Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, which are used for implementing communication between different AMP devices by means of FDM. The method comprises: a third device sends first information and second information, the first information being used for indicating a first frequency domain resource, the first frequency domain resource being used by a first device to send a first excitation signal, the second information being used for indicating a second frequency domain resource, the second frequency domain resource being used by a second device to send a second excitation signal, and the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource not overlapping in the frequency domain. A method comprises: a third device sends third information and fourth information, the third information being used for indicating a first frequency domain offset, the first frequency domain offset being a frequency domain offset between an excitation signal received by a first tag and a reflection signal generated by the first tag, the fourth information being used for indicating a second frequency domain offset, the second frequency domain offset being a frequency domain offset between an excitation signal received by a second tag and a reflection signal generated by the second tag, and the first frequency domain offset being different from the second frequency domain offset.

Description

A communication method and apparatus Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional IoT devices are typically equipped with batteries with limited lifespans, and replacing these batteries impacts user experience. Ambient power (AMP) IoT devices can harvest energy from various sources (such as radio waves, light (e.g., sunlight), motion, heat, etc.), thus eliminating the need for traditional batteries, enabling battery-free communication, and meeting the requirements of various vertical applications.

[0003] One important scenario for AMP IoT is the backscatter-based scenario. In the backscatter-based scenario, after the AMP device receives the excitation signal sent by the reader or excitation source, it reflects the excitation signal to generate a reflected signal, which is then used to transmit information bits.

[0004] The hardware structure of AMP devices is very simple. They lack baseband filters and channel selection capabilities, resulting in the frequency band of the reflected signal overlapping with the center frequency of the excitation signal. When a large number of AMP devices exist, the reflected signals from different devices can interfere with each other, affecting the data transmission efficiency of the AMP devices.

[0005] Improving the data transmission efficiency of AMP devices is a pressing technical problem that needs to be addressed.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that enables AMP devices to communicate in a frequency division multiplex (FDM) manner, thereby solving the problem of frequency band interference between multiple AMP devices and effectively improving data transmission efficiency.

[0008] Firstly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a third device or by a chip or module in the third device. Taking the method being executed by a third device as an example, the method includes: the third device sending first information, the first information indicating a first frequency domain resource, the first frequency domain resource being used by the first device to send a first excitation signal; the third device sending second information, the second information indicating a second frequency domain resource, the second frequency domain resource being used by the second device to send a second excitation signal; wherein the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource do not overlap in the frequency domain. In a specific example, the third device can be an AMP access point (AP), and the first device and the second device can be two different excitation sources.

[0009] In this embodiment of the application, the third device configures the first device and the second device to send excitation signals on non-overlapping frequency domain resources, which can make the reflected signals generated by the AMP device (such as AMP station (STA)) corresponding to the first device and the AMP device (such as AMP STA) corresponding to the second device located on non-overlapping frequency domain resources. This helps to enable different AMP devices (such as AMP STAs under different excitation sources) to communicate in FDM mode, thereby improving or avoiding the problem of frequency band interference between AMP devices and effectively improving data transmission efficiency.

[0010] In one possible design, the third device can receive the reflected signal of the first excitation signal on a third frequency domain resource, which is related to the first frequency domain resource (e.g., the center frequency points of the third and first frequency domain resources are the same, and the bandwidth of the third frequency domain resource is greater than or equal to the bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource); the third device can receive the reflected signal of the second excitation signal on a fourth frequency domain resource, which is related to the second frequency domain resource (e.g., the center frequency points of the second and fourth frequency domain resources are the same, and the bandwidth of the fourth frequency domain resource is greater than or equal to the bandwidth of the second frequency domain resource); wherein the third and fourth frequency domain resources do not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0011] In this way, different AMP devices under different excitation sources (i.e., the first device and the second device) can communicate with the third device in an FDM manner.

[0012] In one possible design, the first frequency domain resource has guard bands on both sides, and the second frequency domain resource has guard bands on both sides.

[0013] This design takes into account that the frequency band of the reflected signal may spread relative to the frequency band of the excitation signal. By setting guard bands on both sides of the frequency band of the excitation signal, interference between the frequency bands of the reflected signal can be better avoided.

[0014] In one possible design, the first information used to indicate the first frequency domain resource includes at least one of the following: the first information is used to indicate the non-zero subcarrier index corresponding to the first frequency domain resource; the first information is used to indicate the resource unit (RU) corresponding to the first frequency domain resource; the first information is used to indicate the center frequency and bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource; and the first information is used to indicate the frequency offset of the center frequency of the first frequency domain resource relative to the first frequency and the bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource.

[0015] Similarly, the second information used to indicate the second frequency domain resource includes at least one of the following: the second information used to indicate the non-zero subcarrier index corresponding to the second frequency domain resource; the second information used to indicate the RU corresponding to the second frequency domain resource; the second information used to indicate the center frequency and bandwidth of the second frequency domain resource; the second information used to indicate the frequency offset of the center frequency of the second frequency domain resource relative to the second frequency point and the bandwidth of the second frequency domain resource.

[0016] Of course, the above are just some examples of possible instructions, and there are actually no more than these.

[0017] In one possible design, the third device may also send third information to indicate a first frequency domain offset, which is the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the first tag and the reflected signal generated by the first tag; the third device may also send fourth information to indicate a second frequency domain offset, which is the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the second tag and the reflected signal generated by the second tag; wherein the first frequency domain offset and the second frequency domain offset are different.

[0018] Based on this design approach, not only can AMP devices under different excitation sources communicate in FDM mode, but different AMP devices under the same excitation source can also communicate in FDM mode, thereby better improving or avoiding the problem of frequency band interference between AMP devices and further improving data transmission efficiency.

[0019] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a third device or by a chip or module in the third device. Taking the method being executed by a third device as an example, the method includes: the third device sending third information, which indicates a first frequency domain offset, the first frequency domain offset being the frequency domain offset between an excitation signal received by a first tag and a reflected signal generated by the first tag; the third device sending fourth information, which indicates a second frequency domain offset, the second frequency domain offset being the frequency domain offset between an excitation signal received by a second tag and a reflected signal generated by the second tag; wherein the first frequency domain offset and the second frequency domain offset are different. In a specific example, the third device can be an AMP AP, and the first tag and the second tag can be two different AMP STAs.

[0020] This application embodiment configures different frequency domain offsets for different tags, which can make the range signals generated by different tags lie on non-overlapping frequency domain resources, thereby helping to realize communication between different tags in FDM mode, thereby improving or avoiding the problem of frequency band interference between AMP devices, and effectively improving data transmission efficiency.

[0021] In one possible design, the first label and the second label correspond to the same stimulus source.

[0022] In this way, the reflected signals generated by different tags under the same excitation source can be located on non-overlapping frequency domain resources, which helps to enable different tags under the same excitation source to communicate in FDM mode.

[0023] In one possible design, the third device receives the reflected signal from the first tag on the fifth frequency domain resource; the third device receives the reflected signal from the second tag on the sixth frequency domain resource; wherein the fifth and sixth frequency domain resources do not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0024] In this way, different tags under the same excitation source can communicate in an FDM manner.

[0025] In one possible design, the third device may also send a fifth message, which indicates a third frequency domain offset, the frequency domain offset being the offset between the excitation signal received by the third tag and the reflected signal generated by the third tag; the third device may also send a sixth message, which indicates a fourth frequency domain offset, the frequency domain offset being the offset between the excitation signal received by the fourth tag and the reflected signal generated by the fourth tag; wherein the third frequency domain offset and the fourth frequency domain offset are the same, and the third tag and the fourth tag correspond to different excitation sources.

[0026] In this way, the third device can configure the same frequency domain offset for different tags under different excitation sources, which can improve the utilization rate of frequency domain resources.

[0027] In one possible design, the third device may also send first information, which indicates a first frequency domain resource, and the first frequency domain resource is used by the excitation source corresponding to the third tag to send a first excitation signal; the third device may also send second information, which indicates a second frequency domain resource, and the second frequency domain resource is used by the excitation source corresponding to the fourth tag to send a second excitation signal; wherein the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource do not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0028] In this way, the utilization rate of frequency domain resources can be improved while avoiding mutual interference between the reflected signals of tags under different excitation sources.

[0029] In one possible design, the third device can determine multiple frequency domain offsets, which correspond one-to-one with multiple tags, including a first tag and a second tag.

[0030] In this way, the frequency domain offset of each tag can be precisely configured.

[0031] In one possible design, the third device can determine the frequency domain offset corresponding to each group of tags in the K groups of tags, where K is a positive integer greater than 1; the number of tags in the first group of tags in the K groups of tags is greater than 1, and different tags in the first group of tags correspond to different excitation sources; the first tag and the second tag belong to the K groups of tags.

[0032] This can improve the utilization rate of frequency domain resources.

[0033] In one possible design, the bandwidth B of the excitation signal received by either the first tag or the second tag, the bandwidth B′ of the channel in which the excitation signal is received by either tag, and the offset Δf of the center frequency of the excitation signal received by either tag relative to the center frequency of the channel in which the excitation signal is received by either tag satisfy: 3B + 2Δf <B′。

[0034] This helps to prevent reflected signals from exceeding the channel bandwidth, thereby preventing interference between signals on different channels.

[0035] In one possible design, the frequency offset F corresponding to any tag in the first and second tags, the bandwidth B of the excitation signal received by any tag, the bandwidth B′ of the channel where the excitation signal received by any tag is located, and the offset Δf of the center frequency point of the excitation signal received by any tag relative to the center frequency point of the channel where the excitation signal received by any tag is located satisfy: 2Δf + 2F + B <B′。

[0036] This helps to prevent reflected signals from different channels from interfering with each other.

[0037] In one possible design, the frequency domain offset F corresponding to either the first tag or the second tag, and the bandwidth B of the excitation signal received by either tag, satisfy: 2F>B.

[0038] This helps to avoid mutual interference between the excitation signal and the reflected signal.

[0039] In one possible design, the frequency domain offset corresponding to either the first tag or the second tag is positively correlated with the data transmission rate corresponding to either tag.

[0040] This design allows for a larger frequency offset for tags with higher data transmission rates, thus better preventing interference between excitation and reflection signals.

[0041] In one possible design, the first tag and the second tag correspond to the same excitation source, and the frequency domain offset F1 corresponding to the first tag, the frequency domain offset F2 corresponding to the second tag, and the bandwidth B of the excitation signal sent by the excitation source satisfy: |F1-F2|>B n .

[0042] This helps to avoid mutual interference between reflected signals from different tags under the same excitation source.

[0043] In one possible design, N excitation signals are configured on the first channel, and the N excitation signals occupy different frequency domain resources on the first channel, where N is a positive integer; the excitation signals received by the first tag and / or the excitation signals received by the second tag belong to the N excitation signals;

[0044] The nth excitation signal among the N excitation signals corresponds to T n A tag, T n Let n be a positive integer, n = 1, 2, ..., N. Then the frequency domain offsets corresponding to the tags of the N excitation signals satisfy the following:

[0045] Among them, B n Let B' be the bandwidth of the nth excitation signal out of N excitation signals, and F be the bandwidth of the first channel. n,m T is the excitation signal corresponding to the nth excitation signal out of N excitation signals. n The frequency domain offset corresponding to the m-th label in a set of labels, where m = 1, 2, ..., T n .

[0046] This helps to prevent the excitation signal on the first channel from interfering with signals on other channels, and to prevent the reflected signals from different tags corresponding to the same excitation signal from interfering with each other.

[0047] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first device and a second device, or by a chip or module in the first device and the second device. Taking the method being executed by the first device and the second device as an example, the method includes: the first device transmitting a first excitation signal on a first frequency domain resource; the second device transmitting a second excitation signal on a second frequency domain resource; wherein the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource do not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0048] In one possible design, the frequency domain resources in the first time-frequency resource have guard bands on both sides, and the frequency domain resources in the second time-frequency resource have guard bands on both sides.

[0049] In one possible design, the first device may also receive first information from the third device, the first information being used to indicate a first frequency domain resource; and the second device may receive second information from the third device, the second information being used to indicate a second frequency domain resource.

[0050] In one possible design, the first information used to indicate the first frequency domain resource includes at least one of the following: the first information indicates the non-zero subcarrier index corresponding to the first frequency domain resource; the first information indicates the RU corresponding to the first frequency domain resource; the first information indicates the center frequency and bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource; and the first information indicates the frequency offset of the center frequency relative to the first frequency and the bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource. The second information used to indicate the second frequency domain resource includes at least one of the following: the second information indicates the non-zero subcarrier index corresponding to the second frequency domain resource; the second information indicates the RU corresponding to the second frequency domain resource; the second information indicates the center frequency and bandwidth of the second frequency domain resource; and the second information indicates the frequency offset of the center frequency relative to the second frequency and the bandwidth of the second frequency domain resource.

[0051] In one possible design, the first device may also transmit a first preamble on a seventh frequency domain resource, the first preamble and the first excitation signal being located in the same radio frame, and the seventh frequency domain resource including the first frequency domain resource; the second device transmits a second preamble on an eighth frequency domain resource, the second preamble and the second excitation signal being located in the same radio frame, and the eighth frequency domain resource including the second frequency domain resource; wherein the seventh frequency domain resource and the eighth frequency domain resource at least partially overlap or do not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0052] In one possible design, the third device transmits a preamble on a ninth frequency domain resource, which includes the first and second frequency domain resources.

[0053] Fourthly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first tag and a second tag, or by a chip or module in the first tag and the second tag. Taking the method executed by the first tag and the second tag as an example, the method includes: the first tag and the second tag receiving the same excitation signal; the first tag reflecting the excitation signal to generate a first reflected signal, the frequency domain offset between the first reflected signal and the excitation signal being a first frequency domain offset, and the first reflected signal being located on a fifth frequency domain resource; the second tag reflecting the excitation signal to generate a second reflected signal, the frequency domain offset between the second reflected signal and the excitation signal being a second frequency domain offset, and the second reflected signal being located on a sixth frequency domain resource; wherein the first frequency domain offset and the second frequency domain offset are different, and the fifth frequency domain resource and the sixth frequency domain resource do not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0054] In one possible design, the first label and the second label correspond to the same stimulus source.

[0055] In one possible design, the first tag can also receive third information from a third device, which is used to indicate the first frequency domain offset; the second tag can also receive fourth information from the third device, which is used to indicate the second frequency domain offset.

[0056] Fifthly, a communication apparatus is provided, comprising a module for performing the method as described in the first aspect or any one of the first aspects.

[0057] For example, the apparatus includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit. The processing unit is configured to transmit first information via the transceiver unit, the first information indicating a first frequency domain resource, the first frequency domain resource being used by a first device to transmit a first excitation signal; and to transmit second information, the second information indicating a second frequency domain resource, the second frequency domain resource being used by a second device to transmit a second excitation signal; wherein the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource do not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0058] A sixth aspect provides a communication apparatus comprising a module for performing the method as described in the second aspect or any one of the second aspects.

[0059] For example, the device includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit. The processing unit transmits third information via the transceiver unit, the third information indicating a first frequency domain offset, which is the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the first tag and the reflected signal generated by the first tag; the third device transmits fourth information, the fourth information indicating a second frequency domain offset, which is the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the second tag and the reflected signal generated by the second tag; wherein the first frequency domain offset and the second frequency domain offset are different.

[0060] A seventh aspect provides a communication apparatus, including a module for performing a method performed by the first device as described in the third aspect or any of the third aspects.

[0061] For example, the apparatus includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit. The processing unit is configured to transmit a first excitation signal on a first frequency domain resource via the transceiver unit, wherein the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource used by the second device to transmit a second excitation signal do not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0062] Eighthly, a communication apparatus is provided, including a module for performing a method as described in the third aspect or any of the third aspects.

[0063] For example, the apparatus includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit. The processing unit is configured to transmit a second excitation signal on a second frequency domain resource via the transceiver unit, wherein the second frequency domain resource and the first frequency domain resource used by the first device to transmit the first excitation signal do not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0064] Ninth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, including a module for performing a method as described in the fourth aspect or any of the fourth aspects, performed by a first tag.

[0065] For example, the apparatus includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit. The processing unit is configured to receive an excitation signal via the transceiver unit; the processing unit is also configured to reflect the excitation signal to generate a first reflected signal, wherein the frequency domain offset between the first reflected signal and the excitation signal is a first frequency domain offset, and the first reflected signal is located on a fifth frequency domain resource.

[0066] In a tenth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, including a module for performing a method as described in the fourth aspect or any of the fourth aspects, performed by a second tag.

[0067] For example, the apparatus includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit. The processing unit is configured to receive an excitation signal via the transceiver unit; the processing unit is also configured to reflect the excitation signal to generate a second reflected signal, wherein the frequency domain offset between the second reflected signal and the excitation signal is a second frequency domain offset, and the second reflected signal is located on a fifth frequency domain resource.

[0068] Eleventhly, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor, and a communication interface communicatively connected to the at least one processor; the at least one processor, by executing instructions stored in a memory, causes the method as described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect to be executed, or causes the method as described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect to be executed, or causes the method executed by a first device as described in the third aspect or any possible design of the third aspect to be executed, or causes the method executed by a first tag as described in the fourth aspect or any possible design of the fourth aspect to be executed, or causes the method executed by a second tag as described in the fourth aspect or any possible design of the fourth aspect to be executed.

[0069] In a twelfth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, the storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect to be implemented, or cause the method described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect to be implemented, or cause the method executed by a first device in the third aspect or any possible design of the third aspect to be implemented, or cause the method executed by a second device in the third aspect or any possible design of the third aspect to be implemented, or cause the method executed by a first tag in the fourth aspect or any possible design of the fourth aspect to be implemented, or cause the method executed by a second tag in the fourth aspect or any possible design of the fourth aspect to be implemented.

[0070] In a thirteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, including instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect to be implemented, or cause the method described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect to be implemented, or cause the method executed by a first device in the third aspect or any possible design of the third aspect to be implemented, or cause the method executed by a second device in the third aspect or any possible design of the third aspect to be implemented, or cause the method executed by a first label in the fourth aspect or any possible design of the fourth aspect to be implemented, or cause the method executed by a second label in the fourth aspect or any possible design of the fourth aspect to be implemented.

[0071] Fourteenth aspect: A communication system is provided, including the apparatus described in the fifth, seventh and eighth aspects.

[0072] In a fifteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, including the apparatus described in the sixth, ninth, and tenth aspects.

[0073] The technical effects of aspects three through fifteen above can be referred to the descriptions of the technical effects of aspects one through two above. Attached Figure Description

[0074] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of a possible monostation back reflector architecture;

[0075] Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of a possible dual-station back-reflector architecture;

[0076] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a possible wireless frame structure in a back reflection scenario;

[0077] Figure 3A is a network architecture diagram of a WLAN that can be applied to the embodiments of this application;

[0078] Figure 3B is an example diagram of a bistatic backscattering system that can be applied to the embodiments of this application;

[0079] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0080] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0081] Figure 6 is an example diagram of a possible signal transmission scenario;

[0082] Figure 7 shows an example diagram of the protection band;

[0083] Figures 8A to 8C are examples of several possible signal transmission scenarios;

[0084] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0085] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0086] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of frequency band shifting;

[0087] Figures 12A and 12B are examples of two possible signal transmission scenarios;

[0088] Figures 13 and 14 are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0089] To better understand the solutions provided in the embodiments of this application, some terms used in the embodiments of this application will be explained below. It should be noted that these explanations are intended to make the embodiments of this application easier to understand and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0090] 1. Ambient Power (AMP): Also known as AMP technology, this refers to a technology where devices communicate by harvesting energy from various sources in the environment (such as radio waves, light (sunlight), motion, heat, etc.). Devices that communicate using AMP technology are called AMP devices. Communication systems based on AMP technology are called AMP systems. The Internet of Things (IoT) based on AMP technology is called the AMP IoT.

[0091] 2. Backscatter: Also known as reverse scattering, backscatter communication, or backscatter technology, it is a type of AMP technology. Its principle is as follows: a carrier source (or energizer) sends an electromagnetic wave signal of a certain frequency as an excitation signal to provide energy to a backscatter device; the backscatter device reflects the excitation signal, generating a reflected signal, which transmits information bits; the reader (or read / write device) receives the reflected signal and obtains the information bits transmitted by the backscatter device from it. It can be understood that the reader and the excitation source can be physically separated into two devices or integrated into one device; there is no restriction.

[0092] Backscattering devices can also be called reverse scattering devices, tags, or tagging devices. Unless otherwise specified, these names are interchangeable in the following text.

[0093] The excitation source can also be called an excitation device or a transmitting device, etc. In the following text, unless otherwise specified, the above names can be used interchangeably.

[0094] A system that communicates based on back reflection can be called a back reflection communication system. For example, the excitation source, reader, and tag mentioned above can be regarded as a back reflection communication system.

[0095] 3. Bandwidth shifting: also known as spectrum shifting, refers to shifting the spectrum of an original signal from one frequency band to another through a certain signal processing method. For example, in a back reflection scenario, after receiving an excitation signal, the back reflection device can process the excitation signal to generate a reflected signal. The frequency band of the reflected signal is different from that of the excitation signal, thus achieving the effect of bandwidth shifting.

[0096] 4. In the embodiments of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "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 are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0097] Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, the ordinal numbers such as "first," "second," or "1," "2," etc. (except in special cases indicating numerical values) mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the size, content, order, timing, priority, or importance of multiple objects. For example, "first device" and "second device" are only used to distinguish different devices and do not indicate that the size, priority, or importance of the two devices are different.

[0098] It should be noted that, in this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is being described as an example, illustration, or illustration. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design solutions. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0099] The terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, used in the following description of embodiments of this application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include other steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices. Furthermore, the term "for indicating" used in the description of embodiments of this application can include both direct and indirect indication. When describing an indication message for indicating A, it may include whether the indication message directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, but does not necessarily mean that the indication message carries A.

[0100] The preceding text introduced some of the terms used in the embodiments of this application. The following text introduces the technical background of the embodiments of this application.

[0101] Traditional IoT devices are typically equipped with batteries of limited lifespan, and the need for battery replacement impacts user experience. With the explosive growth of IoT networks and devices, maintenance costs (including labor and battery costs) have also increased dramatically. Firstly, billions of batteries are discarded annually, with only a small fraction being effectively recycled, causing harmful impacts on the Earth's ecosystem. Secondly, maintaining IoT networks and replacing batteries can be extremely difficult under extreme environmental conditions. To address these issues, battery-free IoT communication has been proposed. By harvesting environmental energy, it can effectively improve network performance and sustainability, expanding application scenarios. Furthermore, eliminating batteries can significantly reduce device size and cost, thereby supporting a variety of new applications.

[0102] Due to the widespread deployment and use of unlicensed frequency bands, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) IoT is highly competitive in terms of deployment costs. However, there are still many use cases that cannot be addressed using existing Wi-Fi IoT technologies due to the following reasons: First, traditional battery-powered devices may not function properly under extreme environmental conditions (e.g., high voltage, extremely high / low temperatures, humid environments). Second, many use cases require maintenance-free devices (e.g., no need / impossible to replace traditional batteries). Finally, some use cases require ultra-low complexity, very small device size (e.g., a few millimeters thick), and longer lifespans.

[0103] AMP-based IoT (AMP IoT) enables battery-free communication and meets the requirements of various vertical applications. AMP devices can harvest energy from the environment, thus eliminating the need for traditional batteries. AMP IoT differs from traditional Wi-Fi for the following reasons: 1) Wi-Fi devices are typically powered by traditional batteries, while AMP devices can operate without them; 2) The typical peak power of AMP devices is less than 1 milliwatt (considering device size limitations), far lower than the tens to hundreds of milliwatts of power consumption of traditional Wi-Fi devices; 3) AMP devices can use simple waveforms other than orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) to reduce complexity and power consumption. Combining AMP technology with Wi-Fi technology will enable new IoT services, from which the Wi-Fi ecosystem will also benefit.

[0104] In an AMP scenario, the access point (AP) acts as a reader / writer, and the station (STA) acts as a tag. Transmission from the STA to the AP can be based on backscatter communication technology. In this scenario, the AP can be referred to as an AMP AP or Wi-Fi AMP reader, and the STA can be referred to as an AMP STA or AMP Tag.

[0105] Back reflection communication technology has various architectures, such as mono-static back reflection architecture and bi-static back reflection architecture.

[0106] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of a possible single-station back-reflection architecture. The AMP AP sends an excitation signal to the AMP STA. The AMP STA reflects the excitation signal to generate a reflected signal, which is used to transmit information bits. The AMP AP receives the reflected signal to obtain the information bits sent by the AMP STA. The characteristics of the single-station back-reflection architecture include: it can operate in the 2.4 GHz band or the Sub-1 GHz band (the Sub-1 GHz band refers to the frequency band below 1 GHz, including 315 MHz, 433 MHz, 868 MHz, and 915 MHz, etc.); the excitation source and the AMP AP (i.e., the reader / writer) are physically integrated; the AMP AP is in full-duplex mode; the AMP AP has at least two antennas, one antenna transmits the excitation signal required by the AMP STA, and the other antenna receives the reflected signal from the AMP STA.

[0107] Figure 1B illustrates a possible bi-station back-reflection architecture. The excitation source sends an excitation signal to the AMP STA. The AMP STA reflects the excitation signal, generating a reflected signal, which transmits information bits. The AMP AP receives the reflected signal and obtains the information bits sent by the AMP STA. The characteristics of the bi-station back-reflection architecture include: it can operate in the 2.4 GHz band or Sub-1 GHz band; the excitation source and the AMP AP (i.e., the reader / writer) are physically separated; the AMP AP operates in half-duplex mode; and the AMP AP's coverage distance is greater than that of the AMP AP in a mono-station back-reflection architecture.

[0108] Referring to Figure 2, a schematic diagram of a possible wireless frame structure in a back reflection scenario is shown. The field types in a physical protocol data unit (PPDU) include at least one of the following: preamble, excitation, synchronization, signal (SIG), and data. It can be understood that there can be multiple fields such as excitation, synchronization, signal, and data.

[0109] In a single-station back-reflection architecture, PPDUs can be sent by the AMP AP; in a dual-station back-reflection architecture, PPDUs can be sent by the AMP AP, by the excitation source, or by both the AMP AP and the excitation source.

[0110] In some AMP IoT scenarios, there may be a large number of AMP STAs, such as in warehousing and logistics scenarios, or in smart manufacturing scenarios where there are a large number of sensors.

[0111] However, regardless of whether it's a bi-station or mono-station back-reflector system architecture, the frequency band of the reflected signal generated by the AMP STA is determined by the frequency band of the excitation signal (e.g., the center frequency of the reflected signal overlaps with the center frequency of the excitation signal, and the bandwidth of the reflected signal is greater than or equal to the bandwidth of the excitation signal). This is because the hardware structure of AMP devices is very simple, generally lacking a baseband filter, and therefore lacking channel selection capabilities. When a large number of AMP STAs receive the excitation signal on the same frequency domain resources, the frequency domain resources of the reflected signals generated by these AMP STAs will conflict, resulting in band interference and consequently reducing data transmission efficiency.

[0112] In view of this, the technical solution provided in the embodiments of this application can enable AMP devices (such as AMP STA) to communicate in a frequency division multiplex (FDM) manner, thereby improving or avoiding the problem of frequency band interference between AMP devices and effectively improving data transmission efficiency.

[0113] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0114] This application's embodiments can be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN) scenarios, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 system standards, including 802.11bn, Wi-Fi 7, Extremely High Throughput (EHT), 802.11bf, and next-generation standards like Wi-Fi 9 or later. Alternatively, this application's embodiments can also be applied to WLAN systems such as Internet of Things (IoT) networks or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) networks. Of course, this application's embodiments can also be applied to other possible communication systems, such as worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, 5th generation (5G) communication systems, and future communication systems.

[0115] The following examples illustrate how the embodiments of this application can be applied to WLAN scenarios. It should be understood that WLAN standards, starting with 802.11a / g, have evolved through 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, and the currently discussed 802.11bn. 802.11n can also be referred to as high throughput (HT); 802.11ac as very high throughput (VHT); 802.11ax as high efficiency (HE) or Wi-Fi 6; 802.11be as EHT or Wi-Fi 7; and 802.11bn as UHR or Wi-Fi 8. Standards prior to HT, such as 802.11a / b / g, can be collectively referred to as non-high throughput (Non-HT).

[0116] Figure 3A illustrates a network architecture diagram of a WLAN to which embodiments of this application can be applied. Referring to Figure 3A, the WLAN includes one wireless access point (AP) 1 and several stations (STAs) associated with AP 1. AP 1 and its associated STAs can constitute a basic service set (BSS). In this BSS, the STAs associated with AP 1 (e.g., STA1, STA2, etc.) can receive and send wireless frames to AP 1, and STAs can also communicate with each other. The method of this application embodiment can be applied to communication between APs and STAs, and also to communication between APs. For example, APs can communicate with each other through a distributed system (DS). This application embodiment can also be applied to communication between STAs. It should be understood that the network architecture shown in Figure 3A is only an example; the actual network architecture shown in Figure 3A may include other devices, and the number of APs and / or STAs shown in Figure 3A is only an example; the actual number of APs and / or STAs may be more or less.

[0117] The embodiments of this application can be applied to communication systems / scenarios within the same BSS as shown in Figure 3A, and may also be applicable to communication systems / scenarios with overlapping basic service sets (OBSS).

[0118] It should be noted that the network architecture shown in Figure 3A (also referred to as the communication system architecture) does not constitute a limitation on the network architecture to which the embodiments of this application can be applied. The method provided in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to various wireless communication systems, such as Wi-Fi systems, 5G communication systems, or various future mobile communication systems, and this application is not limited thereto.

[0119] Access points, which are the points through which terminal devices (such as mobile phones) access wired (or wireless) networks, are primarily deployed in homes, buildings, and campuses, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters. They can also be deployed outdoors. An access point acts as a bridge connecting wired and wireless networks, its main function being to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet. Specifically, access points can be terminal devices (such as mobile phones) or network devices (such as routers) with Wi-Fi chips, or wireless communication chips, wireless sensors, or wireless communication terminals with access point functionality. Access points can be devices that support the 802.11bn standard. Access points can also be devices that support various wireless local area networks (WLAN) standards of the 802.11 family, including 802.11be, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11bn next generation.

[0120] A site can be a wireless communication chip, wireless sensor, or wireless communication terminal, and can also be referred to as a user. For example, a site can be a mobile phone supporting Wi-Fi communication, a tablet computer supporting Wi-Fi communication, a set-top box supporting Wi-Fi communication, a smart TV supporting Wi-Fi communication, a smart wearable device supporting Wi-Fi communication, an in-vehicle communication device supporting Wi-Fi communication, and a computer supporting Wi-Fi communication, etc. Optionally, the site can support the 802.11bn standard. The site can also support various wireless local area network (WLAN) standards of the 802.11 family, such as 802.11be, 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11bn next-generation.

[0121] For example, access points and sites can be devices used in the Internet of Vehicles (IoV), IoT nodes and sensors in the Internet of Things (IoT), smart cameras, smart remote controls, smart water and electricity meters in smart homes, and sensors in smart cities.

[0122] The AP and STA involved in the embodiments of this application can be APs and STAs that comply with the IEEE 802.11 system standard. An AP is a device deployed in a wireless communication network to provide wireless communication functions for its associated STAs. The AP can serve as the hub of the communication system and is typically a network-side product that supports the MAC and PHY of the 802.11 system standard. Examples include base stations, routers, gateways, repeaters, communication servers, switches, or bridges. The base station can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, repeater stations, etc. For ease of description, the devices mentioned above are collectively referred to as APs. STAs are typically terminal products that support the media access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) of the 802.11 system standard, such as mobile phones and laptops.

[0123] The STA-to-AP transmission involved in the embodiments of this application can be based on AMP technology (such as back reflection communication technology). The specific deployment form can be a single-station back reflection system architecture (as shown in Figure 1A) or a dual-station back reflection system architecture (as shown in Figure 1B).

[0124] Table 1 shows an example of the link budget from AMP STA to AMP AP for a bistatic back-reflecting system in the 2.4 GHz band:

[0125] Table 1

[0126] Table 2 shows an example of the link budget from the excitation source (carrier source or energizer) to the AMP STA for a bistatic back-reflector system in the 2.4 GHz band:

[0127] Table 2

[0128] According to Tables 1 and 2, the link budget from the AMP AP to the AMP STA is approximately 70 dB, while the link budget from the excitation source to the AMP STA is approximately 40-50 dB. It is evident that the link budget from the AMP AP to the AMP STA is greater than that from the excitation source to the AMP STA. Based on this, a typical deployment of a bistationary backscattered system involves one AMP AP serving multiple excitation sources, and one excitation source serving multiple AMP STAs.

[0129] For example, Figure 3B is an example diagram of a bistationary backscattering system applicable to embodiments of this application, where one AMP AP simultaneously serves three excitation sources, and each excitation source simultaneously serves two AMP STAs. Of course, Figure 3B is only one possible example, and the actual implementation is not limited to this.

[0130] It is understood that the communication system architecture or network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of communication system or network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to similar technical problems.

[0131] Referring to Figure 4, which is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, this method can be applied to a bi-station back-reflector architecture (as shown in Figure 1B). The method includes steps S401 to S402:

[0132] S401, the third device sends the first information, and correspondingly, the first device receives the first information.

[0133] The first information is used to indicate the first frequency domain resource, and the first frequency domain resource is used by the first device to send the first excitation signal.

[0134] In one possible example, the third device can be an AMP AP, a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) within the AMP AP, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the AMP AP's functions. It is understood that in this embodiment, the AMP AP can also be referred to as an AMP reader or AP, etc.

[0135] In one possible example, the first device may be an excitation source, a module in the excitation source (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the excitation source's functions.

[0136] S402, the third device sends the second information, and correspondingly, the second backup receives the second information.

[0137] The second information is used to indicate the second frequency domain resources, and the second frequency domain resources are used by the second device to send the second excitation signal.

[0138] In one possible example, the second device can be an excitation source, a module within the excitation source (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the excitation source's functionality. It is understood that the first and second devices are different, for example, they may be two different excitation sources.

[0139] In this embodiment, the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource do not overlap in the frequency domain. For example, the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource may be different subcarriers or different resource units (RUs).

[0140] The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific implementation method of the third device sending the first information and the second information. For example, the third device may send the first information and the second information by broadcasting, multicasting or unicasting; the third device may send the first information and the second information simultaneously, or send the first information first and then the second information, or send the second information first and then the first information; the third device may use the same wireless frame to send the first information and the second information simultaneously, or the third device may use two different wireless frames to send the first information and the second information respectively, and so on.

[0141] By using the method described in S401-S402, the first device and the second device can respectively transmit excitation signals on non-overlapping frequency domain resources, thereby ensuring that the reflected signals generated by the tag corresponding to the first device (such as AMP STA) and the tag corresponding to the second device (such as AMP STA) are located on non-overlapping frequency domain resources. This helps to enable different AMP STAs to communicate in FDM mode, thereby improving or avoiding the problem of frequency band interference between AMP STAs and effectively improving data transmission efficiency.

[0142] For example, referring to Figure 5, after S402, the method may further include the following steps S403 to S404:

[0143] S403. The first device sends a first excitation signal on the first frequency domain resource according to the first information; Tag A receives the first excitation signal on the first frequency domain resource, reflects the first excitation signal, and generates a reflected signal of the first excitation signal, the reflected signal of the first excitation signal being located on the third frequency domain resource; the third device receives the reflected signal of the first excitation signal on the third frequency domain resource.

[0144] Tag A is the tag corresponding to the first device, meaning that tag A is within the signal coverage area of ​​the first device and can receive the first excitation signal. It is understood that the number of tags corresponding to the first device can be one or more, without limitation. When there are multiple tags corresponding to the first device, the signal transmission method for other tags can refer to the signal transmission method of tag A, and will not be elaborated further in this application.

[0145] In one possible example, tag A can be an AMP STA, a module within an AMP STA (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logical node, logical module, or software that implements all or part of the functions of an AMP STA. It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, an AMP STA can also be referred to as an AMP Tag or Tag, etc.

[0146] The third frequency domain resource is related to the first frequency domain resource. For example, the center frequency of the third frequency domain resource is the same as that of the first frequency domain resource, and the bandwidth of the third frequency domain resource is greater than or equal to the bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource. It can be understood that the reflected signal corresponding to the first excitation signal is the signal generated by tag A after processing the first excitation signal. The hardware parameters inside tag A (such as impedance) will have a certain influence on the frequency of the signal, causing the reflected signal generated by tag A to have a certain frequency offset relative to the first excitation signal. Therefore, there is a possibility that the bandwidth of the third frequency domain resource is greater than the bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource.

[0147] It should be understood that after receiving the first excitation signal, tag A will immediately reflect the first excitation signal. The sending of the first excitation signal by the first device and the reflection of the first excitation signal by tag A can be regarded as occurring simultaneously.

[0148] S404. The second device sends a second excitation signal on the second frequency domain resource according to the second information; Tag B receives the second excitation signal on the fourth frequency domain resource, reflects the second excitation signal, and generates a reflected signal of the second excitation signal, which is located on the fourth frequency domain resource; The third device receives the reflected signal of the second excitation signal on the fourth frequency domain resource.

[0149] Tag B is the tag corresponding to the second device, meaning that tag B is within the signal coverage area of ​​the second device and can receive the second excitation signal. It is understood that the number of tags corresponding to the second device can be one or more, without limitation. When there are multiple tags corresponding to the second device, the signal transmission method of other tags can refer to the signal transmission method of tag B, and will not be elaborated further in this application.

[0150] In one possible example, label B could be an AMP STA, a module within an AMP STA (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of an AMP STA.

[0151] The fourth frequency domain resource is related to the second frequency domain resource. For example, the center frequency of the fourth frequency domain resource is the same as that of the second frequency domain resource, and the bandwidth of the fourth frequency domain resource is greater than or equal to the bandwidth of the second frequency domain resource. It can be understood that the reflected signal corresponding to the second excitation signal is the signal generated by tag B after processing the second excitation signal. The internal hardware parameters of tag B (such as impedance) will have a certain influence on the frequency of the signal, causing the reflected signal generated by tag B to have a certain frequency offset relative to the second excitation signal. Therefore, there is a possibility that the bandwidth of the fourth frequency domain resource is greater than the bandwidth of the second frequency domain resource.

[0152] It should be understood that tag B will immediately reflect the second excitation signal after receiving it. The sending of the second excitation signal by the second device and the reflection of the second excitation signal by tag B can be regarded as occurring simultaneously.

[0153] Since the first and second frequency domain resources do not overlap in the frequency domain, the third and fourth frequency domain resources also do not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0154] Understandably, this application does not restrict the order of S403 and S404. The time-domain resources corresponding to the first excitation signal and the second excitation signal may not overlap, may partially overlap, or may completely overlap, without restriction. The time-domain resources corresponding to the reflected signal of the first excitation signal and the time-domain resources corresponding to the reflected signal of the second excitation signal may not overlap, may partially overlap, or may completely overlap, without restriction.

[0155] For example, Figure 6 shows a possible signal transmission scenario: The AMP AP (corresponding to the third device) sends a first message to the first excitation source (corresponding to the first device) indicating frequency domain resource 1, and sends a second message to the second excitation source (corresponding to the second device) indicating frequency domain resource 2. Frequency domain resource 1 and frequency domain resource 2 do not overlap in the frequency domain. The first excitation source sends an excitation signal 1 on frequency domain resource 1. The AMP STA1 (corresponding to tag A) under the first excitation source reflects the excitation signal 1 to generate a reflected signal 1. The reflected signal 1 is located on frequency domain resource 1, and the AMP AP receives the reflected signal 1 on frequency domain resource 1. The second excitation source sends an excitation signal 2 on frequency domain resource 2. The AMP STA2 (corresponding to tag B) under the second excitation source reflects the excitation signal 2 to generate a reflected signal 2. The reflected signal 2 is located on frequency domain resource 2, and the AMP AP receives the reflected signal 2 on frequency domain resource 2.

[0156] It is understood that Figure 6 is only one possible example. The time domain resources of the actual excitation signal 1 and the time domain resources of the excitation signal 2 may partially overlap or not overlap. Correspondingly, the time domain resources of the reflected signal 1 and the time domain resources of the reflected signal 2 may partially overlap or not overlap. The frequency domain resources of the reflected signal 1 may exceed the range of the frequency domain resources of the excitation signal 1, and the frequency domain resources of the reflected signal 2 may exceed the range of the frequency domain resources of the excitation signal 2, and so on.

[0157] As can be seen from S403 to S404 above, the technical solution of the embodiment of this application can realize that the reflected signals generated by tags corresponding to different excitation sources are located on different frequency domain resources, thereby enabling AMP STA to communicate in FDM mode, improving or avoiding the problem of frequency band interference between different AMP STAs, and effectively improving data transmission efficiency.

[0158] In one possible design, the third device is configured to provide guard bands (or guard bands) on both sides of the frequency domain resources of each excitation source. For example, the first frequency domain resource has guard bands on both sides, and the second frequency domain resource has guard bands on both sides.

[0159] For example, as shown in Figure 7, frequency domain resource 1 and frequency domain resource 2 are adjacent in the frequency domain (i.e., the frequency band between frequency domain resource 1 and frequency domain resource 2 is not allocated to other devices for transmitting excitation signals). The frequency range of frequency domain resource 1 is 2402–2422 MHz, and the frequency range of frequency domain resource 2 is 2424–2444 MHz. There are 2 MHz guard bands on both sides of frequency domain resource 1 and frequency domain resource 2, and there is a 2 MHz guard band between frequency domain resource 1 and frequency domain resource 2. Of course, this is only an example, and the actual division of frequency domain resources and guard bands is not limited to this.

[0160] This design takes into account that the frequency band of the reflected signal may spread relative to the frequency band of the excitation signal. Therefore, by setting guard bands on both sides of the frequency band of the excitation signal, interference between the frequency bands of the reflected signals can be better avoided. For example, as shown in Figure 7, although the bandwidth of reflected signal 1 is greater than that of excitation signal 1, and the bandwidth of reflected signal 2 is greater than that of excitation signal 2, the reflected signal 1 and reflected signal 2 do not overlap in the frequency domain because there is a guard band between frequency domain resource 1 and frequency domain resource 2.

[0161] In one possible design, before the first device sends the first excitation signal, the first device or the third device also sends a preamble corresponding to the first excitation signal; before the second device sends the second excitation signal, the second device or the third device also sends a preamble corresponding to the second excitation signal.

[0162] Taking the wireless frame shown in Figure 2 as an example, the preamble and excitation signal in the wireless frame can both be sent by the excitation source, or the preamble can be sent by the AMP AP and the excitation signal can be sent by the excitation source.

[0163] For the frequency domain resources of preambles, there are three cases:

[0164] Case 1: The preamble is sent by the first device and the second device (i.e., the excitation source). The first device and the second device send the preamble on different frequency domain resources.

[0165] For example, the first device transmits a first preamble on a seventh frequency domain resource, the first preamble corresponding to a first excitation signal (i.e., the first preamble and the first excitation signal are located in the same radio frame), and the seventh frequency domain resource includes the first frequency domain resource; the second device transmits a second preamble on an eighth frequency domain resource, the second preamble corresponding to a second excitation signal (i.e., the second preamble and the second excitation signal are located in the same radio frame), and the eighth frequency domain resource includes the second frequency domain resource. The seventh and eighth frequency domain resources do not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0166] For example, as shown in Figure 8A, the first excitation source (corresponding to the first device) transmits preamble 1 on frequency domain resource 7, and then transmits excitation signal 1 on frequency domain resource 1. Frequency domain resource 1 is a part of frequency domain resource 7, and preamble 1 and excitation signal 1 are located in the same radio frame. The second excitation source (corresponding to the second device) transmits preamble 2 on frequency domain resource 8, and then transmits excitation signal 2 on frequency domain resource 2. Frequency domain resource 2 is a part of frequency domain resource 8, and preamble 2 and excitation signal 2 are located in the same radio frame.

[0167] Case 2: The preamble is sent by the first device and the second device (i.e., the excitation source). The first device and the second device can send the preamble on the same frequency domain resources.

[0168] For example, a first device transmits a first preamble on a seventh frequency domain resource, the first preamble corresponding to a first excitation signal (i.e., the first preamble and the first excitation signal are located in the same radio frame), and the seventh frequency domain resource includes the first frequency domain resource; a second device transmits a second preamble on an eighth frequency domain resource, the second preamble corresponding to a second excitation signal (i.e., the second preamble and the second excitation signal are located in the same radio frame), and the eighth frequency domain resource includes the second frequency domain resource. The seventh and eighth frequency domain resources at least partially overlap in the frequency domain.

[0169] For example, as shown in Figure 8B, the first excitation source (corresponding to the first device) transmits preamble 1 on frequency domain resource 7, and then transmits excitation signal 1 on frequency domain resource 1. Frequency domain resource 1 is a part of frequency domain resource 7, and preamble 1 and excitation signal 1 are located in the same radio frame. The second excitation source (corresponding to the second device) also transmits preamble 2 on frequency domain resource 7, and then transmits excitation signal 2 on frequency domain resource 2. Frequency domain resource 2 is a part of frequency domain resource 7, and preamble 2 and excitation signal 2 are located in the same radio frame.

[0170] Case 3: The preamble is sent by a third device (i.e., AMP AP).

[0171] For example, the third device transmits a preamble on a ninth frequency domain resource, which includes both the first and second frequency domain resources. This preamble corresponds to both the first and second excitation signals; that is, the preamble and the first excitation signal are within the same channel bandwidth (e.g., the 20MHz bandwidth of a Wi-Fi channel), and the interval between them is within the short interframe space (SIFS). Furthermore, the preamble and the second excitation signal are within the same channel bandwidth (e.g., the 20MHz bandwidth of a Wi-Fi channel), and the interval between them is within the SIFS. The preamble, the first excitation signal, and the second excitation signal each correspond to three different radio frames.

[0172] For example, as shown in Figure 8C, the AMP AP (corresponding to the third device) transmits preamble 1 on frequency domain resource 9; the first excitation source (corresponding to the first device) transmits excitation signal 1 on frequency domain resource 1, which is a part of frequency domain resource 9; and the second excitation source (corresponding to the second device) transmits excitation signal 2 on frequency domain resource 2. Frequency domain resource 9 includes frequency domain resource 1 and frequency domain resource 2.

[0173] In one possible design, the first information used to indicate the first frequency domain resource may include at least one of the following: the first information indicates the non-zero subcarrier index (or non-zero subcarrier) corresponding to the first frequency domain resource; the first information indicates the resource unit (RU) (or RU index) corresponding to the first frequency domain resource; the first information indicates the center frequency and bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource; and the first information indicates the frequency offset of the center frequency relative to the first frequency and the bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource. Optionally, the first frequency may be the center frequency of the preamble corresponding to the first excitation signal.

[0174] Similarly, the second information used to indicate the second frequency domain resource may include at least one of the following: the second information indicates the non-zero subcarrier index (or non-zero subcarrier) corresponding to the second frequency domain resource; the second information indicates the RU (or RU index) corresponding to the second frequency domain resource; the second information indicates the center frequency and bandwidth of the second frequency domain resource; the second information indicates the frequency offset of the center frequency relative to the second frequency and the bandwidth of the second frequency domain resource. Optionally, the second frequency may be the center frequency of the preamble corresponding to the second excitation signal. The center frequency of the preamble corresponding to the second excitation signal may be the same as or different from the center frequency of the preamble corresponding to the first excitation signal, without limitation.

[0175] Taking the configuration of frequency domain resources for three excitation sources (energizer 1, energizer 2, and energizer 3) in an AMP AP as an example, the following are four possible examples:

[0176] Example 1: Configure the non-zero subcarrier index for each AMP AP energizer, as shown in Table 3:

[0177] Table 3

[0178] Example 2: Configure the RU index for each AMP AP, as shown in Table 4:

[0179] Table 4

[0180] Example 3: Configure the center frequency and bandwidth of each AMP AP.

[0181] 1) The center frequency of the preamble sent by different energizers is the same. The center frequency and bandwidth of each energizer are shown in Table 5:

[0182] Table 5

[0183] 2) The center frequency of the preamble transmitted by different energizers is different. The center frequency and bandwidth of each energizer are shown in Table 6:

[0184] Table 6

[0185] Example 4: The AMP AP is configured with the frequency offset of the center frequency of each energizer relative to the center frequency of the preamble, and the bandwidth of each energizer, as shown in Table 7:

[0186] Table 7

[0187] It is understood that Tables 3 to 7 are only some possible examples, and the actual situation is not limited to these.

[0188] Referring to Figure 9, which is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, this method can be applied to a single-station back-reflector architecture (as shown in Figure 1A) or a dual-station back-reflector architecture (as shown in Figure 1B). The method includes the following steps S901 to S902:

[0189] S901, the third device sends third information, and correspondingly, the first tag receives the third information.

[0190] The third information is used to indicate the first frequency domain offset, which is the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the first tag and the reflected signal generated by the first tag.

[0191] It is understood that after the first tag receives the third information, the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the first tag and the reflected signal generated by the first tag based on the excitation signal is the first frequency domain offset indicated by the third information. This application embodiment does not limit the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the first tag and the generated reflected signal before receiving the third information.

[0192] In one possible example, the third device can be an AMP AP, a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) within the AMP AP, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the AMP AP's functions. It is understood that in this embodiment, the AMP AP can also be referred to as an AMP reader or AP, etc.

[0193] In one possible example, the first tag can be an AMP STA, a module within the AMP STA (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the AMP STA. It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the AMP STA can also be referred to as an AMP Tag or a Tag, etc.

[0194] S902, the third device sends the fourth information, and correspondingly, the second tag receives the fourth information.

[0195] The fourth piece of information is used to indicate the second frequency domain offset, which is the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the second tag and the reflected signal generated by the second tag. The first frequency domain offset is different from the second frequency domain offset.

[0196] It is understood that after the second tag receives the fourth information, the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the second tag and the reflected signal generated by the second tag based on the excitation signal is the second frequency domain offset indicated by the fourth information. This application embodiment does not limit the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the second tag before receiving the fourth information and the generated reflected signal.

[0197] In one possible example, the second tag can be an AMP STA, a module within the AMP STA (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logical node, logical module, or software that implements all or part of the AMP STA's functionality. The second tag is different from the first tag. Both the first and second tags are tags served by the third device; that is, both the first and second tags are located within the signal coverage area of ​​the third device.

[0198] The first and second labels can correspond to the same source of motivation or to different sources of motivation; there are no restrictions.

[0199] It should be understood that the embodiments of this application do not limit the specific implementation method of the third device sending the third information and the fourth information. For example, the third device may send the third information and the fourth information by broadcasting, multicasting or unicasting; the third device may send the third information and the fourth information simultaneously, or send the third information first and then the fourth information, or send the fourth information first and then the third information; the third device may use the same radio frame to send the third information and the fourth information simultaneously, or the third device may use two different radio frames to send the third information and the fourth information respectively, and so on.

[0200] The method described in S901 to S902, by configuring different frequency domain offsets for different tags, can make the reflected signals generated by different tags located on non-overlapping frequency domain resources, which helps to enable different AMP STAs to communicate in FDM mode, thereby improving or avoiding the problem of frequency band interference between AMP STAs and effectively improving data transmission efficiency.

[0201] For example, referring to Figure 10, after S902, the method may further include the following steps S903 to S904:

[0202] S903, The excitation source sends an excitation signal; the first tag receives the excitation signal, the first tag reflects the excitation signal to generate a first reflected signal, the first reflected signal is located on the fifth frequency domain resource, and the frequency domain offset between the first reflected signal and the excitation signal is the first frequency domain offset; the third device receives the first reflected signal on the fifth frequency domain resource;

[0203] S904, the excitation source sends an excitation signal; the second tag receives the excitation signal, the second tag reflects the excitation signal to generate a second reflected signal, the second reflected signal is located on the sixth frequency domain resource, and the frequency domain offset between the second reflected signal and the excitation signal is the second frequency domain offset; the third device receives the second reflected signal on the sixth frequency domain resource.

[0204] It is understood that the excitation signal received by the first tag and the excitation signal received by the second tag can be the same or different excitation signals, without any restrictions.

[0205] It is understood that Figure 10 illustrates an example where the first and second tags receive excitation signals from the same excitation source. However, in practice, the first and second tags can also receive excitation signals from different excitation sources; there are no restrictions. The excitation source can be another device separate from the third device, or it can be the third device itself; there are no restrictions.

[0206] Upon receiving an excitation signal, the first tag immediately reflects the excitation signal, generating a first reflected signal. The sending of the excitation signal by the excitation source and the reflection of the excitation signal by the first tag can be considered to occur simultaneously. Similarly, upon receiving an excitation signal, the second tag immediately reflects the excitation signal, generating a second reflected signal. The sending of the excitation signal by the excitation source and the reflection of the excitation signal by the second tag can be considered to occur simultaneously.

[0207] This application does not restrict the order of S903 and S904. The time-domain resources corresponding to the first reflected signal and the second reflected signal may not overlap, may partially overlap, or may completely overlap, without limitation. In one possible example, the first tag and the second tag receive the same excitation signal, and the time-domain resources corresponding to the first reflected signal and the second reflected signal may at least partially overlap (e.g., be the same).

[0208] In one specific implementation, the tags (including the first tag and the second tag) can be shifted in frequency band so that the reflected signal has a frequency domain offset relative to the excitation signal.

[0209] Refer to Figure 11 for a schematic diagram of frequency band shifting. Figure 11 uses a 500kHz channel bandwidth as an example to illustrate the frequency domain response of the excitation signal received by the tag and the reflected signal. As can be seen from Figure 11, the reflected signal presents three continuous signal segments in the frequency domain. The frequency band of the middle segment overlaps with the frequency band of the excitation signal (e.g., the center frequency overlaps). The frequency bands of the other two segments are shifted to the left (or negatively, i.e., shifted to a lower frequency) and to the right (or positively, shifted to a higher frequency) relative to the frequency band of the excitation signal, respectively, and do not overlap with the frequency band of the excitation signal.

[0210] The process by which tags (including the first tag and the second tag) shift the frequency of the excitation signal can be equivalent to the tag generating a frequency of f. sc The process of selecting a subcarrier and modulating it onto the excitation signal. The mathematical process of the tag shifting the frequency band of the excitation signal to generate the reflected signal can be represented as:

[0211] (1) Define the mathematical expression for the excitation signal, which is a high-frequency continuous wave, as follows:

[0212] c(t) = A c cos(2πf c t) Formula 1

[0213] Among them, A c It is the amplitude of the excitation signal, f c It is the carrier frequency of the excitation signal.

[0214] (2) The modulation process of the tag on the excitation signal can be represented as:

[0215] s(t)=A c [1+m(t)]cos(2πf c t) Formula 2

[0216] Here, m(t) represents the modulation operation, which can be achieved by changing the impedance of the tag.

[0217] (3) m(t) can be expressed as:

[0218] m(t) = A sc cos(2πf sc t) Formula 3

[0219] Among them, A sc It is the amplitude of the subcarrier generated by the tag, f sc It is the subcarrier frequency (ranging from hundreds of kHz to several MHz);

[0220] (4) Substituting formula 3 into formula 2, we get:

[0221] As can be seen from Formula 4, the reflected signal consists of three parts, A c cos(2πf c t) represents the portion of the frequency band that overlaps with the excitation signal. These are two parts that are offset to the left and right relative to the frequency band of the excitation signal.

[0222] In this embodiment, the frequency domain offset of the reflected signal relative to the excitation signal can be -f. sc and f sc , or |f sc | No restrictions.

[0223] When detecting reflected signals, the third device can detect only the two parts on the left and right sides where the frequency bands of the excitation signal are offset relative to each other (i.e., the main side bands shown in Figure 11), or in other words, it can only take the two segments on the left and right sides where the frequency bands of the excitation signal are offset relative to each other as valid reflected signals.

[0224] When the excitation signal received by the first tag and the excitation signal received by the second tag are located on the same frequency domain resource, because the first frequency domain offset and the second frequency domain offset are different, the first reflected signal and the second reflected signal can be located on different frequency domain resources, that is, the fifth frequency domain resource and the sixth frequency domain resource do not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0225] For example, as shown in Figure 12A, AMP STA1 and AMP STA2 receive excitation signals on the same frequency domain resource, but the generated reflected signals are on different frequency domain resources. AMP STA1's reflected signal 1 is on frequency domain resource 5, and AMP STA2's reflected signal 1 is on frequency domain resource 6. Frequency domain resources 5 and 6 do not overlap. It can be understood that reflected signal 1 and reflected signal 2 may overlap or not in the time domain, depending on whether the times at which AMP STA1 and AMP STA2 receive the excitation signals overlap. Figure 12A shows an example where they do not overlap.

[0226] As can be seen from S903 to S904 above, the technical solution of the embodiment of this application can realize that the reflected signals generated by different tags are located on different frequency domain resources, thereby enabling AMP STA to communicate in FDM mode, improving or avoiding the problem of frequency band interference between different AMP STAs, and effectively improving data transmission efficiency.

[0227] In one possible design, the third device configures different frequency domain offsets for different tags under the same excitation source.

[0228] For example, the first tag and the second tag mentioned above correspond to the same excitation source. The excitation signal received by the first tag and the excitation signal received by the second tag are the same excitation signal (including the same time domain resources and the same frequency domain resources). Since the first frequency domain offset and the second frequency domain offset are different, the first reflected signal and the second reflected signal can be located on different frequency domain resources, such as the fifth frequency domain resources and the sixth frequency domain resources not overlapping in the frequency domain.

[0229] For example, as shown in Figure 12B, AMP STA1 and AMP STA2 receive the same excitation signal on the same time-frequency resources, but the generated reflected signals are on different frequency domain resources. The reflected signal 1 generated by AMP STA1 is on frequency domain resource 5, and the reflected signal 2 generated by AMP STA2 is on frequency domain resource 6. Frequency domain resources 5 and 6 do not overlap, and the time domain resources of reflected signal 1 and reflected signal 2 are the same.

[0230] In this way, different AMP STAs under the same excitation source can communicate in FDM mode, thereby improving or avoiding the problem of frequency band interference between AMP STAs and effectively improving data transmission efficiency.

[0231] In one possible design, the third device configures the same frequency domain offset for different tags under different excitation sources.

[0232] For example, the third device may also send a fifth message, which is received by the third tag. The fifth message indicates a third frequency domain offset, which is the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the third tag and the reflected signal generated by the third tag. The third device may also send a sixth message, which is received by the fourth tag. The sixth message indicates a fourth frequency domain offset, which is the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the fourth tag and the reflected signal generated by the fourth tag. The third frequency domain offset and the fourth frequency domain offset are the same, and the third tag and the fourth tag correspond to different excitation sources.

[0233] This can improve the utilization rate of frequency domain resources.

[0234] Furthermore, the third device can also configure non-overlapping frequency domain resources for the excitation source corresponding to the third tag and the excitation source corresponding to the fourth tag, respectively, so that the excitation source corresponding to the third tag and the excitation source corresponding to the fourth tag can send excitation signals, thereby ensuring that the reflected signals of the third tag and the reflected signals of the fourth tag do not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0235] For example, the third label and the fourth label correspond to label A and label B in the embodiment shown in Figure 5 above, respectively: the third device sends first information, the excitation source corresponding to the third label receives the first information, the first information is used to indicate the first frequency domain resource, the first frequency domain resource is used by the first device to send the first excitation signal; the third device sends second information, the second information of the excitation source corresponding to the fourth label is used to indicate the second frequency domain resource, the second frequency domain resource is used by the second device to send the second excitation signal; wherein, the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource do not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0236] In this way, the utilization rate of frequency domain resources can be improved while avoiding mutual interference between the reflected signals of tags under different excitation sources.

[0237] In one possible design, when the third device corresponds to multiple tags, a frequency domain offset can be configured for each of the multiple tags sequentially. For example, the third device can determine multiple frequency domain offsets, each corresponding one-to-one with a multiple tag, including a first tag and a second tag.

[0238] Taking the configuration of frequency domain offsets for the six tags shown in Figure 3B as an example, AMP STA1 and AMP STA2 correspond to excitation source 1, AMP STA3 and AMP STA4 correspond to excitation source 2, and AMP STA5 and AMP STA6 correspond to excitation source 3. Table 8 shows a specific configuration example:

[0239] Table 8

[0240] In this way, the frequency domain offset of each tag can be precisely configured.

[0241] In another possible design, when the third device corresponds to multiple tags, frequency domain offsets can be configured for these tags in groups, where at most one tag in each group corresponds to the same excitation source. For example, the third device determines the frequency domain offset corresponding to each group of tags in K groups, where K is a positive integer greater than 1; the number of tags in the first group of K groups is greater than 1, and different tags in the first group correspond to different excitation sources; the first tag and the second tag belong to K groups of tags.

[0242] Taking the configuration of frequency domain offsets for the six tags shown in Figure 3B as an example, AMP STA1 and AMP STA2 correspond to excitation source 1, AMP STA3 and AMP STA4 correspond to excitation source 2, and AMP STA5 and AMP STA6 correspond to excitation source 3. AMP STA1 to AMP STA6 can be divided into three groups: Group 1 includes AMP STA1, AMP STA3, and AMP STA5; Group 2 includes AMP STA2 and AMP STA4; and Group 3 includes AMP STA6. Table 9 shows a specific configuration example.

[0243] Table 9

[0244] Of course, Table 9 is only one possible example, and there are actually no other examples.

[0245] This can improve the utilization rate of frequency domain resources.

[0246] To ensure that the frequency domain resources of the reflected signals generated by different tags do not overlap, the bandwidth of the excitation signal and the frequency domain offset of each tag must meet preset conditions, including but not limited to one or more of the following:

[0247] Preset condition 1: The bandwidth B of the excitation signal received by the tag (such as either the first tag or the second tag), the bandwidth B′ of the channel where the excitation signal is received by the tag, and the offset Δf of the center frequency of the excitation signal received by the tag relative to the center frequency of the channel where the excitation signal is received by the tag satisfy: 3B + 2Δf <B′。

[0248] As shown in Figure 11, the bandwidth of the reflected signal (referring to the effective reflected signal, i.e., the portion of the reflected signal with a frequency offset relative to the excitation signal) is approximately twice the bandwidth of the excitation signal. Therefore, to prevent the reflected signal from exceeding the channel bandwidth, a setting of 3B+2Δf can be used. ′ .

[0249] Taking the excitation signal located on a Wi-Fi channel as an example, the bandwidth of the Wi-Fi channel is 20MHz: ​

[0250] When the center frequency of the excitation signal is not offset from the center frequency of the Wi-Fi channel where the excitation signal is located, 3B+2Δf<20;

[0251] When the offset between the center frequency of the excitation signal and the center frequency of the Wi-Fi channel where the excitation signal is located is Δf, 3B+2Δf<20.

[0252] This helps to prevent reflected signals from exceeding the channel bandwidth, thereby preventing interference between signals on different channels.

[0253] Preset condition 2: The frequency domain offset F corresponding to the tag (such as either the first tag or the second tag), the bandwidth B of the excitation signal received by the tag, the bandwidth B′ of the channel where the excitation signal received by the tag is located, and the offset Δf of the center frequency point of the excitation signal received by the tag relative to the center frequency point of the channel where the excitation signal received by any tag is located satisfy: 2Δf + 2F + B <B′。

[0254] Taking the excitation signal located on a Wi-Fi channel as an example, the bandwidth of the Wi-Fi channel is 20MHz:

[0255] When the center frequency of the excitation signal is not offset from the center frequency of the Wi-Fi channel where the excitation signal is located

[0256] When the center frequency of the excitation signal is offset by Δf from the center frequency of the Wi-Fi channel where the excitation signal is located...

[0257] This helps to prevent reflected signals from different channels from interfering with each other.

[0258] Preset condition 3: The frequency domain offset F corresponding to the tag (such as either the first tag or the second tag) and the bandwidth B of the excitation signal received by the tag satisfy: 2F>B.

[0259] In this way, the excitation signal and the reflected signal can be kept from interfering with each other.

[0260] Preset condition 4: The frequency domain offset corresponding to a tag (such as either the first tag or the second tag) is positively correlated with the data transmission rate corresponding to that tag. For example, if the data transmission rates D1 and D2 satisfy D1>D2, then the frequency domain offsets F1 and F2 corresponding to D1 and D2 respectively satisfy: F1≥F2.

[0261] The design takes into account that the spectral spread of the tag is positively correlated with the data transmission rate (i.e., the higher the data transmission rate, the greater the spectral spread of the excitation signal). Therefore, configuring a larger frequency domain offset for tags with higher data transmission rates can better avoid mutual interference between the excitation signal and the reflected signal.

[0262] Preset condition 5: The deviation between the frequency domain offsets corresponding to different tags under the same excitation source is greater than the bandwidth B of the excitation signal sent by the excitation source.

[0263] For example, if the first tag and the second tag correspond to the same excitation source, the frequency offset F1 corresponding to the first tag, the frequency offset F2 corresponding to the second tag, and the bandwidth B of the excitation signal sent by the excitation source satisfy: |F1-F2|>B n .

[0264] This helps to avoid mutual interference between reflected signals from different tags under the same excitation source.

[0265] In this embodiment of the application, one or more excitation signals with non-overlapping frequency domains can be configured on the same channel.

[0266] For example, N excitation signals (such as excitation signals from N excitation sources) are configured on the first channel. These N excitation signals occupy different frequency domain resources on the first channel, where N is a positive integer. The excitation signal received by the first tag and / or the excitation signal received by the second tag belongs to these N excitation signals. Then, the nth excitation signal among the N excitation signals corresponds to T. n A tag, T n Let n be a positive integer, n = 1, 2, ..., N. Then the frequency domain offsets corresponding to the tags of the N excitation signals satisfy the following:

[0267] Among them, B n Let B' be the bandwidth of the nth excitation signal out of N excitation signals, and F be the bandwidth of the first channel. n,m T is the excitation signal corresponding to the nth excitation signal out of N excitation signals. n The frequency domain offset corresponding to the m-th label in a set of labels, where m = 1, 2, ..., T. n .

[0268] The above examples are based on This can prevent the excitation signal on the first channel from interfering with signals on other channels; based on This can prevent interference between reflected signals from different tags corresponding to the same excitation signal.

[0269] The following are two specific examples using a 20MHz bandwidth WiFi channel:

[0270] Example 1: If multiple non-overlapping excitation signals exist on a 20MHz bandwidth WiFi channel, then the following condition must be met:

[0271] When the excitation signal uses OFDM modulation, the configuration of the excitation source and tag can be as shown in Tables 10 and 11:

[0272] Table 10 shows the case of a single incentive source.

[0273] Table 11 shows the situation with two incentive sources.

[0274] Example 1: If there is only one excitation signal on a 20MHz bandwidth WiFi channel, then the following condition must be met:

[0275] When the excitation signal uses OFDM modulation, the configuration of the excitation source and tag can be as shown in Table 12:

[0276] Of course, Tables 10-12 above are just some possible examples, and the actual situation is not limited to these.

[0277] It is understood that the various embodiments in this application can be implemented individually or in combination to produce different technical effects.

[0278] For example, the communication method described in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 and 5 above can enable FDM transmission between tags corresponding to different excitation sources, and the communication method described in the embodiments shown in Figures 9 and 10 above can enable FDM transmission between different tags under the same excitation source. By combining the communication methods described in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 and 5 with the communication methods described in the embodiments shown in Figures 9 and 10, a more comprehensive FDM transmission effect can be achieved.

[0279] Taking the system shown in Figure 3B as an example, the AMP AP can configure non-overlapping frequency domain resources for excitation source 1, excitation source 2, and excitation source 3, configure different frequency domain offsets for AMP STA1 and AMP STA2 under excitation source 1, different frequency domain offsets for AMP STA3 and AMP STA4 under excitation source 2, and different frequency domain offsets for AMP STA5 and AMP STA6 under excitation source 3. In this way, AMP STA1 to AMP STA6 can transmit reflected signals in FDM mode.

[0280] Of course, the above are just some possible examples of combinations, and the actual combination schemes are not limited to these.

[0281] The methods provided by embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. The apparatus provided by embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The methods and apparatus described in this application are based on the same technical concept. Since the principles by which the methods and apparatus solve problems are similar, the implementations of the apparatus and methods can refer to each other, and repeated details will not be repeated.

[0282] Figures 13 and 14 are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of any device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0283] The communication device 1300 shown in Figure 13 includes a processing unit 1310 and a transceiver unit 1320. The communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of any of the devices in the above method embodiments.

[0284] For example, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the third device in the above method embodiment:

[0285] Processing unit 1310 is configured to transmit first information via transceiver unit 1320, the first information indicating a first frequency domain resource, the first frequency domain resource being used by a first device to transmit a first excitation signal; and to transmit second information, the second information indicating a second frequency domain resource, the second frequency domain resource being used by a second device to transmit a second excitation signal; wherein the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource do not overlap in the frequency domain;

[0286] And / or,

[0287] The processing unit 1310 is configured to transmit third information via the transceiver unit 1320, the third information indicating a first frequency domain offset, the first frequency domain offset being the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the first tag and the reflected signal generated by the first tag; and to transmit fourth information, the fourth information indicating a second frequency domain offset, the second frequency domain offset being the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the second tag and the reflected signal generated by the second tag; wherein the first frequency domain offset and the second frequency domain offset are different.

[0288] For example, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the first device in the above method embodiment, the processing unit 1310 is used to send a first excitation signal through the transceiver unit 1320, wherein the first frequency domain resources and the second frequency domain resources used by the second device to send the second excitation signal do not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0289] For example, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the second device in the above method embodiment, the processing unit 1310 is used to send a second excitation signal through the transceiver unit 1320, wherein the second frequency domain resources and the first frequency domain resources used by the first device to send the first excitation signal do not overlap in the frequency domain.

[0290] For example, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the first tag in the above method embodiment, the processing unit 1310 is used to receive the excitation signal through the transceiver unit 1320; the processing unit 1310 is also used to reflect the excitation signal to generate a first reflected signal, the frequency domain offset between the first reflected signal and the excitation signal is the first frequency domain offset, and the first reflected signal is located on the fifth frequency domain resource.

[0291] For example, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the second tag in the above method embodiment, the processing unit 1310 is used to receive the excitation signal through the transceiver unit 1320; the processing unit 1310 is also used to reflect the excitation signal to generate a second reflected signal, the frequency domain offset between the second reflected signal and the excitation signal is the second frequency domain offset, and the second reflected signal is located on the fifth frequency domain resource.

[0292] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 1310 and the transceiver unit 1320, please refer directly to the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0293] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1400 includes a processor 1401, and optionally includes at least one of a memory 1402, a transceiver 1405, and an antenna 1406.

[0294] Transceiver 1405 may be a transceiver unit, transceiver, or transceiver circuit, etc., used to implement transceiver functions. Transceiver 1405 may include a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver may be a receiver or receiving circuit, etc., used to implement the receiving function; the transmitter may be a transmitter or transmitting circuit, etc., used to implement the transmitting function.

[0295] The memory 1402 may store a computer program, software code, or instructions 1404, which may also be referred to as firmware. The processor 1401 can control the communication device 1400 by running the computer program, software code, or instructions 1403 of the processor 1401, or by calling the computer program, software code, or instructions 1404 stored in the memory 1402, to implement the embodiments described above. The processor 1401 may be a central processing unit (CPU), and the memory 1402 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or a random access memory (RAM).

[0296] The processor 1401 and transceiver 1405 described in this application may be disposed on an integrated circuit (IC), analog IC, radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), mixed signal IC, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), printed circuit board (PCB), or electronic device.

[0297] The modules included in the communication device 1400 are merely illustrative examples, and this application does not impose any limitations on them.

[0298] When the communication device 1400 is used to implement the above method embodiment, the processor 1401 can implement the function of the processing unit 1310, and the transceiver 1405 can implement the function of the transceiver unit 1320.

[0299] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the method described in any of the above embodiments to be implemented.

[0300] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of this application also provide a computer program product, including instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the methods described in any of the above embodiments to be implemented.

[0301] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can reside in an ASIC.

[0302] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. A computer program is a set of instructions that directs each step of an action of an electronic computer or other device with message processing capabilities; it is typically written in a programming language and runs on a target architecture. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed, in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center integrating one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium can be volatile or non-volatile, or it can include both types of storage media.

[0303] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The third device sends first information, which is used to indicate a first frequency domain resource, and the first frequency domain resource is used by the first device to send a first excitation signal. The third device sends second information, which is used to indicate a second frequency domain resource, and the second frequency domain resource is used by the second device to send a second excitation signal. The first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource do not overlap in the frequency domain.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: The third device receives the reflected signal of the first excitation signal on a third frequency domain resource, the third frequency domain resource being related to the first frequency domain resource; The third device receives the reflected signal of the second excitation signal on a fourth frequency domain resource, the fourth frequency domain resource being related to the second frequency domain resource; The third frequency domain resource and the fourth frequency domain resource do not overlap in the frequency domain.

3. The method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate that the first frequency domain resource includes at least one of the following: the first information is used to indicate the non-zero subcarrier index corresponding to the first frequency domain resource; the first information is used to indicate the resource element RU corresponding to the first frequency domain resource; the first information is used to indicate the center frequency and bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource; the first information is used to indicate the frequency offset of the center frequency of the first frequency domain resource relative to the first frequency point and the bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource. The second information is used to indicate that the second frequency domain resource includes at least one of the following: the second information is used to indicate the non-zero subcarrier index corresponding to the second frequency domain resource; The second information is used to indicate the RU corresponding to the second frequency domain resource; the second information is used to indicate the center frequency and bandwidth of the second frequency domain resource; the second information is used to indicate the frequency offset of the center frequency of the second frequency domain resource relative to the second frequency point and the bandwidth of the second frequency domain resource.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Also includes: The third device sends third information, which is used to indicate a first frequency domain offset, which is the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the first tag and the reflection signal generated by the first tag. The third device sends a fourth message, which is used to indicate a second frequency domain offset, which is the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the second tag and the reflection signal generated by the second tag. The first frequency domain offset is different from the second frequency domain offset.

5. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The third device sends third information, which is used to indicate a first frequency domain offset, which is the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the first tag and the reflection signal generated by the first tag. The third device sends a fourth message, which is used to indicate a second frequency domain offset, which is the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the second tag and the reflection signal generated by the second tag. The first frequency domain offset is different from the second frequency domain offset.

6. The method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The first label and the second label correspond to the same excitation source.

7. The method as described in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: The third device receives the reflected signal from the first tag on the fifth frequency domain resource; The third device receives the reflected signal from the second tag on the sixth frequency domain resource; The fifth frequency domain resource and the sixth frequency domain resource do not overlap in the frequency domain.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that, The method further includes: The third device sends a fifth message, which is used to indicate a third frequency domain offset, which is the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the third tag and the reflection signal generated by the third tag. The third device sends a sixth message, which is used to indicate a fourth frequency domain offset, which is the frequency domain offset between the excitation signal received by the fourth tag and the reflection signal generated by the fourth tag. The third frequency domain offset is the same as the fourth frequency domain offset, and the third label and the fourth label correspond to different excitation sources.

9. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: The third device sends first information, which is used to indicate a first frequency domain resource. The first frequency domain resource is used for the excitation source corresponding to the third tag to send a first excitation signal. The third device sends second information, which is used to indicate a second frequency domain resource, and the second frequency domain resource is used for the excitation source corresponding to the fourth tag to send a second excitation signal; The first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource do not overlap in the frequency domain.

10. The method according to any one of claims 5-9, characterized in that, The method further includes: The third device determines multiple frequency domain offsets, each of which corresponds to a multiple tag, including the first tag and the second tag.

11. The method according to any one of claims 5-10, characterized in that, The method further includes: The third device determines the frequency domain offset corresponding to each group of tags in the K groups of tags, where K is a positive integer greater than 1; the number of tags in the first group of tags in the K groups of tags is greater than 1, and different tags in the first group of tags correspond to different excitation sources; the first tag and the second tag belong to the K groups of tags.

12. The method according to any one of claims 5-11, characterized in that, The bandwidth B of the excitation signal received by either the first tag or the second tag, the bandwidth B′ of the channel in which the excitation signal received by the first tag is located, and the offset Δf of the center frequency point of the excitation signal received by the first tag relative to the center frequency point of the channel in which the excitation signal received by the first tag is located satisfy: 3B + 2Δf <B′。 13. The method according to any one of claims 5-12, characterized in that, The frequency offset F corresponding to any one of the first tag and the second tag, the bandwidth B of the excitation signal received by any tag, the bandwidth B′ of the channel where the excitation signal received by any tag is located, and the offset Δf of the center frequency point of the excitation signal received by any tag relative to the center frequency point of the channel where the excitation signal received by any tag is located satisfy: 2Δf + 2F + B <B′。 14. The method according to any one of claims 5-13, characterized in that, The frequency domain offset F corresponding to either the first tag or the second tag, and the bandwidth B of the excitation signal received by either tag, satisfy: 2F>B.

15. The method according to any one of claims 5-14, characterized in that, The frequency domain offset corresponding to either the first tag or the second tag is positively correlated with the data transmission rate corresponding to that tag.

16. The method according to any one of claims 5-15, characterized in that, The first tag and the second tag correspond to the same excitation source. The frequency domain offset F1 corresponding to the first tag, the frequency domain offset F2 corresponding to the second tag, and the bandwidth B of the excitation signal sent by the excitation source satisfy: |F1-F2|>B.

17. The method according to any one of claims 5-16, characterized in that, The first channel is configured with N excitation signals, which occupy different frequency domain resources on the first channel, where N is a positive integer; the excitation signal received by the first tag and / or the excitation signal received by the second tag belongs to the N excitation signals; The nth excitation signal among the N excitation signals corresponds to T. n The label, the T n Let n be a positive integer, n = 1, 2, ..., N. Then the frequency domain offsets corresponding to the tags of the N excitation signals satisfy the following: Wherein, the B n B' is the bandwidth of the nth excitation signal among the N excitation signals, and F is the bandwidth of the first channel. n,m T is the excitation signal corresponding to the nth excitation signal among the N excitation signals. n The frequency domain offset corresponding to the m-th label in a set of labels, where m = 1, 2, ..., T n .

18. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-4, or includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 5-17.

19. A communication device, characterized in that, include: At least one processor, and a communication interface communicatively connected to said at least one processor; The at least one processor executes the method as described in any one of claims 1-4, or the method as described in any one of claims 5-17, by executing instructions stored in the memory.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed, enable the method described in any one of claims 1-4, or the method described in any one of claims 5-17.

21. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-4 to be implemented, or cause the method as described in any one of claims 5-17 to be implemented.

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