Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application are a communication method and a related apparatus. The method comprises: a first communication apparatus determining a quality metric of one or more reference signals, wherein the quality metric is used for indicating the signal quality of the reference signals, and the reference signals are used for sensing; and if the quality metric satisfies a bandwidth part switching rule, sending a bandwidth part switching request, wherein the bandwidth part switching request is used for requesting a bandwidth part switch. In the solution, a first communication apparatus may be configured with a bandwidth part rule, and when performing a sensing task, the first communication apparatus may first determine a quality metric of one or more reference signals for sensing measurement, and when the quality metric of the one or more reference signals satisfies a bandwidth part switching rule, the first communication apparatus may initiate a bandwidth part switching request, thereby reducing the number of bandwidth part switches during the sensing task, and mitigating the impact, on a sensing delay, of a bandwidth part switching delay that is brought about by frequent bandwidth part switches, and thus improving the reliability of the sensing task.

Description

A communication method and related apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510071219.9, filed on January 15, 2025, entitled "A Communication Method and Related Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, specifically to a communication method and related apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] Partial bandwidth (BWP) refers to a continuous segment of spectrum resources allocated by network equipment to terminal devices. In communication networks, partial bandwidth represents a further division and configuration of component carriers to adapt to different communication needs and scenarios. Partial bandwidth is a subset of the total cell bandwidth. It enables network bandwidth adaptation, allowing flexible adjustment of the receiving and transmitting bandwidth of terminal devices, so that the bandwidth requirements of terminal devices do not have to be completely consistent with the bandwidth of the entire cell. Partial bandwidth technology can improve spectrum resource utilization efficiency and reduce the power consumption of terminal devices.

[0004] However, each time a terminal device switches to a portion of its bandwidth, a bandwidth switching delay occurs. During this delay, the terminal device cannot send or receive information normally. When the terminal device is performing a sensing task, frequent switching of bandwidth will cause this bandwidth switching delay to affect the sensing latency, which in turn affects the sensing accuracy and thus the reliability of the sensing task. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and related apparatus, with the aim of improving the reliability of sensing tasks.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solution:

[0007] The first aspect of this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a first communication device. For example, the first communication device may be a communication equipment (such as a terminal device or network device), or it may be a component of a communication equipment (such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions), or it may be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication equipment. The following description uses a first communication device as an example. In this method, the first communication device determines a quality metric for one or more reference signals, which indicates the signal quality of the reference signals used for sensing. If the quality metric satisfies a partial bandwidth switching rule, a partial bandwidth switching request is sent to request a switch of partial bandwidth.

[0008] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can be configured with partial bandwidth rules, and when performing a sensing task, it can first determine the quality metric of one or more reference signals used for sensing measurement, and when the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rules, it can initiate a partial bandwidth switching request, thereby reducing the number of partial bandwidth switching times when performing a sensing task, that is, reducing the impact of partial bandwidth switching delay caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on sensing delay, and thus improving the reliability of the sensing task.

[0009] It should be noted that the partial bandwidth switching rule can be the conditions that need to be met when switching partial bandwidth, that is, the first communication device can determine whether to switch partial bandwidth based on the partial bandwidth switching rule.

[0010] Optionally, the reference signal used for sensing measurement can be understood as having at least one of the following: the reference signal has the function of sensing measurement; the reference signal is used to determine the sensing measurement result; the measurement report corresponding to the reference signal contains the sensing measurement result; or, the function of the reference signal includes at least sensing. Furthermore, each reference signal can have a corresponding quality metric used to indicate signal quality.

[0011] For example, the reference signal used for sensing can be used to sense or reflect one or more of the following: obstacle information in physical space, transmission channel information formed by collisions with obstacles, or transmission path information. The sensing involved in this application includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: positioning, measurement, detection, channel sensing, monitoring, time measurement, distance measurement, angle measurement, velocity measurement, Doppler frequency shift measurement, point cloud measurement, or sensing feedback.

[0012] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the quality metric includes at least one of the following: bandwidth ratio; signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal; signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal; and received power of the truncated reference signal. The bandwidth ratio includes the ratio of the bandwidth of the truncated reference signal to the bandwidth of the reference signal, wherein the truncated reference signal is the portion of the reference signal whose bandwidth overlaps with the bandwidth of the active-state portion of the first communication device.

[0013] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can search and measure one or more reference signals to determine one or more data in the quality metrics used to indicate signal quality. For example, it can determine the bandwidth ratio based on the bandwidth of the truncated reference signal and the total bandwidth of the reference signal. It can also determine the signal-to-noise ratio, signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, and received power of the truncated reference signal based on the quality parameters of the truncated reference signal. This allows the first communication device to further determine whether it needs to perform partial bandwidth switching based on the quality metrics of the reference signals and the partial bandwidth switching rules. When the quality metrics of one or more reference signals meet the partial bandwidth switching rules, a partial bandwidth switching request can be initiated, thereby reducing the number of partial bandwidth switching operations during sensing tasks. This reduces the impact of partial bandwidth switching delay caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on sensing delay, thus improving the reliability of the sensing task. The quality parameters are signal quality-related parameters that can be directly determined through measurement and can be used to further calculate or determine the quality metrics.

[0014] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the bandwidth ratio also includes the ratio of the sum of the bandwidths of the plurality of truncated reference signals to the sum of the bandwidths of the plurality of reference signals.

[0015] Based on the above scheme, when the first communication device searches and measures multiple reference signals to determine the quality metric corresponding to the multiple reference signals, it can also calculate the ratio based on the sum of the bandwidths of the multiple truncated reference signals corresponding to the multiple reference signals and the sum of the bandwidths of the multiple reference signals. Furthermore, the ratio of the sum of the bandwidths of the multiple truncated reference signals to the sum of the bandwidths of the multiple reference signals can be used as part of the bandwidth ratio. This allows the quality metric of the reference signal to more accurately indicate the signal quality of the reference signal, and thus more accurately determine whether the first communication device needs to perform partial bandwidth switching. This reduces the number of partial bandwidth switching operations during the sensing task, thereby reducing the impact of partial bandwidth switching delay caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on the sensing delay, and ultimately improving the reliability of the sensing task.

[0016] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the partial bandwidth switching rule includes at least one of a first rule, a second rule, a third rule, or a fourth rule, wherein the first rule is that the bandwidth ratio is less than a bandwidth ratio threshold; the second rule is that the signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal is less than a signal-to-noise ratio threshold; the third rule is that the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal is less than a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold; and the fourth rule is that the received power of the truncated reference signal is less than a power threshold.

[0017] Based on the above scheme, the partial bandwidth switching rules configured for the first communication device can include at least one of the following: a first rule related to bandwidth ratio, a second rule related to the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the truncated reference signal, a third rule related to the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of the truncated reference signal, or a fourth rule related to the received power of the truncated reference signal. That is, corresponding bandwidth ratio thresholds can be set for the bandwidth ratio of the reference signal, corresponding SNR thresholds for the SNR of the truncated reference signal, corresponding SINR thresholds for the SNR of the truncated reference signal, and corresponding power thresholds for the received power of the truncated reference signal. This allows the first communication device to accurately determine whether the signal quality of the reference signal searched under the current partial bandwidth meets the requirements based on the quality metric of the reference signal and the configured partial bandwidth switching rules. In other words, it can accurately determine whether partial bandwidth switching is necessary, thereby reducing the number of partial bandwidth switching operations during sensing tasks. This reduces the impact of partial bandwidth switching delay caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on sensing delay, thus improving the reliability of the sensing task.

[0018] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the quality metric further includes the transmission type of the reference signal, which includes non-line-of-sight transmission or line-of-sight transmission. The reference signal includes at least one of a first reference signal or a second reference signal, wherein the first reference signal is a reference signal with a non-line-of-sight transmission type and the second reference signal is a reference signal with a line-of-sight transmission type.

[0019] Based on the above scheme, when the first communication device searches for and measures one or more reference signals to determine the quality metric corresponding to the one or more reference signals, it can also determine the transmission type of the one or more reference signals. Furthermore, based on whether the transmission type of the one or more reference signals is non-line-of-sight transmission or line-of-sight transmission, the one or more reference signals can be divided into a first reference signal and a second reference signal. It should be noted that the one or more reference signals can all be first reference signals, or all be second reference signals, or may contain both first and second reference signals.

[0020] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, if a partial bandwidth switching rule includes multiple rules, the partial bandwidth switching rule also includes weight values ​​corresponding to the multiple rules; the partial bandwidth switching rule also includes a comprehensive score of the reference signal greater than a first threshold, the comprehensive score of the reference signal being obtained based on the score of the first reference signal, the score of the second reference signal, the weight value of the first reference signal, and the weight value of the second reference signal, the score of the first reference signal being determined based on the first reference signal, multiple rules, and the weight values ​​of the multiple rules, and the score of the second reference signal being determined based on the second reference signal, multiple rules, and the weight values ​​of the multiple rules.

[0021] Based on the above scheme, if the partial bandwidth switching rules configured for the first communication device include multiple rules such as the first rule, second rule, third rule, or fourth rule, the partial bandwidth rules can also include weight values ​​set for each rule and weight values ​​set for the first reference signal and the second reference signal. Furthermore, the partial bandwidth rules can also include a first threshold for measuring the comprehensive score of the reference signal. This allows the first communication device to accurately determine whether the signal quality of the reference signal searched under the current partial bandwidth meets the requirements based on the quality metric of the reference signal and the configured partial bandwidth switching rules. In other words, it can accurately determine whether a partial bandwidth switch is needed, thereby reducing the number of partial bandwidth switches during the sensing task. This reduces the impact of partial bandwidth switching delay caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on the sensing delay, thus improving the reliability of the sensing task. For example, after determining the quality metric of the reference signal, the first communication device can determine the score of each reference signal based on the weight value corresponding to each reference signal and the weight value corresponding to the rule that each reference signal conforms to, and further determine the comprehensive score of all reference signals. Finally, by comparing the comprehensive score of the reference signal with the first threshold, it determines whether the quality metric of the reference signal meets the partial bandwidth switching rules.

[0022] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first communication device includes a first moving speed range and a second moving speed range, the first moving speed range corresponding to at least one of a first bandwidth ratio threshold, a first signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a first power threshold, and the second moving speed range corresponding to at least one of a second bandwidth ratio threshold, a second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a second power threshold.

[0023] Based on the above scheme, since the impact of sensing latency on the first communication device at different movement speeds varies when the first communication device is in motion, different partial bandwidth switching rules can be set for the first communication device at different movement speeds. Specifically, different bandwidth ratio thresholds, signal-to-noise ratio thresholds, signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio thresholds, or power thresholds can be set for the first communication device at different movement speeds. That is, the partial bandwidth switching rules configured for the first communication device can include at least one of the bandwidth ratio threshold, signal-to-noise ratio threshold, signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or power threshold corresponding to different movement intervals. This allows the first communication device to accurately determine whether the signal quality of the reference signal searched under the current partial bandwidth meets the requirements based on the quality metric of the reference signal and the configured partial bandwidth switching rules. In other words, it can accurately determine whether a partial bandwidth switch is needed, thereby reducing the number of partial bandwidth switches during sensing tasks. This reduces the impact of partial bandwidth switching latency caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on sensing latency, thereby improving the reliability of the sensing task. For example, if the first communication device includes two different moving speed ranges, a first moving speed range and a second moving speed range, then the partial bandwidth switching rules configured for the first communication device may include at least one of the following: a first bandwidth ratio threshold, a first signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a first power threshold corresponding to the first moving speed range; and at least one of the following: a second bandwidth ratio threshold, a second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a second power threshold corresponding to the second moving speed range.

[0024] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, if the average speed of the first moving speed range is greater than the average speed of the second moving speed range, the first bandwidth ratio threshold is less than the second bandwidth ratio threshold, the first signal-to-noise ratio threshold is less than the second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, the first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold is less than the second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, and the first power threshold is less than the second power threshold.

[0025] Based on the above scheme, since the faster the first communication device moves, the greater the impact of the sensing delay on the first communication device, smaller bandwidth ratio thresholds, smaller signal-to-noise ratio thresholds, smaller signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio thresholds, and smaller power thresholds can be set for the moving speed range with a larger average speed. In other words, the first communication device with a faster moving speed can have a higher tolerance for the signal quality of the reference signal and is less likely to trigger the switching of part of the bandwidth. This can reduce the number of times part of the bandwidth is switched when performing the sensing task, and reduce the impact of the partial bandwidth switching delay caused by frequent switching of part of the bandwidth on the sensing delay, thereby improving the reliability of the sensing task.

[0026] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, first indication information is received, which is used to indicate partial bandwidth switching rules.

[0027] Based on the above scheme, after determining the partial bandwidth switching rules of the first communication device, the second communication device can configure the partial bandwidth switching rules to the first communication device through the first indication information. This allows the first communication device to determine whether partial bandwidth switching is needed based on the quality measurement of the reference signal and the configured partial bandwidth switching rules. This reduces the number of partial bandwidth switching operations during the sensing task, thereby reducing the impact of partial bandwidth switching delay caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on the sensing delay and improving the reliability of the sensing task.

[0028] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the reference signal includes at least one of a sensing reference signal, a positioning reference signal, a channel state information reference signal, a tracking reference signal, or a detection reference signal; or, the partial bandwidth switching request includes identification information of the measurement gap duration or the target partial bandwidth.

[0029] Based on the above scheme, the reference signal searched and measured by the first communication device for sensing can specifically be at least one of a sensing reference signal, a positioning reference signal, a channel state information reference signal, a tracking reference signal, or a detection reference signal. Furthermore, when the first communication device determines to perform a partial bandwidth switch and sends a partial bandwidth switch request to the second communication device, the partial bandwidth switch request can carry the measurement gap duration or an identifier of the target partial bandwidth that the first communication device is about to switch to. This allows the second communication device to reconfigure the parameters of the reference signal or redetermine the active partial bandwidth of the first communication device based on the partial bandwidth switch request.

[0030] A second aspect of this application provides a communication method applied to a second communication device. For example, the second communication device may be a communication equipment (such as a network device), or it may be a component of the communication equipment (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions). Alternatively, the second communication device may be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the communication equipment's functions. The following description uses a second communication device as an example. In this method, the second communication device receives a partial bandwidth switching request. This request is sent by a first communication device when the quality metric of a reference signal satisfies a partial bandwidth switching rule. The quality metric indicates the signal quality of the reference signal, which is used for sensing and measurement. The partial bandwidth switching request requests a switch of partial bandwidth.

[0031] Based on the above scheme, when the first communication device determines that the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rule and initiates a partial bandwidth switching request, the second communication device can receive the partial bandwidth switching request from the first communication device. This can reduce the number of partial bandwidth switching operations during the sensing task, thereby reducing the impact of partial bandwidth switching delay caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on the sensing delay and improving the reliability of the sensing task.

[0032] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the quality metric includes at least one of the following:

[0033] Bandwidth ratio; signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal; signal-to-noise interference power ratio of the truncated reference signal; received power of the truncated reference signal. The bandwidth ratio includes the ratio of the bandwidth of the truncated reference signal to the bandwidth of the reference signal, wherein the truncated reference signal is the portion of the reference signal whose bandwidth overlaps with the bandwidth of the active state portion of the first communication device.

[0034] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the bandwidth ratio also includes the ratio of the sum of the bandwidths of the multiple truncated reference signals to the sum of the bandwidths of the multiple reference signals.

[0035] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the partial bandwidth switching rule includes at least one of the first rule, the second rule, the third rule, or the fourth rule, wherein the first rule is that the bandwidth ratio is less than the bandwidth ratio threshold; the second rule is that the signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal is less than the signal-to-noise ratio threshold; the third rule is that the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal is less than the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold; and the fourth rule is that the received power of the truncated reference signal is less than the power threshold.

[0036] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the quality metric further includes the transmission type of the reference signal, which includes non-line-of-sight transmission or line-of-sight transmission. The reference signal includes at least one of a first reference signal or a second reference signal, wherein the first reference signal is a reference signal with a non-line-of-sight transmission type and the second reference signal is a reference signal with a line-of-sight transmission type.

[0037] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, if a partial bandwidth switching rule includes multiple rules, the partial bandwidth switching rule also includes weight values ​​corresponding to multiple rules; the partial bandwidth switching rule also includes a comprehensive score of the reference signal greater than a first threshold, the comprehensive score of the reference signal being obtained based on the score of the first reference signal, the score of the second reference signal, the weight value of the first reference signal, and the weight value of the second reference signal, the score of the first reference signal being determined based on the first reference signal, multiple rules, and the weight values ​​of the multiple rules, and the score of the second reference signal being determined based on the second reference signal, multiple rules, and the weight values ​​of the multiple rules.

[0038] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first communication device includes a first moving speed range and a second moving speed range, wherein the first moving speed range corresponds to at least one of a first bandwidth ratio threshold, a first signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a first power threshold, and the second moving speed range corresponds to at least one of a second bandwidth ratio threshold, a second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a second power threshold.

[0039] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, if the average speed of the first moving speed range is greater than the average speed of the second moving speed range, the first bandwidth ratio threshold is less than the second bandwidth ratio threshold, the first signal-to-noise ratio threshold is less than the second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, the first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold is less than the second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, and the first power threshold is less than the second power threshold.

[0040] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, a bandwidth switching rule is sent.

[0041] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can negotiate with other communication devices to determine the partial bandwidth switching rules of the first communication device based on the sensing task to be performed by the first communication device, and can configure the partial bandwidth switching rules to the first communication device through the first indication information. This allows the first communication device to determine whether partial bandwidth switching is needed based on the quality measurement of the reference signal and the configured partial bandwidth switching rules, thereby reducing the number of partial bandwidth switching operations during the sensing task. In other words, it can reduce the impact of partial bandwidth switching delay caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on the sensing delay, thereby improving the reliability of the sensing task.

[0042] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the reference signal includes at least one of a sensing reference signal, a positioning reference signal, a channel state information reference signal, a tracking reference signal, or a detection reference signal; or, the partial bandwidth switching request includes identification information of the measurement gap duration or the target partial bandwidth.

[0043] It should be noted that the explanations, supplements, and descriptions of beneficial effects in the first aspect also apply to the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0044] A third aspect of this application provides a communication method applied to a terminal device. For example, the terminal device may be the terminal device itself, or it may be a component within the terminal device (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions), or it may be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the communication device functions. The following description uses a terminal device as an example. In this method, the terminal device determines a quality metric for one or more reference signals, which indicates the signal quality of the reference signals used for sensing. If the quality metric satisfies a partial bandwidth switching rule, a portion of the bandwidth is switched.

[0045] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device can be configured with partial bandwidth rules, and when performing a sensing task, it can first determine the quality metric of one or more reference signals used for sensing measurement, and when the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rules, it can switch the partial bandwidth, thereby reducing the number of partial bandwidth switching times during the sensing task, which can reduce the impact of partial bandwidth switching latency caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on the sensing latency, and thus improve the reliability of the sensing task.

[0046] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the quality metric includes at least one of the following: bandwidth ratio; signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal; signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal; and received power of the truncated reference signal. The bandwidth ratio includes the ratio of the bandwidth of the truncated reference signal to the bandwidth of the reference signal, where the truncated reference signal is the portion of the reference signal whose bandwidth overlaps with the bandwidth of the active-state portion of the terminal device.

[0047] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the bandwidth ratio also includes the ratio of the sum of the bandwidths of the multiple truncated reference signals to the sum of the bandwidths of the multiple reference signals.

[0048] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the partial bandwidth switching rule includes at least one of the first rule, the second rule, the third rule, or the fourth rule, wherein the first rule is that the bandwidth ratio is less than the bandwidth ratio threshold; the second rule is that the signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal is less than the signal-to-noise ratio threshold; the third rule is that the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal is less than the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold; and the fourth rule is that the received power of the truncated reference signal is less than the power threshold.

[0049] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the quality metric further includes the transmission type of the reference signal, which includes non-line-of-sight transmission or line-of-sight transmission. The reference signal includes at least one of a first reference signal or a second reference signal, wherein the first reference signal is a reference signal with a transmission type of non-line-of-sight transmission and the second reference signal is a reference signal with a transmission type of line-of-sight transmission.

[0050] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, if a partial bandwidth switching rule includes multiple rules, the partial bandwidth switching rule also includes weight values ​​corresponding to multiple rules; the partial bandwidth switching rule also includes a comprehensive score of the reference signal greater than a first threshold, the comprehensive score of the reference signal being obtained based on the score of the first reference signal, the score of the second reference signal, the weight value of the first reference signal, and the weight value of the second reference signal, the score of the first reference signal being determined based on the first reference signal, multiple rules, and the weight values ​​of the multiple rules, and the score of the second reference signal being determined based on the second reference signal, multiple rules, and the weight values ​​of the multiple rules.

[0051] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the terminal device includes a first moving speed range and a second moving speed range, wherein the first moving speed range corresponds to at least one of a first bandwidth ratio threshold, a first signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a first power threshold, and the second moving speed range corresponds to at least one of a second bandwidth ratio threshold, a second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a second power threshold.

[0052] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, if the average speed of the first moving speed range is greater than the average speed of the second moving speed range, the first bandwidth ratio threshold is less than the second bandwidth ratio threshold, the first signal-to-noise ratio threshold is less than the second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, the first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold is less than the second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, and the first power threshold is less than the second power threshold.

[0053] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, a first indication information is received, which is used to indicate a partial bandwidth switching rule.

[0054] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the reference signal includes at least one of a sensing reference signal, a positioning reference signal, a channel state information reference signal, a tracking reference signal, or a detection reference signal.

[0055] It should be noted that the explanations, supplements, and descriptions of beneficial effects in the first aspect also apply to the third aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0056] A fourth aspect of this application provides a communication device that performs the functions described in the first aspect. For example, the communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the operations involved in the first aspect. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both. For instance, the device includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit; the transceiver unit is used to send a partial bandwidth switching request when the quality metric of one or more reference signals satisfies a partial bandwidth switching rule. This partial bandwidth switching request is used to request a switch of a portion of the bandwidth.

[0057] In the fourth aspect of this application, the constituent modules of the communication device can also be used to perform the steps executed in various possible implementations of the first aspect and achieve the corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0058] A fifth aspect of this application provides a communication device that performs the functions described in the second aspect above. For example, the communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the operations involved in the second aspect. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both. For instance, the device includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit. The transceiver unit receives a partial bandwidth switching request, which is sent by the first communication device when the quality metric of a reference signal satisfies a partial bandwidth switching rule. The quality metric indicates the signal quality of the sensed signal, the reference signal is used for sensing and measurement, and the partial bandwidth switching request requests a partial bandwidth switch.

[0059] In the fifth aspect of this application, the constituent modules of the communication device can also be used to perform the steps executed in various possible implementations of the second aspect and achieve the corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0060] A sixth aspect of this application provides a communication device that performs the functions described in the third aspect above. For example, the communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the operations involved in the third aspect. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both. For instance, the device includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit; the processing unit determines a quality metric for one or more reference signals, which indicates the signal quality of the reference signals used for sensing; if the quality metric satisfies a partial bandwidth switching rule, it switches a portion of the bandwidth.

[0061] In the sixth aspect of this application, the constituent modules of the communication device can also be used to perform the steps executed in various possible implementations of the third aspect and achieve the corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the third aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0062] The seventh aspect of this application provides a communication device including at least one processor for executing computer programs or instructions to enable the device to implement any one of the first to fourth aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0063] Optionally, the at least one processor is coupled to a memory for storing computer programs or instructions.

[0064] Optionally, the communication device includes the memory. Optionally, the memory is integrated with at least one processor.

[0065] The eighth aspect of this application provides a communication device including at least one logic circuit and an input / output interface; the logic circuit is used to perform the method as described in any one of the possible implementations of the first to fourth aspects.

[0066] In one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or chip system.

[0067] The ninth aspect of this application provides a communication system, which includes the first communication device and the second communication device described above.

[0068] The tenth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing one or more computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, perform a method as described in any possible implementation of any of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0069] The eleventh aspect of this application provides a computer program product (or computer program) in which, when the computer program in the computer program product is executed by the processor, the processor executes any possible implementation of any of the first to fourth aspects of the method described above.

[0070] The twelfth aspect of this application provides a chip or chip system including at least one processor for supporting a communication device in implementing any possible implementation of any of the first to fourth aspects described above. For example, the chip may be a baseband chip, a modem chip, a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, a system-in-package (SIP) chip, or a communication module, etc.

[0071] In one possible design, the chip or chip system may further include a memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. Optionally, the chip system may also include interface circuitry that provides program instructions and / or data to the at least one processor.

[0072] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects four through twelfth can be found in the technical effects of the different design methods in aspects one through three above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0073] Figure 1a is a schematic diagram of some bandwidth configurations provided in this application;

[0074] Figures 1b and 1c are some schematic diagrams of the communication system provided in this application;

[0075] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the communication system provided in this application;

[0076] Figures 3 and 5 are schematic diagrams of the communication method provided in this application;

[0077] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the search reference signal provided in this application;

[0078] Figures 6 to 9 are some schematic diagrams of the communication device provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0079] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the embodiments of this application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0080] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of this application, several technical terms involved in the embodiments of this application will be introduced below.

[0081] (1) Terminal device: can be a wireless terminal device that can receive network device scheduling and instruction information. The wireless terminal device can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to the user, or a handheld device with wireless connection function, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem.

[0082] Terminal devices can communicate with one or more core networks or the Internet via a radio access network (RAN). Terminal devices can be mobile terminal devices, such as mobile phones (or "cellular" phones), computers, and data cards. For example, they can be portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-embedded, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices that exchange voice and / or data with the RAN. Examples include personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets, and computers with wireless transceiver capabilities. Wireless terminal equipment can also be referred to as a system, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), remote station, access point (AP), remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, subscriber station (SS), customer premises equipment (CPE), terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile terminal (MT), drone, etc. Terminal equipment can also be wearable devices and next-generation communication systems, such as terminal equipment in 5G communication systems or terminal equipment in future public land mobile networks (PLMNs).

[0083] (2) Network equipment (or network element): This can be equipment in a wireless network. For example, network equipment can be a RAN node (or device) that connects terminal devices to the wireless network, and can also be called a base station. Currently, some examples of RAN equipment include: base station, evolved NodeB (eNodeB), gNB (gNodeB) in 5G communication systems, transmission reception point (TRP), evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), home base station (e.g., home evolved Node B, or home Node B, HNB), base band unit (BBU), or wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point (AP), etc. In addition, in a network structure, network equipment can include centralized unit (CU) nodes, distributed unit (DU) nodes, or RAN equipment including CU nodes and DU nodes.

[0084] Optionally, RAN nodes can also be macro base stations, micro base stations, indoor stations, relay nodes, donor nodes, or radio controllers in cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenarios. RAN nodes can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in V2X technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0085] In this embodiment, network equipment can be deployed on satellites or on the ground. For example, a base station can be deployed entirely on a satellite, or only some of its functions can be deployed on a satellite. For instance, the radio frequency unit (RU) of a base station can be deployed on a satellite, while other parts can be deployed on the ground. Another example is that the RU and DU of a base station can be deployed on a satellite, while the CU can be deployed on the ground. Similarly, core network equipment can also be deployed on satellites. For example, some core network user plane elements can be deployed on satellites to support direct interaction between terminals via satellite, eliminating the need for ground-based communication. Some core network control plane elements can also be deployed on satellites. For example, deploying mobility management and session management elements on satellites can support emergency disaster relief services in situations where there is no terrestrial network.

[0086] For example, network devices may be deployed on non-terrestrial platforms, including but not limited to low-Earth orbit satellites, medium-Earth orbit satellites, high-Earth orbit satellites, high-altitude platforms, drones, and other high-altitude platforms.

[0087] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each RAN node performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0088] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN, or ORAN) system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0089] Communication between access network devices and terminal devices follows a specific protocol layer structure. This protocol layer may include a control plane protocol layer and a user plane protocol layer. The control plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: radio resource control (RRC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, or physical (PHY) layer, etc. The user plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, or physical layer, etc.

[0090] The correspondence between network elements and their achievable protocol layer functions in the ORAN system can be found in Table 1 below.

[0091] Table 1

[0092] Network devices can be other devices that provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or form of the network device. For ease of description, the embodiments of this application are not limited.

[0093] Network equipment may also include core network equipment, such as the Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Serving Gateway (S-GW), Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), and Public Data Network Gateway (PDN Gateway, P-GW) in 4th generation (4G) networks; and AMF, User Plane Function (UPF), or Session Management Function (SMF) in 5G networks. Furthermore, this core network equipment may also include other core network equipment in 5G networks and next-generation networks of 5G networks.

[0094] In this application embodiment, the device for implementing the function of the network device can be the network device itself, or it can be a device capable of supporting the network device in implementing that function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the network device. In the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment, the example of a network device being used to implement the function of the network device is used to describe the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment.

[0095] (3) Configuration and Pre-configuration: In this application, both configuration and pre-configuration are used. Configuration refers to the network device sending configuration information or parameter values ​​of some parameters to the terminal device through messages or signaling, so that the terminal device can determine the communication parameters or resources during transmission based on these values ​​or information. Pre-configuration is similar to configuration; it can be parameter information or parameter values ​​that the network device and the terminal device have negotiated in advance, or it can be parameter information or parameter values ​​that the network device or the terminal device uses as specified by the standard protocol, or it can be parameter information or parameter values ​​that are pre-stored in the network device or the terminal device. This application does not limit this.

[0096] Furthermore, these values ​​and parameters can be changed or updated.

[0097] (4) The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of this application can be used interchangeably. "At least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. And, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0098] (5) In the embodiments of this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which may include sending directly through the air interface or sending indirectly through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which may include receiving directly from YY through the air interface or receiving indirectly from YY through the air interface by other units or modules. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0099] In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via buses, wiring, or interfaces.

[0100] It is understandable that information may undergo necessary processing, such as encoding and modulation, between the source and destination, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar statements in this application can be interpreted in a similar way and will not be elaborated further.

[0101] (6) In the embodiments of this application, "instruction" may include direct instruction and indirect instruction, as well as explicit instruction and implicit instruction. The information indicated by a certain piece of information (as described below, the instruction information) is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is an association between the other information and the information to be instructed; or it can only indicate a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts of the information to be instructed are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction can be implemented by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol predefined) arrangement order of various information, thereby reducing the instruction overhead to a certain extent. This application does not limit the specific method of instruction. It is understood that for the sender of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to indicate the information to be instructed, and for the receiver of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to determine the information to be instructed.

[0102] (7) Reference signal (RS), also known as pilot signal. In communication systems, estimating the uplink or downlink channel is essential for transmitting and receiving data, obtaining system synchronization and feedback channel information. Channel estimation refers to the process of reconstructing or recovering the received signal to compensate for signal distortion caused by channel fading and noise fading. It uses reference signals known to the transmitter and receiver to track the time and frequency domain changes of the channel. These reference signals are distributed in different resource elements (REs) in the time-frequency two-dimensional space within the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, and have known amplitudes and phases.

[0103] For example, at the physical layer, uplink communication can include the transmission of uplink physical channels and uplink signals. Uplink physical channels include random access channels (PRACH), physical uplink control channels (PUCCH), and physical uplink shared channels (PUSCH), etc. Uplink signals include sounding reference signals (SRS), PUCCH de-modulation reference signals (PUCCH-DMRS), PUSCH de-modulation reference signals (PUSCH-DMRS), uplink phase noise tracking reference signals (PTRS), and uplink positioning signals (RS), etc.

[0104] For example, at the physical layer, downlink communication can include the transmission of downlink physical channels and downlink signals. Downlink physical channels include the physical broadcast channel (PBCH), the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), etc. Downlink signals include the primary synchronization signal (PSS) / secondary synchronization signal (SSS), the downlink control channel demodulation reference signal (PDCCH-DMRS), the downlink data channel demodulation reference signal (PDSCH-DMRS), the phase noise tracking signal (PTRS), the channel status information reference signal (CSI-RS), the cell reference signal (CRS), the tracking reference signal (TRS), the positioning reference signal (PRS), and the sensing reference signal, etc.

[0105] (8) Bandwidth Part (BWP) refers to a continuous segment of spectrum resources allocated by network equipment to terminal devices. In communication networks, BWP represents the further division and configuration of component carriers to adapt to different communication needs and scenarios. BWP is a subset of the total bandwidth of a cell. Through BWP, network bandwidth self-adaptation can be achieved, thereby flexibly adjusting the bandwidth of terminal devices for receiving and transmitting. This means that the bandwidth requirements of terminal devices do not have to be completely consistent with the bandwidth of the entire cell; they only need to meet the minimum requirements of different service types. This is conducive to the development of low-cost terminals and promotes industrial development. BWP technology can improve the efficiency of spectrum resource utilization. Specifically, through dynamic spectrum allocation and multi-BWP support, BWP can utilize spectrum resources more effectively to meet the needs of different service types. BWP technology can also realize power consumption management of terminal devices. Specifically, it allows terminal devices to switch between different BWPs according to actual needs, thereby reducing power consumption. BWP technology can also enhance network flexibility and scalability. Specifically, the configuration and management of BWP can be dynamically adjusted according to service needs and network conditions, thereby enhancing network flexibility and scalability.

[0106] Through BWP technology, terminal devices can operate on different BWPs. Each BWP can use a different set of parameters, including bandwidth, subcarrier spacing, and other control parameters, to adapt to different types of terminal devices and service types. Specifically, as shown in Figure 1a, at the first moment, when the terminal device has a large traffic volume, the system can configure a larger BWP, namely BWP1, for the terminal device. At the second moment, when the terminal device has a smaller traffic volume, the system can configure a smaller BWP, namely BWP2, to meet the basic communication needs of the terminal device. At the third moment, if the system detects a large range of frequency-selective fading within the bandwidth of BWP1, or if resources are scarce within the frequency range of BWP1, a new BWP, namely BWP3, can be configured for the terminal device. The terminal device only needs to use the center frequency and sampling rate of the corresponding BWP within its corresponding BWP. Moreover, each BWP is not only different in frequency and bandwidth, but each BWP can also correspond to different configurations to adapt to different services. From the perspective of transmission direction, the terminal device's BWP is divided into uplink BWP and downlink BWP, used for uplink data transmission and downlink data transmission, respectively. The center frequency is the core frequency for wireless signal transmission and represents the central position of the frequency spectrum occupied by the radio signal during transmission. The sampling rate refers to the number of sampling points extracted from a continuous signal and converted into a discrete signal per unit time, usually expressed in Hertz (Hz).

[0107] (9) Partial Bandwidth Switching Delay (BWP Switching Delay) refers to the time elapsed from when the terminal device receives the signaling instructing a partial bandwidth switch to when the new partial bandwidth is successfully activated and can begin sending or receiving data on that partial bandwidth. During the partial bandwidth switching delay, the terminal device cannot perform normal information transmission and reception; therefore, network devices cannot schedule uplink or downlink data during this period. If the terminal device finds that the take-off and landing times of the scheduled physical downlink shared channel or physical uplink shared channel fall within the partial bandwidth switching delay, the terminal device can consider this an error case and will not receive or send physical downlink shared channels according to the schedule. The partial bandwidth switching delay can consist of three parts:

[0108] The first part is the time it takes for the terminal device to demodulate the downlink control information (DCI) that includes a portion of the bandwidth switching instructions.

[0109] The second part is the time it takes for the terminal device to calculate or load the new partial bandwidth parameters.

[0110] The third part is the time when the new partial bandwidth parameters will take effect.

[0111] Partial bandwidth switching can be divided into four scenarios:

[0112] Scenario 1: Change the center frequency but not the bandwidth (regardless of whether the subcarrier spacing is changed).

[0113] Scenario 2: Change the bandwidth without changing the center frequency (regardless of whether the subcarrier spacing is changed).

[0114] Scenario 3: Change both the center frequency and the bandwidth (regardless of whether the subcarrier spacing is changed).

[0115] Scenario 4: The center frequency and bandwidth remain unchanged, only the subcarrier spacing is changed.

[0116] Furthermore, the bandwidth switching latency under various scenarios can be shown in Table 2 below.

[0117] Table 2

[0118] Please refer to Figure 1b, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 1000 used in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 1b, the communication system includes a RAN 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may also include an Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1b, collectively referred to as 110), and may also include at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1b, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1b). The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110, and the RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 200. The core network equipment in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 can be independent and different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating the logical functions of the core network equipment and the logical functions of the RAN node. Terminals can be connected to each other, as can RAN nodes, via wired or wireless means.

[0119] The core network equipment that may be involved in this application includes:

[0120] Access and mobility management function (AMF) devices / network elements / entities are deployed in the wireless core network to manage the access and mobility of terminal devices, performing registration, connection, reachability, and mobility management. AMF can also provide a session management message transmission channel for terminal devices and session management function (SMF) network elements, providing authentication and authorization functions for user access, and serving as an access point for the terminal and the wireless core network control plane.

[0121] User plane function (UPF) devices / network elements / entities refer to the user plane, which carries data traffic and is responsible for forwarding traffic between the radio access network and the Internet, reporting traffic usage, and enforcing quality of service (QoS) policies.

[0122] Figure 1c shows an example diagram of an O-RAN system, which may include other components besides those shown in the figure. As shown, the access network device (RAN, such as an eNB, gNB, or next-generation access network device) communicates with the core network (CN) via a backhaul link and with the UE via an air interface.

[0123] In one possible implementation, this application can be applied to long-term evolution (LTE) wireless communication systems, NR wireless communication systems, and future new radio (NR) wireless communication systems. For example, this application can be applied to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems in LTE, OFDM systems in NR, future OFDM systems, and OFDM-like systems.

[0124] This application may also involve sensing, in which wireless sensing fusion is one of the key technologies in current communication network research and can be widely used in typical application scenarios such as intelligent transportation, intelligent low-altitude airspace, and intelligent networks. Communication sensing fusion achieves unified design of communication and sensing functions through signal joint design and hardware sharing. Sensing in communication sensing fusion can be understood as wireless sensing technology based on a communication system. For example, terminal devices or network devices transmit wireless signals to a target area or object and receive the echo signals reflected by the object. By analyzing the received signals, corresponding sensing measurements are obtained, such as the number, location, speed, and identification of the target object. In other words, with the development of communication technology, future communication systems may provide sensing services in addition to communication services. Such networks can be understood as integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) networks.

[0125] As an example, taking access network devices and / or terminal devices as sensing devices, sensing signals may be transmitted between access network devices and terminal devices, between terminal devices, and between access network devices. The following will be described in conjunction with the process shown in Figure 2, with the target object being a vehicle as an example.

[0126] As shown in Figure 2, the sensing signal can have the following six modes:

[0127] (a) The access network device sends a sensing signal, and the access network device receives the sensing signal.

[0128] (b) The terminal device sends a sensing signal, and the terminal device receives the sensing signal.

[0129] (c) One access network device sends a sensing signal, and another access network device receives the sensing signal.

[0130] (d) One terminal device sends a sensing signal, and another terminal device receives the sensing signal.

[0131] (e) The access network device sends a sensing signal, and the terminal device receives the sensing signal.

[0132] (f) The terminal device sends a sensing signal, and the access network device receives the sensing signal.

[0133] Among them, modes (a) and (b) can be sensed by a single device, which can be understood as spontaneous and self-receiving mono-static sensing; modes (c) to (f) can be sensed by two devices, which can be understood as bi-static sensing.

[0134] In a wireless communication system (such as the communication system shown in Figure 1b), network devices can calculate and determine signal transmission resources, which may include time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, etc., for carrying signals. Correspondingly, terminal devices can transmit and receive signals on these transmission resources. In this way, different communication devices can transmit service data related to communication services through the communication system to obtain communication services. Generally, the signal transmitted during communication may include a reference signal, which may have a known amplitude and / or phase. The receiver of the reference signal can perform measurements based on the received reference signal.

[0135] However, how to save resource consumption during the transmission of reference signals is a hot topic in the field of communications.

[0136] As an example, current networks have defined some reference signals and their functions, such as Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Tracking Reference Signal (TRS), Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), and Positioning Reference Signal (PRS), which will be illustrated by example in Table 3 below.

[0137] Table 3

[0138] It should be noted that the sensing reference signal can be a signal used to support positioning measurements in a communication-sensing integrated scenario. The sensing reference signal can be used to determine positioning parameters such as signal arrival time, time difference of arrival, or angle of arrival. These positioning parameters can then be used to calculate information such as the device's position and motion state. Optionally, the sensing reference signal can be called a Perception Reference Signal. It is understood that the specific name of the sensing reference signal can be set according to the actual situation, and this application does not impose any limitations on it.

[0139] In communication networks, when terminal devices perform sensing tasks, the transmission time, processing time, and reporting loop time of reference signals can be pre-configured. For example, the total processing time for reference signals can be 10 milliseconds, and the processing window can be 5 milliseconds. However, because each time the terminal device switches part of the bandwidth, there is a partial bandwidth switching delay. During this partial bandwidth switching delay, the terminal device cannot send or receive information normally. Therefore, if a partial bandwidth switch occurs during signal sensing, the terminal device will be almost unable to perform any operations during this delay, meaning it cannot process the reference signal. This also extends the processing window, forcing the terminal device to request a specific processing window from the network device. Furthermore, the network device needs to reconfigure the transmission time, processing time, and reporting loop time of the reference signal. In summary, when a terminal device performs a sensing task, frequent partial bandwidth switching results in a partial bandwidth switching delay, which affects the sensing latency and thus the sensing accuracy, ultimately impacting the reliability of the sensing task.

[0140] To address the aforementioned problems, this application provides a communication method and related apparatus, which will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0141] Please refer to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of an implementation of the communication method provided in this application. The method includes the following steps.

[0142] It should be noted that, in Figure 3 and related implementation examples below, the method is illustrated using a first communication device and other communication devices (such as a second communication device) as the execution subjects of this interaction illustration. However, this application does not limit the execution subjects of this interaction illustration. For example, the first communication device can be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip, baseband chip, modem chip, system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, system-in-package (SIP) chip, communication module, chip system, processor, logic module, or software in the terminal device or network device. Exemplarily, the first communication device can be a terminal device, and the second communication device can be a network device.

[0143] As an example, network equipment can be a base station or an access network device.

[0144] As another example, the second communication device can be an ORAN device (including at least one of O-CU, O-DU, or O-RU). For instance, the second communication device may include an O-RU that can transmit information or messages via a wireless link, enabling the first communication device to receive such information or messages. Alternatively, the second communication device may include an O-CU and / or an O-DU, and transmit information or messages via the O-RU, enabling the first communication device to receive such information or messages.

[0145] S301. The first communication device determines a quality metric for one or more reference signals.

[0146] Among them, the quality metric is used to indicate the signal quality of the reference signal, which is used for sensing measurements.

[0147] In this embodiment, when performing a sensing task, the first communication device can first search for and measure reference signals used for sensing measurements to obtain quality metrics for one or more reference signals. These quality metrics can be used to indicate the signal quality of the reference signals. It is understood that the quality metrics of the reference signals can be calculated from quality parameters related to the signal quality of the reference signals. That is, after searching for one or more reference signals, the first communication device can further determine the quality parameters corresponding to the one or more reference signals, and calculate or determine the quality metrics of the one or more reference signals based on the quality parameters. The quality parameters are parameters related to signal quality that can be directly determined through measurement, and can be used to further calculate or determine the quality metrics.

[0148] It should be noted that one or more reference signals may be sent to the first communication device by the same communication device or by multiple different communication devices.

[0149] Optionally, the reference signal used for sensing measurement can be understood as having at least one of the following: the reference signal has the function of sensing measurement; the reference signal is used to determine the sensing measurement result; the measurement report corresponding to the reference signal contains the sensing measurement result; or, the function of the reference signal includes at least sensing. Furthermore, each reference signal can have a corresponding quality metric used to indicate signal quality.

[0150] For example, the reference signal used for sensing can be used to sense or reflect one or more of the following: obstacle information in physical space, transmission channel information formed by collisions with obstacles, or transmission path information. The sensing involved in this application includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: positioning, measurement, detection, channel sensing, monitoring, time measurement, distance measurement, angle measurement, velocity measurement, Doppler frequency shift measurement, point cloud measurement, or sensing feedback.

[0151] Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the first communication device can search and measure the reference signal based on the current active-state partial bandwidth, determine the portion of the reference signal that overlaps with the active-state partial bandwidth, and identify this overlapping portion as a truncated reference signal. Furthermore, the first communication device can also, within a specific time period, jump out of the current active-state partial bandwidth and search and measure the reference signal using a system partial bandwidth with a larger coverage area than the active-state partial bandwidth. This allows for the discovery of more reference signals and the determination of the total bandwidth of the reference signal, thereby enabling accurate calculation of the reference signal's quality metric. The system partial bandwidth can be the largest coverage area available to the first communication device.

[0152] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the reference signal includes at least one of a sensing reference signal, a positioning reference signal, a channel state information reference signal, a tracking reference signal, or a detection reference signal.

[0153] In this embodiment, the reference signal searched and measured by the first communication device for sensing can be at least one of a sensing reference signal, a positioning reference signal, a channel state information reference signal, a tracking reference signal, or a detection reference signal. That is, the first communication device can search for and measure at least one of the sensing reference signal, positioning reference signal, channel state information reference signal, tracking reference signal, or detection reference signal to determine the quality metric of the sensing reference signal, positioning reference signal, channel state information reference signal, tracking reference signal, or detection reference signal. It should be noted that the above description of the types of reference signals is merely illustrative, and this embodiment does not limit the specific types of reference signals.

[0154] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the quality metric includes at least one of the following: bandwidth ratio; signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal; signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal; and reference signal received power of the truncated reference signal. The bandwidth ratio includes the ratio of the bandwidth of the truncated reference signal to the bandwidth of the reference signal, where the truncated reference signal is the portion of the reference signal whose bandwidth overlaps with the bandwidth of the active-state portion of the terminal device.

[0155] In this embodiment, the first communication device can obtain at least one quality parameter, such as the bandwidth of the reference signal, the bandwidth of the truncated reference signal, the signal power of the truncated reference signal, the noise power of the truncated reference signal, the interference intensity of the truncated reference signal, or the received power of the truncated reference signal, by searching and measuring one or more reference signals. Then, based on the quality parameters of the reference signals, at least one quality metric, such as the bandwidth ratio, the signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal, the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal, or the received power of the truncated reference signal, is calculated. This allows the device to further determine whether partial bandwidth switching is necessary based on the quality metrics of one or more reference signals and partial bandwidth switching rules. Furthermore, when the quality metrics of one or more reference signals meet the partial bandwidth switching rules, a partial bandwidth switching request can be initiated. This reduces the number of partial bandwidth switches during sensing tasks, thereby reducing the impact of partial bandwidth switching delay caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on sensing delay and improving the reliability of the sensing task. Specifically, the bandwidth ratio of the reference signal can be determined by calculating the ratio of the bandwidth of the truncated reference signal to the bandwidth of the reference signal. For example, the bandwidth of the truncated reference signal in each reference signal can be determined first, then the bandwidth of each reference signal can be determined, and finally the bandwidth ratio of each reference signal can be obtained by dividing the bandwidth of the truncated reference signal by the bandwidth of the corresponding reference signal. It should be noted that the first communication device can also directly obtain parameters such as the signal-to-noise ratio and signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal by measurement, and this embodiment of the application does not limit this.

[0156] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the bandwidth ratio further includes the ratio of the sum of the bandwidths of the plurality of truncated reference signals to the sum of the bandwidths of the plurality of reference signals.

[0157] In this embodiment, after the first communication device searches for multiple reference signals and measures the quality parameters of each reference signal, it can calculate a ratio based on the sum of the bandwidths of the multiple truncated reference signals corresponding to the multiple reference signals and the sum of the bandwidths of the multiple reference signals. This ratio can be used as part of the bandwidth ratio, allowing the quality measurement of one or more reference signals to more accurately indicate the signal quality of the reference signals. This, in turn, allows for a more accurate determination of whether the first communication device needs to perform partial bandwidth switching, thereby reducing the number of partial bandwidth switching operations during sensing tasks. This reduces the impact of partial bandwidth switching delay caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on sensing delay, thus improving the reliability of the sensing task. For example, the bandwidth of the truncated reference signals in each reference signal can be determined first, and the bandwidth of each reference signal can be determined. Then, the bandwidths of each truncated reference signal are summed to obtain the sum of the bandwidths of the multiple truncated reference signals. Finally, the ratio is obtained by dividing the sum of the bandwidths of the multiple truncated reference signals by the sum of the bandwidths of the multiple reference signals. The following formula can be used for calculation: (bwt1+bwt2+…+bwtn) / (bw1+bw2+…+bwn);

[0158] Where bwtn refers to the bandwidth of the truncated reference signal in the nth reference signal, that is, the bandwidth of the nth truncated reference signal; bwn refers to the bandwidth of the nth reference signal.

[0159] It's important to note that bandwidth refers to the width of the frequency band occupied by the signal, that is, the frequency range from the lowest to the highest frequency component. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is the ratio between signal power and noise power, usually expressed as S / N or dB (decibels). SNR represents the relative strength of a signal against background noise; it is an absolute value. It measures the proportional relationship between signal and noise. The signal refers to the useful information that a device or system needs to process or transmit, while noise refers to irregular extra information or interference that does not change with the signal. Signal-to-noise plus interference power ratio (SNIR) is the ratio between signal strength and the strength of noise and interference, usually expressed in decibels (dB). SNIR is an important parameter for measuring signal transmission quality, reflecting signal quality, signal loss, noise intensity, and interference intensity. Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) represents the average signal power received across all resource elements (REs) carrying the reference signal within a given symbol, measured in decibels per milliwatt (dBm). RSRP directly reflects the power intensity of the reference signal received by the receiver from the transmitter and is fundamental for measuring network coverage quality and signal strength.

[0160] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the quality metric further includes the transmission type of the reference signal, which includes non-line-of-sight transmission or line-of-sight transmission. The reference signal includes at least one of a first reference signal or a second reference signal, wherein the first reference signal is a reference signal with a non-line-of-sight transmission type and the second reference signal is a reference signal with a line-of-sight transmission type.

[0161] In this embodiment, when the first communication device detects and measures one or more reference signals, it can also determine the transmission type of each reference signal, that is, whether the transmission type of each reference signal is non-line-of-sight transmission or line-of-sight transmission. Furthermore, the reference signals can be divided into a first reference signal and a second reference signal according to their transmission type. The first reference signal can be a reference signal with a non-line-of-sight transmission type, and the second reference signal can be a reference signal with a line-of-sight transmission type. It is understood that the one or more reference signals detected by the first communication device can all be first reference signals, or all be second reference signals, or may contain both first and second reference signals.

[0162] It's important to clarify that non-line-of-sight (NLOS) transmission refers to wireless communication where the line of sight between the transmitter and receiver is obstructed, preventing the signal from propagating directly in a straight line. In this case, the signal needs to bypass obstacles through reflection, scattering, and diffraction to reach the receiver. Line-of-sight (LOS) transmission, on the other hand, refers to wireless communication where the transmitter and receiver have a direct line of sight without any obstructions. In other words, the wireless signal can propagate in a straight line between the transmitter and receiver without any obstructions. It's understandable that if the reference signal used for sensing measurements is transmitted using non-line-of-sight transmission (i.e., the first reference signal), then the first reference signal can be considered a highly effective reference signal. If the reference signal used for sensing measurements is transmitted using line-of-sight transmission (i.e., the second reference signal), then the second reference signal can be considered a less effective reference signal.

[0163] 302. If the quality metric of one or more reference signals satisfies the partial bandwidth switching rule, the first communication device sends a partial bandwidth switching request, and correspondingly, the second communication device receives the partial bandwidth switching request.

[0164] Among them, the partial bandwidth switching request is used to request the switching of a portion of the bandwidth.

[0165] In this embodiment, the first communication device may be configured with partial bandwidth switching rules, which can be conditions that need to be met when switching partial bandwidth. Specifically, the partial bandwidth switching rules can be conditions that the quality metrics of one or more reference signals obtained by the first communication device through searching and measurement need to be met when switching partial bandwidth. After determining the quality metrics of one or more reference signals through searching and measurement, the first communication device can match the quality metrics of one or more reference signals with the partial bandwidth switching rules to determine whether the quality metrics of one or more reference signals determined by the first communication device meet the partial bandwidth switching rules. Furthermore, when the quality metrics of one or more reference signals meet the partial bandwidth switching rules, the first communication device can initiate a partial bandwidth switching request to request or negotiate the switching of partial bandwidth with the second communication device. The second communication device can receive the partial bandwidth switching request from the first communication device and send the parameters or indication information required for the partial bandwidth switching request to complete the partial bandwidth switching of the first communication device. This can reduce the number of partial bandwidth switching operations during sensing tasks, that is, reduce the impact of partial bandwidth switching latency caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on sensing latency, thereby improving the reliability of sensing tasks.

[0166] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the partial bandwidth switching rule includes at least one of a first rule, a second rule, a third rule, or a fourth rule, wherein the first rule is that the bandwidth ratio is less than a bandwidth ratio threshold; the second rule is that the signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal is less than a signal-to-noise ratio threshold; the third rule is that the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal is less than a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold; and the fourth rule is that the received power of the truncated reference signal is less than a power threshold.

[0167] In this embodiment, the partial bandwidth switching rules configured for the first communication device may include at least one of the following: a first rule related to bandwidth ratio, a second rule related to the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the truncated reference signal, a third rule related to the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of the truncated reference signal, or a fourth rule related to the received power of the truncated reference signal. That is, a corresponding bandwidth ratio threshold can be set for the bandwidth ratio of the reference signal, a corresponding SNR threshold can be set for the SNR of the truncated reference signal, a corresponding SINR threshold can be set for the SNR of the truncated reference signal, and a corresponding power threshold can be set for the received power of the truncated reference signal. This allows the first communication device to accurately determine whether the signal quality of the reference signal searched under the current partial bandwidth meets the requirements based on the quality metric of the reference signal and the configured partial bandwidth switching rules. In other words, it can accurately determine whether partial bandwidth switching is necessary, thereby reducing the number of partial bandwidth switching operations during sensing tasks. This reduces the impact of partial bandwidth switching delay caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on sensing delay, thereby improving the reliability of the sensing task. It should be noted that the first, second, third, or fourth rules in the above-mentioned bandwidth switching rules are merely examples, and some bandwidth switching rules may also include other rules, which are not limited in this application embodiment. Furthermore, the bandwidth ratio threshold, signal-to-noise ratio threshold, signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, and power threshold can be set according to actual conditions, which are not limited in this application embodiment.

[0168] For example, when the partial bandwidth switching rule only includes the first rule, the first communication device can determine whether the quality metric of one or more reference signals satisfies the partial bandwidth switching rule by judging whether the ratio of the bandwidth of the truncated reference signal to the bandwidth of the reference signal is less than a bandwidth ratio threshold, or by judging whether the ratio of the sum of the bandwidths of multiple truncated reference signals to the sum of the bandwidths of multiple reference signals is less than a bandwidth ratio threshold. Furthermore, when the ratio of the bandwidth of the truncated reference signal to the bandwidth of the reference signal is less than the bandwidth ratio threshold, or when the ratio of the sum of the bandwidths of multiple truncated reference signals to the sum of the bandwidths of multiple reference signals is less than the bandwidth ratio threshold, it can be determined that the quality metric of one or more reference signals satisfies the partial bandwidth switching rule.

[0169] When the partial bandwidth switching rule only includes the second rule, the first communication device can determine whether the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial switching rule by judging whether the signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal is less than the signal-to-noise ratio threshold. When the signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal is less than the signal-to-noise ratio threshold, it can be determined that the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rule.

[0170] When the partial bandwidth switching rule only includes the third rule, the first communication device can determine whether the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial switching rule by judging whether the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SIR) of the truncated reference signal is less than the SIR threshold. When the SIR of the truncated reference signal is less than the SIR threshold, it can be determined that the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rule.

[0171] When the partial bandwidth switching rule only includes the fourth rule, the first communication device can determine whether the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial switching rule by judging whether the received power of the truncated reference signal is less than the power threshold. When the received power of the truncated reference signal is less than the power threshold, it can determine that the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rule.

[0172] When a partial bandwidth switching rule includes multiple rules, such as a second rule and a third rule, the first communication device can determine whether the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial switching rule by judging whether the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the truncated reference signal is less than the SNR threshold and whether the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of the truncated reference signal is less than the SINR threshold. Furthermore, the device can determine that the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rule when the SNR of the truncated reference signal is less than the SNR threshold, or when the SNR of the truncated reference signal is less than the SINR threshold, or when both the SNR of the truncated reference signal and the SINR of the truncated reference signal are less than the SINR threshold.

[0173] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, if a partial bandwidth switching rule includes multiple rules, the partial bandwidth switching rule also includes weight values ​​corresponding to multiple rules; the partial bandwidth switching rule also includes a comprehensive score of the reference signal greater than a first threshold, the comprehensive score of the reference signal being obtained based on the score of the first reference signal, the score of the second reference signal, the weight value of the first reference signal, and the weight value of the second reference signal, the score of the first reference signal being determined based on the first reference signal, multiple rules, and the weight values ​​of the multiple rules, and the score of the second reference signal being determined based on the second reference signal, multiple rules, and the weight values ​​of the multiple rules.

[0174] In this embodiment, if the partial bandwidth switching rules configured for the first communication device include multiple rules such as the first rule, second rule, third rule, or fourth rule, the partial bandwidth rules may also include weight values ​​set for each rule and weight values ​​set for the first reference signal and the second reference signal. Furthermore, the partial bandwidth rules may include a first threshold for measuring the comprehensive score of the reference signals. This allows the first communication device to accurately determine whether the signal quality of the reference signals searched under the current partial bandwidth meets the requirements based on the quality metric of the reference signals and the configured partial bandwidth switching rules. In other words, it can accurately determine whether partial bandwidth switching is necessary, thereby reducing the number of partial bandwidth switches during the sensing task. This reduces the impact of partial bandwidth switching latency caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on the sensing latency, thus improving the reliability of the sensing task. For example, after determining the quality metric of one or more reference signals, the first communication device can determine the score of each reference signal based on the weight value corresponding to each reference signal and the weight value corresponding to the rule that each reference signal conforms to, and further determine the comprehensive score of all reference signals. Finally, by comparing the comprehensive score of the reference signals with the first threshold, it determines whether the quality metric of the reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rules. For example, after determining the score of each reference signal, the overall score of the reference signals can be obtained by normalizing the score of each reference signal.

[0175] Specifically, if the partial bandwidth switching rules include a first rule and a second rule, the partial bandwidth switching rules may also include a first weight value 'a' corresponding to the first rule, a second weight value 'b' corresponding to the second rule, a weight value 'c' corresponding to the first reference signal, a weight value 'd' corresponding to the second reference signal, and a first threshold 'e'. If the two reference signals searched by the first communication device are a first reference signal and a second reference signal, and it is determined through measurement that the first reference signal conforms to both the first and second rules, while the second reference signal only conforms to the first rule, then the score of the first reference signal is c*(a+b), and the score of the second reference signal is d*a, where * indicates multiplication. Then, the comprehensive score 'f' of the reference signals can be calculated based on the scores of the first and second reference signals using a normalization method. Finally, by determining whether 'f' is less than 'e', ​​it can be determined whether the quality metric of one or more reference signals conforms to the partial bandwidth rules. And when 'f' is less than 'e', ​​it can be determined that the quality metric of one or more reference signals conforms to the partial bandwidth switching rules.

[0176] If the two reference signals searched by the first communication device are both first reference signals, and measurements determine that the first first reference signal conforms to both the first and second rules, while the second first reference signal only conforms to the first rule, then the score of the first first reference signal can be c*(a+b) or a+b, and the score of the second first reference signal can be c*a or a. Then, the comprehensive score f of the reference signals can be calculated based on the scores of the two first reference signals using a normalization method. Finally, by determining whether f is less than e, it can be determined whether the quality metric of one or more reference signals conforms to the partial bandwidth rule. Furthermore, if f is less than e, it can be determined that the quality metric of one or more reference signals conforms to the partial bandwidth switching rule.

[0177] If the two reference signals searched by the first communication device are both second reference signals, and measurements determine that the first second reference signal conforms to both the first and second rules, while the second second reference signal only conforms to the first rule, then the score of the first second reference signal can be d*(a+b) or a+b, and the score of the second first reference signal can be d*a or a. Then, the comprehensive score f of the reference signals can be calculated based on the scores of the two second reference signals using a normalization method. Finally, by determining whether f is less than e, it can be determined whether the quality metric of one or more reference signals conforms to the partial bandwidth rule. Furthermore, if f is less than e, it can be determined that the quality metric of one or more reference signals conforms to the partial bandwidth switching rule.

[0178] It should be noted that the weight values ​​corresponding to various rules, the weight value corresponding to the first reference signal, the weight value corresponding to the second reference signal, and the first threshold in the above embodiments can be set according to the actual situation, and this application embodiment does not limit them here.

[0179] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the first communication device includes a first moving speed range and a second moving speed range. The first moving speed range corresponds to at least one of a first bandwidth ratio threshold, a first signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a first power threshold. The second moving speed range corresponds to at least one of a second bandwidth ratio threshold, a second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, and / or a second power threshold.

[0180] In this embodiment, when the first communication device is in operation and performing a sensing task, the impact of sensing latency on the first communication device at different movement speeds is not the same. Therefore, different partial bandwidth switching rules can be set for the first communication device at different movement speeds. Specifically, different bandwidth ratio thresholds, signal-to-noise ratio thresholds, signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio thresholds, or power thresholds can be set for the first communication device at different movement speeds. That is, the partial bandwidth switching rules configured for the first communication device can include at least one of the bandwidth ratio threshold, signal-to-noise ratio threshold, signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or power threshold corresponding to different movement intervals. This allows the first communication device to accurately determine whether the signal quality of the reference signal searched under the current partial bandwidth meets the requirements based on the quality metric of the reference signal and the configured partial bandwidth switching rules. In other words, it can accurately determine whether a partial bandwidth switch is needed, thereby reducing the number of partial bandwidth switches during the sensing task. This reduces the impact of partial bandwidth switching latency caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on the sensing latency, thereby improving the reliability of the sensing task.

[0181] Wherein, if the first communication device includes two different movement speed ranges, a first movement speed range and a second movement speed range, for example, the first communication device is configured with a first movement speed range and a second movement speed range, or the movement speed range of the first communication device includes both a first movement speed range and a second movement speed range, then the partial bandwidth switching rules configured for the first communication device may include at least one of a first bandwidth ratio threshold, a first signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a first power threshold corresponding to the first movement speed range, and at least one of a second bandwidth ratio threshold, a second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a second power threshold corresponding to the second movement speed range.

[0182] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, if the average speed of the first moving speed range is greater than the average speed of the second moving speed range, the first bandwidth ratio threshold is less than the second bandwidth ratio threshold, the first signal-to-noise ratio threshold is less than the second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, the first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold is less than the second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, and the first power threshold is less than the second power threshold.

[0183] In this embodiment, since the faster the first communication device moves, the greater the impact of sensing latency on it, meaning that for a faster-moving first communication device, the partial bandwidth switching latency caused by switching partial bandwidth during sensing tasks will have a greater impact on sensing accuracy and the reliability of the sensing task, smaller bandwidth ratio thresholds, smaller signal-to-noise ratio thresholds, smaller signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio thresholds, and smaller power thresholds can be set for the moving speed range with a larger average speed. This allows the faster-moving first communication device to have a higher tolerance for the signal quality of the reference signal, making it less likely to trigger partial bandwidth switching, thereby reducing the number of partial bandwidth switching operations during sensing tasks. This reduces the impact of partial bandwidth switching latency caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on sensing latency, thus improving the reliability of the sensing task. It is understood that the average speed of the moving speed range can characterize the overall speed of that moving speed range.

[0184] It should be noted that the values ​​of the first moving speed range, the second moving speed range, the first bandwidth ratio threshold, the second bandwidth ratio threshold, the first signal-to-noise ratio threshold, the second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, the first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, the second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, the first power threshold, and the second power threshold in the above embodiments can be set according to actual conditions, and are not limited in this application embodiment.

[0185] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the partial bandwidth switching request includes identification information of the measurement gap duration or the target partial bandwidth.

[0186] In this embodiment, when the first communication device determines to switch a portion of its bandwidth and sends a portion bandwidth switching request to the second communication device, the request may carry the measurement gap duration or the identifier of the target portion bandwidth to which the first communication device is about to switch. This allows the second communication device, upon receiving the request, to reconfigure the parameters of the reference signal or re-determine the active portion bandwidth of the first communication device. The target portion bandwidth may be the next active portion bandwidth from which the first communication device will switch. Specifically, when the portion bandwidth switching request carries a measurement gap, it may also be a measurement gap request. Upon receiving the measurement gap request, the second communication device may adjust the processing window length and / or end time of the reference signal according to the request, and may send the readjusted measurement gap and other configuration parameters, along with the new reference signal, to the first communication device.

[0187] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the method shown in FIG3 further includes:

[0188] S300. The second communication device sends a first instruction message, and correspondingly, the first communication device receives the first instruction message.

[0189] The first indication information is used to indicate certain bandwidth switching rules.

[0190] In this embodiment, the second communication device can negotiate with other communication devices to determine the partial bandwidth switching rules of the first communication device based on the sensing task to be performed by the first communication device. Furthermore, the second communication device can configure the partial bandwidth switching rules to the first communication device via first indication information. This allows the first communication device to determine whether partial bandwidth switching is necessary based on the quality metrics of one or more reference signals and the configured partial bandwidth switching rules. This reduces the number of partial bandwidth switches during the sensing task, thereby reducing the impact of partial bandwidth switching latency caused by frequent switching on sensing latency and improving the reliability of the sensing task. It should be noted that the specific method by which the second communication device negotiates with other communication devices to determine the partial bandwidth switching rules can be set according to actual circumstances, and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0191] As can be seen from the examples in the foregoing embodiments, the first communication device can be configured with partial bandwidth rules, and when performing a sensing task, it can first determine the quality metric of one or more reference signals used for sensing measurement, and when the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rules, it can initiate a partial bandwidth switching request, thereby reducing the number of partial bandwidth switching times when performing a sensing task, that is, reducing the impact of partial bandwidth switching delay caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on sensing delay, and thus improving the reliability of the sensing task.

[0192] Please refer to Figure 5, which is a schematic diagram of an implementation of the communication method provided in this application. The method includes the following steps.

[0193] It should be noted that the communication method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to a terminal device. For example, the terminal device can be the terminal device itself, or it can be a component of the terminal device (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions), or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the communication device functions. The following description uses a terminal device as an example.

[0194] S501. The terminal device determines a quality metric for one or more reference signals.

[0195] Among them, the quality metric is used to indicate the signal quality of the reference signal, which is used for sensing measurements.

[0196] The specific implementation of step S501 is similar to that of step S301 in the preceding text, and will not be repeated here in the embodiments of this application.

[0197] S502. If the quality metrics of one or more reference signals satisfy the partial bandwidth switching rule, the terminal device switches the partial bandwidth.

[0198] In this application example, the terminal device can be configured with partial bandwidth switching rules, which can be conditions that need to be met when switching partial bandwidth. Specifically, the partial bandwidth switching rules can be conditions that the quality metrics of one or more reference signals obtained by the terminal device through searching and measurement need to meet when switching partial bandwidth. After determining the quality metrics of one or more reference signals through searching and measurement, the terminal device can match the quality metrics of one or more reference signals with the partial bandwidth switching rules to determine whether the quality metrics of one or more reference signals determined by the terminal device meet the partial bandwidth switching rules. Furthermore, the terminal device can switch partial bandwidth when the quality metrics of one or more reference signals meet the partial bandwidth switching rules, thereby reducing the number of partial bandwidth switching operations during sensing tasks, that is, reducing the impact of partial bandwidth switching latency caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on sensing latency, and thus improving the reliability of sensing tasks.

[0199] It is understandable that terminal devices can be pre-configured with multiple partial bandwidths and corresponding parameters, and the partial bandwidth currently used by the terminal device can be determined as the active partial bandwidth. When the terminal device determines that the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rules, it can directly switch the terminal device's current active partial bandwidth to the next partial bandwidth, i.e., the target partial bandwidth. In other words, partial bandwidth switching can be performed without notifying the network device, i.e., implicit switching. This allows for rapid partial bandwidth switching, avoiding the impact of partial bandwidth switching latency caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on sensing latency, thereby improving the reliability of the sensing task.

[0200] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the partial bandwidth switching rule includes at least one of a first rule, a second rule, a third rule, or a fourth rule, wherein the first rule is that the bandwidth ratio is less than a bandwidth ratio threshold; the second rule is that the signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal is less than a signal-to-noise ratio threshold; the third rule is that the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal is less than a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold; and the fourth rule is that the received power of the truncated reference signal is less than a power threshold.

[0201] In this embodiment, the partial bandwidth switching rules configured for the terminal device may include at least one of the following: a first rule related to bandwidth ratio, a second rule related to the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the truncated reference signal, a third rule related to the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SIR) of the truncated reference signal, or a fourth rule related to the received power of the truncated reference signal. That is, corresponding bandwidth ratio thresholds can be set for the bandwidth ratio of the reference signal, corresponding SNR thresholds for the SNR of the truncated reference signal, corresponding SIR thresholds for the SIR of the truncated reference signal, and corresponding power thresholds for the received power of the truncated reference signal. This allows the terminal device to accurately determine whether the signal quality of the reference signal searched under the current partial bandwidth meets the requirements based on the quality metric of the reference signal and the configured partial bandwidth switching rules. In other words, it can accurately determine whether partial bandwidth switching is necessary, thereby reducing the number of partial bandwidth switching operations during sensing tasks. This reduces the impact of partial bandwidth switching latency caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on sensing latency, thereby improving the reliability of the sensing task. It should be noted that the first, second, third, or fourth rules in the above-mentioned bandwidth switching rules are merely examples, and some bandwidth switching rules may also include other rules, which are not limited in this application embodiment. Furthermore, the bandwidth ratio threshold, signal-to-noise ratio threshold, signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, and power threshold can be set according to actual conditions, which are not limited in this application embodiment.

[0202] For example, when the partial bandwidth switching rule only includes the first rule, the terminal device can determine whether the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rule by judging whether the ratio of the bandwidth of the truncated reference signal to the bandwidth of the reference signal is less than a bandwidth ratio threshold. Alternatively, it can determine whether the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rule by judging whether the ratio of the sum of the bandwidths of multiple truncated reference signals to the sum of the bandwidths of multiple reference signals is less than a bandwidth ratio threshold. Furthermore, when the ratio of the bandwidth of the truncated reference signal to the bandwidth of the reference signal is less than the bandwidth ratio threshold, or when the ratio of the sum of the bandwidths of multiple truncated reference signals to the sum of the bandwidths of multiple reference signals is less than the bandwidth ratio threshold, it can be determined that the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rule.

[0203] When the partial bandwidth switching rule only includes the second rule, the terminal device can determine whether the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial switching rule by judging whether the signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal is less than the signal-to-noise ratio threshold. When the signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal is less than the signal-to-noise ratio threshold, it can be determined that the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rule.

[0204] When the partial bandwidth switching rule only includes the third rule, the terminal device can determine whether the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial switching rule by judging whether the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SIR) of the truncated reference signal is less than the SIR threshold. When the SIR of the truncated reference signal is less than the SIR threshold, it can be determined that the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rule.

[0205] When the partial bandwidth switching rule only includes the fourth rule, the terminal device can determine whether the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial switching rule by judging whether the received power of the truncated reference signal is less than the power threshold. When the received power of the truncated reference signal is less than the power threshold, it can be determined that the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rule.

[0206] When a partial bandwidth switching rule includes multiple rules, such as a second rule and a third rule, the terminal device can determine whether the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial switching rule by judging whether the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the truncated reference signal is less than the SNR threshold and whether the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of the truncated reference signal is less than the SINR threshold. Furthermore, the terminal device can determine whether the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rule when the SNR of the truncated reference signal is less than the SNR threshold, or when the SNR of the truncated reference signal is less than the SINR threshold, or when both the SNR of the truncated reference signal and the SINR of the truncated reference signal are less than the SINR threshold.

[0207] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, if a partial bandwidth switching rule includes multiple rules, the partial bandwidth switching rule also includes weight values ​​corresponding to multiple rules; the partial bandwidth switching rule also includes a comprehensive score of the reference signal greater than a first threshold, the comprehensive score of the reference signal being obtained based on the score of the first reference signal, the score of the second reference signal, the weight value of the first reference signal, and the weight value of the second reference signal, the score of the first reference signal being determined based on the first reference signal, multiple rules, and the weight values ​​of the multiple rules, and the score of the second reference signal being determined based on the second reference signal, multiple rules, and the weight values ​​of the multiple rules.

[0208] In this embodiment, if the partial bandwidth switching rules configured for the terminal device include multiple rules such as the first rule, second rule, third rule, or fourth rule, the partial bandwidth rules may also include weight values ​​set for each rule and weight values ​​set for the first reference signal and the second reference signal. Furthermore, the partial bandwidth rules may include a first threshold for measuring the comprehensive score of the reference signals. This allows the terminal device to accurately determine whether the signal quality of the reference signals searched under the current partial bandwidth meets the requirements based on the quality metric of the reference signals and the configured partial bandwidth switching rules. In other words, it can accurately determine whether partial bandwidth switching is necessary, thereby reducing the number of partial bandwidth switches during sensing tasks. This reduces the impact of partial bandwidth switching latency caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on sensing latency, thus improving the reliability of the sensing task. For example, after determining the quality metric of one or more reference signals, the terminal device can determine the score of each reference signal based on the weight value corresponding to each reference signal and the weight value corresponding to the rule that each reference signal conforms to, and further determine the comprehensive score of all reference signals. Finally, by comparing the comprehensive score of the reference signals with the first threshold, it can determine whether the quality metric of the reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rules. For example, after determining the score of each reference signal, the overall score of the reference signals can be obtained by normalizing the score of each reference signal.

[0209] Specifically, if the partial bandwidth switching rules include a first rule and a second rule, the partial bandwidth switching rules may also include a first weight value 'a' corresponding to the first rule, a second weight value 'b' corresponding to the second rule, a weight value 'c' corresponding to the first reference signal, a weight value 'd' corresponding to the second reference signal, and a first threshold 'e'. If the two reference signals searched by the terminal device are the first reference signal and the second reference signal, and it is determined through measurement that the first reference signal conforms to both the first and second rules, while the second reference signal only conforms to the first rule, then the score of the first reference signal is c*(a+b), and the score of the second reference signal is d*a. Then, the comprehensive score 'f' of the reference signals can be calculated based on the scores of the first and second reference signals using a normalization method. Finally, by determining whether 'f' is less than 'e', ​​it can be determined whether the quality metric of one or more reference signals conforms to the partial bandwidth rules. And when 'f' is less than 'e', ​​it can be determined that the quality metric of one or more reference signals conforms to the partial bandwidth switching rules.

[0210] If both reference signals detected by the terminal device are the first reference signal, and measurements confirm that the first first reference signal conforms to both the first and second rules, while the second first reference signal only conforms to the first rule, then the score of the first first reference signal can be c*.

[0211] The score of the second first reference signal can be either (a+b) or a+b, and can be either c*a or a. Then, the comprehensive score f of the reference signal can be calculated based on the scores of the two first reference signals through normalization. Finally, by judging whether f is less than e, it can be determined whether the quality metric of one or more reference signals conforms to the partial bandwidth rule. When f is less than e, it can be determined that the quality metric of one or more reference signals conforms to the partial bandwidth switching rule.

[0212] If both reference signals detected by the terminal device are the second reference signal, and measurements confirm that the first second reference signal conforms to both the first and second rules, while the second second reference signal only conforms to the first rule, then the score of the first second reference signal can be d*.

[0213] (a+b), or a+b, the score of the second first reference signal can be d*a, or a. Then, the comprehensive score f of the reference signal can be calculated based on the scores of the two second reference signals by normalization. Finally, by judging whether f is less than e, it can be determined whether the quality metric of one or more reference signals conforms to the partial bandwidth rule, and when f is less than e, it can be determined that the quality metric of one or more reference signals conforms to the partial bandwidth switching rule.

[0214] It should be noted that the weight values ​​corresponding to various rules, the weight value corresponding to the first reference signal, the weight value corresponding to the second reference signal, and the first threshold in the above embodiments can be set according to the actual situation, and this application embodiment does not limit them here.

[0215] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the terminal device includes a first moving speed range and a second moving speed range. The first moving speed range corresponds to at least one of a first bandwidth ratio threshold, a first signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a first power threshold. The second moving speed range corresponds to at least one of a second bandwidth ratio threshold, a second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a second power threshold.

[0216] In this embodiment, when the terminal device is in operation and performing a sensing task, the impact of sensing latency on the terminal device at different movement speeds is not the same. Therefore, different partial bandwidth switching rules can be set for the terminal device at different movement speeds. Specifically, different bandwidth ratio thresholds, signal-to-noise ratio thresholds, signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio thresholds, or power thresholds can be set for the terminal device at different movement speeds. That is, the partial bandwidth switching rules configured for the terminal device can include at least one of the bandwidth ratio threshold, signal-to-noise ratio threshold, signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or power threshold corresponding to different movement intervals. This allows the terminal device to accurately determine whether the signal quality of the reference signal searched under the current partial bandwidth meets the requirements based on the quality metric of the reference signal and the configured partial bandwidth switching rules. In other words, it can accurately determine whether a partial bandwidth switch is needed, thereby reducing the number of partial bandwidth switches during the sensing task. This reduces the impact of partial bandwidth switching latency caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on the sensing latency, thereby improving the reliability of the sensing task. For example, if the terminal device includes two different moving speed ranges, a first moving speed range and a second moving speed range, then the partial bandwidth switching rules configured for the terminal device may include at least one of the following: a first bandwidth ratio threshold, a first signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a first power threshold corresponding to the first moving speed range; and at least one of the following: a second bandwidth ratio threshold, a second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a second power threshold corresponding to the second moving speed range.

[0217] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, if the average speed of the first moving speed range is greater than the average speed of the second moving speed range, the first bandwidth ratio threshold is less than the second bandwidth ratio threshold, the first signal-to-noise ratio threshold is less than the second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, the first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold is less than the second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, and the first power threshold is less than the second power threshold.

[0218] In this embodiment, since the faster the terminal device moves, the greater the impact of sensing latency on the terminal device, meaning that for faster-moving terminal devices, the partial bandwidth switching latency caused by switching partial bandwidth during sensing tasks has a greater impact on sensing accuracy and the reliability of sensing tasks, smaller bandwidth ratio thresholds, smaller signal-to-noise ratio thresholds, smaller signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio thresholds, and smaller power thresholds can be set for moving speed ranges with larger average speeds. This allows faster-moving terminal devices to have a higher tolerance for the signal quality of the reference signal, making it less likely to trigger partial bandwidth switching, thereby reducing the number of partial bandwidth switching occurrences during sensing tasks. This reduces the impact of partial bandwidth switching latency caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on sensing latency, thus improving the reliability of sensing tasks. It is understood that the average speed of a moving speed range can characterize the overall speed of that moving speed range.

[0219] It should be noted that the values ​​of the first moving speed range, the second moving speed range, the first bandwidth ratio threshold, the second bandwidth ratio threshold, the first signal-to-noise ratio threshold, the second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, the first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, the second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, the first power threshold, and the second power threshold in the above embodiments can be set according to actual conditions, and are not limited in this application embodiment.

[0220] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the method shown in FIG5 further includes:

[0221] S500. The terminal device receives the first instruction information.

[0222] The first indication information is used to indicate certain bandwidth switching rules.

[0223] In this embodiment, the network device can negotiate with other communication devices to determine the partial bandwidth switching rules for the terminal device based on the sensing task to be performed by the terminal device. Furthermore, the network device can configure the partial bandwidth switching rules to the terminal device via first indication information. This allows the terminal device to determine whether a partial bandwidth switch is necessary based on the quality metrics of one or more reference signals and the configured partial bandwidth switching rules. This reduces the number of partial bandwidth switches during the sensing task, thereby reducing the impact of partial bandwidth switching latency caused by frequent switching on sensing latency and improving the reliability of the sensing task. It should be noted that the specific method by which the network device negotiates with other communication devices to determine the partial bandwidth switching rules can be set according to actual conditions, and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0224] As illustrated by the examples in the foregoing embodiments, the terminal device can be configured with partial bandwidth rules, and when performing a sensing task, it can first determine the quality metric of one or more reference signals used for sensing measurement, and can perform partial bandwidth switching when the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rules, thereby reducing the number of partial bandwidth switching times during the sensing task, that is, reducing the impact of partial bandwidth switching latency caused by frequent partial bandwidth switching on the sensing latency, and thus improving the reliability of the sensing task.

[0225] Referring to Figure 6, this application embodiment provides a communication device 600. This communication device 600 can implement the functions of the second or first communication device in the above method embodiments, and therefore also achieves the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In this application embodiment, the communication device 600 can be the first communication device (or the second communication device), or it can be an integrated circuit or component, such as a chip, inside the first communication device (or the second communication device). The communication device 600 may include a processing unit 601 and a transceiver unit 602.

[0226] It should be noted that the transceiver unit 602 may include a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, which are used to perform transmitting and receiving respectively.

[0227] In one possible implementation, when the device 600 is used to execute the method performed by the first communication device in the foregoing embodiments, the processing unit 601 is used to determine a quality metric of one or more reference signals, the quality metric being used to indicate the signal quality of the reference signals, the reference signals being used for sensing; the transceiver unit 602 is used to send a partial bandwidth switching request if the quality metric satisfies a partial bandwidth switching rule, the partial bandwidth switching request being used to request a switch of partial bandwidth.

[0228] In one possible implementation, when the device 600 is used to execute the method performed by the second communication device in the foregoing embodiments, the transceiver unit 602 is used to receive a partial bandwidth switching request. The partial bandwidth switching request is sent by the first communication device when the quality metric of the reference signal meets the partial bandwidth switching rule. The quality metric is used to indicate the signal quality of the reference signal, which is used for sensing and measurement. The partial bandwidth switching request is used to request a switch of partial bandwidth.

[0229] It should be noted that the information execution process of the unit of the above-mentioned communication device 600 can be specifically described in the method embodiments shown above in this application, and will not be repeated here.

[0230] Please refer to Figure 7, which is another schematic structural diagram of the communication device 700 provided in this application. The communication device 700 includes a logic circuit 701 and an input / output interface 702. The communication device 700 can be a chip or an integrated circuit.

[0231] In Figure 6, the transceiver unit 602 can be a communication interface, which can be the input / output interface 702 in Figure 7, and the input / output interface 702 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication interface can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0232] Optionally, the input / output interface 702 is used to send a partial bandwidth switching request if the quality metric of one or more reference signals meets the partial bandwidth switching rule. The partial bandwidth switching request is used to request the switching of a partial bandwidth.

[0233] Optionally, the input / output interface 702 is used to receive a partial bandwidth switching request, which is sent by the first communication device when the quality metric of the reference signal meets the partial bandwidth switching rule. The quality metric is used to indicate the signal quality of the reference signal, which is used for sensing and measurement. The partial bandwidth switching request is used to request a switch of partial bandwidth.

[0234] The logic circuit 701 and the input / output interface 702 can also perform other steps performed by the first or second communication device in any embodiment and achieve corresponding beneficial effects, which will not be elaborated here.

[0235] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 601 shown in FIG6 can be the logic circuit 701 in FIG7.

[0236] Optionally, the logic circuit 701 can be a processing device, the functions of which can be partially or entirely implemented in software.

[0237] Optionally, the processing apparatus may include a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor reads and executes the computer program stored in the memory to perform the corresponding processing and / or steps in any of the method embodiments.

[0238] Optionally, the processing device may consist of only a processor. A memory for storing computer programs is located outside the processing device, and the processor is connected to the memory via circuitry / wires to read and execute the computer programs stored in the memory. The memory and processor may be integrated together or physically independent of each other.

[0239] Optionally, the processing device may be one or more chips, or one or more integrated circuits. For example, the processing device may be one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), system-on-chips (SoCs), central processing units (CPUs), network processors (NPs), digital signal processors (DSPs), microcontroller units (MCUs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or other integrated chips, or any combination of the above chips or processors.

[0240] Please refer to Figure 8, which shows the communication device 800 involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application. Specifically, the communication device 800 can be the communication device as a terminal device in the above embodiments. The communication device shown in Figure 8 is implemented through a terminal device (or a component in the terminal device).

[0241] The present invention is a possible logical structure diagram of the communication device 800, which may include, but is not limited to, at least one processor 801 and a communication port 802.

[0242] In Figure 6, the transceiver unit 602 can be a communication interface, which can be the communication port 802 in Figure 8. The communication port 802 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication port 802 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0243] Further optionally, the device may also include at least one of a memory 803 and a bus 804. In the embodiments of this application, the at least one processor 801 is used to control the operation of the communication device 800.

[0244] Furthermore, the processor 801 can be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor can also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, etc. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0245] It should be noted that the communication device 800 shown in Figure 8 can be used to implement the steps implemented by the terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiments and achieve the corresponding technical effects of the terminal device. The specific implementation of the communication device shown in Figure 8 can be referred to the description in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0246] Please refer to Figure 9, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 900 involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application. Specifically, the communication device 900 can be a communication device as a network device in the above embodiments. The communication device shown in Figure 9 is implemented through a network device (or a component in a network device). The structure of the communication device can refer to the structure shown in Figure 9.

[0247] The communication device 900 includes at least one processor 911 and at least one network interface 914. Optionally, the communication device further includes at least one memory 912, at least one transceiver 913, and one or more antennas 915. The processor 911, memory 912, transceiver 913, and network interface 914 are connected, for example, via a bus. In this embodiment, the connection may include various interfaces, transmission lines, or buses, etc., and this embodiment is not limited thereto. The antenna 915 is connected to the transceiver 913. The network interface 914 enables the communication device to communicate with other communication devices through a communication link. For example, the network interface 914 may include a network interface between the communication device and core network equipment, such as an S1 interface, or a network interface between the communication device and other communication devices (e.g., other network devices or core network equipment), such as an X2 or Xn interface.

[0248] In Figure 6, the transceiver unit 602 can be a communication interface, which can be the network interface 914 in Figure 9. The network interface 914 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the network interface 914 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0249] The processor 911 is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process data from these programs, for example, to support the actions described in the embodiments of the communication device. The communication device may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU is primarily used to control the entire terminal device, execute software programs, and process data from these programs. The processor 911 in Figure 9 can integrate the functions of both a baseband processor and a CPU. Those skilled in the art will understand that the baseband processor and CPU can also be independent processors interconnected via technologies such as buses. Those skilled in the art will understand that a terminal device may include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network standards, and multiple CPUs to enhance its processing capabilities. The various components of the terminal device can be connected via various buses. The baseband processor can also be described as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The CPU can also be described as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The function of processing communication protocols and communication data can be built into the processor or stored in memory as a software program, which is then executed by the processor to implement the baseband processing function.

[0250] The memory is primarily used to store software programs and data. The memory 912 can exist independently or be connected to the processor 911. Optionally, the memory 912 can be integrated with the processor 911, for example, integrated into a single chip. The memory 912 can store program code that executes the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and its execution is controlled by the processor 911. The various types of computer program code being executed can also be considered as drivers for the processor 911.

[0251] Figure 9 shows only one memory and one processor. In actual terminal devices, there may be multiple processors and multiple memories. Memory can also be called storage medium or storage device, etc. Memory can be a storage element on the same chip as the processor, i.e., an on-chip storage element, or it can be a separate storage element; this application does not limit this.

[0252] Transceiver 913 can be used to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency (RF) signals between a communication device and a terminal. Transceiver 913 can be connected to antenna 915. Transceiver 913 includes a transmitter Tx and a receiver Rx. Specifically, one or more antennas 915 can receive RF signals. The receiver Rx of transceiver 913 receives the RF signals from the antennas, converts the RF signals into digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency (IF) signals, and provides the digital baseband signals or IF signals to processor 911 so that processor 911 can perform further processing on the digital baseband signals or IF signals, such as demodulation and decoding. Furthermore, the transmitter Tx in transceiver 913 is also used to receive modulated digital baseband signals or IF signals from processor 911, convert the modulated digital baseband signals or IF signals into RF signals, and transmit the RF signals through one or more antennas 915. Specifically, the receiver Rx can selectively perform one or more stages of downmixing and analog-to-digital conversion on the radio frequency signal to obtain a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency (IF) signal. The order of these downmixing and IF conversion processes is adjustable. The transmitter Tx can selectively perform one or more stages of upmixing and digital-to-analog conversion on the modulated digital baseband signal or digital IF signal to obtain a radio frequency signal. The order of these upmixing and IF conversion processes is also adjustable. The digital baseband signal and the digital IF signal can be collectively referred to as digital signals.

[0253] The transceiver 913 can also be called a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver device, etc. Optionally, the device in the transceiver unit that performs the receiving function can be regarded as the receiving unit, and the device in the transceiver unit that performs the transmitting function can be regarded as the transmitting unit. That is, the transceiver unit includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The receiving unit can also be called a receiver, input port, receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit can be called a transmitter, transmitter, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0254] It should be noted that the communication device 900 shown in Figure 9 can be used to implement the steps implemented by the network device in the aforementioned method embodiments and achieve the corresponding technical effects of the network device. The specific implementation of the communication device 900 shown in Figure 9 can be referred to the description in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0255] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor performs the method described in the possible implementations of the first or second communication device in the foregoing embodiments.

[0256] This application also provides a computer program product (or computer program) that, when executed by a processor, executes the method described above for the possible implementation of the first or second communication device.

[0257] This application also provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting a communication device in implementing the functions involved in the possible implementations of the communication device described above. Optionally, the chip system further includes an interface circuit that provides program instructions and / or data to the at least one processor. In one possible design, the chip system may also include a memory for storing the program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices, wherein the communication device may specifically be the first communication device or the second communication device in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0258] This application also provides a communication system, which includes a first communication device and a second communication device in any of the above embodiments.

[0259] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units through some interfaces, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0260] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0261] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit. If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a first communication device, the method includes: Determine a quality metric for one or more reference signals, the quality metric being used to indicate the signal quality of the reference signals, the reference signals being used for sensing measurements; If the quality metric satisfies the partial bandwidth switching rule, a partial bandwidth switching request is sent, which is used to request the switching of a portion of the bandwidth.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The quality metric includes at least one of the following: The bandwidth ratio includes the ratio of the bandwidth of the truncated reference signal to the bandwidth of the reference signal, wherein the truncated reference signal is the portion of the reference signal whose bandwidth overlaps with the bandwidth of the active state portion of the first communication device. The signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal; The signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal; The reference signal receiving power of the truncated reference signal.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The bandwidth ratio also includes the ratio of the sum of the bandwidths of the plurality of truncated reference signals to the sum of the bandwidths of the plurality of reference signals.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The bandwidth switching rules include at least one of the following: a first rule, a second rule, a third rule, or a fourth rule. The first rule is that the bandwidth ratio is less than the bandwidth ratio threshold; The second rule is that the signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal is less than the signal-to-noise ratio threshold; The third rule is that the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SIR) of the truncated reference signal is less than the SIR threshold. The fourth rule is that the received power of the truncated reference signal is less than a power threshold.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The quality metric also includes the transmission type of the reference signal, which includes non-line-of-sight transmission or line-of-sight transmission. The reference signal includes at least one of a first reference signal or a second reference signal, wherein the first reference signal is a reference signal with a non-line-of-sight transmission type, and the second reference signal is a reference signal with a line-of-sight transmission type.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, If the partial bandwidth switching rule includes multiple rules, the partial bandwidth switching rule also includes weight values ​​corresponding to the multiple rules; the partial bandwidth switching rule also includes the comprehensive score of the reference signal being greater than a first threshold, the comprehensive score of the reference signal being obtained based on the score of the first reference signal, the score of the second reference signal, the weight value of the first reference signal, and the weight value of the second reference signal, the score of the first reference signal being determined based on the first reference signal, the multiple rules, and the weight values ​​of the multiple rules, and the score of the second reference signal being determined based on the second reference signal, the multiple rules, and the weight values ​​of the multiple rules.

7. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first communication device includes a first moving speed range and a second moving speed range. The first moving speed range corresponds to at least one of a first bandwidth ratio threshold, a first signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a first power threshold. The second moving speed range corresponds to at least one of a second bandwidth ratio threshold, a second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a second power threshold.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, If the average speed of the first moving speed range is greater than the average speed of the second moving speed range, the first bandwidth ratio threshold is less than the second bandwidth ratio threshold, the first signal-to-noise ratio threshold is less than the second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, the first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold is less than the second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, and the first power threshold is less than the second power threshold.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive first indication information, which is used to indicate partial bandwidth switching rules.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The reference signal includes at least one of a sensing reference signal, a positioning reference signal, a channel state information reference signal, a tracking reference signal, or a detection reference signal; or, the partial bandwidth switching request includes identification information of the measurement gap duration or the target partial bandwidth.

11. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a second communication device, the method includes: A partial bandwidth switching request is received. The partial bandwidth switching request is sent by the first communication device when the quality metric of the reference signal meets the partial bandwidth switching rules. The quality metric is used to indicate the signal quality of the reference signal, which is used for sensing and measurement. The partial bandwidth switching request is used to request a switch of partial bandwidth.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The quality metric includes at least one of the following: The bandwidth ratio includes the ratio of the bandwidth of the truncated reference signal to the bandwidth of the reference signal, wherein the truncated reference signal is the portion of the reference signal whose bandwidth overlaps with the bandwidth of the active state portion of the first communication device. The signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal; The power ratio of the truncated reference signal to noise interference; The reference signal receiving power of the truncated reference signal.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The bandwidth ratio also includes the ratio of the sum of the bandwidths of the plurality of truncated reference signals to the sum of the bandwidths of the plurality of reference signals.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The bandwidth switching rules include at least one of the following: a first rule, a second rule, a third rule, or a fourth rule. The first rule is that the bandwidth ratio is less than the bandwidth ratio threshold; The second rule is that the signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal is less than the signal-to-noise ratio threshold; The third rule is that the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SIR) of the truncated reference signal is less than the SIR threshold. The fourth rule is that the received power of the truncated reference signal is less than a power threshold.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The quality metric also includes the transmission type of the reference signal, which includes non-line-of-sight transmission or line-of-sight transmission. The reference signal includes at least one of a first reference signal or a second reference signal, wherein the first reference signal is a reference signal with a non-line-of-sight transmission type, and the second reference signal is a reference signal with a line-of-sight transmission type.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, If the partial bandwidth switching rule includes multiple rules, the partial bandwidth switching rule also includes weight values ​​corresponding to the multiple rules; the partial bandwidth switching rule also includes the comprehensive score of the reference signal being greater than a first threshold, the comprehensive score of the reference signal being obtained based on the score of the first reference signal, the score of the second reference signal, the weight value of the first reference signal, and the weight value of the second reference signal, the score of the first reference signal being determined based on the first reference signal, the multiple rules, and the weight values ​​of the multiple rules, and the score of the second reference signal being determined based on the second reference signal, the multiple rules, and the weight values ​​of the multiple rules.

17. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The first communication device includes a first moving speed range and a second moving speed range. The first moving speed range corresponds to at least one of a first bandwidth ratio threshold, a first signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a first power threshold. The second moving speed range corresponds to at least one of a second bandwidth ratio threshold, a second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a second power threshold.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, If the average speed of the first moving speed range is greater than the average speed of the second moving speed range, the first bandwidth ratio threshold is less than the second bandwidth ratio threshold, the first signal-to-noise ratio threshold is less than the second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, the first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold is less than the second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, and the first power threshold is less than the second power threshold.

19. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, characterized in that, The method further includes: Transmitter bandwidth switching rules.

20. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a terminal device, the method includes: Determine a quality metric for one or more reference signals, the quality metric being used to indicate the signal quality of the reference signals, the reference signals being used for sensing measurements; If the quality metric satisfies the partial bandwidth switching rule, then switch the partial bandwidth.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The quality metric includes at least one of the following: The bandwidth ratio includes the ratio of the bandwidth of the truncated reference signal to the bandwidth of the reference signal, wherein the truncated reference signal is the portion of the reference signal whose bandwidth overlaps with the bandwidth of the active state portion of the terminal device; The signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal; The signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal; The reference signal receiving power of the truncated reference signal.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The bandwidth ratio also includes the ratio of the sum of the bandwidths of the plurality of truncated reference signals to the sum of the bandwidths of the plurality of reference signals.

23. The method according to claim 21 or 22, characterized in that, The bandwidth switching rules include at least one of the following: a first rule, a second rule, a third rule, or a fourth rule. The first rule is that the bandwidth ratio is less than the bandwidth ratio threshold; The second rule is that the signal-to-noise ratio of the truncated reference signal is less than the signal-to-noise ratio threshold; The third rule is that the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SIR) of the truncated reference signal is less than the SIR threshold. The fourth rule is that the received power of the truncated reference signal is less than a power threshold.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The quality metric also includes the transmission type of the reference signal, which includes non-line-of-sight transmission or line-of-sight transmission. The reference signal includes at least one of a first reference signal or a second reference signal, wherein the first reference signal is a reference signal with a non-line-of-sight transmission type, and the second reference signal is a reference signal with a line-of-sight transmission type.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that, If the partial bandwidth switching rule includes multiple rules, the partial bandwidth switching rule also includes weight values ​​corresponding to the multiple rules; the partial bandwidth switching rule also includes a comprehensive score of the reference signal greater than a first threshold, the comprehensive score of the reference signal being obtained based on the score of the first reference signal, the score of the second reference signal, the weight value of the first reference signal, and the weight value of the second reference signal, the score of the first reference signal being determined based on the first reference signal, the multiple rules, and the weight values ​​of the multiple rules, and the score of the second reference signal being determined based on the second reference signal, the multiple rules, and the weight values ​​of the multiple rules.

26. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The terminal device includes a first moving speed range and a second moving speed range. The first moving speed range corresponds to at least one of a first bandwidth ratio threshold, a first signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a first power threshold. The second moving speed range corresponds to at least one of a second bandwidth ratio threshold, a second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, a second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, or a second power threshold.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that, If the average speed of the first moving speed range is greater than the average speed of the second moving speed range, the first bandwidth ratio threshold is less than the second bandwidth ratio threshold, the first signal-to-noise ratio threshold is less than the second signal-to-noise ratio threshold, the first signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold is less than the second signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio threshold, and the first power threshold is less than the second power threshold.

28. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 27.

29. A readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 27.

30. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a computer, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 27.

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