Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, relating to the technical field of communications. In the method, a terminal or network device acquires a reflected signal obtained by a first signal being reflected by a target object, and senses the target object on the basis of the reflected signal, wherein the first signal comprises a CP and L sub-signals having the same duration, and each sub-signal among the L sub-signals has the same head portion and the same tail portion, or each sub-signal among the L sub-signals has the same tail portion; and the first signal further comprises a second signal located before the CP, and a signal composed of the second signal and the CP is the same as the tail portion of the first signal. The present invention can improve sensing performance.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510138056.1, filed on February 7, 2025, with the China National Intellectual Property Administration, entitled “A Communication Method and Apparatus”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0003] With the rapid development of communication technology, wireless signals transmitted by network devices or terminals can not only communicate but also be used to sense the surrounding environment, the speed and distance of moving objects. In communication, a common method to combat multipath delay spread introduced by the channel is to add a cyclic prefix (CP), meaning the transmitted wireless signal includes a CP. In New Radio (NR), the CP overhead is approximately 7%. When sensing based on the NR frame structure, or when multiplexing NR signals for sensing, the CP may be insufficient. For example, in some sensing algorithms (such as delay and Doppler estimation algorithms based on two-dimensional Fast Fourier Transform), the CP length determines the maximum unambiguous range. For instance, if the wireless signal uses a CP-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) waveform with a subcarrier spacing of 60kHz, the maximum unambiguous range is approximately 176 meters. In some cases, the sensing distance may exceed the maximum unambiguous range (for example, in a self-transmitting and self-receiving scenario at the base station, the target to be sensed (such as a drone) is located outside the cell, and the sensing distance exceeds the cell radius), leading to distance ambiguity and deteriorating sensing performance. Therefore, how to extend CP while maintaining compatibility with the NR frame structure to improve sensing performance is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that can improve sensing performance.

[0005] Firstly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first communication device. The first communication device can be a terminal or network device, or a component within the terminal or network device (e.g., a module, communication module, circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip)). It can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal's functions, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device's functions. The method includes: the first communication device receiving a reflected signal of a first signal after it has passed through a target object, thereby enabling perception of the target object based on the reflected signal. The first signal includes a cyclic prefix (CP) and L sub-signals of equal duration, where L is an integer greater than 1. The L sub-signals all have the same header signal and the same tail signal, or the L sub-signals all have the same tail signal. The first signal also includes a second signal located before the CP, and the signal formed by the second signal and the CP has the same tail signal as the first signal. For the latter, the tail signal of the first signal is the same as the tail signal of each sub-signal, and the header signals of each of the L sub-signals can be the same or different, which is not limited here.

[0006] In the above embodiments, by making the header signals of different sub-signals in the first signal the same, and the tail signals of different sub-signals in the first signal the same, the CP and the header signal of the first sub-signal together serve as the equivalent CP of the third signal. The third signal is a part of the first signal, the duration of the third signal is the same as the duration of the sub-signal, and the end position of the third signal is the same as the end position of the header signal of the second sub-signal. Alternatively, by making the tail signals of different sub-signals in the first signal the same, the first signal also includes a second signal located before the CP. The signal composed of the second signal and the CP has the same tail signal as the first signal, and the tail signal of the first signal has the same tail signal as the tail signals of each sub-signal. This makes the signal composed of the second signal and the CP together serve as the equivalent CP of the first sub-signal. This also helps improve the anti-multipath delay spread capability of the first signal when used for communication. Furthermore, by making the tail signals of different sub-signals in the first signal the same, the tail signal of the (n-1)th sub-signal can also serve as the equivalent CP of the nth sub-signal, where n is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to L. For example, when n=2, the tail signal of the first sub-signal serves as the equivalent CP of the second sub-signal. In other words, by adjusting the duration of the head signal and the tail signal of the sub-signals in the first signal, the duration of the equivalent CP of the third signal and the equivalent CP of the nth sub-signal can both exceed the duration of the CP of the first signal, thus achieving CP extension and improving sensing performance. Therefore, this scheme achieves equivalent CP extension without changing the frame structure, subcarrier spacing, or symbol duration, effectively reusing the existing frame structure. This not only ensures compatibility with existing protocols and reduces their impact but also improves sensing performance.

[0007] In one possible implementation, the first communication device senses a target object based on a reflected signal, including: the first communication device splits the reflected signal into L sub-symbols of equal duration, and senses based on these L sub-symbols. The duration of each sub-symbol is equal to the duration of a sub-signal in the first signal. When the head signals and tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same, the first sub-symbol corresponds to the third signal, and the n1th sub-symbol corresponds to the n1th sub-signal, where n1 is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to L. When the first signal also includes a second signal located before the CP, the n2th sub-symbol corresponds to the n2th sub-signal, where n2 is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to L. Because the duration of the equivalent CP of the third signal and the equivalent CP of the nth sub-signal both exceed the duration of the CP, there is (approximately) no interference between the sub-symbols when the sensing distance exceeds the maximum unambiguous distance corresponding to the CP of the first signal, thus ensuring sensing performance.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the first communication device may send the first signal before receiving the reflected signal after the first signal has passed through the target object.

[0009] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first communication device. The first communication device can be a terminal or network device, a component within the terminal or network device, a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal's functions, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device's functions. The method includes: the first communication device receiving a first signal, thereby enabling communication based on the first signal. The first signal includes a CP and L sub-signals of equal duration, where L is an integer greater than 1. The header signals and tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are identical. Alternatively, the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are identical, and the first signal further includes a second signal preceding the CP, the signal formed by the second signal and the CP having the same tail signal as the first signal. In the latter case, the tail signal of the first signal is identical to the tail signals of each sub-signal, and the header signals of each of the L sub-signals may be identical or different, without limitation.

[0010] In the above embodiments, by making the header signals of different sub-signals in the first signal the same, and the tail signals of different sub-signals in the first signal the same, the CP and the header signal of the first sub-signal together serve as the equivalent CP of the third signal. The third signal is a part of the first signal, the duration of the third signal is the same as the duration of the sub-signal, and the end position of the third signal is the same as the end position of the header signal of the second sub-signal. Alternatively, by making the tail signals of different sub-signals in the first signal the same, the first signal also includes a second signal located before the CP. The signal composed of the second signal and the CP has the same tail signal as the first signal, and the tail signal of the first signal has the same tail signal as the tail signals of each sub-signal. This makes the signal composed of the second signal and the CP together serve as the equivalent CP of the first sub-signal. This also helps improve the anti-multipath delay spread capability of the first signal when used for communication. Furthermore, by making the tail signals of different sub-signals in the first signal the same, the tail signal of the (n-1)th sub-signal can also serve as the equivalent CP of the nth sub-signal, where n is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to L. For example, when n=2, the tail signal of the first sub-signal serves as the equivalent CP of the second sub-signal. In other words, by adjusting the duration of the header and tail signals of the sub-signals in the first signal, the duration of the equivalent CP of the third signal and the equivalent CP of the nth sub-signal can both exceed the duration of the CP of the first signal, thus achieving CP extension and improving communication performance. Therefore, this scheme achieves equivalent CP extension without changing the frame structure, subcarrier spacing, or symbol duration, effectively reusing the existing frame structure. This not only ensures compatibility with existing protocols and reduces their impact but also improves communication performance.

[0011] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a second communication device. The second communication device can be a terminal or network device, a component within the terminal or network device, a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal's functions, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device's functions. The method includes: transmitting a first signal, the first signal comprising a CP and L sub-signals of equal duration, where L is an integer greater than 1. The header signals and tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are identical. Alternatively, the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are identical. The first signal also includes a second signal preceding the CP, the signal formed by the second signal and the CP having the same tail signal as the first signal.

[0012] In the above embodiments, by making the header signals and tail signals of different sub-signals in the first signal the same, the CP and the header signal of the first sub-signal together serve as the equivalent CP of the third signal. The third signal is a part of the first signal, its duration is the same as the duration of the sub-signal, and its ending position is the same as the ending position of the header signal of the second sub-signal in the first signal. Alternatively, by making the tail signals of different sub-signals in the first signal the same, the first signal also includes a second signal preceding the CP. The signal formed by the second signal and the CP has the same tail signal as the first signal, and the tail signal of the first signal has the same tail signal as the tail signals of each sub-signal. This allows the signal formed by the second signal and the CP together to serve as the equivalent CP of the first sub-signal. Furthermore, this helps improve the first signal's resistance to multipath delay spread when used for communication. Furthermore, by making the tail signals of different sub-signals in the first signal identical, the tail signal of the (n-1)th sub-signal in the first signal can also be used as the equivalent CP of the nth sub-signal in the first signal, where n is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to L. For example, if n = 2, the tail signal of the 1st sub-signal serves as the equivalent CP of the 2nd sub-signal. In other words, by adjusting the duration of the header and tail signals of the sub-signals in the first signal, the duration of the equivalent CP of the third signal and the equivalent CP of the nth sub-signal can both exceed the duration of the CP of the first signal, thus achieving CP extension and improving communication performance. Therefore, this scheme achieves equivalent CP extension without changing the frame structure, subcarrier spacing, or symbol duration, effectively reusing the existing frame structure. This not only ensures compatibility with existing protocols and reduces their impact but also improves communication performance.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the first signal is located in a continuous N... sc On each frequency domain unit, N sc It is an integer greater than 1. This can improve resource utilization and reduce resource waste.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the L sub-signals in the first signal are determined based on L stream frequency domain signals, where the L stream frequency domain signals occupy N... sc There are N frequency domain units. The L-stream frequency domain signal includes a first frequency domain signal and L-1 frequency domain signals excluding the first frequency domain signal. The value X corresponding to the first frequency domain signal is an integer multiple of L, while the value Y corresponding to each frequency domain signal in the L-1 frequency domain signals is not an integer multiple of L. X is the index of the first frequency domain unit carrying the first frequency domain signal in the N frequency domain units, and Y is the index of the first frequency domain unit carrying each frequency domain signal in the L-1 frequency domain signals in the N frequency domain units.sc Each frequency domain unit is a subset of N frequency domain units. The head of the time-domain sequence corresponding to each flow frequency domain signal in the L-1 flow frequency domain signal has M... H Each of the L-1 stream frequency domain signals has a 0, and / or, the tail of the time domain sequence corresponding to each stream frequency domain signal has M. T 0. M H and M T All are positive integers.

[0015] In one possible implementation, N is the sum of the durations of the L sub-signals.

[0016] In the above embodiments, the L sub-signals in the first signal can be determined based on the L-stream frequency domain signals. The L-stream frequency domain signals include the first frequency domain signal and L-1 stream frequency domain signals excluding the first frequency domain signal. The value X corresponding to the first frequency domain signal is an integer multiple of L, and the value Y corresponding to each stream frequency domain signal in the L-1 stream frequency domain signals is not an integer multiple of L. That is, it determines which frequency domain signals correspond to time-domain sequences with a zero-head (ZH) and / or a zero-tail (ZT), or in other words, it determines which frequency domain signals correspond to time-domain sequences with a zero-signal at the beginning (or a low-power signal) and / or a zero-signal at the end. This ensures that the first signal includes L sub-signals of the same duration, and that the beginning signals and end signals of each of the L sub-signals are identical, or that the end signals of each of the L sub-signals are identical, ultimately achieving the effect of 'extending CP'.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the head signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same, the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same, the sum of the duration of the head signal and the duration of CP of each of the L sub-signals is greater than or equal to the propagation delay corresponding to the first signal, and the duration of the tail signal of each of the L sub-signals is greater than or equal to the propagation delay corresponding to the first signal.

[0018] In the above embodiments, the sum of the duration of the head signal of each sub-signal in the first signal and the duration of the CP is greater than or equal to the propagation delay corresponding to the first signal. That is, the duration of the signal composed of the CP and the head signal of the first sub-signal in the first signal is greater than or equal to the propagation delay corresponding to the first signal. At the same time, the duration of the tail signal of each sub-signal in the L sub-signals is greater than or equal to the propagation delay corresponding to the first signal. Since the propagation delay is related to the sensing distance, this helps to improve the sensing performance when the sensing distance exceeds the maximum unambiguous distance corresponding to the CP of the first signal.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals in the first signal are identical. The first signal also includes a second signal located before the CP. The signal composed of the second signal and the CP has the same tail signal as the first signal. The sum of the duration of the second signal and the duration of the CP is greater than or equal to the propagation delay corresponding to the first signal. Alternatively, the sum of the duration of the second signal and the duration of the CP is greater than or equal to the maximum value between the propagation delay and the multipath delay spread corresponding to the first signal.

[0020] In the above embodiments, the sum of the duration of the second signal and the duration of the CP is greater than or equal to the propagation delay corresponding to the first signal. Since the propagation delay is related to the sensing distance, this helps improve sensing performance when the sensing distance exceeds the maximum unambiguous distance corresponding to the CP of the first signal. Furthermore, the sum of the duration of the second signal and the duration of the CP is greater than or equal to the maximum value between the propagation delay and the delay spread corresponding to the first signal. This helps improve sensing performance when the sensing distance exceeds the maximum unambiguous distance corresponding to the CP of the first signal, and improves communication performance when the multipath delay spread exceeds the CP of the first signal.

[0021] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, comprising units, modules, or means for implementing the method as described in any one of the first, second, or third aspects. The communication device may be a first communication device or a second communication device.

[0022] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, comprising at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to cause the communication device to perform the method described in any one of the first, second, or third aspects. The communication device may be a first communication device or a second communication device. The at least one processor may execute a computer program or instructions stored in a memory to cause the described method to be performed. The memory may be included in the communication device or located externally to the communication device. Furthermore, the communication device may also include an interface.

[0023] A sixth aspect provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions or programs that, when executed, cause a computer to perform the method as described in any one of the first, second, or third aspects.

[0024] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program or program that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of the first, second, or third aspects.

[0025] Eighthly, a chip is provided, comprising at least one processor for executing computer instructions or programs, which, when run, cause the chip to perform the method as described in any one of the first, second, or third aspects. The processor may execute computer programs or instructions stored in memory to cause the described method to be performed. The memory may be included in the chip or located externally. Furthermore, the chip may include an interface.

[0026] A ninth aspect provides a communication system including a first communication device for performing the method as described in any one of the first or second aspects. In one possible embodiment, the communication system may further include a second communication device for performing the method as described in any one of the third aspects. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 shows the basic architecture of a communication system using a scenario perception example.

[0028] Figure 2 shows a basic architecture of a communication system using a communication scenario as an example.

[0029] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the OFDM technology processing flow;

[0030] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a first signal provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of different signals within the same symbol arranged in a comb-like pattern in the frequency domain, according to an embodiment of this application.

[0033] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of signal decomposition and signal combination provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the propagation delay of CP and the first signal according to an embodiment of this application;

[0035] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of obtaining a time-domain sequence by processing a signal according to an embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of sequentially performing frequency domain bandwidth expansion and FDSS on a signal according to an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the corresponding relationship between adjacent signals according to an embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a cyclic shifting of a signal provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0042] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of this application can be used interchangeably. Unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship; for example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" in this application is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, in the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" refers to two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be one or multiple. Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish between network elements and similar items with essentially the same function. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different.

[0043] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" in the embodiments described in this application mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0044] The following detailed embodiments further illustrate the objectives, technical solutions, and beneficial effects of this application. It should be understood that the following are merely specific embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made based on the technical solutions of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

[0045] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0046] The method provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as wireless local area network (WLAN) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, 5th generation (5G) communication systems, new radio (NR) systems, or new communication systems emerging in future communication development. Among these, IoT networks may include, but are not limited to, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) networks. The communication methods in V2X systems can be collectively referred to as vehicle-to-everything (V2X), where X can represent anything. For example, V2X can include: vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication, or vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication, etc. The method provided in this application embodiment can also be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication (also known as non-land network communication), or scenarios where NTN and terrestrial network (TN) are integrated.

[0047] As an example, the method provided in this application can be applied between two entities in a communication system, such as one entity sending information to or receiving information sent by the other entity. In a wireless communication system, communication devices are included, and these devices can communicate wirelessly using air interface resources. Air interface resources can include at least one of time-domain resources, resources, code resources, and spatial resources; this application does not limit this. For example, the two entities may include a network device and a terminal, or components that can be placed in a network device and components that can be placed in a terminal, etc. Alternatively, both entities may be network devices or components placed in network devices. Alternatively, both entities may be terminals or components placed in terminals. As another example, the method provided in this application can be applied to a single entity in a communication system, such as the entity sending information and receiving related information generated by that information. For example, the entity may be a network device or include components that can be placed in a network device. Alternatively, the entity may be a terminal or include components that can be placed in a terminal, etc. Of course, as standards advance, other types of entities may emerge subsequently; this application does not limit this.

[0048] The basic architecture of the communication system provided in the embodiments of this application is described below with reference to Figure 1 or Figure 2. Figure 1 shows the basic architecture of a communication system provided as an example of a perception scenario, and Figure 2 shows the basic architecture of a communication system provided as an example of a communication scenario.

[0049] Sensing, also known as wireless sensing, refers to sensing using wireless signals. Sensing is the process of collecting, processing, and generating sensing results from data. For example, data can be used to determine the distance, shape, or type of surrounding obstacles. Alternatively, data can be used to determine the breathing rate and / or heart rate of a monitored object. The collected data can be obtained through sensors or through wireless signals.

[0050] Both wireless sensing and wireless communication are based on electromagnetic wave theory. At the transmitting end, electromagnetic wave signals are modulated to carry source information. During propagation, these signals are affected by the wireless environment, meaning they can also carry environmental information. At the receiving end, by analyzing the electromagnetic wave signals, not only can the carried source information be obtained, but also sensing information reflecting the characteristics of the propagation environment can be extracted. In other words, electromagnetic wave signals inherently possess both communication and sensing capabilities, making integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) possible. ISAC can also be called joint communications and sensing (JCAS), or simply integrated sensing. In short, ISAC enables transmitted wireless signals to simultaneously possess sensing and communication capabilities. Compared to separate sensing and communication implementations, it offers several advantages, such as cost savings, reduced device size, lower power consumption, improved frequency efficiency, and reduced mutual interference between communication and sensing.

[0051] Perception scenarios can be categorized into network device-based perception scenarios, network device and terminal-based perception scenarios, and terminal-based perception scenarios. For example, scenarios 1 and 2 in Figure 1 describe network device-based perception scenarios, scenarios 3 and 4 in Figure 1 describe network device and terminal-based perception scenarios, and scenarios 5 and 6 in Figure 1 describe terminal-based perception scenarios.

[0052] In scenario 1 of Figure 1, the network device acts as both the transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) of the sensing signal. For example, sensing signal 1 transmitted by the network device reaches the target object (e.g., a person). After being reflected by the target object, sensing signal 1 is received by the network device as sensing signal 2, which can then be processed to obtain the sensing result.

[0053] In scenario 2 of Figure 1, one network device acts as the transmitter (TX) of the sensing signal, and the other network device acts as the receiver (RX) of the sensing signal. For example, sensing signal 1 transmitted by the network device acting as TX reaches the target object. After being reflected by the target object, sensing signal 1 is received by the network device acting as RX, which can then process sensing signal 2 to obtain the sensing result.

[0054] In scenario 3 of Figure 1, the network device acts as the transmitter of the sensing signal, and the terminal acts as the receiver of the sensing signal. For example, sensing signal 1 sent by the network device reaches the target object. After being reflected by the target object, sensing signal 1 can be received by the terminal as sensing signal 2. The terminal can then process sensing signal 2 to obtain the sensing result.

[0055] In scenario 4 of Figure 1, the terminal acts as the transmitter of the sensing signal, and the network device acts as the receiver of the sensing signal. For example, sensing signal 1 sent by the terminal reaches the target object. After being reflected by the target object, sensing signal 1 is received by the network device as sensing signal 2. The network device can then process sensing signal 2 to obtain the sensing result.

[0056] In scenario 5 of Figure 1, the terminal acts as both the sender and receiver of the sensing signal. For example, sensing signal 1 sent by the terminal reaches the target object. After being reflected by the target object, sensing signal 1 is received by the terminal as sensing signal 2, which can then be processed to obtain the sensing result.

[0057] In scenario 6 of Figure 1, one terminal acts as the transmitter of the sensing signal, and the other terminal acts as the receiver of the sensing signal. For example, sensing signal 1 transmitted by the terminal acting as TX reaches the target object. After being reflected by the target object, sensing signal 1 can be received by the terminal acting as RX, which can then process sensing signal 2 to obtain the sensing result.

[0058] In one possible implementation, the target object in scenarios 1 to 6 can be any object, person, or animal that can be sensed by network devices or terminals; this application does not limit this. In one possible implementation, the sensing signal 2 in scenarios 1 to 6 can be understood as the reflected signal (or echo signal) of sensing signal 1. Sensing signal 2 carries more information than sensing signal 1; for example, sensing signal 2 can carry source information and environmental information. In one possible implementation, the sensing result in scenarios 1 to 6 can include at least one of the following: the distance between the target object and the corresponding device (such as the receiver of sensing signal 2, including a terminal or network device), the angle of the target object relative to the corresponding device, the moving speed of the target object, or the signal strength of sensing signal 2, etc., without limitation.

[0059] Communication scenarios can be divided into network device-to-network device communication scenarios, network device-to-terminal communication scenarios, and terminal-to-terminal communication scenarios. For example, scenario 1 in Figure 2 describes a network device-to-network device communication scenario, scenario 2 in Figure 2 describes a network device-to-terminal communication scenario, and scenario 3 in Figure 2 describes a terminal-to-terminal communication scenario.

[0060] The number of network devices and terminals shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2 is merely illustrative and should not be considered as a specific limitation of this application. The various devices involved in Figure 1 or Figure 2 will now be described in detail.

[0061] I. Terminal

[0062] The terminal can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. Specifically, the terminal can refer to user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, user equipment, or roadside unit (RSU). The terminal may contain components that perform the corresponding communication functions, such as modules, communication modules, circuits, or chips. The terminal may also be configured with program instructions for performing the corresponding communication functions.

[0063] For example, a terminal can be a drone, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a station (ST) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a cellular phone, a smartphone, a cordless phone, a wireless data card, a tablet computer, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a laptop computer, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device (also known as a wearable smart device), a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in remote medical care, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, or a wireless terminal in transportation safety. Wireless terminals in various applications include those related to safety, smart cities, smart homes, transportation vehicles with wireless communication capabilities, communication modules, device-to-device (D2D) wireless terminals, and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) wireless terminals. The terminals can also be in 5G systems or next-generation communication systems; this application does not limit the specific application to these applications.

[0064] The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. The device used to implement the functions of the terminal can be the terminal itself; it can also be a device that supports the terminal in implementing the functions, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal or used in conjunction with the terminal. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0065] II. Network Equipment

[0066] The network device can be a device or module located on the network side of the aforementioned communication system and possessing corresponding communication functions. The network device can be a device deployed in a radio access network (RAN) to provide wireless communication functions for terminals. The network device may contain components that perform the corresponding communication functions, such as modules, communication modules, circuits, or chips. The network device may also be configured with program instructions for performing the corresponding communication functions, as well as corresponding program instructions.

[0067] In one possible scenario, network equipment can be devices with base station functions, such as evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs), transmitting and receiving points (TRPs), transmitting points (TPs), next-generation NodeBs (gNBs), base stations in future mobile communication systems, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, and non-terrestrial network equipment, i.e., equipment that can be deployed on high-altitude platforms or satellites. Network equipment can also be base stations or various forms of control nodes, such as network controllers and wireless controllers. Specifically, network equipment can be various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small cells) in heterogeneous network (HetNet) scenarios, relay stations, access points (APs), radio network controllers (RNCs), node Bs (NBs), base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), home base stations (e.g., home evolved node Bs, or home node Bs (HNBs)), baseband units (BBUs) and remote radio units (RRUs) in distributed base station scenarios, transmitting points (TPs), mobile switching centers, etc., or even base station antenna panels. Control nodes can connect to multiple base stations and configure resources for multiple terminals covered by multiple base stations. In systems employing different wireless access technologies, the names of devices with base station functions may differ. For example, it could be a gNB in ​​5G, or a network-side device in a network after 5G, or a network device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN) network, or a device that performs base station functions in device-to-device (D2D) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, etc. This application does not limit the specific name of the network device.Network equipment can also be open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), baseband pool (BBU pool) and RRU under cloud radio access network (CRAN), etc.

[0068] In another possible scenario, multiple network devices collaborate to assist terminals in achieving wireless access, with each network device implementing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, network devices may include a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs may be included in radio frequency devices or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs). In one possible design, the processing unit in the BBU used to implement baseband functions is called a baseband high (BBH) unit, and the processing unit in the RRU / AAU / RRH used to implement baseband functions is called a baseband low (BBL) unit. In one possible implementation, the network device can be a CU node, a DU node, or a device that includes both CU and DU nodes. Furthermore, the CU can be classified as a network device in the RAN or as a network device in the core network (CN), without limitation.

[0069] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. 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 and hardware modules.

[0070] In this embodiment, the form of the network device is not limited. The device used to implement the function of the network device can be the network device itself, or it can be a device that supports the network device in implementing the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device.

[0071] To facilitate understanding of the content of this solution, some terms used in the embodiments of this application will be explained below, so that those skilled in the art can understand them. This part is only for the purpose of understanding and should not be regarded as a specific limitation of this application.

[0072] I. Modulation and Demodulation

[0073] Modulation is the process of processing information from a signal source and adding it to a carrier wave to transform it into a form suitable for transmission through a channel. Modulation methods can include quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), pulse amplitude modulation (PAM), phase shift keying (PSK), amplitude shift keying (ASK), amplitude shift keying (APSK), binary phase shift keying (BPSK), or offset quadrature amplitude modulation (OQAM), etc.

[0074] Demodulation is the inverse process of modulation, recovering the original data bits or symbols from the signal. Demodulation can sometimes be referred to as detection.

[0075] II. Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)

[0076] OFDM technology converts high-speed data streams into multiple parallel low-speed data streams through serial-to-parallel conversion, and then distributes them to several subcarriers of different frequencies for transmission. OFDM technology utilizes mutually orthogonal subcarriers, resulting in overlapping subcarrier spectra. For example, taking the transmission and reception of signals based on OFDM technology (or the generation and demodulation of NR OFDM symbols / OFDM waveforms) as an example, in Figure 3, the transmitting end sequentially performs serial-to-parallel conversion, subcarrier mapping, N-point inverse discrete Fourier transform (IDFT), parallel-to-serial conversion, addition of CP, and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) processing on the sequence, and then transmits the signal through the antenna port and channel. When the receiver receives a signal through the channel and antenna port, it sequentially performs analog-to-digital converter (ADC), CP removal, serial-to-parallel conversion, N-point discrete Fourier transformation (DFT), subcarrier removal, parallel-to-serial conversion, and detection to obtain the sequence.

[0077] For example, let's take M consecutive data points S(kM), S(kM+1), ..., S(kM+M-1) as an example to illustrate the process of transmitting signals based on OFDM technology. The transmitting end can perform serial-to-parallel conversion on S(kM), S(kM+1), ..., S(kM+M-1) to obtain an M-dimensional data block S. k =[S(kM),S(kM+1),…,S(kM+M-1)] T The subscript k is the OFDM symbol number, while the superscript T indicates transpose. Next, the transmitter can... k Perform subcarrier mapping so that S k The M data carried are modulated onto N subcarriers. sc On N subcarriers. ss =M. The rest (NN) ss ) subcarriers are modulated by data '0'. This yields an N-dimensional data vector X. k This allows the sender to control X. k Performing an N-point IDFT yields N complex time-domain sampling points x k =[x k (0),x k (1),…,x k (N-1)] T For example, suppose Where e represents Euler's constant, j represents the imaginary unit, and j 2 =-1. X k (n′), n′=0,1,…,N-1, representing the sum of S k The result obtained after subcarrier mapping. For example... n0 is an integer representing S k Mapped to a consecutive N starting from index n0 sc On each subcarrier, or in other words carrying S k The index of the first subcarrier in the N frequency domain cells is n0, S k (l) is S k The l-th element, l = 0, 1, ..., N sc -1.

[0078] When the sending end can access X k After performing an N-point IDFT, it is also possible to perform an N-point IDFT on x. k Add a CP. For example, copy x. k The last Q samples are appended to x. k At the beginning, we obtain the time-domain OFDM symbol. Therefore, an OFDM symbol includes valid data x k And CP (i.e., redundant data). CP eliminates inter-symbol interference (ISI) caused by multipath propagation (such as radio signals reaching the receiver through two or more paths). At the receiver, OFDM symbols are demodulated through inverse processing. Assuming time and frequency synchronization is available and the CP length is sufficient, the CP removal operation (i.e., removing the first Q samples from the received signal) yields a data block with N samples completely free of ISI, which is also equal to x. k Circular convolution with the channel impulse response. The time-domain circular convolution can be converted into frequency-domain dot product using the DFT, and then channel equalization can be performed with low complexity using frequency-domain single-tap equalization.

[0079] In one possible implementation, the above-mentioned S k This may include modulation symbols and / or redundant signal sampling points. Modulation symbols can be obtained by modulating a bitstream (such as a coded bitstream). Modulation methods may include PAM, PSK, QAM, or APSK, etc. Redundant signal sampling points may include phase tracking reference signal (PTRS) sampling points, demodulation reference signal (DMRS), or tone-preserving signals, etc.

[0080] In a possible implementation, when the number of transform points N satisfies certain conditions, such as N being a power of 2, a power of 3, or a power of 5, etc., the IDFT can also be replaced by: inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) for implementation. Correspondingly, the DFT can also be replaced by: FFT. In this application, the IDFT and IFFT can be used interchangeably, and the DFT and FFT can be used interchangeably.

[0081] In a possible implementation, the above N sc refers to the number of subcarriers within the transmission bandwidth. In the above text, N sc = M can also be replaced by: N sc > M or N sc < M. For example, in frequency-domain spectrum shaping with bandwidth expansion, the sequence S of length M k can be expanded, and it is assumed that the length of the expanded sequence is equal to N sc , and at this time N sc > M. Or, in frequency-domain spectrum shaping with bandwidth compression, the sequence S of length M k can be truncated, and it is assumed that the length of the truncated sequence is equal to N sc , and at this time N sc < M.

[0082] In this application, OFDM modulation involves performing serial-to-parallel conversion, subcarrier mapping, N-point IDFT, and parallel-to-serial conversion in sequence. After OFDM modulation, before transmitting the signal to the channel, a series of processing such as adjusting the transmission power of the signal can also be performed. The antenna at the receiving end performs a series of processing on the received signal, for example, automatic gain control, etc., so that the receiving end can reasonably process the signal.

[0083] III. Discrete Fourier Transformation - Spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM)

[0084] DFT-s-OFDM is a derivative technology based on OFDM. DFT-s-OFDM has the characteristics of a single carrier with a low peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR), and is currently used to transmit uplink signals in LTE communication systems and NR communication systems.

[0085] Compared to OFDM-based signal transmission methods, DFT-s-OFDM-based signal transmission methods involve an additional DFT step on the channel-coded modulated signal before frequency domain mapping, following channel coding modulation. DFT-s-OFDM processes the subcarriers used by each user, converting them from the time domain to the frequency domain. Then, each user's frequency domain signal is OFDM modulated, thus converting all user signals back to the time domain and transmitting them together. Through this DFT improvement, the signal returns to the time domain. In other words, DFT-s-OFDM precodes the DFT-processed signal. In the protocol, DFT is called "transform precoding." Precoding is used at the transmitting end to process the data. Typically, precoding is performed in units of RB or RGB. It can be understood that precoding after channel coding modulation and before frequency domain mapping reduces system overhead, increases system capacity, and also reduces bit error rate and interference.

[0086] For example, in Figure 3, DFT-s-OFDM defines the data block s transmitted in the time domain. k That is, after serial-to-parallel conversion and before subcarrier mapping, the transmitter can process each data block s containing M data. k Perform an M-point DFT operation to obtain S k In one possible implementation, s k This can include modulation symbols and / or redundant signal sampling points. Modulation symbols can be obtained by modulating a bitstream (such as a coded bitstream). Modulation methods can include PAM, PSK, QAM, OQAM, or APSK, etc. Redundant signal sampling points can include PTRS sampling points, unique words (UW), or zeros, etc. When s k When including UW or zero-tail (ZT) symbols, the CP operation may not be performed. That is, this application can be applied to CP DFT-s-OFDM symbols, ZT-DFT-s-OFDM symbols, or UW-DFT-s-OFDM symbols, etc., and this application does not limit it.

[0087] In one possible implementation, this application can also be applied to other OFDM symbols, such as vector orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (V-OFDM), windowed OFDM (W-OFDM), filtered cyclic prefix OFDM (f-CP-OFDM), multiple input and multiple output OFDM (MIMO-OFDM), or multiband OFDM (MB-OFDM), etc. This application does not limit the specific type of OFDM symbol; any OFDM symbol can be used with this solution. Furthermore, OFDM symbols can be used interchangeably with OFDM waveforms.

[0088] IV. Frequency Domain Unit

[0089] The frequency domain unit mentioned in this application refers to a continuous or non-contiguous segment of frequency domain resources. For example, the frequency domain unit may be at least one carrier, at least one bandwidth part (BWP), at least one resource block group (RBG), at least one resource block (RB), or at least one subcarrier, etc.

[0090] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. The executing entity involved in the embodiments of this application can be a single communication device, such as a first communication device. Alternatively, the executing entity involved in the embodiments of this application can be multiple communication devices, such as a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device or the second communication device can be any of the devices in Figure 1 capable of communication and / or sensing. The specific names of the first and second communication devices are not limited in the embodiments of this application. As an example, in a sensing scenario based on network devices or a communication scenario between network devices, the first communication device can be a network device or a component of a network device, and the second communication device can be a network device or a component of a network device. In a sensing scenario based on network devices and terminals or a communication scenario between network devices and terminals, the first communication device can be a terminal or a component of a terminal, and the second communication device can be a network device or a component of a network device. Alternatively, the first communication device can be a network device or a component of a network device, and the second communication device can be a terminal or a component of a terminal. In a sensing scenario based on terminals or a communication scenario between terminals, the first communication device can be a terminal or a component of a terminal, and the second communication device can be a terminal or a component of a terminal. Specific forms of the first and second communication devices are not listed here. In one possible implementation, in the sensing scenario, the first communication device and the second communication device can be the same communication device, that is, this solution is executed by one communication device. In other words, the following steps S401 to S403 or steps S1301 to S1302 are all executed by the same terminal or network device, etc.

[0091] Referring to Figure 4, which is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, the method includes, but is not limited to, the following steps:

[0092] S401. A first signal is transmitted, comprising a CP and L sub-signals of equal duration, where L is an integer greater than 1. The header signals and tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are identical. Alternatively, the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are identical, and the first signal further includes a second signal preceding the CP, the signal formed by the second signal and the CP having the same tail signal as the first signal.

[0093] S402, Receive the reflected signal of the first signal after it passes through the target object.

[0094] For example, in implementing S401-S402 above, specifically, a terminal may send a first signal and receive the reflected signal of the first signal after it has passed through a target object. Alternatively, a network device may send the first signal and receive the reflected signal of the first signal after it has passed through a target object. That is, the executing entities of steps S401 and S402 above can be the same communication device or different communication devices.

[0095] In one possible implementation, step S403 may also be performed after step S402.

[0096] S403. Perceive the target object based on the reflected signal.

[0097] For example, a terminal or network device can perceive a target object based on reflected signals to obtain a perception result. That is, the terminal or network device can break down the reflected signal into L sub-symbols of equal duration and perceive the target object based on these L sub-symbols. The duration of each sub-symbol is equal to the duration of a sub-signal in the first signal. When the head signals and tail signals of all the L sub-signals are the same, the first sub-symbol corresponds to the third signal, and the nth sub-symbol corresponds to the nth sub-signal. When the first signal also includes a second signal preceding the CP (Concurrent Phase), the nth sub-symbol corresponds to the nth sub-signal.

[0098] Specifically, when the executing entity of step S402 is a terminal, the terminal can perceive the target object based on the reflected signal to obtain a perception result. When the executing entity of step S402 is a network device, the network device can perceive the target object based on the reflected signal to obtain a perception result.

[0099] In one possible implementation, the sensing result may include at least one of the following: the distance between the target object and the corresponding device (such as the receiving end of the reflected signal of the first signal, including a terminal or network device), the angle of the target object relative to the corresponding device, the moving speed of the target object, or the signal strength of the reflected signal of the first signal, etc., which are not limited herein.

[0100] The following section provides a detailed explanation of the relevant content involved in each of the above steps.

[0101] In step S401, when the first signal includes a CP and L sub-signals of the same duration, the first signal also includes a second signal preceding the CP. That is, in this application, the first signal can have the following two cases:

[0102] Case 1: The first signal includes a CP and L sub-signals with the same duration (or length or time length, which is simply referred to as duration). For example, in Figure 5-1, the first signal includes a CP and multiple sub-signals, such as sub-signals #0 to #L-1. The durations of sub-signals #0 to #L-1 are all the same.

[0103] Scenario 2: The first signal includes a CP, L sub-signals of equal duration, and a second signal preceding the CP. For example, in Figure 5-2, the first signal includes the second signal, the CP, and multiple sub-signals, such as sub-signals #0 to #L-1. The durations of sub-signals #0 to #L-1 are all the same.

[0104] In one possible implementation, in either scenario one or scenario two above, the CP can be an existing CP and / or a newly added CP. An existing CP can be a CP in an existing version of a communication standard, such as a normal cyclic prefix (NCP) or an extended cyclic prefix (ECP). A newly added CP can be a newly defined CP, such as a CP in a future communication standard. This application does not limit this.

[0105] In one possible implementation, in either Case 1 or Case 2 above, the duration of the sub-signal in the first signal can be N / L. That is, the duration of each of the L sub-signals in the first signal is N / L. N is the IDFT size. In another possible implementation, N is the sum of the durations of the L sub-signals.

[0106] In one possible implementation, in either Case 1 or Case 2 above, the L sub-signals in the first signal may have a certain relationship. For example, in Case 1 above, the head signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same, and the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same. In Case 2 above, the head signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same or different, and the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same.

[0107] In this first signal, the start position of the header signal of a sub-signal is the same as the start position of the sub-signal itself. The end position of the header signal of a sub-signal in the first signal differs from the end position of the sub-signal itself; for example, the end position of the header signal of a sub-signal in the first signal may be earlier than the end position of the sub-signal itself. For instance, taking a first signal comprising sub-signals #0 to #L-1 as an example, in Figure 5, the start position of the header signal of sub-signal #0 is the same as the start position of sub-signal #0, ..., the start position of the header signal of sub-signal #L-1 is the same as the start position of sub-signal #L-1. The end position of the header signal of sub-signal #0 is earlier than the end position of sub-signal #0, ..., the end position of the header signal of sub-signal #L-1 is earlier than the end position of sub-signal #L-1.

[0108] Similarly, the start position of the tail signal of a sub-signal in the first signal is different from the start position of the sub-signal itself; for example, the start position of the tail signal of a sub-signal in the first signal is later than the start position of the sub-signal. The end position of the tail signal of a sub-signal in the first signal is the same as the end position of the sub-signal. For example, taking a first signal including sub-signals #0 to #L-1 as an example, in Figure 5, the start position of the tail signal of sub-signal #0 is later than the start position of sub-signal #0, ..., the start position of the tail signal of sub-signal #L-1 is later than the start position of sub-signal #L-1. The end position of the tail signal of sub-signal #0 is the same as the end position of sub-signal #0, ..., the end position of the tail signal of sub-signal #L-1 is the same as the end position of sub-signal #L-1.

[0109] The following section will introduce the above-mentioned 'the head signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same or different' and 'the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same'.

[0110] In one possible implementation, the identical header signals of the L sub-signals can mean that the sampling points corresponding to the header signals of the L sub-signals are approximately equal or identical. If a sub-signal contains multiple discrete-time sampling points, for the former, it can be considered that the absolute value of the difference between the sampling points corresponding to the header signals of the L sub-signals is less than or equal to a first threshold, or that the mean square error between the sampling points corresponding to the header signals of the L sub-signals is less than or equal to a second threshold. For the latter, it can be considered that the sampling points corresponding to the header signals of the L sub-signals are equal. Similarly, the different header signals of the L sub-signals can mean that the sampling points corresponding to the header signals of the L sub-signals are not equal. For example, the absolute value of the difference between the sampling points corresponding to the header signals of the L sub-signals is greater than or equal to a first threshold, or that the mean square error between the sampling points corresponding to the header signals of the L sub-signals is greater than or equal to a second threshold. The threshold mentioned in this application (such as the first threshold or the second threshold) can be a predefined or preconfigured value greater than or equal to 0, and this application does not limit it.

[0111] In one possible implementation, the identical tail signals of the L sub-signals can mean that the sampling points corresponding to the tail signals of the L sub-signals are approximately equal or identical. For the former, it can be assumed that the absolute value of the difference between the sampling points corresponding to the tail signals of the L sub-signals is less than or equal to a third threshold, or that the mean square error between the sampling points corresponding to the tail signals of the L sub-signals is less than or equal to a fourth threshold. For the latter, it can be assumed that the sampling points corresponding to the tail signals of the L sub-signals are equal.

[0112] The following section will explain the relationship between 'CP and the propagation delay corresponding to the first signal' in conjunction with either scenario one or scenario two.

[0113] As an example, in the above case one, the sum of the duration of the header signal and the duration of the CP of each of the L sub-signals is greater than or equal to the propagation delay corresponding to the first signal, for example, (N H +N CP )T s ≥τ,N H Let N be the number of sampling points in the header signal of each of the L sub-signals. CP T represents the number of sampling points in CP. s Let τ be the sampling interval, and τ be the propagation delay of the first signal.

[0114] As another example, in case two above, the sum of the duration of the second signal and the duration of CP is greater than or equal to the propagation delay corresponding to the first signal, for example, T+T. CP ≥τ, where T is the duration of the second signal. CP The duration of CP. Alternatively, the sum of the duration of the second signal and the duration of CP is greater than or equal to the maximum value of the propagation delay and multipath delay spread corresponding to the first signal, for example, T+T. CP ≥max(τ,α c ), α c This is multipath delay spread. In this case, the duration of each of the L sub-signals in the first signal can be greater than or equal to the propagation delay corresponding to the first signal.

[0115] In the two examples above, the duration of the tail signal of each of the L sub-signals is greater than or equal to the propagation delay corresponding to the first signal. For example, N T T s ≥τ,N T Let L be the number of sampling points contained in the tail signal of each of the L sub-signals.

[0116] Wherein, the propagation delay τ corresponding to the first signal is related to R, such as R is the distance between the transmitter of the first signal (such as a terminal or network device) and the target object, and c is the speed of light. In this case, the transmitter of the first signal and the receiver of the reflected signal corresponding to the first signal are the same device. Alternatively, the propagation delay τ of the first signal is the same as the propagation delay τ of the sensing link. s and the propagation delay τ of the communication link c Related, such as τ=τ s -τ c . d tx2o2rx It is the sum of the distance from the transmitting end of the first signal (such as a terminal or network device) to the target object and the distance from the target object to the receiving end of the reflected signal corresponding to the first signal (such as a terminal or network device). d tx2rx This refers to the distance between the transmitting end (such as a terminal or network device) of the first signal and the receiving end (such as a terminal or network device) of the reflected signal. In this case, the transmitting end of the first signal and the receiving end of the corresponding reflected signal are different devices.

[0117] The following section explains how to determine the L sub-signals in the first signal.

[0118] In one possible implementation, the L sub-signals in the first signal can be determined based on the L-stream frequency domain signal. To achieve 'the head signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same' and / or 'the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same', this scheme performs corresponding processing on certain stream frequency domain signals in the L-stream frequency domain signal corresponding to the L sub-signals. The processing process will be described in detail below, but will not be described here.

[0119] In one possible implementation, the L-stream frequency domain signal may include a first frequency domain signal and an L-1 stream frequency domain signal other than the first frequency domain signal.

[0120] The value X corresponding to the first frequency domain signal is an integer multiple of L, and X is the index of the first frequency domain unit carrying the first frequency domain signal within N frequency domain units. Alternatively, X is based on n0 and K. TC,x Determine if X is n0 and K TC,x The sum of N. Where n0 is N. sc The index of the first frequency domain cell in N frequency domain cells. That is, if the index of the first frequency domain cell in N frequency domain cells is n0, then the index of the first frequency domain cell in N consecutive frequency domain cells is n0. sc The indices of the frequency domain units are n0, n0+1, ..., n0+N. sc -1. K TC,x For N sc The difference between the index of the first frequency domain cell carrying the first frequency domain signal and n0 in each frequency domain cell. TC,x ∈{0,1,…,L-1}.

[0121] In the L-1 stream frequency domain signal, the value Y corresponding to each stream frequency domain signal is not an integer multiple of L. Y is the index of the first frequency domain unit carrying each stream frequency domain signal in the N frequency domain units. Alternatively, Y is based on n0 and K. TC,y Determine if Y is n0 and K TC,y The sum of K. TC,y For N sc The difference between the index of the first frequency domain cell carrying the L-1 stream frequency domain signal and n0 in each frequency domain cell. TC,y ∈{0,1,…,L-1}.

[0122] For ease of description, we will use an example where L is 2 (i.e., 2-stream frequency domain signals, denoted as S0 and S1) and the frequency domain unit is a subcarrier to illustrate X and Y. For example, in Figure 6, assume n0 is 0, N sc The value is 12. S0 can be the first stream frequency domain signal mentioned above, and the value X corresponding to S0 is 0, which is an integer multiple of L. S1 can be other stream frequency domain signals besides the first stream frequency domain signal, and the value Y corresponding to S1 is 1, which is not an integer multiple of L.

[0123] L-channel frequency domain signals can be frequency-division multiplexed (FDM) within a corresponding frequency range, such as the continuous N-channel signals mentioned above. sc On each frequency domain unit, that is, the L-stream frequency domain signal is located in N sc On a frequency domain unit. Or, a single time unit simultaneously carries the L-stream frequency domain signal. The time unit mentioned in this application refers to the duration (or time length, or simply duration) in the time domain, such as at least one frame, at least one subframe, at least one time slot, at least one symbol, at least one segment, at least one mini-slot or sub-slot, or other durations, etc.

[0124] In order to make the L current frequency domain signal located in N sc In each frequency domain cell, the position of each stream of the L-stream frequency domain signal occupies a comb-like structure. That is, each of the L frequency domain cells can choose one cell to carry one stream of frequency domain signal. For example, the 12 subcarriers in Figure 6 are divided into two combs, denoted as comb#0 and comb#1. Comb#0 carries S0, and comb#1 carries S1. The subcarrier indices occupied by S0 are 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10, and the subcarrier indices occupied by S1 are 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. That is, S0 and S1 are FDM (Frequency Directed Communication).

[0125] This application does not limit the signal type of the L-stream frequency domain signal. The signal type includes reference signals and random communication data signals. For example, part of the L-stream frequency domain signal is a reference signal and part is a random communication data signal.

[0126] In one possible implementation, a certain stream frequency domain signal in the L stream frequency domain signal, such as S... p If 0 ≤ p ≤ L⁻¹, after OFDM modulation, a time-domain signal x without CP can be generated. p (n), where n = 0, 1, ..., N-1. When the L-stream frequency domain signals are located in the same symbol in FDM form, the corresponding time domain signal of that symbol... Thus, a certain sub-signal among the L sub-signals is denoted as x. c,p (m). x c,p (m) and x c The relationship of (n) is:

[0127] Whether each stream frequency domain signal in the L-stream frequency domain can be split into identical signals (including two signals of the same length and the same signal) after OFDM modulation depends on whether n0 is even or odd. That is, x pWhether (n) can be split into multiple identical signals depends on the carrier S. p Is the index of the first frequency domain unit in the N frequency domain units divisible by L?

[0128] For example, taking a frequency domain signal with a value of L = 2 (i.e., 2-stream frequency domain signals, denoted as S0 and S1), OFDM modulation of S0 yields signal #0 (excluding CP), denoted as x0(n). OFDM modulation of S1 yields signal #1 (excluding CP), denoted as x1(n). Adding signals #0 and #1 together yields the time domain signal x corresponding to the symbol. c (n). That is, x c (n) = x0(n) + x1(n).

[0129] 1. The index of the first frequency domain unit carrying S0 in the N frequency domain units is divisible by L, and x0(n) can be split into two identical (both lengths) units. Signals that are identical are denoted as x. 0,0 and x 0,1 Correspondingly, the index of the first frequency domain unit carrying S1 in the N frequency domain units cannot be divided by L, and x1(n) can split two different signals, such as those with the same length (both are...). Let x be two signals that are different from each other. 1,0 and x 1,1 .

[0130] Where, x 0,0 (m)=x 0,1 (m) = x0(m), or x 1,0 (m)=x1(m), In this case, x 1,0 Head signal (or x) 1,0 The first N in H (sampling points) and x 1,1 Head signal (or x) 1,1 The first N in H (The sample points) can be the same or different. For the former, x can be considered... 1,0 The first N in H sampling points and x 1,1 The first N in H Each sampling point is approximately equal to or equal to the others. 1,0 The first N in H sampling points and x 1,1 The first N in H The fact that all sampling points are approximately equal can mean that: x 1,0 The first N in H sampling points and x 1,1 The first N inH The absolute value of the difference between each sampling point is less than or equal to the corresponding threshold, such as ε. 1,H That is, |x 1,0 (m)-x 1,1 (m)|≤ε 1,H ,0≤m≤N H -1. Or, x 1,0 The first N in H sampling points and x 1,1 The first N in H The mean square error between each sampling point is less than or equal to the corresponding threshold, such as ε. 2,H .Right now For the latter, x can be considered 1,0 The first N in H sampling points and x 1,1 The first N in H The number of sampling points is not equal. For example, x 1,0 The first N in H sampling points and x 1,1 The first N in H The absolute value of the difference between each sampling point is greater than or equal to the corresponding threshold, such as ε. 1,H That is, |x 1,0 (m)-x 1,1 (m)|≥ε 1,H ,0≤m≤N H -1. Or, x 1,0 The first N in H sampling points and x 1,1 The first N in H The mean square error between sampling points is greater than or equal to the corresponding threshold, such as ε. 2,H .Right now

[0131] Similarly, x 1,0 The tail signal (or x) 1,0 The latter N T (sampling points) and x 1,1 The tail signal (or x) 1,1 The latter N T (each sampling point) can be the same. For example, x 1,0 The latter N T sampling points and x 1,1 The latter N T Each sampling point is approximately equal to or equal to the others. 1,0 The latter N T sampling points and x 1,1 The latter N T The fact that all sampling points are approximately equal can mean that: x 1,0 The latter N T sampling points and x 1,1The latter N T The absolute value of the difference between each sampling point is less than or equal to the corresponding threshold, such as ε. 1,T That is, |x 1,0 (m)-x 1,1 (m)|≤ε 1,T , Or, x 1,0 The latter N T sampling points and x 1,1 The latter N T The mean square error between each sampling point is less than or equal to the corresponding threshold, such as ε. 2,T .Right now

[0132] For example, in Figure 7, x0(n) can be split into two identical (both of length 1) segments. Signals that are identical are denoted as x. 0,0 and x 0,1 x1(n) can be split into two different signals, such as those of the same length (both are...). Let x be two signals that are different from each other. 1,0 and x 1,1 In Figure 7-1, x 1,0 Head signals and x 1,1 The head signals are the same, both carrying signal C. 1,0 The tail signal and x 1,1 The tail signals are the same, both carrying signal D. 1,0 The middle part and x 1,1 The middle parts are different, for example, x 1,0 The middle part carries signal F, x 1,1 The middle part carries signal G. In Figure 7-2, x 1,0 Head signals and x 1,1 The head signals are different, for example, x 1,0 The head signal carries signal C, x 1,1 The head signal carries signal C'. 1,0 The tail signal and x 1,1 The tail signals are the same, both carrying signal D. 1,0 The middle part and x 1,1 The middle parts are different, for example, x 1,0 The middle part carries signal F, x 1,1 The middle part carries signal G.

[0133] 2. The index of the first frequency domain unit carrying S0 in the N frequency domain units is not divisible by L, while the index of the first frequency domain unit carrying S1 in the N frequency domain units is divisible by L. That is, x0(n) can be split into two different signals, such as those with the same length (both are...). Let x be two signals that are different from each other. 0,0 and x 0,1 x1(n) can be split into two identical (both of length 1) Signals that are identical are denoted as x. 1,0 and x 1,1 .

[0134] Where, x 1,0 (m)=x 1,1 (m) = x1(m), or x 0,0 (m)=x0(m), In this case, x 0,0 Head signal (or x) 0,0 The first N in H (sampling points) and x 0,1 Head signal (or x) 0,1 The first N in H (The sample points) can be the same or different. For the former, x can be considered... 0,0 The first N in H sampling points and x 0,1 The first N in H Each sampling point is approximately equal to or equal to the others. 0,0 The first N in H sampling points and x 0,1 The first N in H The fact that all sampling points are approximately equal can mean that: x 0,0 The first N in H sampling points and x 0,1 The first N in H The absolute value of the difference between each sampling point is less than or equal to the corresponding threshold, such as ε. 3,H That is, |x 0,0 (m)-x 0,1 (m)|≤ε 3,H ,0≤m≤N H -1. Or, x 0,0 The first N in H sampling points and x 0,1 The first N in H The mean square error between each sampling point is less than or equal to the corresponding threshold, such as ε. 4,H .Right now For the latter, x can be considered 0,0 The first N in H sampling points and x 0,1 The first N in H The number of sampling points is not equal. For example, x 0,0 The first N in H sampling points and x 0,1The first N in H The absolute value of the difference between each sampling point is greater than or equal to the corresponding threshold, such as ε. 3,H That is, |x 0,0 (m)-x 0,1 (m)|≥ε 3,H ,0≤m≤N H -1. Or, x 0,0 The first N in H sampling points and x 0,1 The first N in H The mean square error between sampling points is greater than or equal to the corresponding threshold, such as ε. 4,H .Right now

[0135] Similarly, x 0,0 The tail signal (or x) 0,0 The latter N T (sampling points) and x 0,1 The tail signal (or x) 0,1 The latter N T (each sampling point) can be the same. For example, x 0,0 The latter N T sampling points and x 0,1 The latter N T Each sampling point is approximately equal to or equal to the others. 0,0 The latter N T sampling points and x 0,1 The latter N T The fact that all sampling points are approximately equal can mean that: x 0,0 The latter N T sampling points and x 0,1 The latter N T The absolute value of the difference between each sampling point is less than or equal to the corresponding threshold, such as ε. 3,T That is, |x 0,0 (m)-x 0,1 (m)|≤ε 3,T , Or, x 0,0 The latter N T sampling points and x 0,1 The latter N T The mean square error between each sampling point is less than or equal to the corresponding threshold, such as ε. 4,T .Right now

[0136] Based on the above design, it is possible to achieve the following: all L sub-signals have the same header signal, all L sub-signals have the same tail signal, and all L sub-signals have different signals other than the header and tail signals (denoted as the middle signal). Alternatively, all L sub-signals have the same tail signal, and all L sub-signals have different middle signals. In other words, for the former, the following conditions must be met: all L sub-signals have the same header signal and all L sub-signals have the same tail signal. For the latter, the following condition must be met: all L sub-signals have the same tail signal.

[0137] For example, taking the index of the first frequency domain cell carrying S0 in the N frequency domain cells as an example, when x0(n) and x1(n) are added together, we can obtain x c (n). That is, x c,0 (m)=x 0,0 (m)+x 1,0 (m), x c,1 (m)=x 0,1 (m)+x 1,1 (m). If x 1,0 The first N in H sampling points and x 1,1 The first N in H All sampling points are the same, x 0,0 (m)=x 0,1 (m), then x c,0 The first N in (m) H sampling points and x c,1 The first N in (m) H All sampling points are the same, i.e., x c,0 (m) head signal and x c,1 The head signal of (m) is the same, as shown in Figure 7-1, x c,0 Head signals and x c,1 The head signals are the same, both carrying signals A+C. And x c,0 (m) and x c,1 (m) can be considered as two sub-signals with the same duration in the first signal, so the head signals of the two sub-signals in the first signal can be considered to be the same. If x 1,0 The first N in H sampling points and x 1,1 The first N in H If each sampling point is different, then x c,0 The first N in (m) H sampling points and x c,1 The first N in (m) H Each sampling point is different, i.e., x c,0 (m) head signal and x c,1The head signal of (m) is different, as shown in Figure 7-2, x c,0 Head signals and x c,1 The head signals are different, for example, x c,0 The head signal carries signals A+C, x c,1 The head signal carries signal A+C'. And x c,0 (m) and x c,1 (m) can be regarded as two sub-signals with the same duration in the first signal, so it can be considered that the head signals of the two sub-signals in the first signal are different.

[0138] Similarly, if x 1,0 The latter N T sampling points and x 1,1 The latter N T All sampling points are the same, x 0,0 (m)=x 0,1 (m), then x c,0 The N in (m) T sampling points and x c,1 The N in (m) T All sampling points are the same, i.e., x c,0 (m) tail signal and x c,1 The tail signal of (m) is the same, as shown in Figure 7, x c,0 The tail signal and x c,1 The tail signals are the same, both carrying the signal B+D. And x c,0 (m) and x c,1 (m) can be regarded as two sub-signals with the same duration in the first signal, so it can be considered that the tail signals of the two sub-signals in the first signal are the same.

[0139] Similarly, if x c,0 (m) and x c,1 (m) contains signals other than the head and tail signals, such as the middle signal, which differ. As shown in Figure 7, x c,0 The middle signal and x c,1 The middle signal is different, x c,0 The middle part of the signal carries the signal E+F, x c,1 The middle part of the signal carries the signal E+G. And x c,0 (m) and x c,1 (m) can be regarded as two sub-signals with the same duration in the first signal, but the middle signals of the two sub-signals are different.

[0140] Furthermore, when in Figure 7 x c,0 After adding CP, x c,0 The tail signal and x c,1 The tail signals are the same, so x can be... c,0The tail signal can be considered as x c,1 The equivalent CP. In Figure 7-1, x c,0 Head signals and x c,1 The head signals are the same, x c,2 The starting position is x c,0 The end position of the head signal, and x c,2 The ending position is x c,1 The start and end positions of the header signal. Thus, CP and x c,0 The signal composed of the head signal can be considered as x c,2 The equivalent CP. In Figure 7-2, the signal composed of the signal B2 before CP and CP can be considered as x. c,0 CP.

[0141] Based on this, the receiving end of the reflected signal of the first signal (such as a terminal or network device) can divide the reflected signal into L sub-symbols of equal duration and perform sensing based on these L sub-symbols. Wherein, the starting position of the first sub-symbol and x... c,2 The starting position is the same as the third signal mentioned above, while the ending position of the first sub-symbol is the same as x. c,2 The start position of the n1th sub-symbol is the same as the start position of the n1th sub-signal, and the end position of the n1th sub-symbol is the same as the end position of the n1th sub-signal, where n1 is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to L. Taking L=2 as an example, the start position of the 2nd sub-symbol is the same as the start position of the 2nd sub-signal, and the end position of the 2nd sub-symbol is the same as the end position of the 2nd sub-signal. The receiver performs FFT processing on each sub-symbol. Because x c,2 Both the n1th and n2th sub-signals have their own equivalent CP (Propagation Component). This allows for the avoidance of partial signals from the previous sub-symbol falling into the receiving FFT window corresponding to the current sub-symbol when performing FFT processing on the sub-symbols. This reduces interference between sub-symbols and improves sensing performance. For example, considering L=2, as shown in Figure 8, when the propagation delay of the first signal is greater than the duration of the CP, the receiving FFT window #1 contains the signal within the first sub-symbol, while the receiving FFT window #2 contains the signal within the second symbol.

[0142] The following describes the corresponding processing of the above 'L-1 stream frequency domain signal' so that 'the head signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same' and / or 'the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same'.

[0143] Among them, the head of the time-domain sequence corresponding to each stream frequency domain signal in the L-1 stream frequency domain signal has M H 0, M HPositive integers. In other words, the signal obtained by OFDM modulation (i.e., the sequence of signals in the L-1 stream frequency domain) has a zero-end. That is, the leading signal is a zero signal, a low-power signal, or a signal with a very low amplitude. For example, in Figure 7-1, x 1,0 The head signal (carrying signal C) and x 1,1 The head signal (carrying signal C) is a zero signal, a low-power signal, or a signal with a very low amplitude. This makes the head signals of each of the L sub-signals the same.

[0144] In the L-1 flow frequency domain signal, the tail of the time domain sequence corresponding to each flow frequency domain signal has M T 0, M T It is a positive integer. In other words, the signal obtained by OFDM modulation (i.e., the sequence of timestamps) from any one of the L-1 stream frequency domain signals has a zero tail. That is, the tail of the signal is a zero signal, a low-power signal, or a signal with a very low amplitude. For example, in Figure 7, x 1,0 The tail signal (carrying signal D) and x 1,1 The tail signal (carrying signal D) is a zero signal, a low-power signal, or a signal with a very low amplitude. This makes the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals the same.

[0145] In summary, when the time-domain sequence corresponding to each stream frequency domain signal in the L-1 stream frequency domain signal has a corresponding number of zeros at both the beginning and the end, the beginning signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same, and the end signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same. When the time-domain sequence corresponding to each stream frequency domain signal in the L-1 stream frequency domain signal only has a corresponding number of zeros at the end, the end signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same.

[0146] For ease of description, the following uses a certain flow frequency domain signal S in the L-1 flow frequency domain signal as an example. q Taking 0≤q≤L-2 as an example, let's introduce S q The corresponding time-domain sequence generation process. Where S q The corresponding time-domain sequence has a certain number of zeros at both the beginning and end, as shown in case ①. S q The corresponding time-domain sequence has only the corresponding number of zeros at the end, which can be referred to as case ②.

[0147] Case ①: The terminal or network device can process a length of M0 (M0 = MM). H -M T non-zero sequence s q (0),s q (1),…,s q Add M before (M0-1) H Add M zeros to the end of the sequence.T By removing zeros, a sequence of length M is obtained. Thus, a terminal or network device can perform a DFT on the sequence of length M to obtain a frequency domain signal of length M. And for frequency domain signals After some processing, the length is obtained as frequency domain signal S q Then, for the frequency domain signal S q Perform an N-point IDFT to obtain S q The corresponding time-domain sequence can also be called the time-domain ZH-ZT DFT-s-OFDM signal, as shown in Figure 9-1.

[0148] Scenario 2: The terminal or network device can process a length of M1 (M1 = MM). T non-zero sequence s q (0),s q (1),…,s q Add M after (M1-1) T By removing zeros, a sequence of length M is obtained. Thus, a terminal or network device can perform a DFT on the sequence of length M to obtain a frequency domain signal of length M. And for frequency domain signals After some processing, the length is obtained as frequency domain signal S q Then, for the frequency domain signal S q Perform an N-point IDFT to obtain S q The corresponding time-domain sequence can also be called the time-domain ZT DFT-s-OFDM signal, as shown in Figure 9-2.

[0149] In either case ① or case ② above, the terminal or network device receives frequency domain signals. After some processing, the length is obtained as frequency domain signal S q There are two possible methods:

[0150] Method 1: Terminal or network device for frequency domain signals Frequency-domain spectral shaping (FDSS) is performed to obtain a length of... frequency domain signal S q In one possible implementation, FDSS can be understood as... Perform windowing. That is... Where ω(k) is the kth coefficient of the FDSS window function.

[0151] Method 2: Terminal or network device for frequency domain signals Frequency domain bandwidth expansion and FDSS are performed sequentially to obtain a length of frequency domain signal S q As shown in Figure 10. The terminal or network device handles frequency domain signals. Frequency domain bandwidth expansion can be expressed as: mod represents the modulo operation, for example, 12 mod 5 = 2.

[0152] The following explains how to confirm the above M. H Let me introduce it.

[0153] Among them, M H It can be based on the duration of the cyclic prefix, the propagation delay corresponding to the first signal, N, L, and N. sc Confirmed. For example, This indicates rounding down, or... This indicates rounding down, or... round indicates rounding to the nearest whole number. Among them, when... At that time, M H The value is the smallest.

[0154] In one possible implementation, It can be calculated based on the following formulas: (N H +N CP )T s ≥τ. It can be calculated based on the following formulas: (N H +N CP )T s ≥τ. It can be calculated based on the following formulas: (N H +N CP )T s ≥τ.

[0155] In practical applications, M can be increased. H This reduces the error between the header signals of each of the L sub-signals.

[0156] The following explains how to confirm the above M. T Let me introduce it.

[0157] Among them, M T Based on the propagation delay, N, L, and N corresponding to the first signal sc Confirmed. For example, or, or, when At that time, M T The value is the smallest.

[0158] In one possible implementation, It can be calculated based on the following formulas: N T T s ≥τ. It can be calculated based on the following formulas: N T T s ≥τ. M T = It can be calculated based on the following formulas: N T T s ≥τ.

[0159] In practical applications, M can be increased. T This reduces the error between the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals.

[0160] The following section, in conjunction with the above-mentioned second scenario, explains how to achieve the goal of 'the signal composed of the second signal and CP being identical to the tail signal of the first signal'.

[0161] In this case, the tail signal of the first signal is the same as the tail signal of any one of the L sub-signals. For example, in Figure 7-2, the tail signal of the first signal, x c,0 The tail signal and x c,1 The tail signals of all the signals are the same, carrying signal B+D. In other words, the tail signal of the first signal is the same as the tail signal of the last sub-signal among the L sub-signals. For example, in Figure 7-2, the tail signal of the first signal is the same as the tail signal of x. c,1 The tail signals are the same, both carrying the signal B+D.

[0162] In one possible implementation, the signal composed of the second signal and CP is the same as the tail signal of the first signal, or it can be described as: the second signal is the same as the signal before the CP cutoff point in the tail signal of the first signal. For example, in Figure 11, in the signal In the diagram, the signal preceding CP is signal B2. The signal before the CP cutoff point in the tail signal is also signal B2. Or, in the signal... In the signal, the signal preceding CP is signal D1. The signal before the CP intercept point in the tail signal is also signal D1. Optionally, the signal composed of the second signal and CP is the same as the tail signal of the first signal, and can also be described as follows: the second signal is contained in the tail signal of the next second signal adjacent to the first signal. The second signal is similar to the first signal in case two above, and will not be elaborated here. For example, in Figure 11, in the signal In the signal sequence, the signal preceding CP is signal D1. Signal D1 is contained within the signal... In the tail signal. In order to realize the relationship between these signals, the terminal or network device can combine the above situation ② so that the DFT input sequences corresponding to adjacent signals (such as the first signal and the second signal) have a certain relationship.

[0163] For example, suppose the signal The corresponding DFT input sequence is Signal The corresponding DFT input sequence is As an example, in, or or N D2 This represents the number of sampling points for the second signal. As another example, the signal... The last a0 values ​​of the corresponding DFT input sequence and the signal The last a0 values ​​of the corresponding DFT input sequence are the same, and the signal... The corresponding DFT input sequence is subjected to DFT-s-OFDM modulation but before CP is added, the signal is... A cyclic shift is performed, with the shift amount equal to the length of CP, as shown in Figure 12. In this case, the signal... The corresponding DFT input sequence is Signal The corresponding DFT input sequence is Or, signal The corresponding DFT input sequence is Signal The corresponding DFT input sequence is

[0164] The above describes a scheme for sensing using the first signal. The following describes a scheme for communication using the first signal.

[0165] Referring to Figure 13, which is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, the method includes, but is not limited to, the following steps:

[0166] S1301. Receive a first signal, which includes a CP and L sub-signals of equal duration, where L is an integer greater than 1. The header signals and tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are identical. Alternatively, the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are identical, and the first signal also includes a second signal preceding the CP, the signal formed by the second signal and the CP having the same tail signal as the first signal.

[0167] The description of the first signal can be found in Figures 4-12, and will not be repeated here.

[0168] S1302, Communication is based on the first signal.

[0169] For example, demodulation based on the first signal.

[0170] For example, in implementing S1301-S1302 above, specifically, the terminal may send a first signal, and the network device may communicate based on the first signal. Alternatively, the network device may send the first signal, and the terminal may communicate based on the first signal. Alternatively, one terminal may send the first signal, and another terminal may communicate based on the first signal. Alternatively, one network device may send the first signal, and another network device may communicate based on the first signal. That is, the executing entities of steps S1301 and S1302 above can be different communication devices.

[0171] In one possible implementation, the first signal described above can be used for both sensing and communication. In this case, it can be understood in several ways:

[0172] 1. Device 1 sends a first signal. Device 1 can receive the reflected signal after the first signal passes through the target object and perform sensing. Device 2 can receive the first signal and communicate based on the first signal.

[0173] 2. Device 1 sends a first signal. Device 2 can receive the reflected signal after the first signal passes through the target object and perform sensing. Device 3 can receive the first signal and perform communication based on the first signal. In this case, because the first signal contains communication data signals, Device 2 may need to demodulate the first signal and reconstruct the transmitted first signal before performing sensing, and then perform sensing based on the reconstructed first signal and the received reflected signal.

[0174] In this application, both device 1 and device 2 can be terminals or network devices. Alternatively, device 1 can be a terminal and device 2 can be a network device. Or, device 1 can be a network device and device 2 can be a terminal; this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0175] In one possible implementation, the above example illustrates a scheme for sensing or communication using a first signal carried within a single time unit (such as a symbol). In practical applications, more time units may be involved. As an example, the signal carried in these time units can still be the first signal (which can be used for sensing or communication). The first signal can refer to either Situation 1 or Situation 2 described above, or to existing methods, such as those already present in communication standards. As another example, the signal carried in these time units can be other signals used for communication, different from the first signal, and this is not limited here.

[0176] In one possible implementation, the device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function in order to achieve the aforementioned functions. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0177] This application embodiment can divide the first communication device or the second communication device into functional modules according to the above method example. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0178] Referring to Figure 14, Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1400 can be applied to the methods shown in the embodiments of Figure 4 or Figure 13 above. As shown in Figure 14, the communication device 1400 includes a processing module 1401 and a transceiver module 1402. The processing module 1401 may be one or more processors, and the transceiver module 1402 may be a transceiver or a communication interface. This communication device can be used to implement the first or second communication device involved in any of the above method embodiments, or to implement the functions of network elements involved in any of the above method embodiments. The network element or network function can be a network component in a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, or a virtualization function instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). In one possible implementation, the communication device 1400 may further include a storage module 1403 for storing the program code and data of the communication device 1400. It should be understood that regardless of whether these functional modules are subdivided or combined, the general flow performed by the communication device 1400 in implementing any of the above method embodiments is the same. For example, the transceiver module 1402 in the aforementioned communication device 1400 may include a receiving module and / or a transmitting module. Of course, the transceiver module may also be called a communication module. In one implementation, each module may have its own program code (or program instructions). When the program code corresponding to each module is run on the processor, it causes the unit to execute the corresponding process to achieve the corresponding function.

[0179] In one example, when the communication device functions as a first communication device or as a component applied to a first communication device, i.e., a component used in a first communication device, it executes the steps performed by the first communication device in the above method embodiments. The transceiver module 1402 is used to specifically execute the sending and / or receiving actions performed by the first communication device in the embodiments shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 13, for example, supporting the first communication device in performing other processes of the technology described herein. The processing module 1401 can be used to support the communication device 1400 in performing the processing actions in the above method embodiments, for example, supporting the first communication device in performing other processes of the technology described herein.

[0180] For example, transceiver module 1402 is used to receive the reflected signal of the first signal after it passes through a target object; processing module 1401 is used to sense the target object based on the reflected signal. The first signal includes a CP and L sub-signals of equal duration, where L is an integer greater than 1. The head signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same, and the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same, or the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same. The first signal also includes a second signal preceding the CP, and the signal formed by the second signal and the CP has the same tail signal as the first signal.

[0181] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 1402 is also used to transmit a first signal.

[0182] For example, transceiver module 1402 is used to receive a first signal; processing module 1401 is used to perform communication based on the first signal. The first signal includes a CP and L sub-signals of equal duration, where L is an integer greater than 1. The header signals and tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are identical. Alternatively, the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are identical, and the first signal also includes a second signal preceding the CP, the signal formed by the second signal and the CP having the same tail signal as the first signal.

[0183] In one example, the communication device functions as a second communication device or as a component applied to a second communication device, i.e., a component used in a second communication device, and performs the steps performed by the second communication device in the above method embodiments. The transceiver module 1402 is used to specifically perform the sending and / or receiving actions performed by the second communication device in the embodiments shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 13, for example, supporting the second communication device in performing other processes of the technology described herein. The processing module 1401 can be used to support the communication device 1400 in performing the processing actions in the above method embodiments, for example, supporting the second communication device in performing other processes of the technology described herein.

[0184] For example, transceiver module 1402 is used to transmit a first signal, which includes a CP and L sub-signals of equal duration, where L is an integer greater than 1. The header signals and tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are identical. Alternatively, the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are identical, and the first signal also includes a second signal preceding the CP, the signal formed by the second signal and the CP having the same tail signal as the first signal.

[0185] In one possible implementation, when the aforementioned device is a chip, such as a modem chip or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core, or when the aforementioned device is a communication module, the transceiver module 1402 can be a communication interface, pins, or circuits. The communication interface can be used to input data to be processed to the processor and can output the processor's processing results. Specifically, the communication interface can be a general purpose input / output (GPIO) interface, which can connect to multiple peripheral devices (such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), camera, radio frequency (RF) module, antenna, etc.). The communication interface is connected to the processor via a bus.

[0186] The processing module 1401 can be a processing circuit, which may be one or more processors, or all or part of the circuitry within one or more processors used for control and / or processing. This processing circuit or processor can execute computer execution instructions stored in the storage module to cause the chip to execute the methods involved in the embodiments shown in FIG4 or FIG13. Further, the processor may include a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and registers. For example, the controller is primarily responsible for instruction decoding and issuing control signals for the operations corresponding to the instructions. The ALU is primarily responsible for performing fixed-point or floating-point arithmetic operations, shift operations, and logical operations, and can also perform address operations and conversions. The registers are primarily responsible for storing register operands and intermediate operation results temporarily stored during instruction execution. In specific implementations, the processor's hardware architecture can be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) architecture, a microprocessor without interlocked piped stages architecture (MIPS) architecture, an advanced reduced instruction set machine (RISC) machine (ARM) architecture, or a network processor (NP) architecture, etc. The processor can be single-core or multi-core. The storage module can be an internal storage module of the chip, such as a register or cache. Alternatively, the storage module can be an external storage module, such as read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, or random access memory (RAM).

[0187] In one possible implementation, the functions of the processor and the interface can be implemented through hardware design, software design, or a combination of hardware and software; no restrictions are placed here.

[0188] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. It is understood that the communication device 1510 includes necessary means such as modules, units, elements, circuits, or interfaces, appropriately configured together to execute this solution. The communication device 1510 can be the first or second communication device described above, or a component (e.g., a chip) in these devices, used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. The communication device 1510 includes one or more processors 1511. The processor 1511 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device, execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0189] In one possible implementation, in one design, processor 1511 may include program 1513 (sometimes also referred to as code or instructions), which can be executed on processor 1511 to cause communication device 1510 to perform the methods described in the above embodiments. In another possible design, communication device 1510 includes circuitry (not shown in FIG15) for implementing the functions of the first communication device, second communication device, etc., in the above embodiments. In one possible implementation, communication device 1510 may include one or more memories 1512 storing program 1514 (sometimes also referred to as code or instructions), which can be executed on memory 1512 to cause communication device 1510 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0190] In one possible implementation, data may also be stored in the processor 1511 and / or the memory 1512. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together.

[0191] In one possible implementation, if the communication device 1510 is a first communication device or a second communication device, it may further include a transceiver 1515 and / or an antenna 1516. The processor 1511, sometimes referred to as a processing unit, controls the communication device. The transceiver 1515, sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, or transceiver circuit, is used to implement the transmission and reception functions of the communication device via the antenna 1516. In one possible implementation, the transceiver 1515 may include a receiver and / or a transmitter. The receiver may be referred to as a receiving unit, receiver, or receiving circuit. The transmitter may be referred to as a transmitting unit, transmitter, or transmitting circuit.

[0192] In one possible implementation, if the communication device 1510 is a chip used in a first or second communication device, the transceiver 1515 may be a transceiver circuit, such as an input / output interface or a transceiver interface.

[0193] This application also provides a communication device, which includes at least one processor; wherein the at least one processor is configured to perform the method described in any one of the embodiments shown in FIG4 or FIG13.

[0194] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to perform the method described in any of the embodiments shown in FIG4 or FIG13.

[0195] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer program code. When the computer program code is run, it causes the computer to perform the method described in any of the embodiments shown in FIG4 or FIG13.

[0196] This application also provides a chip, which includes at least one processor and an interface. The processor is used to read and execute instructions stored in a memory. When the instructions are executed, the chip causes the chip to perform the method described in any of the embodiments shown in FIG4 or FIG13.

[0197] Optionally, the processing performed by a single execution entity (terminal or network device) shown in any of the above embodiments can also be divided into multiple execution entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated. For example, the processing performed by the network device can be divided into execution by at least one of CU, DU, and RU.

[0198] Furthermore, the various embodiments of this application are merely illustrative examples of executing all the steps included, and should not be considered as specific limitations on this application. For example, the order of steps in each embodiment can be simply changed according to their function and internal logic; or, for example, all steps in each embodiment can be executed, or only a portion of them can be executed, as long as the same function as in the embodiments of this application can be achieved.

[0199] In this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to a network device" can be understood as the destination of the information being the network device, which can include direct transmission via the air interface or indirect transmission via the air interface from other units or modules. "Receive information from a network device" can be understood as the source of the information being the network device, which can include direct reception from the network device via the air interface or indirect reception from the network device via the air interface from 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.

[0200] In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between network devices and terminals; or they can occur within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within a device via a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0201] In the embodiments of this application, "when," "if," "if," and "in the case of" all refer to the device making corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to a time, nor do they require the device to make a judgment action when it is implemented, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0202] In this application, the words “example,” “exemplarily,” “for example,” or “such as” are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design described as “example,” “exemplarily,” “for example,” or “such as” in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of the words “example,” “exemplarily,” “for example,” or “such as” is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0203] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive the reflected signal of the first signal after it passes through the target object, wherein the first signal includes L sub-signals with the same cyclic prefix and duration, and L is an integer greater than 1; The target object is perceived based on the reflected signal; Wherein, the head signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same, and the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same; or, The tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same. The first signal also includes a second signal located before the cyclic prefix. The signal formed by the second signal and the cyclic prefix is ​​the same as the tail signal of the first signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before receiving the reflected signal of the first signal after it has passed through the target object, the method further includes: Send the first signal.

3. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive a first signal, the first signal comprising L sub-signals with the same cyclic prefix and duration, the first signal being located in a consecutive N sc In each frequency domain unit, L and N sc All are integers greater than 1; Communication is based on the first signal; Wherein, the head signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same, and the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same; or, The tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same. The first signal also includes a second signal located before the cyclic prefix. The signal formed by the second signal and the cyclic prefix is ​​the same as the tail signal of the first signal.

4. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Send a first signal, the first signal comprising a cyclic prefix and L sub-signals of equal duration, the first signal being located in a consecutive N... sc In each frequency domain unit, L and N sc All are integers greater than 1; Wherein, the head signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same, and the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same; or, The tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same. The first signal also includes a second signal located before the cyclic prefix. The signal formed by the second signal and the cyclic prefix is ​​the same as the tail signal of the first signal.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The first signal is located in consecutive N sc On each frequency domain unit, the N sc It is an integer greater than 1.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The L sub-signals are determined based on the L stream frequency domain signal, and the L stream frequency domain signal occupies the N... sc One frequency domain unit; The L-stream frequency domain signal includes a first frequency domain signal and an L-1-stream frequency domain signal excluding the first frequency domain signal. The value X corresponding to the first frequency domain signal is an integer multiple of L, and the value Y corresponding to each stream frequency domain signal in the L-1-stream frequency domain signal is not an integer multiple of L.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, X is N sc The index of the first frequency domain unit carrying the first frequency domain signal in the N frequency domain units, where Y is the index of the N frequency domain units. sc The index of the first frequency domain unit carrying the L-1 stream frequency domain signal in the N frequency domain units.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The header of the time-domain sequence corresponding to each stream frequency domain signal in the L-1 stream frequency domain signal has M H One zero, and / or, the tail of the time-domain sequence corresponding to each stream frequency domain signal in the L-1 stream frequency domain signal has M T The M is a zero. H and the M T All are positive integers.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The head signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same, the tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same, and the sum of the duration of the head signal of each of the L sub-signals and the duration of the cyclic prefix is ​​greater than or equal to the propagation delay corresponding to the first signal.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The tail signals of each of the L sub-signals are the same. The first signal also includes a first sub-signal located before the cyclic prefix. The signal formed by the first sub-signal and the cyclic prefix is ​​the same as the tail signal of the first signal. The sum of the duration of the first sub-signal and the duration of the cyclic prefix is ​​greater than or equal to the propagation delay corresponding to the first signal; or, The sum of the duration of the first sub-signal and the duration of the cyclic prefix is ​​greater than or equal to the maximum value of the propagation delay and multipath delay spread corresponding to the first signal.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The duration of the tail signal of each of the L sub-signals is greater than or equal to the propagation delay corresponding to the first signal.

12. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes units or modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1-11.

13. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes at least one processor; wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-11.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs that, when executed, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-11.

15. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes at least one processor for executing computer instructions or programs that, when run, cause the chip to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-11.

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