CN120729374A

CN120729374A - Communication method, communication device and communication system

Info

Publication number: CN120729374A
Application number: CN202410375486.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 徐波; 梁星魂; 邓盛超
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2024-03-28
Filing date: 2024-03-28
Publication date: 2025-09-30
Also published as: WO2025200999A1

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method, a communication device, and a communication system. The method includes: sending M first perception information in M sub-time units of a first time unit through M simulated beams, where M is an integer greater than 1, and the M simulated beams, the M sub-time units, and the M first perception information have a one-to-one correspondence, and the M first perception information is used to perceive objects within at least two vertical angle ranges, and the angle between the emission direction of the M simulated beams and the horizontal plane of the ground is greater than or equal to 0°; and sending communication information in a second time unit. In this solution, while achieving normal communication, surrounding objects can be perceived, especially objects that are higher than the antenna array position can be perceived, which helps to expand the perception range and thereby improve perception performance.

Description

Communication method, communication device and communication system

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of wireless communications technologies, and in particular, to a communication method, a communication device, and a communication system.

Background

The communication and sensing integrated technology is a technology for providing a sensing function for network equipment besides the original communication function. For example, the network device is used for communication at one part of the time and detects information of the object by transceiving the sensing information at another part of the time. The sensing function refers to a function of detecting information such as a position, a speed or a height of an object by network equipment, for example, an unmanned plane, a bird, a balloon or the like.

In the application scene of the sense of general integration, how the network equipment accurately senses the object in the air under the condition of normal communication needs to be solved.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a communication method, a communication device and a communication system, which are used for accurately sensing surrounding objects under the condition of realizing normal communication.

In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, which may be performed by a network device, or by a module (e.g., a chip) in the network device. The network device may be a base station, a Centralized Unit (CU), a Distributed Unit (DU), a Radio Unit (RU), or the like. The method comprises the steps of sending M pieces of first perception information in M sub-time units of a first time unit through M pieces of analog beams, wherein M is an integer larger than 1, the M pieces of analog beams, the M sub-time units and the M pieces of first perception information are in one-to-one correspondence, the M pieces of first perception information are used for perceiving objects in at least two vertical angle ranges, and an included angle between the emitting directions of the M pieces of analog beams and the ground level is larger than or equal to 0 degrees.

According to the scheme, under the condition of normal communication, surrounding objects can be perceived, particularly objects higher than the antenna array can be perceived, the perception range is enlarged, and further the perception performance is improved.

In a possible implementation, the starting position of at least one of the M sub-time units is set to a hybrid beamforming (hybridbeamforming, HBF) beam switching time, which is used to adjust the beam pointing of the analog beam.

According to the scheme, through the HBF wave beam switching time, pulse wave sensing information in a corresponding vertical angle range can be accurately generated, and the sensing range is enlarged.

In a possible implementation method, the M first sensing information includes M1 pulse wave sensing information, where M1 is an integer greater than 1, and M2 pulse wave sensing information in the M1 pulse wave sensing information is sent through a part of antenna arrays in all antenna arrays, where M2 is a positive integer.

According to the scheme, the pulse wave sensing information is sent through the partial antenna arrays, so that objects in a close range can be detected, detection dead zones can be eliminated, and the detection performance is improved.

In a possible implementation, another part of the total antenna arrays is not used for transmitting the at least one pulse wave sensing information, but is used for receiving reflection information of the at least one pulse wave sensing information.

According to the scheme, the pulse wave sensing information is not sent to the partial antenna arrays, so that the partial antenna arrays can be started to receive the pulse wave sensing information in advance, the pulse wave sensing information reflected by the object at a short distance can be accurately received, and the object at a shorter distance can be detected.

In a possible implementation method, N pieces of second perception information are sent by N pieces of analog beams in N sub-time units of a third time unit, N is an integer larger than 1, the N pieces of analog beams, the N sub-time units and the N pieces of second perception information are in one-to-one correspondence, the N pieces of second perception information are used for perceiving objects in at least two vertical angle ranges, an included angle between the emitting direction of the N pieces of analog beams and the ground level is larger than or equal to 0 degree, the N pieces of second perception information comprise N1 pieces of pulse wave perception information, N1 is an integer larger than 1, N2 pieces of pulse wave perception information in the N1 pieces of pulse wave perception information are sent by partial antenna arrays in all antenna arrays, N2 is a positive integer, and the direction of the analog beam corresponding to the N2 pieces of pulse wave perception information is not identical to the direction of the M2 pieces of analog pulse wave perception information.

By the aid of the scheme, detection of the short-distance objects in a plurality of vertical angle ranges can be achieved, and detection performance is improved.

In one possible implementation, the height of the object in the at least two vertical angle ranges is greater than or equal to the height of the antenna array.

By the aid of the scheme, objects higher than the antenna array can be accurately detected.

In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method that may be performed by a CU or a DU, or by a module (e.g., a chip) in the CU or the DU. The method comprises the steps of sending first signaling, sending second signaling, wherein the first signaling is used for sending M pieces of first perception information in M sub-time units of a first time unit through M pieces of analog beams, M is an integer larger than 1, the M pieces of analog beams, the M sub-time units and the M pieces of first perception information are in one-to-one correspondence, the M pieces of first perception information are used for perceiving objects in at least two vertical angle ranges, and an included angle between the emitting direction of the M pieces of analog beams and the ground level is larger than or equal to 0 degree.

In a possible implementation method, the starting position of at least one of the M sub-time units is set to an HBF beam switching time, and the HBF beam switching time is used to adjust beam pointing of the analog beam.

In a possible implementation method, the method further comprises the step of sending third signaling, wherein the third signaling is used for sending N pieces of second sensing information through N pieces of analog beams in N sub-time units of a third time unit, N is an integer larger than 1, the N pieces of analog beams, the N sub-time units and the N pieces of second sensing information are in one-to-one correspondence, the N pieces of second sensing information are used for sensing objects in at least two vertical angle ranges, an included angle between the sending direction of the N pieces of analog beams and the ground level is larger than or equal to 0 degree, the N pieces of second sensing information comprise N1 pieces of pulse wave sensing information, N1 is an integer larger than 1, N2 pieces of pulse wave sensing information in the N1 pieces of pulse wave sensing information are sent through part of antenna arrays in all antenna arrays, N2 is a positive integer, and the directions of analog beams corresponding to the N2 pieces of pulse wave sensing information are not identical to the directions of analog beams corresponding to the M2 pieces of pulse wave sensing information.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, where the apparatus may be a network device, and may also be a module (such as a chip) in the network device. The apparatus has the function of implementing any implementation method of the first aspect. The functions can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, where the device may be a CU or a DU, and may also be a module (e.g. a chip) in the CU or the DU. The apparatus has the function of implementing any implementation method of the second aspect. The functions can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In a fifth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication device comprising means or units for performing the steps of any implementation method of the first to second aspects described above.

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, including a processor and an interface circuit, where the processor is configured to communicate with other devices through the interface circuit, and perform any implementation method of the first aspect to the second aspect. The processor includes one or more.

Optionally, the communications apparatus can further include a memory for storing computer instructions, the memory coupled to the processor, the processor executing the computer instructions stored in the memory to cause the apparatus to perform any of the implementing methods of the first aspect to the second aspect.

In a seventh aspect, embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product comprising a computer program or instructions which, when executed by a communication device, cause any of the implementation methods of the first to second aspects described above to be performed.

In an eighth aspect, embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein that, when run on a communication device, cause any implementation method of the first to second aspects described above to be performed.

In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip system, including a processor, configured to perform any implementation method of the first aspect to the second aspect.

In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, including at least two communication apparatuses, where at least one of the at least two communication apparatuses is configured to perform any implementation method of the first aspect or is configured to perform any implementation method of the second aspect.

Drawings

FIG. 1 (a) is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which embodiments of the present application are applied;

FIG. 1 (b) shows a schematic diagram of a network device;

fig. 2 to 3 are diagrams illustrating application scenarios of sense of general integration;

Fig. 4 is an exemplary diagram of an antenna deployment;

fig. 5 (a) is a schematic flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 (b) is a schematic diagram of the detection range;

fig. 6 to 9 are diagrams illustrating application scenarios of sense of openness integration;

FIG. 10 is an example diagram of generating an analog beam;

FIG. 11 is an exemplary diagram of a sense of openness integration;

FIG. 12 is an exemplary diagram of transmitting and receiving perceptual information;

fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of an antenna array;

FIG. 14 is an exemplary diagram of a probe distance;

fig. 15 is an exemplary diagram of a sense of openness integration;

FIG. 16 is a diagram of a perception example;

Fig. 17 to fig. 18 are schematic structural diagrams of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 (a) is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which an embodiment of the present application is applied. The communication system shown in fig. 1 (a) comprises a radio access network 100 and a core network 200, and optionally the communication system further comprises the internet 300. The radio access network 100 may include at least one network device (e.g., 110a and 110b in fig. 1 (a)) and may also include at least one terminal device (e.g., 120a-120j in fig. 1 (a)). The terminal equipment is connected with the network equipment in a wireless mode, and the network equipment is connected with the core network in a wireless or wired mode. The core network device and the network device may be separate physical devices, or may integrate the functions of the core network device and the logic functions of the network device on the same physical device, or may integrate the functions of a part of the core network device and the functions of a part of the network device on one physical device. The terminal device and the network device can be connected with each other by a wired or wireless mode. Fig. 1 (a) is only a schematic diagram, and other network devices may be further included in the communication system, for example, a wireless relay device and a wireless backhaul device may also be included, which are not shown in fig. 1 (a).

The network device is an access device to which the terminal device accesses the communication system by a wired or wireless method. The network device may be a base station (base station), an evolved node b (evolvedNodeB, eNodeB), a transmission and reception point (transmission receptionpoint, TRP), a next generation base station (next generationNodeB, gNB) in a fifth generation (5th generation,5G) mobile communication system, a next generation base station in a sixth generation (6th generation,6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, or may be a module or unit that performs a function of a base station part, for example, may be a CU, may be a DU, or may be an RU. The network device may be a macro base station (e.g., 110a in fig. 1 (a)), a micro base station or an indoor station (e.g., 110b in fig. 1 (a)), a relay node or a donor node, and so on. The embodiment of the application does not limit the specific technology and the specific equipment form adopted by the network equipment.

The terminal device is a device having a wireless transceiving function, and can transmit a signal to or receive a signal from the network device. Terminal devices include, but are not limited to, terminal devices, terminals, user Equipment (UE), mobile stations, mobile terminals, and the like. The terminal device may be widely applied to various scenes, for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-device (vehicle to everything, V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (internet ofthings, IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autopilot, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, and the like. The terminal equipment can be a mobile phone, a tablet personal computer, a computer with a wireless receiving and transmitting function, a wearable device, a vehicle, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a mechanical arm, intelligent household equipment and the like. The embodiment of the application does not limit the specific technology and the specific equipment form adopted by the terminal equipment.

The network device and the terminal device may be fixed in location or may be mobile. The network equipment and the terminal equipment can be deployed on land, including indoor or outdoor, handheld or vehicle-mounted, on water surface, on aircraft, balloon and satellite. The embodiment of the application does not limit the application scenes of the network equipment and the terminal equipment.

The roles of network device and terminal device may be relative, e.g., helicopter or drone 120i in fig. 1 (a) may be configured as a mobile network device, terminal device 120i being the network device for those terminal devices 120j that access radio access network 100 through 120i, but 120i being the terminal device for network device 110a, i.e., communication between 110a and 120i being via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, communication between 110a and 120i may also be performed via an interface protocol between network devices, in which case 120i is also a network device with respect to 110 a. Thus, both the network device and the terminal device may be collectively referred to as a communication apparatus, 110a and 110b in fig. 1 (a) may be referred to as a communication apparatus having a network device function, and 120a-120j in fig. 1 (a) may be referred to as a communication apparatus having a terminal device function.

Communication between the network device and the terminal device, between the network device and the network device, and between the terminal device and the terminal device can be performed through an authorized spectrum, communication can be performed through an unlicensed spectrum, communication can be performed through both the authorized spectrum and the unlicensed spectrum, communication can be performed through a spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), communication can be performed through a spectrum above 6GHz, and communication can be performed through a spectrum below 6GHz and a spectrum above 6 GHz. The embodiment of the application does not limit the spectrum resources used by the wireless communication.

In the embodiment of the present application, the functions of the network device may be performed by modules (such as chips) in the network device, or may be performed by a control subsystem including the functions of the network device. The control subsystem including the network device function may be a control center in the above application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal device may be performed by a module (e.g., a chip or a modem) in the terminal device, or may be performed by an apparatus including the functions of the terminal device.

Fig. 1 (b) shows a schematic diagram of a network device. As shown in fig. 1 (b), the network device includes one or more CUs, one or more DUs, and one or more RUs, only one CU, DU, and RU being shown in fig. 1 (b) for clarity. Wherein the CU is arranged to be connected to a core network and to one or more DUs. Alternatively, the CU may have part of the functionality of the core network. The CUs may include a CU-Control Plane (CP) and a CU-user plane (userplane, UP).

The CUs and DUs may be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement, e.g., the CUs are configured to implement the functions of a packet data convergence protocol (PACKET DATA convergenceprotocol, PDCP) layer and above protocol layers, e.g., a radio resource control (radio resource control, RRC) layer and/or a traffic data adaptation protocol (SERVICE DATA adaptationprotocol, SDAP) layer, etc., and the DUs are configured to implement the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer, e.g., a radio link control (radio link control, RLC) layer, a medium access control (medium access control, MAC) layer, and/or a Physical (PHY) layer, etc. For another example, a CU is configured to implement functions of a protocol layer above a PDCP layer (e.g., RRC layer and/or SDAP layer), and a DU is configured to implement functions of a PDCP layer and below a protocol layer (e.g., RLC layer, MAC layer, and/or PHY layer, etc.).

The configuration of the CU and the DU above is merely an example, and the CU and the DU may have functions configured as needed. For example, a CU or DU may be configured to have functions of more protocol layers, or may be configured to have partial processing functions of protocol layers. For example, a part of functions of the RLC layer and functions of protocol layers above the RLC layer are set at CU, and the remaining functions of the RLC layer and functions of protocol layers below the RLC layer are set at DU. For another example, the functions of the CU or the DU may be divided according to the service type or other system requirements, for example, the functions that require processing time to meet the smaller latency requirement may be set in the DU, and the functions that do not require processing time to meet the latency requirement may be set in the CU.

The DU and RU may cooperate to collectively implement the functionality of the PHY layer. One DU may be connected to one or more RUs. The functions possessed by DUs and RUs may be configured in a variety of ways depending on the design. For example, a DU is configured to implement baseband functionality and an RU is configured to implement medium radio frequency functionality. As another example, the DU is configured to implement higher layer functions in the PHY layer, and the RU is configured to implement lower layer functions in the PHY layer or to implement the lower layer functions and the radio frequency functions. The higher layer functions in the physical layer may include a portion of the functions of the physical layer that are closer to the MAC layer, and the lower layer functions in the physical layer may include another portion of the functions of the physical layer that are closer to the medium radio frequency side.

The CUs and DUs may be provided separately or may be comprised in the same network element, e.g. in a baseband unit (basebandunit, BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or unit, such as in a remote radio unit (remote radio unit, RRU), an active antenna unit (active antennaunit, AAU), or a remote radio head (remote radio head, RRH). In different systems, a CU, DU or RU may also have different names, but the meaning will be understood by a person skilled in the art. For example, in ORAN systems, a CU may also be referred to as an O-CU (open CU), a DU may also be referred to as an O-DU, and a RU may also be referred to as an O-RU. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in the present application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

For convenience of explanation, in the embodiments of the present application, the UE and the base station are used as an example of the terminal device and the network device respectively. The UE and the base station which appear later in the embodiment of the application can be respectively replaced by terminal equipment and network equipment.

Fig. 2 and 3 are diagrams illustrating application scenarios with integrated sense of general. The antenna of the base station is deployed in high altitude, the antenna of the base station can be deployed perpendicular to the ground (as shown in fig. 2), or one surface of the antenna radiating signals can be inclined towards the ground to form a downward inclination angle with the ground (as shown in fig. 3). The beam of the antenna is directed toward the ground, communicating with devices (e.g., UEs) on the ground for a portion of the time, and detecting surrounding objects by transmitting and receiving sensory information for another portion of the time. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the base station may detect the surrounding unmanned aerial vehicle #1 and the ground car. But the base station cannot detect an object higher than the antenna array position, such as the base station cannot detect the unmanned aerial vehicle #2 in fig. 2 and 3.

If an object higher than the antenna array position is to be detected, the antenna needs to be deployed in the manner shown in fig. 4, that is, in a state where the antenna can radiate radio frequency signals in a direction away from the ground or radiate radio frequency signals parallel to the ground. The base station may detect drone #2 at this point, but may not be able to communicate with ground equipment (e.g., UE) and to detect objects lower than the antenna array location (e.g., drone #1 and ground car).

In the application scene of the sense of general integration, how the base station senses objects with various heights around under the condition of realizing normal communication needs to be solved.

To solve this problem, the present application provides corresponding embodiments, and the following description is made in detail.

Fig. 5 (a) is a schematic flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method is performed by a network device or by a module (e.g., a chip) in the network device. The network device may be a base station, CU, DU, RU, or the like. The method performed by the base station will be described below as an example.

The method comprises the following steps:

In step 501, the base station transmits M pieces of first sensing information in M sub-time units of the first time unit through M analog beams, where M is an integer greater than 1.

The first time unit is a radio frame, and the sub-time unit of the first time unit is a subframe, a slot (slot), or a symbol (symbol). Or the first time unit is a subframe, and the sub-time unit of the first time unit is a time slot or a symbol. Or the first time unit is a time slot, and the sub-time units of the first time unit are symbols. Of course, other implementations of the first time unit and the sub-time units of the first time unit exist, which is not limited by the present application.

The first time unit includes a time for sensing traffic. Optionally, the first time unit may further comprise a time for communication. For example, a portion of the time of the first time unit is used for traffic awareness and another portion of the time is used for communication.

Alternatively, the entire time of the first time unit is used for traffic awareness. The application is not limited.

The base station transmits one sensing information (referred to as first sensing information) through one analog beam in each of the M sub-time units, and thus transmits M first sensing information through the M analog beams in the M sub-time units. The M analog beams, the M sub-time units, and the M first perception information are in a one-to-one correspondence. For example, m=5, the first sensing information #1 may be transmitted through the analog beam #1 in the sub-time unit #1, the first sensing information #2 may be transmitted through the analog beam #2 in the sub-time unit #2, the first sensing information #3 may be transmitted through the analog beam #3 in the sub-time unit #3, the first sensing information #4 may be transmitted through the analog beam #4 in the sub-time unit #4, and the first sensing information #5 may be transmitted through the analog beam #5 in the sub-time unit #5.

In the embodiment of the present application, a piece of sensing information, which is also called a piece of sensing information, is described in detail herein, and will not be described in detail later.

The M first perception information is used for detecting objects within at least two perpendicular angle ranges. The included angle between the emitting directions of the M analog beams and the ground level is more than or equal to 0 degrees. The M analog beams having an angle of transmission direction greater than 0 ° with respect to the ground level may be understood as being directed away from the ground (or away from the ground), or may be understood as being transmitted upward. The M analog beams are emitted in an angle equal to 0 ° from the ground level, which is understood to mean that the analog beams are emitted in a direction parallel to the ground.

Illustratively, the height of the object in at least two perpendicular angular ranges is greater than or equal to the height of the antenna array.

In one implementation method, the first sensing information is used for detecting objects in at least two vertical angle ranges, for example, the first sensing information can be used for detecting objects in different directions in a space coordinate system, and the detected height of the object is greater than or equal to the height of an antenna array of the base station, that is, the detected objects in all directions on a first height, and the first height is greater than or equal to the height of the antenna array. Fig. 5 (b) is a schematic diagram of the detection range. It can be seen that the base station can be used to detect objects in all directions in the spatial coordinate system by transmitting M pieces of first sensing information, and the height of the object is greater than or equal to the height of the antenna array.

In step 502, the base station transmits communication information in a second time unit.

The second time unit is a time unit after the first time unit. For example, the second time unit may be adjacent to the first time unit or may be spaced apart by a period of time. For example, the second time unit may be the same size as the first time unit or may be different. For example, the first time unit may be co-slotted with the second time unit, or co-subframe, or co-frame, and the application is not limited.

The base station may send the communication information in the second time unit, for example, the base station may send the communication information to the ground device (e.g., UE) or receive the communication information from the ground device in the second time unit through one or more analog beams. Wherein the direction of the one or more analog beams is tilted towards the ground direction or it is understood that the one or more analog beams are aimed or directed towards the ground equipment.

Fig. 6 and 7 are diagrams illustrating application scenarios with integrated sense of general. In this example, the antennas of the base station are deployed in high altitude, and the antennas of the base station may be deployed perpendicular to the ground (as shown in fig. 6) or may form a downward inclination with the ground (as shown in fig. 7). The base station transmits the analog beam through the antenna with the direction of the analog beam facing away from the ground. It will be appreciated that the analog beams lie within quadrants of the coordinate system as shown. By means of time division, communication is carried out with equipment (such as UE) on the ground in one part of time, sensing information is sent in the other part of time, and surrounding objects are detected. As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the base station can detect the surrounding drone #2, which is higher than the antenna. In the examples of fig. 6 and 7, the base station transmits different directions of perception information via different analog beams (e.g., analog beams A, B, C and D as shown) so that objects of different spatial coordinate systems can be detected.

Of course, the base station may also adjust the direction of the analog beam to detect objects at the same height as the antenna or lower than the antenna array, such as the ground-based vehicles and drones #1 shown in fig. 6 and 7.

Fig. 8 and 9 are diagrams illustrating application scenarios with integrated sense of general. This example is based on the examples of fig. 6 and 7, with the addition of analog beams E and F directed to the ground, which can be used to detect objects at the same height as the antenna or at a lower position than the antenna array, such as ground vehicles and drones #1 in the detection diagrams.

According to the scheme, the base station can sense surrounding objects under the condition of normal communication, particularly, objects higher than the antenna array of the base station can be sensed, the sensing range is enlarged, and the sensing performance of the base station is improved.

Fig. 10 is an exemplary diagram of generating an analog beam. The figure shows the manner in which the analog beams are transmitted. The phase shifter may be used to generate analog beams in different directions, for example, to generate analog beams to air and ground. In the example of fig. 10, the base station transmits an analog beam A, B, C, D in a scan mode and covers different elevation layers to thereby enable detection of surrounding objects. Of course, the base station may also transmit other analog beams, such as analog beam E, F directed toward the ground, for detecting objects in the air or on the ground that are lower than the antenna array, or for communicating with ground equipment.

The implementation method of the foregoing embodiment of fig. 5 (a) will be described below with reference to a specific example.

Fig. 11 is an exemplary diagram of a sense of openness integration. In this example, a time unit is taken as a time slot, and a sub-time unit of the time unit is taken as a symbol for illustration. Each slot comprises 14 symbols (represented by symbols 0-13). Wherein, the downlink time slot (D) can be used for downlink communication or used for sensing, the uplink time slot (U) can be used for uplink communication, and the special time slot (S) can be used for downlink communication or uplink communication. Each time slot may be 500 microseconds (us) long, and 4 time slots are separated between two adjacent sensing time slots, i.e. there is one sensing time slot every 5 time slots (i.e. 2.5 milliseconds (ms)), for example, the sensing time slot may be the first downlink time slot after the uplink time slot. Where perceived time slots refer to time slots available for perception. Of course, if only a portion of the time in the perceived time slot is used for perception, the remaining time of the perceived time slot may also be used for communication. For example, the first half of a perceived slot (i.e., the first 7 symbols) is used for perception and the second half (i.e., the second 7 symbols) is used for communication.

As shown in fig. 11, 4 sensing slots are shown, and only the first half of the sensing slot (i.e., symbols 0-6) is used for sensing, and the second half of the sensing slot (i.e., symbols 7-13) is available for downlink communication.

In the embodiment of fig. 5 (a), the first sensing information corresponding to M1 sub-time units in the M sub-time units of the first time unit is pulse wave sensing information, M1 is an integer greater than 1, and the first sensing information corresponding to the M1 sub-time units is used for detecting objects in different vertical angle ranges. The first sensing information corresponding to other M-M1 sub-time units in the M sub-time units is continuous wave sensing information, and the first sensing information corresponding to other M-M1 sub-time units is used for detecting objects in different vertical angle ranges. In connection with the example of fig. 11, m=7, m1=4, M-m1=3. Specifically, the sensing time slot includes 7 symbols (i.e., symbols 0-6) for sensing, 4 symbols (i.e., symbols 0-3) of the 7 symbols are used for transmitting pulse wave sensing information, and 3 symbols (i.e., symbols 4-6) of the 7 symbols are used for transmitting continuous wave sensing information.

In one implementation, the transmission of the sensing information (e.g., the time range indicated by "T" in symbols 0-3 shown in fig. 11 is used to transmit the sensing information) and the reception of the sensing information (e.g., the time range indicated by "R" in symbols 0-3 shown in fig. 11 is used to transmit the sensing information) are time-division, and the sensing information is transmitted using all antenna arrays, and the sensing information is received using all antenna arrays. The received perception information is reflection information that the sent perception information is reflected by surrounding objects. As all antenna arrays are used for receiving and transmitting the sensing information, the transmitting power of the sensing information is high, the coverage distance is long, and long-distance objects can be detected. And, there is a transmit-receive switching time between the transmit-sense information and the receive-sense information, that is, the transmit-receive switching time is used to switch the operation mode of the antenna array from the transmit mode to the receive mode. Fig. 12 is an exemplary diagram of transmitting and receiving perception information. The base station can send pulse wave sensing information through all antenna arrays in the time of sending sensing information, and close the antenna arrays to send the pulse wave sensing information and open to receive the pulse wave sensing information in the time of receiving sensing information. It can be seen that, when receiving and transmitting the pulse wave sensing information, there is a receiving and transmitting switching time, if the object to be detected is relatively close, after the base station transmits the pulse wave sensing information, the reflection information of the pulse wave sensing information may reach the antenna array within the receiving and transmitting switching time, and at this time, the antenna array is not started to receive the pulse wave sensing information, so that the reflected sensing information cannot be received, and object detection fails. Therefore, for the detection mode of the pulse wave sensing information, a near-end detection blind area exists.

In one implementation, the transmit and receive antennas are separated, for example, in all antenna arrays shown in fig. 13, antenna array #1 is used to transmit the sensing information, and antenna array #3 and antenna array #4 are used to receive the sensing information. Since only part of the antenna array is used for transmitting the sensing information or receiving the sensing information, and in order to avoid mutual interference between the transmitting sensing information and the receiving sensing information, the transmitting power of the continuous wave sensing information is generally smaller, so that only objects with a relatively short distance can be detected. Therefore, for the detection mode of the continuous wave sensing information, a remote detection blind area exists.

According to the implementation method, in the M sub-time units of the first time unit, detection of objects in long distance and short distance can be achieved by sending part of pulse wave sensing information and part of continuous wave sensing information, so that detection performance can be improved.

In the implementation method, in the M sub-time units of the first time unit, detection of objects in long distance and short distance can be realized by sending part of pulse wave sensing information and part of continuous wave sensing information, so that the detection performance can be improved. However, in actual use, there is a possibility that a detection blind area exists between the long-distance detection and the short-distance detection, resulting in degradation of the perceived performance. Fig. 14 is an exemplary diagram of a detection distance. The detection distance of the continuous wave sensing information is assumed to be 0-300 meters, and the detection distance of the pulse wave sensing information is assumed to be 400-600 meters, so that the base station can detect objects within the range of 0-300 meters and 400-600 meters, but cannot detect objects within the range of 300-400 meters, namely detection blind areas exist. In order to solve the problem, in the embodiment of the present application, the base station may send the pulse wave sensing information on M1 sub-time units of M sub-time units in the first time unit, where M1 is an integer greater than 1, and pulse wave sensing information corresponding to M2 sub-time units of M1 sub-time units is sent through part of antenna arrays in all antenna arrays, and M2 is a positive integer. And, another part of the whole antenna arrays is not used for transmitting pulse wave sensing information, but is used for receiving reflection information of the pulse wave sensing information. The following description is made in connection with the example of fig. 15, which is a modification of the example of fig. 11. Specifically, when the pulse wave sensing information is transmitted on the symbols 0 to 2, the pulse wave sensing information is transmitted on all antenna arrays, and the pulse wave sensing information is received on all antenna arrays. However, when the pulse wave sensing information is transmitted on symbol 3, the pulse wave sensing information is transmitted only on antenna array #1 and antenna array #2, and after the transmission/reception switching time elapses, the pulse wave sensing information (i.e., reflection information) starts to be received, and the pulse wave sensing information is not transmitted on antenna array #3 and antenna array # 4. Since the pulse wave sensing information is not transmitted on the antenna array #3 and the antenna array #4, the antenna array #3 and the antenna array #4 can be started to receive the pulse wave sensing information in advance, that is, the antenna array #3 and the antenna array #4 can receive the pulse wave sensing information in advance than the antenna array #1 and the antenna array #2, and thus detection of objects at a shorter distance can be realized. For example, for the example of fig. 14, the pulse wave sensing information sent on symbol 0-2 in fig. 15 can detect objects with a distance of 400-600 meters, the pulse wave sensing information sent on symbol 3 in fig. 15 can detect objects with a distance of 250-450 meters, and then the continuous wave sensing information is combined to detect objects with a distance of 0-300 meters, so that full coverage of detection distances in the range of 0-600 meters can be realized, detection dead zones are eliminated, and the detection performance is improved.

Note that, for symbol 3 in the example of fig. 15, the vertical angle range of the object detected by it may be different from the vertical angle range of the object detected by other symbols (i.e., the same analog beam is transmitted), or may be different (i.e., a different analog beam is transmitted). For example, in fig. 15, when an analog beam a is transmitted on symbol 3, the analog beam transmitted on symbol 3 is the same as the analog beam transmitted on symbol 0, when an analog beam B is transmitted on symbol 3, the analog beam transmitted on symbol 3 is the same as the analog beam transmitted on symbol 1, when an analog beam C is transmitted on symbol 3, the analog beam transmitted on symbol 3 is the same as the analog beam transmitted on symbol 2, and when an analog beam D is transmitted on symbol 3, the analog beam transmitted on symbol 3 is different from the analog beams transmitted on symbols 0, 1, and 2.

As an implementation, different vertical angle ranges may be periodically polled for a manner of detecting by transmitting pulse wave sensing information using only a portion of the antenna array. For example, 4 analog beams (i.e., analog beam A, B, C, D) may be polled in a sensing period using 1 symbol (e.g., symbol 3). Referring to fig. 16, a diagram of a sensing example is shown. Wherein the sensing period is 640ms, i.e. the complete analog beam scanning and the point cloud calculation of the object are performed every 640ms, or the sensed surrounding objects are understood to be determined every 640 ms. Wherein, in each sensing period, an analog beam A is sent on symbol 3 of each sensing time slot within the 1 st 160ms (i.e. 0-160 ms), an analog beam B is sent on symbol 3 of each sensing time slot within the 2 nd 160ms (i.e. 160-320 ms), an analog beam C is sent on symbol 3 of each sensing time slot within the 3 rd 160ms (i.e. 320-480 ms), and an analog beam D is sent on symbol 3 of each sensing time slot within the 4 th 160ms (i.e. 480-640 ms).

Based on the implementation method, after the step 502, the base station may send N pieces of second sensing information in N sub-time units of the third time unit through N analog beams, where N is an integer greater than 1, the N analog beams, the N sub-time units, and the N pieces of second sensing information are in one-to-one correspondence, the second sensing information corresponding to the N sub-time units is used for detecting objects in at least two vertical angle ranges, and an included angle between a transmission direction of the N analog beams and a ground level is greater than or equal to 0 °, or is understood that a direction of the N analog beams is a direction away from the ground. The second sensing information corresponding to N1 sub-time units in the N sub-time units is pulse wave sensing information, and N1 is an integer greater than 1. The pulse wave sensing information corresponding to N2 sub-time units in the N1 sub-time units is transmitted through part of antenna arrays in all antenna arrays, and N2 is a positive integer. The analog beam direction of the pulse wave sensing information corresponding to the N2 sub-time units is different from the analog beam direction of the pulse wave sensing information corresponding to the M2 sub-time units. Wherein N and M may be equal or different. N1 and M1 may be equal or different. N2 and M2 may be equal or different.

In an implementation method, a starting position of M1 sub-time units for transmitting pulse wave sensing information in M sub-time units of a first time unit is set to be HBF beam switching time, where the HBF beam switching time is used for adjusting beam direction of an analog beam, and M1 is an integer greater than 1. For example, referring to fig. 11, pulse wave sensing information is sent at symbols 0-3, and HBF beam switching time is set at the start position of each symbol, and the base station adjusts beam direction of the analog beam during the time to generate the analog beam in the corresponding vertical angle range. For example, the beam direction of the analog beam is adjusted during the HBF beam switching time of symbol 0 so that the analog beam a can be generated in symbol 0, the beam direction of the analog beam is adjusted during the HBF beam switching time of symbol 1 so that the analog beam B can be generated in symbol 1, the beam direction of the analog beam is adjusted during the HBF beam switching time of symbol 2 so that the analog beam a can be generated in symbol 2, and the beam direction of the analog beam is adjusted during the HBF beam switching time of symbol 3 so that the analog beam D can be generated in symbol 3. Wherein the analog beams A, B, C, D correspond to different vertical angular ranges, respectively. According to the method, through the HBF wave beam switching time, pulse wave sensing information in a corresponding vertical angle range can be accurately generated, and the sensing range is enlarged.

In one implementation, the starting position of the first time unit between the respective sub-units for transmitting continuous wave sensing information may also be set as an HBF beam switching time for adjusting the beam direction of the analog beam. Reference is made to the foregoing description for the role of HBF beam switching time.

In one implementation, the starting position of each of the sub-units of the time units for communication (e.g., the aforementioned second time unit) may also be set as an HBF beam switching time for adjusting the beam pointing of the analog beam. Reference is made to the foregoing description for the role of HBF beam switching time.

The above-described various implementation methods are also applicable to simultaneous implementation in a plurality of cells. For example, referring to the example of fig. 11 or 15, 3 cells of a base station may transmit pulse wave sensing information to detect a distant object in a time division manner at the same symbol, respectively, and simultaneously transmit continuous wave sensing information to detect a close object at the same symbol. The method can realize the simultaneous perception of objects in multiple directions, and is beneficial to improving the perception performance.

In one implementation, if the embodiment of fig. 5 (a) is performed by the RU, the CU or the DU may send a first signaling to the RU, where the first signaling triggers the RU to perform the step 501, that is, the first signaling is used for sending M pieces of first sensing information in M pieces of sub-time units of the first time unit through M analog beams, and the CU or the DU may send a second signaling to the RU, where the second signaling triggers the RU to perform the step 502, that is, the second signaling is used for sending communication information in the second time unit.

It will be appreciated that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the network device (which may be a base station, CU, DU, RU, or the like) includes corresponding hardware structures and/or software modules that perform the respective functions. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the various illustrative elements and method steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as hardware or combinations of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is implemented as hardware or computer software driven hardware depends upon the particular application scenario and design constraints imposed on the solution.

Fig. 17 and 18 are schematic structural diagrams of possible communication devices according to an embodiment of the present application. These communication devices may be used to implement the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments, so that the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments may also be implemented. In the embodiment of the application, the communication device may be a network device, and may also be a module (such as a chip) applied to the network device.

The communication apparatus 1700 shown in fig. 17 includes a processing unit 1710 and a transmitting-receiving unit 1720. The communication apparatus 1700 is configured to implement the functions of the network device in the above-described method embodiment.

When the communication apparatus 1700 is configured to implement the function of the network device in the above method embodiment, the processing unit 1710 is configured to control the transceiver unit 1720 to transmit M first sensing information in M sub-time units of a first time unit through M analog beams, where M is an integer greater than 1, the M analog beams, the M sub-time units, and the M first sensing information are in one-to-one correspondence, the M first sensing information is configured to sense objects in at least two vertical angle ranges, and an included angle between a transmission direction of the M analog beams and a ground level is greater than or equal to 0 ° and transmit communication information in a second time unit.

In a possible implementation method, the processing unit 1710 is further configured to control the transceiver unit 1720 to transmit N pieces of second sensing information through N analog beams in N sub-time units of the third time unit, where N is an integer greater than 1, the N analog beams, the N sub-time units, and the N pieces of second sensing information are in one-to-one correspondence, the N pieces of second sensing information are used for sensing objects in at least two vertical angle ranges, an included angle between a transmission direction of the N analog beams and a ground level is greater than or equal to 0 °, where the N pieces of second sensing information include N1 pieces of pulse sensing information, N1 is an integer greater than 1, N2 pieces of pulse sensing information in the N1 pieces of pulse sensing information are transmitted through part of antenna arrays in all antenna arrays, and N2 is a positive integer, and a direction of an analog beam corresponding to the N2 pieces of pulse sensing information is not exactly the same as a direction of an analog beam corresponding to the M2 pieces of pulse sensing information.

When the communication apparatus 1700 is configured to implement the CU or DU function in the foregoing method embodiment, the processing unit 1710 is configured to control the transceiver unit 1720 to transmit a first signaling, where the first signaling is used for transmitting M pieces of first sensing information in M sub-time units of a first time unit through M analog beams, where M is an integer greater than 1, the M pieces of analog beams, the M sub-time units, and the M pieces of first sensing information are in one-to-one correspondence, the M pieces of first sensing information are used for sensing objects in at least two vertical angle ranges, and an included angle between a transmission direction of the M analog beams and a ground level is greater than or equal to 0 °, and transmit a second signaling, where the second signaling is used for transmitting communication information in a second time unit.

In a possible implementation method, the processing unit 1710 is further configured to control the transceiver unit 1720 to send a third signaling, where the third signaling is used to send N pieces of second sensing information through N analog beams in N sub-time units of a third time unit, where N is an integer greater than 1, the N analog beams, the N sub-time units, and the N pieces of second sensing information are in one-to-one correspondence, the N pieces of second sensing information are used to sense objects in at least two vertical angle ranges, and an included angle between a transmission direction of the N analog beams and a ground level is greater than or equal to 0 °, where the N pieces of second sensing information include N1 pieces of pulse sensing information, where N1 is an integer greater than 1, N2 pieces of pulse sensing information in the N1 pieces of pulse sensing information are sent through part of antenna arrays in all antenna arrays, where N2 is a positive integer, and directions of analog beams corresponding to the N2 pieces of pulse sensing information are not identical to directions of the M2 pieces of analog beam sensing information.

The more detailed description of the processing unit 1710 and the transceiver unit 1720 may be directly obtained by referring to the related description in the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated herein.

The communication device 1800 shown in fig. 18 includes a processor 1810 and interface circuitry 1820. The processor 1810 and the interface circuit 1820 are coupled to each other. It is to be appreciated that interface circuit 1820 can be a transceiver or an input-output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1800 may also include a memory 1830 for storing instructions to be executed by the processor 1810 or for storing input data required by the processor 1810 to execute instructions or for storing data generated by the processor 1810 after executing instructions.

When the communication device 1800 is used to implement the method embodiments described above, the processor 1810 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 1710, and the interface circuit 1820 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 1720.

It is to be appreciated that the processor in embodiments of the application may be a central processing unit (centralprocessing unit, CPU), but may also be other general purpose processors, digital signal processors (digital signalprocessor, DSP), application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (fieldprogrammable GATE ARRAY, FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, it may be any conventional processor.

The method steps in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by executing software instructions by a processor. The software instructions may be comprised of corresponding software modules that may be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, compact disk read-only memory (compact disc read-only memory), or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC may reside in a network device. The processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in an access network device or terminal.

In the above embodiments, it may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. Computer programs (computerprogram) are defined as a set of instructions that direct an electronic computer or other device having message processing capabilities to perform each of the steps, typically written in a programming language, and executed on a target architecture. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable apparatus. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer program or instructions may be transmitted from one website site, computer, server, or data center to another website site, computer, server, or data center by wired or wireless means. The computer readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that integrates one or more available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape, an optical medium such as a digital video disk, or a semiconductor medium such as a solid state disk. The computer readable storage medium may be volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage medium.

In various embodiments of the application, where no special description or logic conflict exists, terms and/or descriptions between the various embodiments are consistent and may reference each other, and features of the various embodiments may be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logic.

In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. "and/or" describes an association of associated objects, meaning that there may be three relationships, e.g., A and/or B, and that there may be A alone, while A and B are present, and B alone, where A, B may be singular or plural. In the text description of the application, the character "/", generally indicates that the front and rear associated objects are in an OR relationship, and in the formula of the application, the character "/" indicatesthat the front and rear associated objects are in a division relationship.

It will be appreciated that the various numerical numbers referred to in the embodiments of the present application are merely for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The sequence number of each process does not mean the sequence of the execution sequence, and the execution sequence of each process should be determined according to the function and the internal logic.

Claims

1. A method of communication, the method comprising:

M pieces of first perception information are sent in M sub-time units of a first time unit through M pieces of analog beams, M is an integer larger than 1, the M pieces of analog beams, the M sub-time units and the M pieces of first perception information are in one-to-one correspondence, the M pieces of first perception information are used for perceiving objects in at least two vertical angle ranges, and an included angle between the emitting direction of the M pieces of analog beams and the ground level is larger than or equal to 0 degree;

and transmitting the communication information in a second time unit.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a starting position of at least one of the M sub-time units is set to a hybrid-beam-forming HBF beam switching time for adjusting beam pointing of an analog beam.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the M first perception information includes M1 pulse wave perception information, the M1 being an integer greater than 1;

and M2 pulse wave sensing information in the M1 pulse wave sensing information is transmitted through part of antenna arrays in all antenna arrays, wherein M2 is a positive integer.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein another part of the total antenna arrays is not used for transmitting the at least one pulse wave sensing information but is used for receiving reflection information of the at least one pulse wave sensing information.

5. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein the method further comprises:

n pieces of second perception information are sent in N sub-time units of a third time unit through N pieces of analog beams, N is an integer larger than 1, the N pieces of analog beams, the N sub-time units and the N pieces of second perception information are in one-to-one correspondence, the N pieces of second perception information are used for perceiving objects in at least two vertical angle ranges, and an included angle between the emitting direction of the N pieces of analog beams and the ground level is larger than or equal to 0 degree;

the N pieces of second sensing information comprise N1 pieces of pulse wave sensing information, N1 is an integer larger than 1, N2 pieces of pulse wave sensing information in the N1 pieces of pulse wave sensing information are sent through part of antenna arrays in all antenna arrays, N2 is a positive integer, and the directions of analog beams corresponding to the N2 pieces of pulse wave sensing information are not identical to the directions of analog beams corresponding to the M2 pieces of pulse wave sensing information.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the height of the object in the at least two perpendicular angle ranges is equal to or greater than the height of the antenna array.

7. A method of communication, the method comprising:

Transmitting a first signaling, wherein the first signaling is used for transmitting M pieces of first perception information in M sub-time units of a first time unit through M pieces of analog beams, M is an integer greater than 1, the M pieces of analog beams, the M sub-time units and the M pieces of first perception information are in one-to-one correspondence, the M pieces of first perception information are used for perceiving objects in at least two vertical angle ranges, and an included angle between the transmitting direction of the M pieces of analog beams and the ground level is greater than or equal to 0 degree;

and transmitting second signaling, wherein the second signaling is used for transmitting communication information in a second time unit.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein a starting position of at least one of the M sub-time units is set to a hybrid-beam-forming HBF beam switching time for adjusting beam pointing of an analog beam.

9. The method of claim 7 or 8, wherein the M first sensing information includes M1 pulse wave sensing information, the M1 being an integer greater than 1;

10. The method of claim 9, wherein another portion of the total antenna array is not used to transmit the at least one pulse wave sensing information but is used to receive reflection information of the at least one pulse wave sensing information.

11. The method of claim 9 or 10, wherein the method further comprises:

Transmitting a third signaling, wherein the third signaling is used for transmitting N pieces of second perception information in N sub-time units of a third time unit through N pieces of analog beams, N is an integer greater than 1, the N pieces of analog beams, the N sub-time units and the N pieces of second perception information are in one-to-one correspondence, the N pieces of second perception information are used for perceiving objects in at least two vertical angle ranges, and an included angle between the transmitting directions of the N pieces of analog beams and the ground level is greater than or equal to 0 degree;

12. The method of any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the height of the object in the at least two perpendicular angle ranges is equal to or greater than the height of the antenna array.

13. A communication device comprising means for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 6, or the method of any one of claims 7 to 12.

14. A communication device comprising a processor and interface circuitry, the processor being configured to communicate with other devices via the interface circuitry and to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 6 or the method of any one of claims 7 to 12.

15. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 6 or the method of any one of claims 7 to 12.

16. A computer readable storage medium, characterized in that the storage medium has stored therein a computer program or instructions which, when executed by a communication device, implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 6 or the method of any one of claims 7 to 12.

17. A communication system comprising at least two communication devices, at least one of which is adapted to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 6 or the method of any one of claims 7 to 12.