Communication method, and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method, and an apparatus. The method comprises: an access network device receiving a first request, the first request being used to request to transfer energy to a terminal device; acquiring a gain of the terminal device on at least one frequency band; on the basis of the gain of the terminal device on each of the at least one frequency band, determining a modulation mode used on each frequency band; and sending first indication information to the terminal device, the first indication information being used to indicate the modulation mode used on each frequency band; and sending a signal to the terminal device according to the modulation mode used on each frequency band. First, the modulation mode used is determined on the basis of a gain, such that the selected modulation mode is more suitable for the current communication environment; second, different modulation modes can be used for different frequency bands, which achieves flexible selection of modulation modes, instead of using the same modulation mode on all frequency bands in conventional solutions. Thus, the method helps to improve the energy of signals received by terminal devices, thereby improving the efficiency of communication and energy transfer.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-reference of related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411989389.7, filed on December 27, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0004] With the development of wireless networks and the evolution of business needs, there is a need to meet the communication requirements of large-scale Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Meanwhile, widely deployed low-power communication devices, due to their low cost and small size, cannot carry large-capacity batteries, limiting their lifespan. Utilizing the far-field transmission characteristics of radio frequency (RF) signals, simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) technology can transmit data and energy to communication devices via the same wireless RF signal, thus simultaneously meeting the communication and power needs of the devices.

[0005] Current SWIPT system receivers use the received signal for both communication and power transmission simultaneously; that is, the energy level of the received signal affects the power transmission efficiency. Within the framework of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), the different modulation and coding schemes (MCS) at each subcarrier frequency point determine the energy of the symbols, which, after transmission through the channel, collectively constitute the total energy of the received signal. Therefore, for a data-power transmission system, the MCS can simultaneously affect communication performance and power transmission efficiency. MCS mainly includes phase shift keying (PSK) modulation and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) modulation.

[0006] Current MCS schemes use the same modulation scheme on all carriers. However, the communication quality on different subcarriers may not be the same. Therefore, current MCS schemes fail to make full use of subcarriers with better communication quality, or some subcarriers may have poor communication quality and power transmission efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that can be applied to data transmission scenarios to improve energy transmission efficiency.

[0008] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method applied to an access network device, or a communication module / processing module in the access network device, or a circuit or chip in the access network device responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core or a system-in-package (SIP) chip), or a circuit or chip in the access network device responsible for processing functions (such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), an artificial intelligence (AI) processor, or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)).

[0009] Taking the application of this method to an access network device as an example, the method includes: receiving a first request from a terminal device, the first request being used to request the transmission of energy to the terminal device; obtaining the gain of the terminal device in at least one frequency band; determining the modulation scheme used in each frequency band based on the gain of the terminal device in each of the at least one frequency band; sending first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the modulation scheme used in each frequency band; and sending a signal to the terminal device based on the modulation scheme used in each frequency band.

[0010] In the communication method provided in this application embodiment, the access network device can determine the modulation scheme to be used on different frequency bands based on the gain of the terminal device on different frequency bands. On the one hand, determining the modulation scheme based on the gain makes the selected modulation scheme more suitable for the current communication environment, which helps to improve the efficiency of communication and power transmission. On the other hand, different modulation schemes can be used for different frequency bands, realizing flexible selection of modulation schemes, rather than using the same modulation scheme on all frequency bands in the traditional solution. This also helps to improve the energy of the signal received by the terminal device, thereby improving the efficiency of communication and power transmission.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the modulation scheme includes at least two types of modulation schemes. In this implementation, multiple candidate modulation schemes are provided, which may include different types of modulation schemes, enabling the access network device to select a modulation scheme suitable for the current communication environment based on the gain of each frequency band.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the first type of modulation method among the at least two types is phase shift keying (PSK) modulation; and / or, the second type of modulation method among the at least two types is quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). PSK modulation has advantages such as low bandwidth occupancy and strong anti-interference capability, while QAM modulation has advantages such as high data transmission rate and high spectral efficiency. Access network equipment can select a modulation method suitable for the current communication environment based on the gain of each frequency band.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the at least two modulation schemes include modulation schemes of the same type but different orders. In this implementation, the order of the modulation scheme is refined, allowing the access network device to further determine the order of the modulation scheme when determining the modulation scheme, thereby determining a more accurate modulation scheme.

[0014] In one possible implementation, each frequency band includes one or more subcarriers. In this implementation, a single subcarrier can be used as a frequency band to achieve subcarrier-level modulation, allowing for more precise selection of the modulation scheme; alternatively, multiple subcarriers can be used as a single frequency band to simplify the process of the access network equipment determining the modulation scheme, and also to simplify the first indication information used to indicate the modulation scheme used on each frequency band.

[0015] In one possible implementation, determining the modulation scheme used in each frequency band based on the gain of the terminal device in each of the at least one frequency band includes: if the gain of the terminal device in a first frequency band of the at least one frequency band is greater than or equal to a preset threshold, determining that a first modulation scheme is used in the first frequency band, where the first frequency band is any one of the at least one frequency band; or, if the gain of the terminal device in the first frequency band of the at least one frequency band is less than or equal to the preset threshold, determining that a second modulation scheme is used in the first frequency band. In this implementation, the access network device is pre-configured with one or more gain thresholds. The access network device can compare the gain of each frequency band with the gain thresholds and determine the modulation scheme to be used based on the comparison result, enabling the access network device to easily and quickly determine the modulation scheme for each frequency band.

[0016] In one possible implementation, determining the modulation scheme used in each frequency band based on the gain of the terminal device in each of the at least one frequency band includes: if the gain of the terminal device in a first frequency band of the at least one frequency band is within a first preset interval, determining that a first modulation scheme is used in the first frequency band, where the first frequency band is any one of the at least one subcarrier; or, if the gain of the terminal device in a first frequency band of the at least one frequency band is within a second preset interval, determining that a second modulation scheme is used in the first frequency band, where the first preset interval and the second preset interval have no overlap. In this implementation, the access network device is pre-configured with one or more gain intervals, and the access network device can easily and quickly determine the modulation scheme of each frequency band by judging the gain interval in which the gain of each frequency band is located.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the first indication information includes a modulation scheme index sequence; each element in the modulation scheme index sequence corresponds to a frequency band, and the value of the element represents the modulation scheme corresponding to the frequency band. The modulation scheme index sequence clearly and simply indicates the modulation scheme used for each frequency band. The access network device sends the modulation scheme index sequence to the terminal device along with the first indication information, enabling the terminal device to clearly identify the modulation scheme used for each frequency band.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the first indication information includes an index of a modulation scheme index sequence; different modulation scheme index sequences correspond to different modulation scheme index sequences, each element in the modulation scheme index sequence corresponds to a frequency band, and the value of the element represents the modulation scheme corresponding to the frequency band. In this implementation, multiple possibilities for the modulation scheme index sequence can be pre-designed, and a corresponding index value can be configured for each possibility. Then, the access network device can indicate the modulation scheme corresponding to each frequency band through a single index value, thereby reducing the overhead of the first indication information.

[0019] In one possible implementation, obtaining the gain of the terminal device in at least one frequency band includes: transmitting a reference signal through each subcarrier included in the at least one frequency band; receiving feedback information, the feedback information including the gain of the terminal device in each frequency band of the at least one frequency band; or, transmitting a reference signal through each subcarrier included in the at least one frequency band; receiving feedback information, the feedback information including the gain of the terminal device on each subcarrier; and determining the gain of the terminal device in each frequency band of the at least one frequency band based on the gain of the terminal device on each subcarrier. When the access network device transmits a downlink reference signal on each subcarrier, and the terminal device measures and reports the downlink reference signal, it can directly report the gain of each subcarrier to the access network device, which simplifies the calculation process of the terminal device and helps reduce the power consumption of the terminal device; or, the terminal device can also determine the gain of each frequency band based on the gain of each subcarrier and then report the gain of each frequency band, which simplifies the calculation process of the access network device and helps reduce the load on the access network device.

[0020] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, the method being applied to a terminal device, the method comprising:

[0021] Send a first request, the first request being used to request the transfer of energy to the terminal device;

[0022] Receive first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the modulation scheme used in each of at least one frequency band;

[0023] Receive signals and demodulate them according to the modulation scheme used in each frequency band.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the modulation method includes at least two modulation methods.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the at least two modulation schemes include at least two types of modulation schemes.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the first type of modulation method among the at least two types of modulation methods is phase shift keying (PSK) modulation; and / or, the second type of modulation method among the at least two types of modulation methods is quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM).

[0027] In one possible implementation, the at least two modulation schemes include modulation schemes of the same type but different orders.

[0028] In one possible implementation, each frequency band includes one or more subcarriers.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the first indication information includes a modulation scheme index sequence; each element in the modulation scheme index sequence corresponds to a frequency band, and the value of the element represents the modulation scheme corresponding to the frequency band.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the first indication information includes an index of a modulation mode index sequence; different modulation mode index sequences correspond to different modulation mode index sequences, each element in the modulation mode index sequence corresponds to a frequency band, and the value of the element represents the modulation mode corresponding to the frequency band.

[0031] In one possible implementation, before receiving the first indication information, the method further includes: receiving a reference signal through each subcarrier included in the at least one frequency band; and sending feedback information, the feedback information including the gain of the terminal device in each frequency band of the at least one frequency band, or including the gain of the terminal device in each of the subcarriers.

[0032] Thirdly, this application also provides a communication device, which may be an access network device, including a processor, chip, or functional module, etc., in the access network device. This communication device has the function of implementing the method in the first aspect or any implementation thereof. The function can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-described function.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a processing module and, optionally, an interface module. These modules can perform the corresponding functions described in the first aspect or any implementation thereof, as detailed in the method examples, which will not be repeated here.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a processor configured to support the communication device in performing the corresponding functions described in the first aspect or any implementation thereof. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface and / or a memory. The communication interface is used for sending and receiving frames, information, or data, and for communicating with other devices in the communication system. The memory is coupled to the processor and stores necessary program instructions and data for the communication device.

[0035] Fourthly, this application also provides a communication device, which may be a terminal device, including a processor, chip, or functional module, etc., in the terminal device. This communication device has the function of implementing the method in the second aspect or any implementation thereof. The function can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-described function.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a processing module and, optionally, an interface module. These modules can perform the corresponding functions described in the second aspect or any implementation thereof, as detailed in the method examples, which will not be repeated here.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a processor configured to support the communication device in performing the corresponding functions described in the second aspect or any implementation thereof. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface and / or a memory. The communication interface is used for sending and receiving frames, information, or data, and for communicating with other devices in the communication system. The memory is coupled to the processor and stores necessary program instructions and data for the communication device.

[0038] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication system, including the communication device described in the third aspect and the communication device described in the fourth aspect.

[0039] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a chip, including: a processor coupled to a memory for storing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by the processor, the chip causes the chip to implement the methods described in the first to second aspects and any of their implementations.

[0040] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described in the first to second aspects and any of their implementations.

[0041] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described in the first to second aspects and any of their implementations.

[0042] For the technical effects that can be achieved by any possible implementation of any of the second to sixth aspects mentioned above, please refer to the description of the technical effects that can be achieved by the corresponding implementation scheme in the first aspect mentioned above. Repeated parts will not be discussed. Attached Figure Description

[0043] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an 8th-order PSK constellation provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a 16th-order QAM constellation provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figures 3(a), 3(b), and 3(c) are schematic diagrams of the communication system architecture provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0046] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0052] Wireless data and energy co-transmission technology is a novel type of wireless communication. Unlike traditional wireless communication that only transmits information, wireless energy-carrying communication can simultaneously transmit energy signals to wireless devices while transmitting traditional information-type wireless signals. After being received by a wireless device with a power harvesting circuit, the energy signal undergoes a series of conversions and is stored in the device's own battery. This captured energy is then used for the power consumption of the device's information interaction circuitry and the power harvesting circuitry. Using this technology can reduce the cost of wires and cables, and can reduce or even eliminate the need for battery replacements in wireless communication devices.

[0053] Within the OFDM framework, the different MCS (Mechanical Control System) at each subcarrier frequency point determines the symbol energy. Therefore, for a data-energy simultaneous transmission system, the MCS can simultaneously affect communication performance and energy transmission efficiency. MCS mainly includes PSK modulation and QAM modulation methods, among others.

[0054] PSK modulation is a modulation technique that uses carrier phase to represent input signal information. At the transmitting end, different bits of information are modulated using PSK modulation, and the energy of the constellation points corresponding to different bits remains the same. At the receiving end, the total energy of the received signal is determined by the channel gain on each frequency domain subcarrier. The constellation diagram of 8th-order PSK is shown in Figure 1. The order 8 indicates the existence of 8 constellation points, corresponding to the bit information 000, 001, 011, 010, 110, 111, 101, and 100. When the channel gain corresponding to the frequency domain subcarrier is high, the symbol energy corresponding to all constellation points at the receiving end is high; however, when the channel gain corresponding to the subcarrier is low, the symbol energy corresponding to all constellation points at the receiving end decreases synchronously.

[0055] QAM modulation is a modulation method that performs amplitude modulation on two orthogonal carriers. Taking 16th-order QAM as an example, its constellation diagram is shown in Figure 2. The order 16 indicates that there are 16 constellation points, corresponding to 4 bits of information. For the transmitter, the energy of the constellation points corresponding to different bit information in QAM modulation is not the same. When the bit information is 0000, 1000, 1100, and 0100, the corresponding constellation point energy is lower; when the bit information is other, the corresponding constellation point energy is not lower than the symbol energy of PSK modulation.

[0056] Current MCS technology uses the same modulation scheme on all subcarriers, making it impossible to flexibly adjust the MCS scheme at the subcarrier level according to the channel gain of each subcarrier, resulting in a reduction in the total signal energy at the receiver. In QAM modulation, symbols corresponding to constellation points with lower energy are modulated onto subcarriers with higher channel gain, wasting high-gain subcarrier channels and resulting in lower symbol energy at the receiver for that frequency domain. In PSK modulation, when the channel gain of the subcarrier containing a symbol is low, the received symbol energy is also low.

[0057] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to data transmission scenarios to improve energy transmission efficiency.

[0058] The communication method provided in this application can be applied to wireless communication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), 4.5G, 5G, and future mobile communication systems, and can also be applied to wireless local area networks (WLANs). Applicable scenarios include various scenarios such as multi-hop / multi-relay transmission between base stations and user equipment (UE), dual connectivity (DC) or multiple connectivity between multiple base stations and UEs, etc. For example, this method can be applied to the communication system architecture shown in Figures 3(a), 3(b), and 3(c). As shown in Figure 3(a), the communication system architecture may include:

[0059] A terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities. It connects wirelessly to wireless access network equipment, thereby accessing the communication system. Terminal devices can also be called terminals, user units (UEs), mobile stations, mobile terminals, etc. Terminal devices can be mobile phones, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs), computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wireless data cards, wireless modems, virtual reality (VR) terminals, augmented reality (AR) terminals, wireless terminals in industrial control, complete vehicles, wireless communication modules in vehicles, telematics boxes (T-boxes), roadside units (RSUs), terminal devices in autonomous driving, terminal devices in Internet of Things (IoT) networks, terminal devices in remote medical care, terminal devices in smart grids, terminal devices in transportation safety, terminal devices in smart cities, or terminal devices in smart homes, etc. This application's embodiments are not limited to these categories. For ease of description, the following embodiments of this application will use a UE as an example. In this application embodiment, the device for implementing the terminal's functions can be a terminal itself; it can also be a device capable of supporting the terminal in implementing those functions, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the terminal. In this application embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices. The technical solutions provided in this application embodiment are described using the example of a terminal as the device for implementing the terminal's functions.

[0060] Radio access network (RAN) equipment is used to implement radio-related functions. RAN equipment, also known as access network equipment or base station, is used to connect terminal devices to the wireless network. This RAN equipment can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB) in an LTE system or an evolved LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system, a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G communication system, a transmission reception point (TRP), a base band unit (BBU), a WiFi access point (AP), a macro base station, a micro base station, a pico base station, a small cell, a relay station, a balloon station, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc. The RAN can also be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station; for example, it can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a control plane (CP), a user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. RAN can also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN, or ORAN). In an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. This application does not limit the specific technology or equipment form used in the radio access network. For example, in a network structure, the radio access network can be CU nodes, DU nodes, or a radio access network including both CU nodes and DU nodes. Specifically, CU nodes are used to support protocols such as radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), and service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); DU nodes are used to support radio link control (RLC) layer protocols, medium access control (MAC) layer protocols, and physical layer protocols. In the following embodiments, the radio access network is referred to as RAN for illustrative purposes.

[0061] The main functions of the core network include providing UE connectivity, managing UEs, carrying out service transmission, and providing interfaces to external networks as a bearer network. The core network may include network elements such as access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), and user plane function (UPF).

[0062] Figure 3(b) provides an exemplary schematic diagram of an O-RAN system. As shown in Figure 3(b), the access network device (RAN, such as an eNB, gNB, or next-generation access network device) communicates with the core network (CN) through a backhaul link and with the UE through an air interface.

[0063] Furthermore, the baseband unit (BBU) in the access network equipment communicates with the core network via a backhaul link, and the radio unit (RU) in the access network equipment communicates with at least one UE via an air interface. The BBU communicates with at least one RU via a fronthaul link; the BBU and RU may or may not be co-located. The BBU may include at least one control unit (CU) and at least one distributed unit (DU), which can communicate via at least one midhaul link.

[0064] Figure 3(c) provides an exemplary common RAN chip architecture. The CU is a platform that performs upper-layer L2 and L3 functions. The midhaul and backhaul interfaces carry traffic between the CU and DU, and between the CU and the core network. The DU performs L1 and some L2 functions, while the RU performs L1 computation and radio frequency (RF) digital functions. The fronthaul and midhaul interfaces carry traffic between the RU and DU, and between the CU and DU. An integrated DU includes the functions of both the DU and RU.

[0065] CU / DU hardware may include a chassis platform, motherboard, peripherals, and cooling system. The motherboard may contain processing units, memory, internal I / O interfaces, and external connection ports. Its hardware accelerator is designed with interfaces, and hardware functional components may include: storage for software, hardware, and system debugging interfaces, and a single-board management controller.

[0066] DU systems are typically implemented using multi-core processors and one or more hardware accelerators. Parts of the DU protocol stack can be implemented in software running on the multi-core processor; computationally intensive L1 and L2 functions can be offloaded to a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) / GPU-based hardware accelerator; or all L1 functions can be offloaded to an FPGA / GPU-based hardware accelerator, while other protocol stack components are implemented in software running on the processor; or the entire protocol stack can be implemented in software running on the processor. The hardware accelerator supports interconnection with x86 or non-x86 processors. Similarly, the accelerator has a multi-channel PCIe interface pointing to the CPU and external connections via GbE.

[0067] The main functions of the RU can include: the O-RAN processing unit (OPU) receives eCPRI frames from the O-RAN fronthaul and performs fronthaul interface, lowest-level L1 (coding, scrambling, modulation, layer mapping, precoding), synchronization, beamforming, and resource unit mapping. The OPU can be a CPU, FPGA, or ASIC. The O-RU's digital processing unit (DPU) performs synchronization, digital downconversion (DDC) in the uplink (UL), digital upconversion (DUC) in the downlink (Downlink), CFR, and DPD, improving power amplifier efficiency by reducing the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) / adjacent channel leakage rejection ratio (ACLR) of the RF frontend; the DPU can be an FPGA or ASIC. The O-RU's RF processing unit can include a transceiver module, up / down converters, power amplifiers (PA), low-noise amplifiers (LNA), and Tx / Rx filters. Conversion between the analog and digital domains (digital-to-analog converters (DACs), analog-to-digital converters (ADCs)), such as RF sampling, frequency conversion using RF, intermediate frequency (IF), and local oscillator (LO) mixing during up-conversion and down-conversion, are performed within the transceiver module. Note that physical and logical partitions within the RF processing unit do not require specific boundaries.

[0068] It should be noted that Figures 3(a), 3(b), and 3(c) are merely specific examples and do not limit the network architecture applicable to this invention. Any network-side device in a cellular network that powers other devices can be considered a network architecture applicable to the embodiments of this application. Application scenarios of the embodiments of this application include, but are not limited to, base station powering UE, base station powering base station, base station powering relay, relay base station powering UE, multiple base stations powering one UE, and multiple base stations powering multiple UEs.

[0069] The communication method provided in this application embodiment can be illustrated as shown in Figure 4, including the following steps:

[0070] Step 401: The terminal device sends a first request to request the transfer of energy to the terminal device.

[0071] When a terminal device needs to obtain energy, it can send a first request to the access network device to request the access network device to transmit energy to the terminal device via wireless power transfer.

[0072] This application does not limit the timing of the terminal device sending the first request. For example, the terminal device may request the access network device to perform simultaneous data and energy transmission when there is a data transmission requirement; or, the terminal device may periodically send requests to the access network device to obtain energy; or, the terminal device may send requests to the access network device to obtain energy when its stored energy drops to a preset threshold.

[0073] Step 402: The access network device obtains the gain of the terminal device in at least one frequency band.

[0074] The aforementioned gain may refer to channel gain, and in this embodiment, channel gain is simply referred to as gain.

[0075] Each frequency band may include one or more subcarriers; different frequency bands may include the same or different numbers of subcarriers. For example, each frequency band may include one subcarrier, and the access network device can obtain the gain of the terminal device on each subcarrier; or, the access network device can obtain the gain of the terminal device on each frequency band, where each frequency band may include N subcarriers, where N is an integer greater than 1. Optionally, when a frequency band includes multiple subcarriers, these multiple subcarriers are consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. For example, subcarriers within a resource block (RB) can be considered as a frequency band and use the same modulation scheme because their channel gains are similar.

[0076] Each frequency band may contain one or more subcarriers, which can be pre-defined. For example, if an access network device supports 15 subcarriers, subcarriers 1 to 5 can be pre-defined as frequency band 1, subcarriers 6 to 10 as frequency band 2, and subcarriers 11 to 15 as frequency band 3. The frequency band allocation can be pre-configured in the communication standard, allowing both the terminal device and the access network device to determine the number of frequency bands and the subcarriers included in each band according to the communication standard. Alternatively, the frequency band allocation can be performed by the access network device, which can then notify the terminal device via a second indication message after allocating the frequency bands, so that the terminal device is aware of the subcarriers included in each frequency band.

[0077] In one possible implementation, after receiving the first request, the access network device can send downlink reference signals to the terminal device through each subcarrier, so that the terminal device can measure and report the received downlink reference signals. The access network device determines the gain of the terminal device in each frequency band based on the information reported by the terminal device.

[0078] Optionally, the information reported by the terminal device may include the gain of the terminal device in each frequency band. The access network device can then directly read the gain of the terminal device in each frequency band from the reported information. For example, the access network device sends downlink reference signals to the terminal device via each subcarrier. The terminal device can obtain the gain of each subcarrier by measuring the signal received on each subcarrier. Then, the terminal device can determine the gain of each frequency band based on the gains of one or more subcarriers included in each frequency band. For example, if frequency band 1 includes subcarriers 1 to 4, the terminal device can use a preset algorithm (such as an averaging algorithm) to calculate the gain of frequency band 1 based on the gains of subcarriers 1 to 4.

[0079] Alternatively, the information reported by the terminal device may include the gain of the terminal device on each subcarrier. The access network device determines the gain of the terminal device in each frequency band based on the gain of the terminal device on each subcarrier. For example, the access network device sends downlink reference signals to the terminal device via each subcarrier; the terminal device can measure the received signal on each subcarrier to obtain the gain on each subcarrier and report it; after receiving the gain of the terminal device on each subcarrier, the access network device can determine the gain of each frequency band based on the gains of one or more subcarriers included in each frequency band. For example, frequency band 1 includes subcarriers 1 to 5. The terminal device can report the gain on subcarriers 1 to 5, and the access network device calculates the gain of frequency band 1 based on the gains of subcarriers 1 to 5 using a preset algorithm (such as an averaging algorithm).

[0080] Alternatively, the information reported by the terminal device may include measurement information of the downlink reference information. This measurement information may not be directly included in the gain on each subcarrier, but it can be used to calculate the gain of the terminal device on each subcarrier. After receiving the measurement information reported by the terminal device, the access network device calculates the gain of the terminal device on each subcarrier based on the measurement information and further determines the gain of the terminal device in each frequency band.

[0081] In another possible implementation, the access network device may have already acquired and stored the gain of the terminal device on each subcarrier or in each frequency band before receiving the first request. In this case, the access network device can also read the gain of the terminal device in each frequency band from the memory, or read the gain of the terminal device on each subcarrier and further determine the gain of the terminal device in each frequency band. For example, if the access network device sends two first requests within a short period, after receiving the first request for the first time, it can first send a downlink reference signal to obtain the gain of the terminal device in each frequency band and store the gain of the terminal device in each frequency band. When the first request is received for the second time, since the time interval between the two first requests is short, it can be assumed that the communication environment has not changed or has changed only slightly. Therefore, the access network device can also read the gain of the terminal device in each frequency band from the memory.

[0082] Step 403: The access network equipment determines the modulation method to be used in each frequency band based on the gain of the terminal equipment in each frequency band.

[0083] The modulation scheme used in a frequency band is determined by the gain of that band, rather than using the same modulation scheme in all bands. This makes the selection of modulation schemes more flexible and targeted, which helps to improve the efficiency of energy transmission.

[0084] Access network equipment can select the modulation scheme used for each frequency band from at least two candidate modulation schemes. These at least two candidate modulation schemes can include at least two types of modulation schemes, such as PSK modulation and QAM modulation. The at least two candidate modulation schemes can also include modulation schemes of the same type but different orders; for example, they can include 8th-order PSK modulation and 16th-order PSK modulation, or 16th-order QAM modulation and 32nd-order QAM modulation.

[0085] Access network equipment can determine the modulation method used in each frequency band based on the gain of the terminal equipment in each frequency band.

[0086] In one possible implementation, if the gain of the terminal device in the first frequency band is greater than or equal to a preset threshold, the access network device can determine to use a first modulation scheme in the first frequency band; and / or, if the gain of the terminal device in the first frequency band is less than or equal to the preset threshold, the access network device can determine to use a second modulation scheme in the first frequency band. Here, the first frequency band can be any one of multiple frequency bands, meaning that the access network device can use the above-described determination method to determine the modulation scheme to be used in each frequency band.

[0087] For example, if the gain of the terminal device in frequency band 1 is greater than the preset gain threshold G, the access network device can determine to use PSK modulation in frequency band 1; if the gain of the terminal device in frequency band 2 is less than the preset gain threshold G, the access network device can determine to use QAM modulation in frequency band 2; if the gain of the terminal device in frequency band 3 is also greater than the preset gain threshold G, the access network device can determine to use PSK modulation in frequency band 3.

[0088] Furthermore, with a larger number of candidate modulation schemes, more thresholds can be set to determine the modulation scheme corresponding to each frequency band. For example, if the gain of the terminal device in frequency band 1 is greater than or equal to a preset gain threshold G1, the access network device determines that a 16th-order PSK modulation scheme can be used; if the gain of the terminal device in frequency band 1 is less than the preset gain threshold G1 but greater than or equal to a preset gain threshold G2, the access network device determines that a 32nd-order PSK modulation scheme can be used; if the gain of the terminal device in frequency band 1 is less than the preset gain threshold G2 but greater than or equal to a preset gain threshold G3, the access network device determines that a 64th-order PSK modulation scheme can be used; if the gain of the terminal device in frequency band 1 is less than the preset gain threshold G3 but greater than or equal to a preset gain threshold G4, the access network device determines that a 16th-order QAM modulation scheme can be used; if the gain of the terminal device in frequency band 1 is less than the preset gain threshold G4 but greater than or equal to a preset gain threshold G5, the access network device determines that a 32nd-order QAM modulation scheme can be used; and if the gain of the terminal device in frequency band 1 is less than the preset gain threshold G5 but greater than or equal to a preset gain threshold G6, the access network device determines that a 64th-order QAM modulation scheme can be used.

[0089] In another possible implementation, if the gain of the terminal device in the first frequency band is within a first preset interval, the access network device can determine that a first modulation method is used in the first frequency band; and / or, if the gain of the terminal device in the first frequency band is within a second preset interval, the access network device can determine that a second modulation method is used in the first frequency band, wherein the first preset interval and the second preset interval have no intersection; the first frequency band is any one of multiple frequency bands, that is, the access network device can use the above determination method to determine the modulation method to be used in each frequency band.

[0090] For example, if the gain of the terminal device in frequency band 1 is in the first gain interval, the access network device can determine that PSK modulation is used in frequency band 1; if the gain of the terminal device in frequency band 2 is in the second gain interval, the access network device can determine that QAM modulation is used in frequency band 2, where the value in the second gain interval is less than the value in the first gain interval; if the gain of the terminal device in frequency band 3 is also in the first gain interval, the access network device can determine that PSK modulation is used in frequency band 3.

[0091] Furthermore, with a larger number of candidate modulation schemes, more preset intervals can be set to determine the modulation scheme corresponding to each frequency band.

[0092] Optionally, access network equipment can avoid using QAM modulation in high-gain frequency bands, thus preventing the transmission of lower-energy constellation points through high-gain frequency bands, which would result in lower energy received by terminal devices and wasted resources. Similarly, access network equipment can avoid using PSK modulation in low-gain frequency bands, thus preventing the transmission of higher-energy constellation points through low-gain frequency bands, which would also result in lower energy received by terminal devices and wasted resources. In other words, access network equipment can use PSK modulation in high-gain frequency bands and QAM modulation in low-gain frequency bands, thereby improving the energy of the signal received by the terminal devices.

[0093] The reason for using PSK modulation in high-gain frequency bands and QAM modulation in low-gain frequency bands is that the probability that the constellation point energy under QAM modulation is not less than that under PSK modulation is greater than 50%. Therefore, using PSK modulation in frequency bands corresponding to high channel gain helps to ensure the stability of signal energy, while using QAM modulation in frequency bands corresponding to low channel gain helps to improve signal energy.

[0094] Table 1

[0095] As shown in Table 1 above, P{|S QAM | 2 >|S PSK | 2} represents the probability that the energy of a constellation point under QAM modulation is greater than that under PSK modulation, P{|S QAM | 2 =|S PSK | 2} represents the probability that the energy of a constellation point under QAM modulation is equal to the energy of a constellation point under PSK modulation, P{|S QAM | 2 <|S PSK | 2 The '} represents the probability that the energy of a constellation point under QAM modulation is less than that under PSK modulation. According to the data in Table 1, the probability that the energy of a constellation point under QAM modulation is not less than that under PSK modulation is greater than 50%.

[0096] Step 404: The access network device sends a first indication message to indicate the modulation method used on each frequency band.

[0097] After determining the modulation scheme used in each frequency band, the access network equipment can notify the terminal equipment of the modulation scheme used in each frequency band through the first indication information, so that the terminal equipment can demodulate the received signal according to the modulation scheme used in each frequency band.

[0098] In one possible design, the first indication information sent by the access network device may include a modulation scheme index sequence, where each element in the modulation scheme index sequence corresponds to a frequency band, and the value of each element represents the modulation scheme corresponding to the frequency band. For example, the modulation scheme index sequence M = [m1, m2, ..., mk], where the value of element m1 represents the modulation scheme used on frequency band 1, the value of element m2 represents the modulation scheme used on frequency band 2, ..., the value of element mk represents the modulation scheme used on frequency band k.

[0099] For example, the element value range is 0 to 7. When the element value is "0", it represents 8th-order PSK modulation; when the element value is "1", it represents 16th-order PSK modulation; when the element value is "2", it represents 32nd-order PSK modulation; when the element value is "3", it represents 64th-order PSK modulation; when the element value is "4", it represents 8th-order QAM modulation; when the element value is "5", it represents 16th-order QAM modulation; when the element value is "6", it represents 32nd-order QAM modulation; and when the element value is "7", it represents 64th-order QAM modulation. If the modulation index sequence in the first indication information sent by the access network device is 1234, it can indicate that: band 1 uses 16th-order PSK modulation, band 2 uses 32nd-order PSK modulation, band 3 uses 64th-order PSK modulation, and band 4 uses 8th-order QAM modulation.

[0100] In another possible design, the first indication information sent by the terminal device may include an index of a modulation scheme index sequence; different modulation scheme index sequences correspond to different modulation scheme index sequences, each element in the modulation scheme index sequence corresponds to a frequency band, and the value of each element represents the modulation scheme corresponding to the frequency band. In this design, the modulation scheme index sequence is consistent with the modulation scheme index sequence in the previous design, and will not be elaborated further here. By pre-designing multiple possibilities for the modulation scheme index sequence and configuring a corresponding index for each possible modulation scheme index sequence, the access network device can indicate a modulation reflection index sequence through an index value, thereby indicating the modulation scheme corresponding to each frequency band. This design helps to reduce the overhead of the first indication information.

[0101] For example, when the pre-configured index value is "0", the corresponding modulation index sequence is 1234; when the pre-configured index value is "1", the corresponding modulation index sequence is 4321; if the access network device determines that the modulation index sequence on the four frequency bands is 1234, then the index of the modulation index sequence in the first indication information sent by the access network device will be "0".

[0102] Assuming there are 8 frequency bands, the modulation scheme index sequence contains 8 elements. If there are 8 modulation schemes, each element can range from 0 to 7, and each element can be represented by 3 bits. Therefore, the modulation scheme index sequence requires 3 * 8 = 24 bits. Although the theoretical number of modulation scheme combinations for 8 frequency bands is large, in practical applications, the number of commonly used modulation scheme combinations is not very high. Assuming the number of commonly used modulation scheme combinations is 32, then an index value can be configured for each modulation scheme combination, and this index value can be represented by 5 bits. Clearly, sending the index of the modulation scheme index sequence to the terminal device is less costly than sending the modulation scheme index sequence itself.

[0103] Step 405a: The access network equipment sends signals to the terminal equipment according to the modulation method used in each frequency band.

[0104] For example, if an access network device determines to use a first modulation scheme in frequency band 1, a second modulation scheme in frequency band 2, and a third modulation scheme in frequency band 3, then when the access network device sends a data signal to a terminal device, if it uses a subcarrier included in frequency band 1 to send the data signal, it modulates and sends the data signal to be sent using the first modulation scheme on the subcarrier included in frequency band 1; if it uses a subcarrier included in frequency band 2 to send the data signal, it modulates and sends the data signal to be sent using the second modulation scheme on the subcarrier included in frequency band 2; and if it uses a subcarrier included in frequency band 3 to send the data signal, it modulates and sends the data signal to be sent using the third modulation scheme on the subcarrier included in frequency band 3.

[0105] It should be understood that when an access network device sends a signal, it can transmit through some or all of the frequency bands indicated by the first indication information, and it is not necessary to use all of the frequency bands indicated by the first indication information.

[0106] Step 405b: The terminal device receives the signal and demodulates it according to the modulation method used in each frequency band.

[0107] For example, if the terminal device determines, based on the first indication information, to use the first modulation method on frequency band 1 and the second modulation method on frequency band 2, then when the terminal device receives the signal sent by the access network device, it uses the first modulation method to demodulate the signal received on each subcarrier included in frequency band 1 and uses the second modulation method to demodulate the signal received on each subcarrier included in frequency band 2.

[0108] In the communication method provided in this application embodiment, the access network device can determine the modulation scheme used on different frequency bands based on the gain of the terminal device on different frequency bands. On the one hand, determining the modulation scheme based on the gain makes the selected modulation scheme more suitable for the current communication environment, which helps to improve the efficiency of communication and power transmission. On the other hand, different modulation schemes can be used for different frequency bands, realizing flexible selection of modulation schemes, rather than using the same modulation scheme on all frequency bands in the traditional solution. This also helps to improve the energy of the signal received by the terminal device, thereby improving the efficiency of communication and power transmission.

[0109] To better understand the above embodiments of this application, examples are given below with reference to Figures 5, 6, and 7.

[0110] In the specific embodiment shown in Figure 5, communication between the access network device and the terminal device may include the following steps:

[0111] Step 501: The access network device sends frequency band indication information.

[0112] The frequency band indication information is used to indicate the information of the subcarriers included in each frequency band, i.e., the second indication information in the aforementioned embodiments. For example, the frequency band indication information may indicate that frequency band 1 includes subcarriers 1 to 4, frequency band 2 includes subcarriers 5 to 8, and so on.

[0113] Optionally, the access network device may broadcast a second instruction message to one or more terminal devices.

[0114] Step 502: The terminal device sends a data communication request to the access network device.

[0115] Among them, the data communication request is used to request the access network device to send the data required by the terminal device to the terminal device.

[0116] Step 503: The terminal device sends a power transmission request to the access network device.

[0117] The power transfer request is used to request the access network device to transfer energy to the terminal device via wireless power transfer, which is the first request in the aforementioned embodiment.

[0118] Optionally, the terminal device can execute steps 502 and 503 simultaneously, that is, send a data communication request and a power transmission request to the access network device through the same message. Alternatively, the terminal device can send the data communication request and the power transmission request to the access network device separately through different messages. The terminal device can send the data communication request first and then send the power transmission request, or the terminal device can send the power transmission request first and then send the data communication request, that is, execute step 503 first and then execute step 502.

[0119] Step 504: The access network equipment transmits downlink reference signals through each subcarrier.

[0120] For example, in the frequency band indication information sent by the access network device in step 501, the subcarriers included in each frequency band are indicated. These frequency bands contain a total of M subcarriers. Then, the access network device can send downlink reference signals to the terminal device on these M subcarriers respectively, so that the terminal device can perform measurement and reporting.

[0121] Step 505: The terminal device sends feedback information to the access network device. This feedback information may include the gain of the terminal device in each frequency band.

[0122] After receiving the downlink reference signal on each subcarrier, the terminal device measures and analyzes the received downlink reference signal to determine the gain of the terminal device in each frequency band. For example, the terminal device can measure the downlink reference signal received on each subcarrier to obtain the gain of the terminal device on each subcarrier; if frequency band 1 includes subcarriers 1 to 4, the terminal device calculates the average value G1 of the gain of subcarriers 1 to 4 and uses the average value G1 as the gain of frequency band 1; if frequency band 2 includes subcarriers 5 to 8, the terminal device calculates the average value G2 of the gain of subcarriers 5 to 8 and uses the average value G2 as the gain of frequency band 2; and so on, determining the gain of each frequency band, and reporting the gain of each frequency band to the access network device through feedback information.

[0123] Step 506: The access network equipment determines the modulation scheme used in each frequency band based on the gain of the terminal equipment in each frequency band.

[0124] Optionally, the access network equipment may be pre-configured with the correspondence between different gain ranges and modulation methods; the access network equipment can determine the modulation method used in each frequency band based on the gain range of the terminal equipment in each frequency band and the above correspondence.

[0125] Alternatively, the access network equipment can be pre-configured with a gain threshold; the access network equipment can determine the modulation method used in each frequency band based on the relationship between the gain of the terminal equipment in each frequency band and the gain threshold.

[0126] Step 507: The access network device sends a first indication information to the terminal device. The first indication information includes a modulation mode index sequence.

[0127] The modulation scheme index sequence is used to indicate the modulation scheme used in each frequency band. Each element in the modulation scheme index sequence corresponds to a frequency band, and the value of each element represents the modulation scheme corresponding to the frequency band. For example, the modulation scheme index sequence can be [1 1…1 00…0], where an element with a value of "1" indicates that PSK modulation is used in the corresponding frequency band, and an element with a value of "0" indicates that QAM modulation is used in the corresponding frequency band.

[0128] Step 508: The access network equipment sends a data signal to the terminal equipment according to the modulation method used in each frequency band.

[0129] The aforementioned data and energy signals can transmit both the data required by the terminal device and the energy to the terminal device.

[0130] The access network device determines the modulation scheme of the data signal to be transmitted based on the modulation scheme used in each frequency band, modulates the data signal to be transmitted, and then transmits it. For example, the access network device determines to use the first modulation scheme in frequency band 1, the second modulation scheme in frequency band 2, and the third modulation scheme in frequency band 3; if the access network device wants to transmit the data signal to the terminal device through the subcarriers included in frequency band 2, it uses the second modulation scheme to modulate and transmit the data signal to be transmitted.

[0131] Step 509: The terminal device demodulates the received digital signal according to the modulation method used in each frequency band.

[0132] For example, the access network device determines, based on the first indication information, to use the first modulation method on frequency band 1, the second modulation method on frequency band 2, and the third modulation method on frequency band 3; if the terminal device receives the data signal sent by the access network device through the subcarrier included in frequency band 2, it uses the second modulation method to demodulate the data signal.

[0133] In the specific embodiment shown in Figure 6, communication between the access network device and the terminal device may include the following steps:

[0134] Step 601: The access network device sends frequency band indication information.

[0135] Step 602: The terminal device sends a data communication request to the access network device.

[0136] Step 603: The terminal device sends a power transmission request to the access network device.

[0137] Step 604: The access network equipment transmits downlink reference signals through each subcarrier.

[0138] Step 605: The terminal device sends feedback information to the access network device. This feedback information may include the gain of the terminal device in each frequency band.

[0139] Step 606: The access network equipment determines the modulation scheme used in each frequency band based on the gain of the terminal equipment in each frequency band.

[0140] Steps 601 to 606 are similar to steps 501 to 506, and can be referred to the description of steps 501 to 506, which will not be repeated here.

[0141] Step 607: The access network device sends first indication information to the terminal device. The first indication information includes the index of the modulation mode index sequence.

[0142] Different indices correspond to different modulation scheme index sequences. Each element in the modulation scheme index sequence corresponds to a frequency band, and the value of each element represents the modulation scheme corresponding to the frequency band.

[0143] For example, the index of the modulation scheme index sequence can be shown in Table 2:

[0144] Table 2

[0145] The element with a value of "1" indicates that PSK modulation is used on the corresponding frequency band, and the element with a value of "0" indicates that QAM modulation is used on the corresponding frequency band.

[0146] Step 608: The access network equipment sends a data signal to the terminal equipment according to the modulation method used in each frequency band.

[0147] Step 609: The terminal device demodulates the received digital signal according to the modulation method used in each frequency band.

[0148] Steps 608 and 609 are similar to steps 508 and 509, and can be referred to the description of steps 508 and 509, which will not be repeated here.

[0149] In the specific embodiment shown in Figure 7, communication between the access network device and the terminal device may include the following steps:

[0150] Step 701: The terminal device sends a data communication request to the access network device.

[0151] Step 702: The terminal device sends a power transmission request to the access network device.

[0152] Step 703: The access network equipment transmits downlink reference signals through each subcarrier.

[0153] Steps 701 to 703 are similar to steps 502 to 504, and can be referred to the description of steps 502 to 504, which will not be repeated here.

[0154] Step 704: The terminal device sends feedback information to the access network device. This feedback information may include the gain of the terminal device on each subcarrier.

[0155] After receiving the downlink reference signal on each subcarrier, the terminal device measures and analyzes the received downlink reference signal to obtain the gain of the terminal device on each subcarrier, and reports the gain of the terminal device on each subcarrier to the access network device through feedback information.

[0156] Step 705: The access network equipment determines the gain of the terminal equipment in each frequency band based on the feedback information.

[0157] After receiving feedback information, the access network device can determine the gain of the terminal device in each frequency band based on the gain of the terminal device on each subcarrier. For example, if frequency band 1 includes subcarriers 1 to 4, the access network device can calculate the average value G1 of the gains of subcarriers 1 to 4 in the feedback information and use the average value G1 as the gain of the terminal device in frequency band 1; if frequency band 2 includes subcarriers 5 to 8, the access network device can calculate the average value G2 of the gains of subcarriers 5 to 8 in the feedback information and use the average value G2 as the gain of the terminal device in frequency band 2; and so on, to determine the gain of the terminal device in each frequency band.

[0158] Step 706: The access network equipment determines the modulation scheme used in each frequency band based on the gain of the terminal equipment in each frequency band.

[0159] Step 707: The access network device sends a first indication information to the terminal device. The first indication information includes a modulation mode index sequence, or an index including a modulation mode index sequence.

[0160] Step 707 is similar to step 507 in the embodiment shown in Figure 5 or step 607 in the embodiment shown in Figure 6. Please refer to the description of step 507 or step 607, which will not be repeated here.

[0161] Step 708: The access network equipment sends a data signal to the terminal equipment according to the modulation method used in each frequency band.

[0162] Step 709: The terminal device demodulates the received digital signal according to the modulation method used in each frequency band.

[0163] Steps 708 and 709 are similar to steps 508 and 509, and can be referred to the description of steps 508 and 509, which will not be repeated here.

[0164] As previously described, the communication method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to the communication system shown in Figure 3(b). In this case, after receiving a first request from the terminal device, the RU in the access network device sends the first request to the DU, and the DU forwards the first request to the CU. The CU determines that the terminal device requests power transmission based on the first request and can send the power transmission request to the core network device through the backhaul link. Since power transmission requires reference signal measurement, the core network device sends measurement request information to the CU after receiving the power transmission request; after receiving the measurement request information, the CU sends a measurement command to the DU; the DU sends a downlink reference signal to the RU through the fronthaul link, and the RU sends the downlink reference signal to the terminal device. The terminal device measures the received downlink reference signal to obtain the gain of each subcarrier or frequency band, and sends the gain of each subcarrier or frequency band to the RU through feedback information. The RU sends the received feedback information to the DU. The DU determines the modulation scheme used for each frequency band based on the gain of each subcarrier or frequency band. On one hand, the DU sends the modulation scheme index sequence or its index to the terminal device through the RU. On the other hand, it sends the modulation scheme index sequence or its index to the CU. The CU then sends the modulation scheme index sequence or its index to the core network device. The core network device determines to transmit power to the terminal device based on the received information and sends the power transmission instruction information to the CU. The CU sends the power transmission command to the DU. The DU sends the power signal to the RU. The RU adjusts the power signal and sends it to the terminal device.

[0165] As described above, the communication method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to the communication system shown in Figure 3(c). In this case, after receiving the first request sent by the terminal device, the RU in the access network device sends the first request to the DU, and the DU forwards the first request to the CU. The CU determines that the terminal device requests power transfer based on the first request and sends the power transfer request to the core network device through the backhaul link. Since power transfer requires reference signal measurement, the core network device sends measurement request information to the CU after receiving the power transfer request. The CU may include CPUs with X86 or ARM architectures and chips of types such as FPGA / GPU / other accelerators. The chips in the CU process the measurement request information from the core network device. For example, simple low-level calculation modules such as summation are processed by the FPGA / GPU / other accelerators. After processing, the results are fed back to the CPU, and the CPU performs further control operations, such as determining whether to send control commands to the DU. The interface between the CPU and the FPGA / GPU / other accelerators can be PCIe.

[0166] The CU sends measurement commands to the DU. The DU can also include an x86 or ARM architecture CPU, as well as FPGA / GPU / other accelerator chips. The CPU processes the request commands from the CU. Some logical operations, such as simple summation, can be handled by the FPGA / GPU / other accelerator. After processing, the CU feeds the result back to the CPU, which then performs further control operations, such as determining whether to send control commands to the RU. The interface between the CPU and the FPGA / GPU / other accelerator can be PCIe.

[0167] The DU transmits downlink reference signals to the RU via the fronthaul link. The RU may include a fronthaul (FH) processing unit for processing indication signaling from the DU. The fronthaul processing unit can be a CPU or a dedicated chip, such as an FPGA / ASIC. Based on the instructions from the DU, the fronthaul processing unit schedules the digital processing unit to process signals from the RF processing unit. The digital processing unit performs FFT, modulation / demodulation, and other related operations. The RF processing unit mainly handles downconversion, spectrum splicing / shifting operations, and sends the processing results to the digital processing unit. The RU transmits downlink reference signals to the terminal equipment via an antenna.

[0168] The terminal equipment measures the received downlink reference signal to obtain the gain of each subcarrier or frequency band, and sends the gain of each subcarrier or frequency band to the RU through feedback information. The RU sends the received feedback information to the DU. The DU determines the modulation scheme to be used for each frequency band based on the gain of each subcarrier or frequency band. On the one hand, the DU sends the modulation scheme index sequence or the index of the modulation scheme index sequence to the terminal equipment through the RU. On the other hand, it sends the modulation scheme index sequence or the index of the modulation scheme index sequence to the CU. The CU then sends the modulation scheme index sequence or the index of the modulation scheme index sequence to the core network equipment. The core network equipment determines to transfer power to the terminal equipment based on the received information and sends the power transfer instruction information to the CU. The CU sends the power transfer command to the DU. The DU sends the power signal to the RU. The RU modulates the power signal and sends it to the terminal equipment.

[0169] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 8, the communication device may include an interface module 801 and a processing module 802. The processing module 802 is used to process data by the communication device. The interface module 801 is used to receive content from the communication device and other units or network elements, or to send content from the communication device and other units or network elements. It should be understood that the processing module 802 in the embodiments of this application may be implemented by a processor or processor-related circuit components (or, referred to as processing circuitry), and the interface module 801 may be implemented by a receiver / transmitter or receiver / transmitter-related circuit components.

[0170] For example, the communication device may be a communication device equipment, or it may be a chip or other combination device or component that has the functions of the aforementioned communication device equipment applied in the communication device equipment.

[0171] When the communication device is an access network device, the processing module 802 is configured to: receive a first request from the terminal device via the interface module 801, the first request being for requesting energy transmission to the terminal device; obtain the gain of the terminal device in at least one frequency band; determine the modulation scheme used in each frequency band based on the gain of the terminal device in each of the at least one frequency band; send first indication information via the interface module 801, the first indication information being for indicating the modulation scheme used in each frequency band; and send a signal to the terminal device via the interface module 801 based on the modulation scheme used in each frequency band.

[0172] Furthermore, the modules described above can also be used to support other processes performed by the access network devices in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 7. The beneficial effects are described above and will not be repeated here.

[0173] When the communication device is a terminal device, the processing module 802 is configured to: send a first request through the interface module 801, the first request being used to request the transmission of energy to the terminal device; receive first indication information through the interface module 801, the first indication information being used to indicate the modulation method used in each of at least one frequency band; receive signals through the interface module 801, and demodulate them according to the modulation method used in each frequency band.

[0174] Furthermore, the modules described above can also be used to support other processes executed by the terminal devices in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 7. The beneficial effects are described above and will not be repeated here.

[0175] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of this application. The communication device includes at least one processor 901, a communication interface 902, and may further include a memory 903 and a bus 904. The processor 901, communication interface 902, and memory 903 can be interconnected via the bus 904. The bus 904 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus 904 can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, and a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one line is used in Figure 9, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0176] Processor 901 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of CPU and NP. The processor may further include hardware chips. These hardware chips may be application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or combinations thereof. The PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. Memory 903 may be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both. The non-volatile memory may be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache.

[0177] The processor 901 is used to implement the data processing operation of the communication device, and the communication interface 902 is used to implement the receiving and sending operations of the communication device.

[0178] When the communication device is an access network device, the processor 901 is configured to: receive a first request from a terminal device via a communication interface 902, the first request being for requesting energy transmission to the terminal device; acquire the gain of the terminal device in at least one frequency band; determine the modulation scheme used in each frequency band based on the gain of the terminal device in each of the at least one frequency band; send first indication information via the communication interface 902, the first indication information being for indicating the modulation scheme used in each frequency band; and send a signal to the terminal device via the communication interface 902 based on the modulation scheme used in each frequency band.

[0179] Furthermore, the modules described above can also be used to support other processes performed by the access network devices in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 7. The beneficial effects are described above and will not be repeated here.

[0180] When the communication device is a terminal device, the processor 901 is configured to: send a first request through the communication interface 902, the first request being for requesting the transmission of energy to the terminal device; receive first indication information through the communication interface 902, the first indication information being for indicating the modulation scheme used in each of at least one frequency band; receive signals through the communication interface 902, and demodulate them according to the modulation scheme used in each frequency band.

[0181] Furthermore, the modules described above can also be used to support other processes executed by the terminal devices in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 7. The beneficial effects are described above and will not be repeated here.

[0182] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of this application provide a communication system, including the aforementioned access network equipment and terminal equipment.

[0183] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of this application provide a chip, including: at least one processor, the at least one processor being coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the processor, causing the chip to implement the method described in any of the above implementation methods.

[0184] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the above-described method embodiments to be performed.

[0185] Based on the same technical concept, this application also provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the above-described method embodiments to be executed.

[0186] It should be understood that in the description of this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only for distinguishing purposes and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or order. References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, phrases such as "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," and "in still other embodiments" appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0187] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0188] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this application. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowchart illustrations and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0189] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0190] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0191] Although preferred embodiments of this application have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments as well as all changes and modifications falling within the scope of this application.

[0192] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the embodiments of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of this application. Therefore, if these modifications and variations to the embodiments of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: receiving a first request of a terminal device, the first request being used for requesting transmission of energy to the terminal device; obtaining a gain of the terminal device on at least one frequency band; determining a modulation mode used on each frequency band of the at least one frequency band according to the gain of the terminal device on each frequency band of the at least one frequency band; sending first indication information, the first indication information being used for indicating the modulation mode used on each frequency band; sending a signal to the terminal device according to the modulation mode used on each frequency band.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The modulation mode comprises at least two types of modulation modes.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, A first type of modulation mode in the at least two types of modulation modes is a phase shift keying (PSK) modulation mode; and / or A second type of modulation mode in the at least two types of modulation modes is a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) modulation mode.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The modulation mode comprises modulation modes of the same type and different orders.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, Each frequency band comprises one or more subcarriers.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The determination of the modulation mode used on each frequency band of the at least one frequency band according to the gain of each frequency band of the at least one frequency band comprises: if the gain of the terminal device on a first frequency band of the at least one frequency band is greater than or equal to a preset threshold, determining that a first modulation mode is used on the first frequency band, the first frequency band being any one of the at least one frequency band; or if the gain of the terminal device on the first frequency band of the at least one frequency band is less than or equal to the preset threshold, determining that a second modulation mode is used on the first frequency band.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The determination of the modulation mode used on each frequency band of the at least one frequency band comprises: if the gain of the terminal device is within a first preset interval on a first frequency band of the at least one frequency band, determining that a first modulation mode is used on the first frequency band, the first frequency band of the at least one subcarrier being any one; or if the gain of the terminal device is within a second preset interval on a first frequency band of the at least one frequency band, determining that a second modulation mode is used on the first frequency band, the first preset interval and the second preset interval having no intersection.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The first indication information comprises a modulation mode index sequence. Each element in the modulation mode index sequence corresponds to a frequency band, and a value of the element represents a modulation mode corresponding to the frequency band.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The first indication information comprises an index of a modulation mode index sequence. Different modulation mode index sequences correspond to different modulation mode index sequences, each element in the modulation mode index sequence corresponds to a frequency band, and a value of the element indicates a modulation mode corresponding to the frequency band.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The obtaining of the gain of the terminal device on at least one frequency band comprises: sending a reference signal through each subcarrier included in the at least one frequency band; and receiving feedback information, the feedback information comprising the gain of the terminal device on each frequency band of the at least one frequency band. Or, sending a reference signal through each subcarrier included in the at least one frequency band; receiving feedback information, the feedback information including the gain of the terminal device on each of the subcarriers; and determining the gain of the terminal device on each of the at least one frequency band according to the gain of the terminal device on each of the subcarriers.

11. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a terminal device, and the method includes: sending a first request for requesting transmission of energy to the terminal device; receiving first indication information for indicating a modulation mode used on each of at least one frequency band; receiving a signal and demodulating according to the modulation mode used on each of the frequency bands.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The modulation mode includes at least two types of modulation modes.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The first type of modulation mode in the at least two types of modulation modes is a phase shift keying (PSK) modulation mode; and / or The second type of modulation mode in the at least two types of modulation modes is a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) modulation mode.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11-13, characterized in that, The modulation mode includes modulation modes of the same type but different orders.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11-14, characterized in that, Each of the frequency bands includes one or more subcarriers.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11-15, characterized in that, The first indication information includes a modulation mode index sequence; Each element in the modulation mode index sequence corresponds to a frequency band, and the value of the element represents the modulation mode corresponding to the frequency band.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11-15, characterized in that, The first indication information includes an index of a modulation mode index sequence. Different indexes of different modulation mode index sequences correspond to different modulation mode index sequences, and each element in the modulation mode index sequence corresponds to a frequency band, and the value of the element indicates the modulation mode corresponding to the frequency band.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11-17, characterized in that, Before receiving the first indication information, the method further includes: receiving a reference signal through each subcarrier included in the at least one frequency band; sending feedback information, the feedback information including the gain of the terminal device on each of the at least one frequency band, or including the gain of the terminal device on each of the subcarriers.

19. A communications device, characterized by including: a processor coupled to a memory, the memory being configured to store programs or instructions, when the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, the apparatus executes the method of any one of claims 1-10, or executes the method of any one of claims 11-18.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores instructions, when the instructions are run on a computer, the computer executes the method of any one of claims 1-10, or the method of any one of claims 11-18.

21. A computer program product comprising instructions, wherein: When the instructions are run on a computer, the computer executes the method of any one of claims 11-18.

Images