment can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 2, 210a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 2, 210b), a relay node or donor node, or a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. Network equipment can also function as a base station in device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, drone communication, and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. Alternatively, network equipment can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0068] In another possible scenario, multiple network devices collaborate to assist terminals in achieving wireless access, with each device performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, these network devices could be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be configured separately or included in the same network element, such as the baseband unit (BBU). The CU and DU nodes separate the gNB's protocol layers; some protocol layer functions are centrally controlled by the CU, while the remaining partial or complete protocol layer functions are distributed across the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU. As one implementation, the CU deploys the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, PDCP layer, and Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer in the protocol stack; the DU deploys the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, and Physical Layer (PHY) in the protocol stack. Thus, the CU has the processing capabilities of RRC, PDCP, and SDAP. The DU has the processing capabilities of RLC, MAC, and PHY. It is understood that the above functional division is merely an example and does not constitute a limitation on the CU and DU. The RU can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), or remote radio head (RRH). It is understood that the network device can be a CU node, a DU node, or a device including both CU and DU nodes. Furthermore, the CU can be classified as a network device in the access network RAN ​​or as a network device in the core network CN; there is no restriction on this.

[0069] In this embodiment, the terminal involved may include various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem with wireless communication capabilities. Terminal 220 may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., or a device used to provide voice or data connectivity to a user, or an Internet of Things (IoT) device. For example, terminal devices include handheld devices and vehicle-mounted devices with wireless connectivity. Currently, terminal devices can include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices (such as smartwatches, smart bracelets, pedometers, smart glasses, etc.), in-vehicle devices (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), satellite terminals, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, point-of-sale (POS) machines, customer-premises equipment (CPE), light user equipment (UE), reduced capability user equipment (REDCAP UE), wireless terminals in industrial control, smart home devices (such as refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), intelligent robots, robotic arms, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in autonomous driving, wireless terminals in telemedicine, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, or wireless terminals in smart homes, and flying equipment (such as intelligent robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes), etc. Terminal devices can also be vehicle devices, such as vehicle devices, vehicle modules, vehicle chips, on-board units (OBUs) or telematics boxes (T-BOXs). Terminal devices can also be other devices with terminal functions. For example, a terminal device can also be a device that performs terminal functions in D2D communication.

[0070] In this application, the core network equipment refers to equipment in the core network (CN) that provides service support to the terminal. Examples of core network equipment include: access and mobility management function (AMF) entities, session management function (SMF) entities, user plane function (UPF) entities, etc., which are not listed here. The AMF entity is responsible for terminal access management and mobility management; the SMF entity is responsible for session management, such as user session establishment; and the UPF entity can be a user plane functional entity, primarily responsible for connecting to external networks. It should be noted that in this application, entities can also be referred to as network elements or functional entities. For example, an AMF entity can also be called an AMF network element or an AMF functional entity, and an SMF entity can also be called an SMF network element or an SMF functional entity, etc.

[0071] Optionally, the method provided in this application embodiment can also be applied to an O-RAN system. Please refer to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of an O-RAN system provided in this application embodiment. The O-RAN system may also include other components besides those shown in Figure 3, and this application does not limit this. Optionally, the network device shown in Figure 3 can be an access network device, such as an eNB, gNB, or next-generation access network device. The access network device communicates with the core network (CN) via a backhaul link and with the terminal via an air interface.

[0072] The BBU in the access network equipment communicates with the core network via a backhaul link, and the RU in the access network equipment communicates with at least one terminal via an air interface. The BBU communicates with at least one RU via a fronthaul link. The BBU and RU may or may not be co-located. The BBU includes at least one control unit (CU) and at least one distributed unit (DU), which can communicate via at least one midhaul link.

[0073] Further optionally, please refer to Figure 4, which is a diagram illustrating the network element functional division and protocol layer structure of an open radio access network (O-RAN) system provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4, in some examples, the CU is a logical node carrying the RRC layer, Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, and other control functions of the access network equipment. The CU is connected to network nodes such as the core network through some interfaces, which may be interfaces such as E2 interfaces. Optionally, the CU may have some functions of the core network, such as the PDCP layer and higher layers. The CU is connected to the DU (e.g., RLC layer and lower layers) through some interfaces, which may be interfaces such as F1 interfaces. In some examples, these interfaces (e.g., the F1 interface) can provide control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane) functions (e.g., interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, etc.). F1AP is the application protocol of the F1 interface, and in some examples, the signaling procedures of F1 are defined. The F1 interface supports the control plane F1-C and the user plane F1-U.

[0074] In some examples, the CU can be split into CU-CP (control unit-control plane) and CU-UP (control unit-user plane). CU-CP is a logical node carrying the RRC layer and PDCP-C (control plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the CU's control plane functions. CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements in the core network can be access and mobility function (AMF) network elements, such as the access and mobility management function (AMF) in a 5G mobile communication system. AMF network elements are responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as terminal location updates, terminal registration with the network, and terminal handover. CU-UP is a logical node carrying the SDAP layer and the PDCP-U (user plane part of PDCP) layer for user plane data, used to implement the CU's user plane functions. CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions. These network elements in the core network, such as the UPF (user plane function) in a 5G system, are responsible for data forwarding and receiving in terminal devices. It should be understood that the above configurations of CU and DU are merely examples, and the functions of CU and DU can be configured as needed. This application does not impose excessive limitations on this. For example, CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or CU or DU can be configured to have some protocol layer processing functions. Another example is to place some functions of the RLC layer and the protocol layer functions above the RLC layer in the CU, and place the remaining functions of the RLC layer and the protocol layer functions below the RLC layer in the DU. Yet another example is that the functions of CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements, such as by latency, placing functions that need to meet low latency requirements in the DU, and functions that do not need to meet this latency requirement in the CU.

[0075] In some examples, a DU is a logical node that carries the radio link control (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, higher physical layer (PHY) layer, and other functions. In some examples, a DU can control at least one RU. The DU connects to the RU through interfaces, which can be fronthaul interfaces.

[0076] In some examples, the CU may not have a PDCP layer, i.e., it only includes the RRC layer. CU-CP does not have PDCP-C. CU-UP may not have PDCP-U, or may not have CU-UP at all. In some examples, the DU may not have an RLC layer, only a MAC and a higher PHY layer. Furthermore, in some examples, it may not have a CU and may only include the DU.

[0077] In some examples, the higher PHY layer includes parts of the PHY layer that handle processing, such as forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation, and demodulation.

[0078] In some examples, the RU is a logical node that carries both lower physical layer (PHY) and radio frequency chain (RF chain) processing. In some examples, the RU can be a 3GPPTRP, a remote radio head (RRH), or other similar functionalities. In some examples, the Low-PHY includes PHY processing functions such as Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT), digital beamforming, and filtering. The RU communicates with one or more terminals via a wireless link.

[0079] Optionally, the DU and RU may or may not be co-located. The DU and RU exchange control plane information via a fronthaul link through a lower-layer split-control, user plane information (LLS-CUS) and synchronization interface. The LLS-CUS may include LLS-C and LLS-U interfaces that respectively provide the control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane). In some examples, the control plane (C-Plane) refers to real-time control between the DU and RU. The DU and RU exchange management information via an LLS-M interface on the fronthaul link; the management plane (M-Plane) refers to non-real-time management operations between the DU and RU.

[0080] Optionally, the DU and RU can cooperate to implement the functions of the PHY layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of the DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, the DU can be configured to implement baseband functions, and the RU can be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Alternatively, the DU can be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and the RU can be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or to implement both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer may include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer may include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0081] Optionally, the O-RAN system may also include the following functions / nodes: (1) Non-real-time RAN intelligent controller (non-real-time RIC), sometimes also called non-RT RIC or NRT RIC, is used to implement non-real-time intelligent management of RAN functions. It can implement AI / ML workflows including model training and model updates, and guide applications / functions in the nRT RIC based on policies. (2) Near-real-time RAN intelligent controller (near-real-time RIC), sometimes also called near-RT RIC or nRT RIC, is used to implement near-real-time intelligent management of the RAN. Through data collection and related operations on the E2 interface, it realizes near-real-time control and optimization of O-RAN modules and resources.

[0082] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. The network device deployment methods listed here are only examples; as standard technologies evolve, network devices may have other deployment forms.

[0083] Current communication systems are primarily designed to support communication services. Their scope of sensing is relatively limited. For example, 5G only supports sensing the location of active devices like terminals, not the speed, direction, material, or imaging of passive objects. However, future communication systems will possess interconnected sensing capabilities, extending far beyond communication. They will utilize higher frequency bands, larger bandwidths, and denser large-scale antenna arrays. This will allow individual communication systems to integrate wireless signal sensing and communication capabilities, enabling mutual performance enhancement. Furthermore, sensing enables high-precision positioning, imaging, and environmental reconstruction, allowing for more accurate channel information and improved communication performance. Moreover, as a fundamental characteristic of future communication systems, sensing can observe and sample the physical and biological worlds, opening a new channel for the integration of the physical and biological worlds with the digital world. Future communication systems will natively support communication, sensing, and computing services, becoming the network information foundation supporting the efficient and sustainable development of future society, empowering a diverse range of new future businesses. The development of communication technology makes integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) a possibility in the future. Communication-sensing integration is a key technology in next-generation wireless communication systems. It aims to integrate wireless communication and sensing functions into a single system, utilizing the various propagation characteristics of wireless signals to achieve sensing functions such as target localization, detection, imaging, and identification. This allows for the acquisition of information about the surrounding physical environment, improving communication performance and enhancing user experience. In communication-sensing integration technology, network devices transmit sensing signals and receive echo signals to obtain information such as the position and velocity of targets in the environment. The echo signal is the signal generated by the reflection of the sensing signal from the target in the environment. The time delay of the echo signal relative to the transmitted sensing signal reflects the distance to the target; the Doppler shift of the echo signal relative to the transmitted sensing signal reflects the velocity of the target.

[0084] Existing wireless sensing scenarios are shown in Figures 5(a), 5(b), and 5(c), mainly including three categories: base station-based sensing, base station and terminal-based sensing, and terminal-based sensing. Figure 5(a) shows single-base station-based sensing (i.e., a single base station transmits and receives signals, acting as both a receiver and a transmitter to perform sensing services on the sensing target. Specifically, the sensing signal is transmitted by the base station, reflected by the sensing target in the environment, and then received by the same base station) and dual-base station-based sensing (including two base stations performing sensing services; the transmitting base station sends sensing signals to the receiving base station, which then receives the echo signals after reflection by the sensing target in the environment, and the sensing data or results are obtained based on the echo signals); Figure 5(b) shows dual-base station and terminal-based sensing (i.e., the transmitting base station sends sensing signals to the receiving terminal, which then receives the echo signals after reflection by the sensing target in the environment, and the results are obtained by the receiving terminal). The embodiments of this application can perform sensing tasks in two main scenarios: sensing based on base stations and terminals, and sensing based on terminals. Specifically, the embodiments of this application can perform sensing tasks in two main scenarios: sensing based on base stations and terminals, and sensing based on terminals. (i.e., the terminal, acting as the transmitter, sends a sensing signal to the base station, which then reflects the signal back to the sensing target in the environment, and the base station receives the echo signal, based on which sensing data or results are obtained.)

[0085] For sensing signaling interaction, it can be divided into the following four modes according to the different network elements involved in sensing: SF and gNB signaling interaction, SF and UE signaling interaction, gNB and UE signaling interaction, and UE and UE signaling interaction. The relationship between the different sensing modes and the interaction requirements between the three network elements (SF, gNB, UE) is shown in Table 1.

[0086] Table 1

[0087] In both the single-base and dual-base sensing modes, sensing is performed via the network side, requiring only interaction between the SF and gNB. The dual-base sensing modes involving both the terminal and base station require collaboration between the network and terminal sides, necessitating interaction between the SF and gNB, the SF and UE, and the gNB and UE. While the single-base and dual-base terminal sensing modes do not require base station involvement, all sensing resources are air interface resources and should be managed and allocated by the base station. Furthermore, the UE needs to report its sensing capabilities; therefore, all four interaction methods are present in both modes. It should be noted that in sensing modes involving the UE, it is assumed that the SF and UE interact via non-access stratum signaling, a process transparent to the base station, thus avoiding the complexity of interaction between the SF, gNB, and UE.

[0088] For the sensing network architecture, a new sensing element (SF) is added to the core network. An interface is also added between the SF and other network elements such as the AMF (as shown in Figure 6(a)) for interaction (as shown in Figure 6(b)). This element can be deployed in conjunction with the 5G core network (as shown in Figure 6(b)) or independently (as shown in Figure 6(c)). Sensing control signaling between the SF and the RAN or UE can be transmitted directly through the AMF. Sensing measurement data acquired by the RAN or UE can be transmitted to the SF via the control plane or user plane. The user plane data can be forwarded via the UPF or transmitted directly to the SF.

[0089] Regarding perception-related data, as shown in Table 2, under different perception scenarios and business requirements, the perception signals received by the perception device may need to be processed by one or more processing nodes, such as the UE, the base station, or the network data analytics function (NWDAF) or SF, or the perception server, in order to obtain the final perception data or perception results.

[0090] Table 2

[0091] The terminology used in the embodiments of this application will be described below.

[0092] 1. Perception

[0093] Perception can also be replaced by: sensing process, sensing operation, sensing detection, or detection processing.

[0094] Perception can be understood as a technology capable of acquiring information about the characteristics of the environment and / or objects within it. This information includes, but is not limited to, shape, size, orientation, speed, position, distance between objects, or relative motion. The working principle of perception is as follows: the transmitting end sends a perception signal, and the receiving end receives the signal reflected from the perception target (also called the echo signal). The perception result, such as speed, distance, shape, and size, is obtained based on the echo signal. The perception target can also be called a target, the object being detected, the object being sensed, or the object being sensed, etc., without limitation. The perception target can be any tangible object in the environment capable of reflecting electromagnetic waves. For example, the perception target can be a stationary object such as a building. Alternatively, the perception target can be a mobile object such as a vehicle, drone, or terminal device.

[0095] 2. Sensing signal and echo signal

[0096] Sensing signal: A signal used to sense (or detect) a target (or object). Sensing signals are also called detection signals, linear frequency modulated signals, radar signals, radar sensing signals, radar detection signals, environmental sensing signals, etc. Sensing signals can be pulse signals or any signal that may be present in a wireless communication system, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals. For example, sensing signals may include (or be) sounding reference signals (SRS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), positioning reference signals (PRS), sidelink positioning reference signals (SL-PRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI), synchronization signal blocks (SSB), synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel blocks (SS / PBCH), tracking reference signals (TRS), phase tracking reference signals (PTRS), beam manager reference signals (BMRS), or cell reference signals (CRS), etc. Sensing signals may also include communication information, such as signals carried on the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or the physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH).

[0097] Echo signal: The echo signal is the signal reflected back to the receiver after the sensing signal is emitted from the transmitter to the target object. By performing autocorrelation processing on the echo signal and the sensing signal, and then transforming them, the time delay of the echo signal relative to the sensing signal in the time domain can be analyzed. This allows us to determine the distance of the sensing target from the transmitting source. By comparing the echo signals reflected back from the same target by different transmitted signals, we can convert the signal to the Doppler domain. Combining the Doppler and range domain analyses, we can determine the distance and velocity of the sensing target. Furthermore, the direction of the sensing target relative to the transmitting source can be determined by the beam direction of the antenna emitting the sensing signal. The echo signal can be understood as the reflected sensing signal; therefore, the echo signal can also be called the sensing signal.

[0098] 3. Sensory Area

[0099] The sensing area is a specific geographical area that needs to be sensed.

[0100] 4. Sensing devices

[0101] Equipment that transmits sensing signals and / or receives sensing signals and performs corresponding signal processing includes base stations and terminals.

[0102] 5. Sensing Data

[0103] Sensing data, also known as sensing measurement data, refers to the data obtained after processing echo signals. The processing of echo signals involves multiple stages, and the data obtained from each stage can be called sensing data. For example, the echo signal processing flow may include the following stages: (1) Performing symbol extraction and cyclic prefix removal on the echo signal to obtain the time-domain data of the radar frame, separating in-phase (I / quadrature, IQ) data; (2) Performing time-frequency transformation, effective subcarrier extraction, signal estimation, and inverse fast fourier transform (IFFT) on the IQ data to obtain the range (R) spectrum; (3) Performing inter-symbol windowing and fast fourier transform on the R spectrum. (4) Perform FFT on the channel dimension of the RD spectrum to obtain the range / doppler / angle (RDA) spectrum; (5) Detect all valid point target information from the RD spectrum or RDA spectrum to obtain multiple data points. The set of these multiple data points is also called a point cloud. Each data point is used to represent a relative position or an absolute position relative to the sensing device; (6) Cluster the multiple data points to obtain the centroid of the real target.

[0104] Accordingly, sensing data can represent one or more of the following: time delay, Doppler effect, angle, and intensity of a sampling point; or it can represent one or more of the following: position, velocity, and intensity of a sampling point. For example, sensing data includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: IQ data, RD spectrum, RDA spectrum, distance / velocity (DV) spectrum, distance / velocity / angle (DVA) spectrum, range / velocity (RV) spectrum, range / velocity / angle (RVA) spectrum, set of coordinate points, point cloud, centroid of a real target, etc.

[0105] 6. Perception Results

[0106] Perception results refer to the results related to business functions and performance obtained through calculation and analysis of perceived data. For example, perception results include the existence of the target to be perceived and information about the target (e.g., speed, distance, angle, orientation, acceleration, position, movement trajectory, imaging results, facial expression, breathing / heart rate, etc.). Perception results vary depending on the target. For example, if the target is air, the perception results include air quality and the composition of gases in the air; another example is vehicles, where the results include the number of vehicles, their positions, and their movement trajectories. Perception results can also be understood as a type of perception data.

[0107] 7. DRX

[0108] DRX allows the terminal to periodically enter sleep mode at certain times, refraining from monitoring the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) subframes. When monitoring is required, it wakes up from sleep mode, thus saving power. The DRX described below specifically refers to the DRX used when the terminal is in connected mode, i.e., C-DRX (connected DRX).

[0109] Please refer to Figure 7a. Figure 7a is a schematic diagram of a DRX configuration applied to a communication service scenario according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7a, the time period marked "On Duration" is the time during which the terminal monitors the PDCCH. During this time, the terminal is in a wake-up state, which is the "activation period." The time period marked "Opportunity for DRX" is the DRX sleep time, that is, the time during which the terminal enters sleep mode and does not monitor the PDCCH in order to save power, which is the "dormant period." The time period during which the terminal monitors the PDCCH is called the DRX activation period. During the activation period, the terminal turns on the receiver and continuously monitors the downlink PDCCH channel.

[0110] In addition to the wake-up time On Duration, the activation period also includes DRX-Inactivity Timer and DRX-Retransmission Timer. That is, as shown in Figure 7b, the terminal is always in the activation period when it is in the On Duration Timer period, when DRX-Inactivity Timer is running, or when DRX-Retransmission Timer is running.

[0111] During the On Duration period of the DRX activation phase, when the terminal performs the initial uplink or downlink multiple transmission scheduling, the base station starts or restarts a timer, DRX-InactivityTimer. The terminal will remain in the active state until the timer expires, as shown in Figure 7c. If DRX-InactivityTimer is running, even if the originally configured On Duration Timer has ended, the terminal still needs to continue monitoring downlink PDCCH subframes until DRX-InactivityTimer expires.

[0112] As shown in Figure 7d, if the TB decoding of a downlink hybrid automatic retransmission request (HARQ) process fails, the terminal can assume that a retransmission will not occur until at least the "HARQ RTT". Therefore, while the HARQ RTT timer is running, the terminal does not need to monitor the PDCCH. When the HARQ RTT timer expires and the data received by the corresponding HARQ process has not been successfully decoded, the terminal will start a DRX-RetransmissionTimer for that HARQ process. The DRX-RetransmissionTimer represents the maximum time the terminal waits for a retransmission. While this DRX-RetransmissionTimer is running, the terminal will monitor the PDCCH used for HARQ retransmission.

[0113] To adapt to the different data transmission needs of terminals, base stations have introduced two scenarios: short cycle and long cycle, and support users to configure different DRX policies based on different scaling values ​​(QoS class identifier, QCI). Terminals default to the long cycle. If the DRX-InactivityTimer is triggered, it indicates that data needs to be transmitted, and continuous data transmission may follow. Therefore, after the DRX-InactivityTimer times out, it enters the short cycle. The short cycle has a shorter sleep period than the long cycle, allowing for better data transmission and achieving better service latency. After entering the short cycle, the terminal starts the DRX ShortCycleTimer. When the DRX ShortCycleTimer times out, meaning that no PDCCH has been received for several subframes within the short cycle, it enters the long cycle to save terminal power. The switching process between the long and short cycles is shown in Figure 7e.

[0114] To reduce power consumption on the base station side in low-to-medium load scenarios, Cell DTX (cell discontinuous transmission) / DRX is an energy-saving technology for terminals in Radio Resource Control connected state (RRC_CONNECTED). As shown in Figure 7f, its basic idea is to configure an active / inactive period. During the inactive time of the period, both the base station and the terminal simultaneously refrain from transmitting certain signals / channels in the cell (this differs from C-DRX, as each cell can be configured independently). By not transmitting these signals / channels during the inactive time, both the base station and the terminal can further save power consumption.

[0115] Additionally, Cell DTX / DRX supports activation / deactivation via Group-common downlink control information (GCCI), which dynamically indicates whether the Cell DTX / DRX periodic configuration is in effect (if ineffective, it remains active in the time domain). This GCCI comprises multiple transport blocks, the bit size of which is configured by higher layers.

[0116] For the mode of transmitting and receiving sensing signals between gNB and UE, the sensing resources are configured by the base station and then the sensing signal transmission and reception operation is performed according to the configured resources. However, the existing UE energy saving or network energy saving mechanisms are all for communication services. Therefore, if the UE energy saving or network energy saving mechanisms need to be applied to sensing services, how to reduce the power consumption of the sensing mode in which the UE participates and achieve a more energy-efficient sensing mode in which the UE participates is an urgent problem to be solved by those skilled in the art.

[0117] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method and related apparatus. Taking a first communication device as the terminal and a second communication device as an access network device as an example, on the one hand, generally speaking, the discontinuous reception configuration information issued by the access network device is mainly used for communication services. However, in this solution, the first configuration information and the second configuration information carried in the first message can be used to transmit the first sensing signal and perform sensing tasks. Specifically, the terminal in this application performs sensing signal transmission operations according to the resources configured by the access network device (for example, determining the transmission mode of the first sensing signal according to the first configuration information issued by the access network device (for example, the terminal is the sender and the access network device is the receiver; or the terminal is the receiver and the access network device is the sender), and after determining the time information for transmitting the first sensing signal according to the discontinuous reception configuration information issued by the access network device, transmitting the first sensing signal). This can effectively reduce the power consumption overhead of the sensing mode in which the terminal participates, and realize a more energy-efficient sensing mode with terminal participation.

[0118] On the other hand, since the existing solutions do not cover scenarios where sensing signals are transmitted based on discontinuous reception configuration information issued by access network devices, the choice of application scenarios can be more diverse.

[0119] In the communication method shown below (as shown in Figure 8), the specific descriptions of the first communication device and the second communication device can be found in Figures 1 to 4, and will not be detailed here. For ease of description, in the embodiments of this application, specific examples may be given using the first communication device as the terminal and the second communication device as the first network device, but this should not be construed as a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0120] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0121] Please refer to Figure 8, which is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Optionally, this method can be applied to a communication system, such as the communication systems shown in Figures 1 to 4.

[0122] The method shown in Figure 8 may include steps S801-S802. It should be understood that this application describes the steps in the order of S801-S802 for ease of description, and is not intended to limit the execution to this specific order. This application's embodiments do not limit the order of execution, the execution time, or the number of executions of one or more of the above steps. Steps S801-S802 are as follows:

[0123] Step S801: The second communication device sends a first message to the first communication device.

[0124] Accordingly, the first communication device receives the first message.

[0125] The first message is an exemplary name used to distinguish a particular message. For example, the first message could be a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message or another message. Optionally, the first message is a message sent when a secure communication connection is established between the second communication device and the first communication device.

[0126] The first message carries first configuration information and second configuration information. The first configuration information is used to determine the transmission mode of the first sensing signal, and the second configuration information includes discontinuous reception configuration information, which is used to determine the timing information for transmitting the first sensing signal. Optionally, the first configuration information and the second configuration information can be contained in the same message (which may be sent in the same session or in different sessions) or in different messages.

[0127] The first configuration information is an exemplary naming used to distinguish a certain configuration information. For example, referring to Figure 5(b), the first configuration information can determine that the transmission mode of the first sensing signal is sensing based on a dual-base station and terminal (that is, the base station, as the transmitting end, performs sensing measurement on the sensing target and sends the obtained sensing result to the receiving terminal) or sensing based on a dual-base terminal and base station (that is, the terminal, as the transmitting end, performs sensing measurement on the sensing target and sends the obtained sensing result to the receiving base station); referring to Figure 5(c), the first configuration information can determine that the transmission mode of the first sensing signal is sensing based on a single-base terminal (that is, the single terminal acts as both the receiving end and the transmitting end to perform sensing services on the sensing target).

[0128] The second configuration information is an exemplary naming used to distinguish a certain configuration information. For example, the second configuration information can be the duration, a certain moment, or a time-domain position of the first communication device transmitting the first sensing signal. For instance, the second configuration information can be that the duration of the first communication device transmitting the first sensing signal is 5ms, or the second configuration information can be that the moment of the first communication device transmitting the first sensing signal is the 1st ms, or the second configuration information can be that the position of the first communication device transmitting the first sensing signal in the time domain is position 1 or other positions.

[0129] Optionally, before the second communication device sends the first message to the first communication device, at least one network element sends a sensing service request to the second communication device.

[0130] Accordingly, the second communication device receives sensing service requests from at least one network element.

[0131] The network element includes at least one of the following: network element 1, network element 2, network element 3, ..., network element M, where M is a positive integer. For example, network element 1 can be SF, and network element 2 can be SU. For example, the service request of at least one network element may include a service request from network element 1 for alarm services, and / or a service request from network element 2 for detection services, and / or service requests from other network elements for other services.

[0132] Step S802: The first communication device transmits a first sensing signal according to the first configuration information and the second configuration information.

[0133] Accordingly, the second communication device transmits the first sensing signal based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information.

[0134] Optionally, the transmission can be either receiving or sending.

[0135] The following are two possible implementations of a first communication device transmitting a first sensing signal based on first configuration information and second configuration information, as exemplarily described below:

[0136] In one implementation method, the first communication device sends a first sensing signal based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information.

[0137] Optionally, the first communication device sends a first sensing signal to the second communication device based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information.

[0138] Accordingly, the second communication device receives the first sensing signal.

[0139] In the second implementation method, the first communication device receives the first sensing signal based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information.

[0140] Optionally, the first communication device receives a first sensing signal from the second communication device based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information.

[0141] Accordingly, the second communication device sends the first sensing signal.

[0142] The first sensing signal is used to generate the first sensing data.

[0143] Optionally, when the first sensing signal is received by the first communication device, the first sensing signal is used by the first communication device to generate first sensing data; when the first sensing signal is sent by the first communication device, the first sensing signal is used by the second communication device to generate first sensing data.

[0144] As one possible implementation, if the first condition is met, the first communication device transmits the first sensing signal.

[0145] For example, the first condition includes at least one of the following: during the operation of the discontinuous receive-duration timer, during the operation of the discontinuous receive-inactive timer, and during the operation of the discontinuous receive-retransmission timer.

[0146] In this application, the first condition can have multiple combinations. Several combinations are provided below as examples:

[0147] (1) A combination of the operation of the discontinuous receive-duration timer, the operation of the discontinuous receive-inactive timer, and the operation of the discontinuous receive-retransmission timer.

[0148] For example, the operation period can be during the start of the discontinuous reception-duration timer, the discontinuous reception-inactivity timer, and the discontinuous reception-retransmission timer, or during the operation of the discontinuous reception-duration timer, the discontinuous reception-inactivity timer, and the discontinuous reception-retransmission timer; this application does not limit this to either.

[0149] For example, a discontinuous receive-duration timer can be represented as DRX-OnDuration Timer or OnDuration Timer. A discontinuous receive-inactivity timer can be represented as DRX-Inactivity Timer or Inactivity Timer. A discontinuous receive-retransmission timer can be represented as DRX-Retransmission Timer or Retransmission Timer.

[0150] In the DRX cycle scenario, taking the first communication device receiving the first sensing signal from the second communication device as an example, please refer to Figure 9a. Figure 9a is a schematic diagram of DRX configuration support in the DRX cycle scenario provided by an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 9a, three DRX cycles are illustrated. It should be noted that the four timers identified in the three DRX cycles, namely "On durationTimer", "Inactivity Timer", "Retransmission Timer" and "HARQ-RTT-Timer", have been explained in the previous architecture section and will not be repeated here. The shaded areas in the three DRX cycles indicate the times when the first communication device receives the first sensing signal (the first communication device receives the first sensing signal during the DRX-On Duration Timer, DRX-Inactivity Timer, and DRX-Retransmission Timer). Under this scheme, whether or not the first sensing signal is transmitted depends entirely on the design for whether the communication monitors the PDCCH. The second communication device does not need to perform additional sensing power-saving configuration, which can effectively save network resource overhead.

[0151] (2) During the operation of the discontinuous receive-duration timer.

[0152] For example, the operation period can be during the start of a discontinuous receive-duration timer or during the operation of a discontinuous receive-duration timer; this application does not limit this to either.

[0153] For example, a discontinuous receive-duration timer can be represented as a DRX-OnDuration Timer or an OnDuration Timer.

[0154] In the DRX cycle scenario, taking the first communication device receiving the first sensing signal from the second communication device as an example, please refer to Figure 9b. Figure 9b is a schematic diagram of another DRX configuration supported in the DRX cycle scenario provided by an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 9b, three DRX cycles are illustrated. It should be noted that the four timers identified in the three DRX cycles, "On durationTimer", "Inactivity Timer", "Retransmission Timer" and "HARQ-RTT-Timer", have been explained above and will not be repeated here. The shaded areas in the three DRX cycles indicate the time when the first communication device receives the first sensing signal (the first communication device only receives the first sensing signal during the DRX-OnDurationTimer period). Under this scheme, whether to transmit the first sensing signal depends only on the fixed-period timer and does not need to be determined based on whether there is a new transmission or retransmission. Furthermore, the second communication device does not need to be additionally configured with sensing power-saving features, thereby effectively saving network resource overhead.

[0155] (3) A combination of during the operation of the discontinuous receive-duration timer and during the operation of the discontinuous receive-inactive timer.

[0156] For example, the operation period can be during the start of a discontinuous reception-duration timer and a discontinuous reception-inactivity timer, or during the operation of a discontinuous reception-duration timer and a discontinuous reception-inactivity timer; this application does not limit this to either.

[0157] For example, a discontinuous receive-duration timer can be represented as a DRX-OnDuration Timer or an OnDuration Timer. A discontinuous receive-inactivity timer can be represented as a DRX-Inactivity Timer or an Inactivity Timer.

[0158] In the DRX cycle scenario, taking the first communication device receiving the first sensing signal from the second communication device as an example, please refer to Figure 9c. Figure 9c is a schematic diagram of another DRX configuration supported in the DRX cycle scenario provided by an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 9c, three DRX cycles are illustrated. It should be noted that the four timers identified in the three DRX cycles, "On durationTimer", "Inactivity Timer", "Retransmission Timer" and "HARQ-RTT-Timer", have been explained above and will not be repeated here. The shaded areas in the three DRX cycles indicate the time when the first communication device receives the first sensing signal (the first communication device only receives the first sensing signal during the DRX-OnDurationTimer and DRX-Inactivity Timer periods). Under this scheme, whether to transmit the first sensing signal depends only on the new transmission situation and does not need to be determined based on whether there is a retransmission. Furthermore, the second communication device does not need to be additionally configured with sensing power-saving features, thereby effectively saving network resource overhead.

[0159] Optionally, a definition for an active timer for sensing is introduced, which may include a sensing activation timer (such as DRX-SensingActiveTimer) or a sensing duration timer (such as DRX-SensingDurationTimer).

[0160] The following is a protocol description for the activation time defined for communication:

[0161] When DRX is configured, the active time for the serving cell includes the period during which DRX-OnDurationTimer, DRX-InactivityTimer, or DRX-RetransmissionTimerDL is running.

[0162] The following is a protocol description that introduces an activation time for sensing activity timers, specifically: When DRX is configured, the activation time for sensing of the serving cell may include: during the operation of either DRX-SensingActiveTimer or DRX-SensingDurationTimer.

[0163] Furthermore, referring to Figures 9a, 9b, and 9c, since there is no data transmission possible during the shortest possible transmission time from HARQ feedback between the first and second communication devices to the receipt of a retransmission, communication data transmission signals can be ignored during the DRX-HARQ-RTT-Timer period. For the sensing task, the transmission of the first sensing signal can also be performed during this time period. Additionally, the sensing signal can be transmitted at any sleep time (or the first sensing signal can be transmitted only during the DRX sleep time).

[0164] Optionally, for the third DRX cycle in each of Figures 9a, 9b, and 9c, during the remaining period of the DRX-HARQ-RTT-Timer but not during the DRX-OnDurationTimer and DRX-InactivityTimer, a more intensive time-domain configuration (e.g., all slots or all symbols) is switched on. This scheme reduces receiver switching operations and increases sensing and monitoring opportunities.

[0165] The DRX cycle in the aforementioned sensing energy-saving mechanism may include a DRX long cycle, a DRX short cycle, a DRX long-short switching cycle, or other cycles, and this application does not limit it.

[0166] When sensing also reuses discontinuous reception configuration information, the usage methods for long and short periods are unclear. Since sensing services also involve the first communication device transmitting and receiving sensing signals, the different time-domain positions of sensing signal transmission and reception determined by long or short periods may affect sensing performance, such as refresh rate. Therefore, it is necessary to design a usage method for the DRX period for sensing services. Three implementation methods are provided below as examples:

[0167] In one implementation method, the system switches to the first cycle when the number of runs of the discontinuous reception-duration timer or the discontinuous reception-inactive timer equals a first preset value, and / or switches to the second cycle when the number of transmissions in the first cycle equals a second preset value. For example, the first cycle is 8ms and the second cycle is 10ms (where the first cycle is shorter and the second cycle is longer compared to the first cycle). The system switches to the first cycle when the number of runs of the discontinuous reception-duration timer or the discontinuous reception-inactive timer is 8, equal to the first preset value of 8, and / or switches to the second cycle when the number of transmissions in the first cycle is 6, equal to the second preset value (e.g., 6). This solution does not affect communication services and can effectively reduce the power consumption of the terminal-participated sensing mode, achieving a more energy-efficient terminal-participated sensing mode.

[0168] The second implementation method uses either a first cycle or a second cycle configuration. For example, the first cycle is 8ms and the second cycle is 10ms (where the first cycle is shorter and the second cycle is longer compared to the first). This solution uses either a long or short cycle configuration without a cycle switching mechanism, which allows the time domain position to be fixed and effectively reduces the power consumption of the terminal-involved sensing mode, achieving a more energy-efficient terminal-involved sensing mode.

[0169] Implementation Method 3: When a target is detected, the system switches to the first cycle; when the number of transmissions in the first cycle equals a second preset value, it switches to the second cycle. For example, the first cycle is 8ms and the second cycle is 10ms (where the first cycle is shorter and the second cycle is longer compared to the first cycle). When the first communication device detects a target (e.g., a target vehicle is detected in area 1), it switches to the first cycle. When the number of transmissions in the first cycle reaches 6, which equals the second preset value (e.g., 6), it switches back to the second cycle. This solution does not affect data transmission communication and can effectively reduce the power consumption of the terminal-involved sensing mode, achieving a more energy-efficient terminal-involved sensing mode.

[0170] It should be noted that the preset values, number of times, and other parameters in the embodiments of this application can be specified by the protocol or configured in advance by the second communication device, and this application does not limit them.

[0171] As one possible implementation, when the second condition is met, the first communication device activates or repeatedly activates the discontinuous reception-static inactivity timer, or activates the discontinuous reception-retransmission timer. This solution can trigger the monitoring of the first sensing signal on demand based on sensing data or sensing results, effectively reducing the power consumption of the sensing mode involving the terminal and achieving a more energy-efficient sensing mode with terminal participation.

[0172] For example, the second condition includes at least one of the following:

[0173] (1) A target was detected in a preset area. For example, a target vehicle was detected in area 1.

[0174] (2) The transmission speed of the first sensing data or the first sensing result is greater than the third preset value. For example, the transmission speed of the first sensing data or the first sensing result is 800kb / s, which is greater than the third preset value of 500kb / s.

[0175] (3) The change in the position of the sensed target is less than the first preset range. Optionally, the change in the position of the sensed target relative to the first communication device can be a change in the position of the sensed target relative to the first communication device. In some cases, if the change in the position of the sensed target relative to the first communication device is less than the first preset range, the sensed target may be in a fixed and unmoved state, or the sensed target may have only moved a small part and not exceeded the coverage area of ​​the second communication device. For example, assume that the initial position of the sensed target relative to the first communication device is: 20° southwest, distance 300m. After a period of time, the position of the sensed target relative to the first communication device is: 16° ​​southwest, distance 360m, and the first preset range of the sensed target relative to the first communication device is 15.1°~20.5° southwest, distance 300m~400m. It can be seen that after a period of time, the position of the sensed target relative to the first communication device is not beyond the first preset range compared to the initial position of the sensed target relative to the first communication device. Therefore, it can be determined that the position of the sensed target is still within the coverage area of ​​the second communication device, so as to successfully trigger the subsequent operation of starting or repeatedly starting the discontinuous reception-static inactive timer, or starting the discontinuous reception-retransmission timer.

[0176] It should be noted that the discontinuous reception-duration timer, discontinuous reception-inactivity timer, discontinuous reception-retransmission timer, sense activation timer, or sense duration timer mentioned above are merely examples of timers provided in this application. Other timers may also be used, and this application does not limit them.

[0177] Optionally, in scenarios where the CU requires the first communication device to actually monitor the first sensing signal, the DU can send a first indication message to the CU. This first indication message is used to indicate the reception status of the actual downlink data (DL) or the monitoring status of the first sensing signal.

[0178] Optionally, the sensing power saving mechanism and C-DRX can be configured independently. The following is a brief introduction to two implementation methods when both mechanisms exist simultaneously:

[0179] In the first implementation method, the sensing energy-saving mechanism and C-DRX are independent of each other, and can have independent time-domain configurations at non-repetitive and overlapping locations.

[0180] In the second implementation method, the sensing energy-saving mechanism is executed only when communication is active, and the first sensing signal is not monitored when communication is in sleep mode.

[0181] It should be noted that in scenarios involving dual-base station and terminal sensing (i.e., the base station, acting as the transmitting end, performs sensing measurements on the target and then sends the obtained sensing results to the receiving terminal), based on the above configuration, the first communication device can reduce measurements to save power consumption, while the second communication device can choose to send fewer sensing signals to save power consumption. Since the sensing signal sent by the second communication device to the first communication device is for multiple first communication devices, similar to a common signal, the second communication device can refrain from sending sensing signals only when none of the first communication devices receiving the signal need to receive it, thus saving power consumption. Therefore, the second communication device may also choose not to reduce the number of measurement signals sent.

[0182] In this application, taking the first communication device as the terminal and the second communication device as the access network device as an example, on the one hand, the discontinuous reception configuration information issued by the access network device is usually used for communication services. However, in this solution, the first and second configuration information carried in the first message can be used to transmit the first sensing signal and perform sensing tasks. Specifically, the terminal in this application only needs to perform the sensing signal transmission operation according to the resources configured by the access network device (for example, determining the transmission mode of the first sensing signal according to the first configuration information issued by the access network device (for example, the terminal is the sender and the access network device is the receiver; or the terminal is the receiver and the access network device is the sender), and determining the time information for transmitting the first sensing signal according to the discontinuous reception configuration information issued by the access network device before transmitting the first sensing signal), which can effectively reduce the power consumption of the sensing mode involving the terminal and realize a more energy-efficient sensing mode with terminal participation.

[0183] On the other hand, since the existing solutions do not cover scenarios where sensing signals are transmitted based on discontinuous reception configuration information issued by access network devices, the choice of application scenarios can be more diverse.

[0184] The above embodiments describe in detail the energy-saving scheme for the first communication device. The energy-saving scheme for the second communication device will be described next.

[0185] As one possible implementation, the second configuration information includes C-DRX configuration, Cell DTX configuration, and / or Cell DRX configuration, that is, the second communication device achieves energy saving based on C-DRX configuration, Cell DTX configuration, and / or Cell DRX configuration. Referring to Figure 5(b), when the first configuration information determines that the transmission mode of the first sensing signal is based on dual-base station and terminal sensing (i.e., the base station, as the transmitting end, sends a sensing signal to the receiving terminal, which is then reflected by the sensing target in the environment and received by the receiving terminal to obtain sensing data or sensing results), as shown in the Cell DTX section of Figure 10, the first communication device determines whether to receive the sensing signal based on the design of whether to receive communication signals under the existing DTX mechanism. The first rectangle from left to right represents the "Scheduling DG," and the second rectangle represents the "Transmission Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH)," used to carry data from the transmission channel DSCH. Referring to Figure 5(b), when the first configuration information determines that the transmission mode of the first sensing signal is based on dual-base terminal and base station sensing (i.e., the terminal as the transmitting end sends a sensing signal to the base station as the receiving end, the sensing signal is reflected by the sensing target in the environment, and then the base station as the receiving end receives the echo signal, and sensing data or sensing results are obtained based on the echo signal), as shown in the C-DRX section of Figure 10, the first communication device receives the sensing signal according to the activation time configured by Cell DTX and / or Cell DRX. Additionally, during the retransmission period (i.e., the portion of the DRX-Retransmission operation shown in Figure 10 during which the first communication device monitors the PDCCH), it does not receive the sensing signal. The first rectangle from left to right indicates that "the second communication device does not schedule dynamic authorization specific to the first communication device," and the second rectangle indicates that "emergency calls can be transmitted on the RACH." In scenarios without retransmission, as shown in the C-DRX section of Figure 10, the first communication device begins to sleep at the point indicated by the bold black dashed line. This solution enables energy saving for the second communication device by combining CellDTX configuration and / or Cell DRX configuration, thereby reducing the power consumption overhead of performing sensing tasks.

[0186] The methods of the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above. The apparatus of the embodiments of this application is provided below.

[0187] It should be understood that the division of units in the apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, the units in the apparatus can be implemented by a processor calling software. For example, the apparatus includes a processor connected to a memory containing instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or to implement the functions of each unit of the apparatus. The processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is either internal or external to the apparatus.

[0188] Alternatively, the units in the device can be implemented as hardware circuits. The functionality of some or all of the units can be achieved through the design of these hardware circuits, which can be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The functionality of some or all of the above units is achieved through the design of the logical relationships between the components within the circuit. In another implementation, the hardware circuit can be implemented using a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gates. The connection relationships between the logic gates are configured through a configuration file, thereby achieving the functionality of some or all of the above units.

[0189] In the embodiments of this application, each unit in the device may be one or more processors (or processing circuits) configured to implement the above methods, such as: CPU, graphics processing unit (GPU), neural network processing unit (NPU), tensor processing unit (TPU), deep learning processing unit (DPU), microprocessor unit (MPU), digital signal processor (DSP), ASIC, FPGA, or a combination of at least two of these processor forms.

[0190] Furthermore, the units in the above devices can be integrated in whole or in part, or they can be implemented independently. In one implementation, these units are integrated together as a system-on-a-chip (SOC). The SOC may include at least one processor for implementing any of the above methods or for implementing the functions of the units in the device. The at least one processor can be of different types, such as including a CPU and an FPGA, or including a CPU and an AI processor, or including a CPU and a GPU, etc. Several possible devices are listed below.

[0191] Please refer to Figure 11, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 110 provided in an embodiment of this application. Optionally, the communication device 110 can be a first communication device or a component within the first communication device, such as a chip or integrated circuit. The communication device 110 is used to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in Figure 8.

[0192] In one possible design, the communication device 110 includes a communication unit 1101 and a processing unit 1102. The communication device 110 is used to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in FIG8. Exemplarily, the communication device is used, for example, to execute the method executed by the first communication device.

[0193] In one possible implementation, the communication unit 1101 is configured to receive a first message from a second communication device, wherein the first message carries first configuration information and second configuration information, the first configuration information being used to determine the transmission mode of a first sensing signal, and the second configuration information including discontinuous reception configuration information, the discontinuous reception configuration information being used to determine the time information for transmitting the first sensing signal. The communication unit 1101 is further configured to transmit the first sensing signal according to the first configuration information and the second configuration information, wherein the first sensing signal is used to generate first sensing data. The processing unit 1102 is configured to process the transmitted and received data.

[0194] In yet another possible implementation, in terms of transmitting the first sensing signal, the communication unit 1101 is specifically configured to: transmit the first sensing signal when a first condition is met.

[0195] In yet another possible implementation, the first condition includes at least one of the following: during the operation of the discontinuous receive-duration timer, during the operation of the discontinuous receive-inactive timer, or during the operation of the discontinuous receive-retransmission timer.

[0196] In another possible implementation, regarding the transmission of the first sensing signal according to the first configuration information and the second configuration information, the communication unit 1101 is specifically configured to: switch to a first cycle when the number of times the discontinuous reception-duration timer or the discontinuous reception-inactive timer runs is equal to a first preset value, and switch to a second cycle when the number of transmissions in the first cycle is equal to a second preset value; or, adopt the configuration of the first cycle or the second cycle; or, switch to the first cycle when a sensing target is detected, and switch to the second cycle when the number of transmissions in the first cycle is equal to the second preset value.

[0197] In another possible implementation, the processing unit 1102 is further configured to, when the second condition is met, enable or repeatedly enable the discontinuous reception-static inactivity timer, or start the discontinuous reception-retransmission timer.

[0198] The embodiments of this application and the method embodiments shown above are based on the same concept and have the same technical effects. For the specific principles, please refer to the description of the embodiments shown above, which will not be repeated here.

[0199] Please refer to Figure 12, which is a schematic diagram of another communication device 120 provided in an embodiment of this application. Optionally, the communication device 120 can be a second communication device, or a component within a second communication device, such as a chip or integrated circuit. The communication device 120 is used to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in Figure 8.

[0200] In one possible design, the communication device 120 includes a communication unit 1201 and a processing unit 1202. The communication device 120 is used to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in FIG8. Exemplarily, the communication device is used, for example, to execute the method executed by the second communication device.

[0201] In one possible implementation, the communication unit 1201 is configured to send a first message to a first communication device, wherein the first message carries first configuration information and second configuration information. The first configuration information is used to determine the transmission mode of the first sensing signal, and the second configuration information includes discontinuous reception configuration information, which is used to determine the time information for transmitting the first sensing signal. The communication unit 1201 is further configured to transmit the first sensing signal according to the first configuration information and the second configuration information, wherein the first sensing signal is used to generate first sensing data. The processing unit 1202 is configured to process the transmitted and received data.

[0202] In yet another possible implementation, in terms of transmitting the first sensing signal, the communication unit 1201 is specifically configured to: transmit the first sensing signal when a first condition is met.

[0203] In yet another possible implementation, the first condition includes at least one of the following: during the operation of the discontinuous receive-duration timer, during the operation of the discontinuous receive-inactive timer, or during the operation of the discontinuous receive-retransmission timer.

[0204] In another possible implementation, regarding the transmission of the first sensing signal according to the first configuration information and the second configuration information, the communication unit 1201 is specifically configured to: switch to a first cycle when the number of times the discontinuous reception-duration timer or the discontinuous reception-inactive timer runs is equal to a first preset value, and switch to a second cycle when the number of transmissions in the first cycle is equal to a second preset value; or, adopt the configuration of the first cycle or the second cycle; or, switch to the first cycle when a sensing target is detected, and switch to the second cycle when the number of transmissions in the first cycle is equal to the second preset value.

[0205] The embodiments of this application and the method embodiments shown above are based on the same concept and have the same technical effects. For the specific principles, please refer to the description of the embodiments shown above, which will not be repeated here.

[0206] Please refer to Figure 13, which is a schematic diagram of another communication device 130 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 130 can be a standalone device, such as a first communication device or a second communication device, or it can be a component included in a standalone device, such as a chip, software module, or integrated circuit. The communication device 130 may include at least one processor 1301 and a communication interface 1302. Optionally, it may also include at least one memory 1303. Further optionally, it may also include a connection line 1304, wherein the processor 1301, the communication interface 1302, and / or the memory 1303 are connected through the connection line 1304, and / or communicate with each other through the connection line 1304 to transmit control signals and / or data signals.

[0207] Wherein: processor 1301 is a module that performs arithmetic and / or logical operations, and may specifically include one or more of the following modules: filter, modem, power amplifier, low noise amplifier (LNA), baseband processor, radio frequency processor, radio frequency circuit, CPU, AP, microcontroller unit (MCU), electronic control unit (ECU), GPU, MPU, ASIC, image signal processor (ISP), DSP, FPGA, complex programmable logic device (CPLD), or coprocessor, etc.

[0208] The communication interface 1302 can be used to provide information input or output to at least one processor, or to receive signals sent externally and / or send signals to externally.

[0209] For example, the communication interface 1302 may include interface circuitry, such as input / output interfaces, chip pins, etc.

[0210] For example, the communication interface 1302 may include a wired link interface such as an Ethernet cable, or a wireless link interface (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, general wireless transmission, vehicle short-range communication technology and other short-range wireless communication technologies, etc.).

[0211] Optionally, the communication interface 1302 may also include a radio frequency transmitter, an antenna, etc. When the communication interface 1302 includes an antenna, the number of antennas can be one or more.

[0212] As one possible design, if the communication device 130 is a standalone device, the communication interface 1302 may include a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver and transmitter may be the same component or different components. When the receiver and transmitter are the same component, this component may be referred to as a transceiver.

[0213] As another possible design, if the communication device 130 is a chip or circuit, the communication interface 1302 may include an input interface and an output interface. The input interface and the output interface may be the same interface or they may be different interfaces.

[0214] Alternatively, the functions of the communication interface 1302 can be implemented by a transceiver circuit or a dedicated transceiver chip.

[0215] The memory 1303 provides storage space, in which data such as the operating system and computer programs can be stored. The memory 1303 can be one or a combination of several of the following: cache, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), hard disk drive (HDD), solid-state drive (SSD), etc. Memory is any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures, and accessible by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in this embodiment can also be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing storage functions, used to store computer programs or instructions, and / or data.

[0216] The functions and operations of each module or unit in the communication device 130 listed above are merely illustrative examples.

[0217] Each functional unit in the communication device 130 can be used to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in FIG8, for example, to execute the method executed by the first communication device, or to execute the method executed by the second communication device.

[0218] Optionally, the processor 1301 may be a processor specifically designed to perform the aforementioned methods (for ease of distinction, referred to as a dedicated processor), or a processor that performs the aforementioned methods by calling a computer program (for ease of distinction, referred to as a dedicated processor). Optionally, at least one processor may include both dedicated processors and general-purpose processors.

[0219] Optionally, if the communication device 130 includes at least one memory 1303, and the processor 1301 implements the aforementioned communication method by calling a computer program, the computer program can be stored in the memory 1303.

[0220] This application also provides a chip, which includes logic circuitry and a communication interface. The communication interface is used to receive or transmit signals; the logic circuitry is used to receive or transmit signals through the communication interface. The chip is used to implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in FIG8, for example, to execute a method executed by a first communication device, or to execute a method executed by a second communication device.

[0221] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on at least one processor (or communication device), implement the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in FIG8, for example, a method executed by a first communication device, or a method executed by a second communication device.

[0222] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer instructions for implementing the aforementioned communication method, such as the communication method shown in FIG8, for example, for executing a method executed by a first communication device, or for executing a method executed by a second communication device.

[0223] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the words "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplarily" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of the words "exemplarily" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0224] In the embodiments of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more items, and "more than one" refers to two or more items. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of a single item or a plurality of items.

[0225] For example, at least one of a, b, or c can be represented as: a, b, c, (a and b), (a and c), (b and c), or (a and b and c), where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. "AND / OR" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "OR" relationship.

[0226] Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, the use of ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of this application is for distinguishing multiple objects and is not for limiting the order, sequence, priority, or importance of multiple objects. Similarly, terms like "first node" and "second node" are merely for convenience in describing new parameters in different implementations and do not indicate differences in their execution operations, importance, structure, etc.

[0227] In the above embodiments, the term "when..." can be interpreted, depending on the context, as meaning "if...", "before...", "determined...", or "detected...". The above descriptions are merely optional embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the concept and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

[0228] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps of the above embodiments can be implemented by hardware or by a program instructing related hardware. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as a read-only memory, a disk, or an optical disk.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a first communication device, the method includes: Receive a first message from a second communication device, wherein the first message carries first configuration information and second configuration information, the first configuration information being used to determine the transmission mode of the first sensing signal, and the second configuration information including discontinuous reception configuration information being used to determine the time information for transmitting the first sensing signal; Based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information, the first sensing signal is transmitted, wherein the first sensing signal is used to generate first sensing data.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission of the first sensing signal includes: If the first condition is met, the first sensing signal is transmitted.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first condition includes at least one of the following: During the operation of the discontinuous receive-duration timer, during the operation of the discontinuous receive-inactive timer, and during the operation of the discontinuous receive-retransmission timer.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The step of transmitting the first sensing signal according to the first configuration information and the second configuration information includes: When the number of runs of the discontinuous reception-duration timer or the discontinuous reception-inactive timer equals a first preset value, it switches to the first cycle; when the number of transmissions in the first cycle equals a second preset value, it switches to the second cycle; or... The configuration may be either the first cycle or the second cycle; or, the first cycle may be switched when a target is detected, and the second cycle may be switched when the number of transmissions in the first cycle is equal to the second preset value.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the second condition is met, the discontinuous reception-static inactivity timer is turned on or repeatedly turned on, or the discontinuous reception-retransmission timer is started.

6. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a second communication device, the method includes: Send a first message to a first communication device, wherein the first message carries first configuration information and second configuration information, the first configuration information being used to determine the transmission mode of the first sensing signal, and the second configuration information including discontinuous reception configuration information, the discontinuous reception configuration information being used to determine the time information for transmitting the first sensing signal; Based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information, the first sensing signal is transmitted, wherein the first sensing signal is used to generate first sensing data.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The transmission of the first sensing signal includes: If the first condition is met, the first sensing signal is transmitted.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first condition includes at least one of the following: During the operation of the discontinuous receive-duration timer, during the operation of the discontinuous receive-inactive timer, and during the operation of the discontinuous receive-retransmission timer.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6-8, characterized in that, The discontinuous reception configuration information includes at least one of the following: When the number of runs of the discontinuous reception-duration timer or the discontinuous reception-inactive timer equals a first preset value, it switches to the first cycle; when the number of transmissions in the first cycle equals a second preset value, it switches to the second cycle; or... The configuration may be either the first cycle or the second cycle; or, the first cycle may be switched when a target is detected, and the second cycle may be switched when the number of transmissions in the first cycle is equal to the second preset value.

10. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a communication unit and a processing unit, the communication unit and the processing unit being used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-5.

11. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a communication unit and a processing unit, the communication unit and the processing unit being used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 6-9.

12. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor; When the processor invokes a computer program or instruction in memory, it causes the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-5.

13. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor; When the processor invokes a computer program or instruction in memory, it causes the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 6-9.

14. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes logic circuits and interfaces, wherein the logic circuits and the interfaces are coupled; The interface is used for inputting and / or outputting information, and the logic circuit is used to enable the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-9.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that, The communication device is a chip or chip system.

16. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes the communication device as described in claim 10 and the communication device as described in claim 11; or The communication system includes the communication device as described in claim 12 and the communication device as described in claim 13.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium is used to store instructions or computer programs; The instructions or the computer program are executed to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-9.

18. A computer program product, characterized in that, include: Instructions or computer programs; The instructions or the computer program are executed to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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