CN107148801B

CN107148801B - Communication signal processing method and device and communication server

Info

Publication number: CN107148801B
Application number: CN201580058783.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 官磊
Original assignee: Jiangsu Urban Transportation Planning And Design Institute Co Ltd
Current assignee: Jiangsu Urban Transportation Planning And Design Institute Co ltd; Shenzhen Shangge Intellectual Property Service Co ltd
Priority date: 2015-09-25
Filing date: 2015-09-25
Publication date: 2020-05-12
Anticipated expiration: 2035-09-25
Also published as: WO2017049631A1; CN107148801A

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication signal processing method, a communication signal processing device and a communication server, wherein the method comprises the following steps: determining a first time point configured in advance in a first subframe, wherein the first time point is a first candidate transmission time point for transmitting a first communication signal; performing idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted before the first time point; determining a second time point capable of sending signals according to the idle channel detection result; determining an opportunity to transmit the first communication signal based on the determined first and second points in time. The embodiment of the invention can effectively ensure the transmission of important communication signals such as DRS and the like, and improve the transmission efficiency of the signals such as DRS and the like.

Description

Communication signal processing method and device and communication server

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method and an apparatus for processing a communication signal, and a communication server.

Background

An LTE (Long Term Evolution) system is based on an OFDMA (Orthogonal frequency division Multiplexing Access) technology, transmission of services in the LTE system is scheduled based on a base station, a basic time unit of the scheduling is one subframe, a time length is 1 millisecond, one subframe includes 14 OFDM symbols for a normal cyclic prefix case, and includes 12 OFDM symbols for an extended cyclic prefix case. The specific scheduling procedure is that the base station sends a control Channel, the control Channel may carry scheduling information of a PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel) or a PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel), and the scheduling information includes control information such as resource allocation information and a modulation and coding scheme.

The spectrum deployed by the serving cell of the existing LTE system is a licensed spectrum, i.e., can only be used by the operator network that purchased the licensed spectrum. Unlicensed spectrum is of increasing interest because unlicensed spectrum does not need to be purchased and is available to any operator or organization. Therefore, the use of Unlicensed spectrum by the LTE system is an evolution direction, and the LTE system deployed on the Unlicensed spectrum is called a U-LTE (Unlicensed long term evolution) system.

Before a base station transmits a signal on a Channel of a serving cell, CCA (Clear Channel Assessment) detection needs to be performed on the Channel of the serving cell, and once the detected received power exceeds a certain threshold, the base station temporarily cannot transmit the signal on the Channel. A base station may not transmit a signal on a channel until it is found to be idle.

How to efficiently transmit communication signals on an LTE or U-LTE carrier, especially to transmit important signals such as Reference signals (DRSs) for cell Discovery and measurement, is a hot spot of research.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is directed to a method, an apparatus, and a network device for processing a communication signal, which can efficiently transmit the communication signal in a subframe.

In order to solve the technical problem, in one aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for processing a communication signal, including:

determining a first time point configured in advance in a first subframe, wherein the first time point is a first candidate transmission time point for transmitting a first communication signal;

performing idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted before the first time point;

determining a second time point capable of sending signals according to the idle channel detection result;

if the second time point is the same as the first time point in time, starting to transmit the first communication signal from the first time point; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

transmitting a channel occupancy signal for a period of time starting from the second point in time to an end of the first point in time and transmitting the first communication signal starting from the first point in time if the second point in time is before the moment of the first point in time.

With reference to the first aspect, in a first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the determining, according to the result of the idle channel detection, a second time point at which a signal can be sent includes:

judging whether the idle channel detection result indicates that the channel is idle or not;

and if the judgment result indicates that the channel is idle, further determining a second time point.

With reference to the first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the determining a second time point at which a signal can be sent includes:

determining a second time point capable of sending signals in the first subframe, wherein the second time point is not earlier than a third time point;

wherein the third time point is a second candidate transmission time point in the first subframe, and the second candidate transmission time point is: before the time of the first candidate transmission time point and for the time of the last time point of the predefined candidate transmission time points for transmitting the second communication signal in the first subframe.

With reference to the first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the determining a second time point at which a signal can be sent includes:

determining a second time point capable of sending signals in the second subframe, wherein the second time point is not earlier than a third time point, and the second subframe is a subframe previous to the first subframe;

wherein the third time point is a second candidate transmission time point in the second subframe, and the second candidate transmission time point is a last time point of candidate time points predefined in the second subframe and used for transmitting a second communication signal.

With reference to the first aspect, in a fourth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the performing, before the first time point, idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be sent includes:

determining a starting time point for performing idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted;

starting to perform idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted at the determined starting time point;

wherein the starting time point is in the first subframe and is not earlier than a third time point, the third time point is a second candidate transmission time point in the first subframe, and the second candidate transmission time point is: before the time of the first candidate transmission time point and for the time of the last time point of the predefined candidate transmission time points for transmitting the second communication signal in the first subframe.

With reference to the first aspect, in a fifth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the performing, before the first time point, idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be sent includes:

wherein the starting time point is in the second subframe, the starting time point is not earlier than a third time point, and the second subframe is a subframe previous to the first subframe; the third time point is a second candidate transmission time point in the second subframe, and the second candidate transmission time point is the last time point in the candidate time points predefined in the second subframe and used for transmitting the second communication signal.

With reference to the first aspect, or the first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, or the second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, or the third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, or the fourth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, or the fifth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a sixth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the method further includes:

performing idle channel detection for the second communication signal;

wherein a policy implemented for idle channel detection for the second communication signal is different from a policy implemented for idle channel detection for the first communication signal.

With reference to the sixth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a seventh possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the method further includes:

after the idle channel detection is successfully executed for the first communication signal, in the process of sending the first communication signal, pausing the back-off counting of a back-off counter of the idle channel detection executed for the second communication signal, wherein the current count value of the back-off counter is an integer greater than 0;

and if the first communication signal is sent out, recovering the back-off counting of a back-off counter of idle channel detection executed for the second communication signal, and starting the back-off counting from the current counting value.

With reference to the sixth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in an eighth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the method further includes: transmitting the second communication signal during a time period in which the first communication signal is transmitted.

With reference to the first aspect, or the first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, or the second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, or the third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, or the fourth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, or the fifth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, or the sixth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, or the seventh possible implementation manner of the first aspect, or the eighth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a ninth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first communication signal includes a discovery reference signal; the second communication signal includes at least one of the following information: a control channel, a data channel, a reference signal other than the discovery reference signal.

A second aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides a communication apparatus, including:

a first determining module, configured to determine a first time point preconfigured in a first subframe, where the first time point is a first candidate transmission time point for transmitting a first communication signal;

a detection module, configured to perform idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be sent before the first time point;

a second determining module, configured to determine a second time point at which a signal can be sent according to a result of the idle channel detection;

the processing module is used for starting to send the first communication signal from the first time point if the second time point is the same as the first time point in time; or, if the second time point is before the time of the first time point, transmitting a channel occupying signal for a period from the second time point to the first time point, and transmitting the first communication signal from the first time point.

With reference to the second aspect, in a first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the second determining module includes:

the judging unit is used for judging whether the idle channel detection result indicates that the channel is idle;

and the determining unit is used for determining a second time point capable of sending the signal when the judgment result of the judging unit indicates that the channel is idle.

With reference to the first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the second determining module is specifically configured to determine a second time point at which a signal can be sent in the first subframe, where the second time point is not earlier than a third time point;

With reference to the first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the second determining module is specifically configured to determine a second time point at which a signal can be sent in the second subframe, where the second time point is not earlier than a third time point, and the second subframe is a subframe before the first subframe;

With reference to the second aspect, in a fourth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the detecting module is specifically configured to determine a starting time point of performing idle channel detection on the first communication signal to be sent; starting to perform idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted at the determined starting time point; wherein the starting time point is in the first subframe and is not earlier than a third time point, the third time point is a second candidate transmission time point in the first subframe, and the second candidate transmission time point is: before the time of the first candidate transmission time point and for the time of the last time point of the predefined candidate transmission time points for transmitting the second communication signal in the first subframe.

With reference to the second aspect, in a fifth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the detecting module is specifically configured to determine a starting time point of performing idle channel detection on the first communication signal to be sent; starting to perform idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted at the determined starting time point;

With reference to the second aspect, or the first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, or the second possible implementation manner of the second aspect, or the third possible implementation manner of the second aspect, or the fourth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, or the fifth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a sixth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the detecting module is further configured to perform idle channel detection for the second communication signal; wherein a policy implemented for idle channel detection for the second communication signal is different from a policy implemented for idle channel detection for the first communication signal.

With reference to the sixth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a seventh possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the processing module is further configured to suspend a back-off count of a back-off counter used for idle channel detection performed for the second communication signal in a process of sending the first communication signal after idle channel detection performed for the first communication signal is successful, where a current count value of the back-off counter is an integer greater than 0; and if the first communication signal is sent out, recovering the back-off counting of a back-off counter of idle channel detection executed for the second communication signal, and starting the back-off counting from the current counting value.

With reference to the sixth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in an eighth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the processing module is further configured to send the second communication signal in a time period for sending the first communication signal.

A third aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides a communication server, including: a processor and a transceiver device, wherein the transceiver device is connected with the processor,

the transceiver is connected with the processor and used for transmitting the signal to be transmitted indicated by the processor;

the processor is configured to determine a first time point preconfigured in a first subframe, where the first time point is a first candidate transmission time point for transmitting a first communication signal; performing idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted before the first time point; determining a second time point capable of sending signals according to the idle channel detection result; if the second time point is the same as the first time point, the first communication signal is transmitted from the first time point through the transceiver device; or, if the second time point is before the time of the first time point, transmitting a channel occupying signal by the transceiving means during a period from the second time point to the end of the first time point, and transmitting the first communication signal by the transceiving means from the first time point.

The embodiment of the invention can effectively ensure the transmission of important communication signals such as DRS and the like, and improve the transmission efficiency of the signals such as DRS and the like.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to the drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method for processing a communication signal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a flow chart illustrating another communication signal processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a diagram of a specific subframe for transmitting DRS according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a diagram of another specific subframe for transmitting DRS according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method for processing a communication signal according to another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic flow chart of a method for processing a communication signal according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a diagram of a subframe for transmitting DRS according to still another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a fifth embodiment of a method for processing a communication signal according to the present invention;

fig. 9 is a diagram of a subframe for transmitting a DRS according to another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

In the embodiment of the invention, the sending time point for sending important signals such as reference signals DRS for cell discovery and measurement is configured in a subframe, and when idle channel detection is executed and an idle channel is detected, the current time point is judged based on the configured sending time point, so that different processing is executed; specifically, when the time point when the idle channel is detected is the same as the time point of the configured transmission time point, the communication signal such as the DRS is immediately transmitted in the current subframe, and if the time points are different, the padding signal (the channel occupancy signal) is first transmitted in the current subframe, and after the configured transmission time point is padded, the transmission of the communication signal such as the DRS in the subframe is started. Therefore, the transmission of important communication signals such as DRS and the like can be effectively ensured, and the transmission efficiency of signals such as DRS and the like is improved.

Fig. 1 is a schematic flowchart of a method for processing a communication signal according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the method according to the embodiment of the present invention may be implemented by a communication server on a base station side, and specifically, the method includes:

s101: a first time point pre-configured in a first subframe is determined, the first time point being a first candidate transmission time point for transmitting a first communication signal.

The 1 or more candidate transmission time points for transmitting the first communication signal may be configured based on OFDM symbols, which may be referred to as a first type of candidate transmission time points, and the first communication signal is transmitted with one or more designated OFDM symbols in one subframe as a starting point, and the time points corresponding to the designated OFDM symbols in one subframe are candidate transmission time points for transmitting the first communication signal. For each subframe, when a candidate transmission time point for transmitting the first communication signal arrives and it is detected that the channel is idle, the first communication signal may be transmitted starting with the OFDM symbol at the corresponding time as a start symbol according to actual needs.

Wherein if the time point at which the signal can be transmitted determined based on the channel idle detection is not at the starting point of the candidate transmission OFDM symbol for transmitting the first communication signal, a channel occupying signal may be transmitted before the starting point, and the transmission of the channel occupying signal may not be transmitted according to the starting point of the OFDM symbol.

When multiple OFDM symbols are designated as the starting symbol, the multiple OFDM symbols may be discrete, that is, the candidate starting OFDM symbol positions for transmitting communication signals are not consecutive in one subframe, which may increase the success rate of camping on the channel.

The base station is allowed to transmit communication signals by taking a limited number of OFDM symbols in a subframe as a starting point, so that the signaling overhead for indicating the limited number of starting symbols can be saved, for example, 14 symbols in 1 subframe need signaling with at least 4 bits, and if the limited number of symbols is 4, only 2 bits are needed; allowing either coincidence to be the starting point for sending the communication signal increases the complexity of the base station in background group packets. Specifically, while the group package generally advances by half to 1 subframe, the base station does not know that several symbols are available in the future subframe in which the data packet is to be transmitted, and does not know when the CCA was successful.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the communication signals may be divided into: the communication method comprises the steps that a first communication signal and a second communication signal are obtained, wherein the first communication signal comprises important signals such as DRS; the second communication signal includes common signals such as common control signals and data signals. The first point in time determined on the first subframe, i.e. the first candidate transmission point in time for transmitting the first communication signal, may be after the last candidate transmission point in time for transmitting the second communication signal, or in the next subframe. The candidate transmission time points for transmitting the second communication signal may be referred to as second type candidate transmission time points, and the OFDM symbols of the subframe corresponding to the second type candidate transmission time points may be different from the OFDM symbols of the subframe corresponding to the first type candidate transmission time points.

S102: performing idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted before the first time point.

Before a base station transmits a signal on a channel where a serving cell of a system such as U-LTE is located, the base station needs to perform CCA detection on the channel where the serving cell is located, once the detected received power exceeds a certain threshold, the base station cannot transmit the signal on the channel temporarily, and the base station cannot transmit the signal on the channel until the channel is found to be idle.

S103: and determining a second time point capable of sending the signal according to the idle channel detection result.

If the CCA detection result is that the channel is clear, the communication signal is not immediately transmitted, and a second time point may be determined according to a certain rule, so as to determine how to transmit the first communication signal based on a relationship between the first time point and the second time point.

S104: and if the second time point is the same as the first time point in time, starting to transmit the first communication signal from the first time point.

And if the second time point is the same as the first time point, immediately starting to transmit the first communication signal at the OFDM symbol corresponding to the first time point in the subframe.

S105: transmitting a channel occupancy signal for a period of time starting from the second point in time to an end of the first point in time and transmitting the first communication signal starting from the first point in time if the second point in time is before the moment of the first point in time.

And if the second time point is before the time of the first time point, immediately starting to transmit the channel occupation signal at the second time point of the subframe, and after the time reaches the first time point, starting to transmit the first communication signal at the OFDM symbol corresponding to the first time point in the subframe.

In a specific implementation, S104 and S105 may select only one of the manners to determine the transmission of the first communication signal according to needs.

After the base station side transmits the first communication signal (important signal) in the above manner, the UE may specifically detect the first communication signal in the subframe according to an existing detection manner, for example, for the DRS signal, the UE may detect the DRS in the configured dmtc (drsparse timing configuration) and perform measurement.

Specifically, for the configuration of DRS in important signals, generally, the period of DRS occurrence may be 40ms, 80ms or 160ms, and a shorter or longer DRS period may also be adopted. A DRS window appearing once per period may occupy a length of 1 to 5 subframes, and a primary and secondary synchronization Channel and some Reference signals for UE to measure, such as CRS (Cell-specific Reference Signal) and/or CSI-RS (Channel State Information Reference Signal) are generally included in the primary DRS window. Based on the DRS basic structure, the signaling flows of the base station and the UE are: the base station configures a DMTC for the UE, which may be understood as a measurement gap (measurement gap) with a period of 40/80/160ms, and the DMTC is configured for each frequency bin.

Referring to fig. 2 again, it is a schematic flow chart of another communication signal processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the method according to the embodiment of the present invention may be implemented by a communication server at a base station side, and specifically, the method includes:

s201: a first time point pre-configured in a first subframe is determined, the first time point being a first candidate transmission time point for transmitting a first communication signal.

The first communication signal is an important signal such as DRS. For configuration of DRS in important signals, typically, DRS occurs in a period of 40ms, 80ms, or 160ms, although shorter or longer DRS periods may be used. A DRS window occurring once per period may occupy a length of 1 to 5 subframes, and a primary and secondary synchronization channel and some reference signals for UE to measure, such as CRS and/or CSI-RS, are generally included in the primary DRS window.

Based on the DRS basic structure, the signaling flows of the base station and the UE are: the base station configures a DMTC for the UE, which is configured for each frequency bin, and may be understood as a measurement gap with a period of 40/80/160 ms. The base station determines to transmit the DRS, i.e. the first communication signal, in the DMTC, and executes S201, and the UE detects the DRS in the DMTC and makes a measurement.

S202: performing idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted before the first time point.

After determining a first candidate transmission time point (i.e., a first time point) for transmitting the first communication signal in S201, the CCA may be performed at any time before the first candidate transmission time point of the subframe.

In this embodiment of the present invention, the S202 may include: determining a starting time point for performing idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted; and starting to perform idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted at the determined starting time point.

Specifically, the determined starting time point is in the first subframe, and the starting time point is not earlier than a third time point, where the third time point is a second candidate transmission time point in the first subframe, and the second candidate transmission time point is: before the time of the first candidate transmission time point and for the time of the last time point of the predefined candidate transmission time points for transmitting the second communication signal in the first subframe.

Specifically, fig. 3 shows a specific subframe diagram for transmitting DRS, where fig. 3 includes 4 predefined candidate transmission time points for transmitting the second communication signal, where a last candidate transmission time point of the 4 candidate transmission time points is determined as a third time point as a second candidate transmission time point, and the third time point may be used as a starting time point of CCA to start performing CCA. The benefit of determining the starting point of CCA in the above manner is: if the second communication signal is assumed to be PDSCH earlier than the candidate transmission time point of the second communication signal, then CCA may still be successful in the subframe, and once successful, PDSCH may be transmitted in the subframe according to a backoff mechanism or the like. Once the CCA of the DRS is not earlier than the candidate transmission time point of the latest PDSCH in the subframe, it means that the subframe is not possible to transmit the PDSCH even if the DRS does not perform CCA. Therefore, the determination of the CCA starting time point of the DRS based on the above manner does not affect the transmission of the second communication signal, such as the PDSCH, in the subframe, and also performs CCA of the DRS, thereby ensuring that at least the transmission of the DRS in the next subframe is ensured with a high probability.

In fig. 3, after the CCA is successful, filling the channel occupying signal is started until a first time point is determined, that is, a time corresponding to a first OFDM symbol in a normal subframe, and a DRS is started to be transmitted in the subframe.

Specifically, optionally, the CCA start time point of the DRS may also be set to be no earlier than the candidate transmission time point of the latest second communication signal in the current subframe and no later than a fourth time point, where there is an interval of at least N symbols between the fourth time point and the subframe boundary of the subframe, or an interval of M CCA time windows. Such as N-4, or M-4. Therefore, it is ensured that the second communication signal is transmitted in the subframe, and more time is reserved for the CCA of the DRS as much as possible, thereby avoiding that the CCA time of the DRS in the subframe is less, which results in unsuccessful transmission of the DRS in the next subframe, and obtaining a DRS time window after 40/80/160 ms.

Further, the determined starting time point may also be in the second subframe, and the starting time point is not earlier than a third time point, where the second subframe is a subframe previous to the first subframe; the third time point is a second candidate transmission time point in the second subframe, and the second candidate transmission time point is the last time point in the candidate time points predefined in the second subframe and used for transmitting the second communication signal.

Fig. 4 shows another specific subframe diagram for transmitting DRS, in fig. 4, assuming that a subframe n +1 is a preconfigured DRS subframe configuration in a DMTC, and a CCA of a DRS in the subframe n is unsuccessful, the CCA of the DRS may be performed in the DRS subframe n +1, and if the CCA is successful, a DRS of a partial subframe may be transmitted in the DRS subframe n +1, or a complete DRS may also be transmitted, and at this time, a DRS signal may be shifted by a delay in the DMTC. The CCA starting point in the DRS subframe n +1 may also be determined based on a candidate transmission time point for transmitting the second communication Signal in the current subframe n +1, and assuming that DRS transmission in the subframe n +1 must be started with PSS/SSS (Primary Synchronization Signal, Primary Synchronization Signal/secondary Synchronization Signal, secondary Synchronization Signal), the CCA starting point of the DRS in the subframe n +1 is not earlier than the transmission point of the DRS in the subframe n +1, the latest candidate transmission time point of the second communication Signal.

S203: and judging whether the idle channel detection result indicates that the channel is idle or not.

S204: and if the judgment result indicates that the channel is idle, further determining a second time point capable of sending the signal.

The second time point may be determined in the first subframe, and the second time point is not earlier than a third time point;

Or the second time point may be determined in the second subframe, and the second time point is not earlier than a third time point, where the second subframe is a subframe previous to the first subframe;

The second time point may be determined according to a predetermined determination rule, and the specific determination manner is as follows:

if the DRS needs to be transmitted, in the CCA monitoring process, if the channel of the current unlicensed spectrum in the CCA time window is found to be idle, it may be determined as the second time point immediately.

If the DRS needs to be transmitted, in the CCA monitoring process, if a channel of the current unlicensed spectrum in a CCA time window is found to be idle, waiting for a duration of idle delay (generally, the duration is on the order of tens of microseconds), and then immediately determining as the second time point.

If the DRS needs to be transmitted, in the CCA monitoring process, if a channel of the current unlicensed spectrum in a CCA time window is found to be idle, no idle deferral is introduced, and a high-priority random backoff (priority random backoff) is introduced, where the requirement on parameter selection of the priority random backoff may be relaxed compared to a normal random backoff, for example, a shorter contention window cw (contention window) is used, a shorter CCA time window is used, and the like.

If DRS needs to be sent, in the CCA monitoring process, the priority random backoff process may be started as long as the channel is found to be idle, for example, an initial value of a backoff counter is selected in a smaller contention window duration; or, during the counter back-off process, a smaller CCA time window is used for CCA monitoring, and so on. As long as the backoff counter counts down to 0, the DRS may be sent by further waiting for a duration of idle delay, such as a DIFS (DCF IFS, Inter-frame spacing for Distributed Coordination Function) (DCF (Distributed Coordination Function), Inter-frame space (IFS), or other reference, which is typically in the order of tens of microseconds.

S205: and if the second time point is the same as the first time point in time, starting to transmit the first communication signal from the first time point.

S206: transmitting a channel occupancy signal for a period of time starting from the second point in time to an end of the first point in time and transmitting the first communication signal starting from the first point in time if the second point in time is before the moment of the first point in time.

Referring to fig. 5 again, it is a schematic flow chart of another method for processing a communication signal according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the method according to the embodiment of the present invention can be implemented by a communication server at a base station side, and specifically, the method includes:

s301: a first time point pre-configured in a first subframe is determined, the first time point being a first candidate transmission time point for transmitting a first communication signal.

S302: performing idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted before the first time point.

S303: and judging whether the idle channel detection result indicates that the channel is idle or not.

S304: and if the judgment result indicates that the channel is idle, further determining a second time point capable of sending the signal.

S305: and if the second time point is the same as the first time point in time, starting to transmit the first communication signal from the first time point.

S306: transmitting a channel occupancy signal for a period of time starting from the second point in time to an end of the first point in time and transmitting the first communication signal starting from the first point in time if the second point in time is before the moment of the first point in time.

The first communication signal comprises a discovery reference signal; the second communication signal includes at least one of the following information: a control channel, a data channel, a reference signal other than the discovery reference signal.

S307: idle channel detection is performed for the second communication signal.

The CCA performed for the first communication signal may be based on a high-priority detection policy, and specifically, in the above-mentioned CCA detection process, once a clear channel is determined, a subsequent procedure may be performed; or in the CCA detection process, after a clear channel is detected, a clear deferral, a high-priority random backoff, and the like need to be executed.

The S307 may be executed at any time while or before the execution of the S305 and S306.

S308: and after the idle channel detection is successfully executed for the first communication signal, pausing the back-off counting of a back-off counter of the idle channel detection executed for the second communication signal in the process of sending the first communication signal, wherein the current count value of the back-off counter is an integer larger than 0.

S309: and if the first communication signal is sent out, recovering the back-off counting of a back-off counter of idle channel detection executed for the second communication signal, and starting the back-off counting from the current counting value.

In the embodiment of the invention, for second communication signals such as common control signals, data signals and the like, after detecting that idle channels are detected for the signals, random back-off is also needed for a period of time, and the signals can be sent on the channels only if the channels are idle in the back-off time.

Specifically, if a node has a traffic load to send, the node needs to perform CCA to monitor the channel busy/idle state of an unlicensed carrier or the like. In order to ensure low collision among different nodes and take fairness into consideration, while performing CCA, introducing a Backoff mechanism, such as a Backoff (Backoff) mechanism based on random numbers, that is, each node waits for a time interval of DIFS (this process is referred to as idle deferral defer) from a time point when it finds that a channel is idle (if the energy of a monitored signal is lower than a preset threshold, the channel may be considered idle, otherwise the channel is considered busy), then back off a CCA time window (the time window is generally in the order of several microseconds to twenty microseconds) for a time length of a multiple of a random number, where the time length is an initial value of a Backoff counter of the CCA of this time, and the value range of the time length is from 0 to the length of a contention window CW, where the length of the contention window is a maximum value selectable by the initial value of the Backoff counter, and once it waits for a channel to be in a time window to be in an idle state, the counter is correspondingly decreased by one until the counter is decreased to 0, the node can not transmit signals, so that the problem that a plurality of nodes simultaneously find that the channels are idle, namely, the nodes immediately transmit respective signals simultaneously to cause conflict is solved, and the fairness of occupying the channels among the nodes is taken into account through the selection of random numbers.

In S308 and S309, the transmission of the first communication signal is preferentially processed, and the back-off timing of the second communication signal is suspended. So that it is also possible to continue to transmit the second communication signal after the first communication signal has been transmitted without the need to re-perform the CCA and back-off counting.

S310: transmitting the second communication signal during a time period in which the first communication signal is transmitted.

The first communication signal may be transmitted in a subframe after the CCA of the first communication signal is successful, and generally, the CCA procedure of the second communication signal is not completed, that is, the backoff counter of the CCA of the second communication signal is not decreased to 0, because if the CCA of the second communication signal is successful, the second communication signal and the first communication signal are transmitted simultaneously, considering that the CCA requirement of the second communication signal is more strict than that of the first communication signal. Therefore, normally, the second communication signal is not allowed to be transmitted since the CCA procedure for the second communication signal is not completed. However, at this time, the base station has already transmitted the first communication signal in the subframe of the DMTC, that is, has occupied the channel, for example, the base station may transmit the first communication signal in one subframe of the DMTC. Considering that the base station already occupies the current channel on the subframe transmitting the first communication signal, the second communication signal may be transmitted together in the subframe currently transmitting the first communication signal, but considering that the CCA of the second communication signal is unsuccessful, the second communication signal may be transmitted only in the present transmission period of the first communication signal, for example, the first communication signal and the second communication signal are transmitted in the subframe transmitting the first communication signal in the DMTC.

Once the first communication signal in the DMTC period is sent, the second communication signal must also stop sending, but the value of the CCA counter that is not reduced to 0 before is recovered, and CCA continues to be performed until CCA is successful, and the second communication signal is not allowed to be sent again.

It is further noted that the above-mentioned determination of the transmission power of the second communication signal transmitted together with the first communication signal is determined from the CCA procedure currently transmitting the first communication signal, and cannot be determined from the previous CCA procedure of the second communication signal itself that has not been successful. Generally, the selection of the energy detection threshold value of the CCA is related to the power of a transmitted signal, and the higher the energy detection threshold value is, the lower the maximum transmission power of the transmitted signal should be after the CCA is successful; of course, the converse is not excluded.

Referring to fig. 6, it is a schematic flowchart of a fourth embodiment of the method for processing a communication signal according to the present invention, where the method according to the embodiment of the present invention can be implemented by a server at a base station side. The method comprises the following steps:

s401: a first time point pre-configured in a first subframe is determined, the first time point being a first candidate transmission time point for transmitting a first communication signal.

S402: performing idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted before the first time point.

S403: and determining a second time point capable of sending signals in the first subframe according to the idle channel detection result, wherein the second time point is not earlier than a third time point.

And when the idle channel detection result indicates that the current channel is idle, starting to determine a second time point in the first subframe. Wherein the third time point is a second candidate transmission time point in the first subframe, and the second candidate transmission time point is: before the time of the first candidate transmission time point and for the time of the last time point of the predefined candidate transmission time points for transmitting the second communication signal in the first subframe.

S404: if the second time point is the same as the first time point in time, starting to transmit the first communication signal from the first time point;

s405: transmitting a channel occupancy signal for a period of time starting from the second point in time to an end of the first point in time and transmitting the first communication signal starting from the first point in time if the second point in time is before the moment of the first point in time.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a subframe for transmitting DRS according to still another embodiment of the present invention; in fig. 7, a DRS subframe, i.e., subframe n +1, includes 4 predefined candidate transmission time points for transmitting a second communication signal, and assuming that a first time point, which is a starting transmission point of a DRS, is a symbol of an SSS in the subframe, a last candidate transmission time point before the SSS symbol in the 4 candidate transmission time points of the second communication signal is a third time point, which is a second candidate transmission time point in the 4 candidate transmission time points of the second communication signal. The third time point, the first time point and any time point in between are determined as the second time point. The starting time point for performing CCA detection for the DRS may start at any time point before and at the third time point. It can be seen that the earliest point in time of transmission of the channel filling signal is the third point in time described above.

Referring to fig. 8, it is a schematic flowchart of a fifth embodiment of a method for processing a communication signal according to the present invention, where the method according to the embodiment of the present invention can be implemented by a server at a base station side. The method comprises the following steps:

s501: a first time point pre-configured in a first subframe is determined, the first time point being a first candidate transmission time point for transmitting a first communication signal.

S502: performing idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted before the first time point.

S503: and determining a second time point capable of sending signals in the second subframe according to the idle channel detection result, wherein the second time point is not earlier than a third time point, and the second subframe is a subframe before the first subframe.

And when the idle channel detection result indicates that the current channel is idle, starting to determine a second time point in the first subframe. Wherein the third time point is a second candidate transmission time point in the second subframe, and the second candidate transmission time point is a last time point of candidate time points predefined in the second subframe and used for transmitting a second communication signal.

S504: if the second time point is the same as the first time point in time, starting to transmit the first communication signal from the first time point; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

s505: transmitting a channel occupancy signal for a period of time starting from the second point in time to an end of the first point in time and transmitting the first communication signal starting from the first point in time if the second point in time is before the moment of the first point in time.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a subframe for transmitting DRS according to still another embodiment of the present invention; fig. 9 includes 4 predefined candidate transmission time points for transmitting the second communication signal in the subframe n, wherein the last candidate transmission time point of the 4 is taken as the third time point, and the third time point, the first time point and any time point therebetween are determined as the second time point. The starting time point for performing CCA detection for the DRS may start at any time point before and at the third time point. In fig. 9, the third time point is determined as the last candidate transmission time point, the time corresponding to one OFDM symbol before the third time point is the CCA starting time point, and the time corresponding to the seventh OFDM symbol after the third time point is the second time point (later than the third time point). It can be seen that the earliest point in time of transmission of the channel filling signal is the third point in time described above.

The following describes in detail a communication signal transmitting apparatus and a communication server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may be disposed in a communication server on a base station side, and specifically, the apparatus includes: a first determination module 10, a detection module 20, a second determination module 30 and a processing module 40.

The first determining module 10 is configured to determine a first time point preconfigured in a first subframe, where the first time point is a first candidate transmission time point for transmitting a first communication signal;

the detecting module 20 is configured to perform idle channel detection on the first communication signal to be sent before the first time point;

the second determining module 30 is configured to determine a second time point at which a signal can be sent according to the result of the idle channel detection;

the processing module 40 is configured to start sending the first communication signal from the first time point if the second time point is the same as the first time point; or, if the second time point is before the time of the first time point, transmitting a channel occupying signal for a period from the second time point to the first time point, and transmitting the first communication signal from the first time point.

The 1 or more candidate transmission time points for transmitting the first communication signal may be configured based on OFDM symbols, which may be referred to as a first type of candidate transmission time points, and the first communication signal is transmitted with one or more designated OFDM symbols in one subframe as a starting point, and the time points corresponding to the designated OFDM symbols in one subframe are candidate transmission time points for transmitting the first communication signal. For each subframe, when a candidate transmission time point for transmitting the first communication signal arrives and it is detected that the channel is idle, the communication signal may be transmitted starting with the OFDM symbol at the corresponding time as a starting symbol according to actual needs.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the communication signals may be divided into: the communication method comprises the steps that a first communication signal and a second communication signal are obtained, wherein the first communication signal comprises important signals such as DRS; the second communication signal includes common signals such as common control signals and data signals. The first point in time determined by the first determination module 10 on the basis of a subframe, i.e. the first candidate transmission point in time for transmitting the first communication signal, may be after the last candidate transmission point in time for transmitting the second communication signal, or in the next subframe. The candidate transmission time points for transmitting the second communication signal may be referred to as second type candidate transmission time points, and the OFDM symbols of the subframe corresponding to the second type candidate transmission time points may be different from the OFDM symbols of the subframe corresponding to the first type candidate transmission time points.

Before a base station transmits a signal on a channel where a serving cell of a system such as U-LTE is located, the detection module 20 performs CCA detection on the channel where the serving cell is located, and once the detected received power exceeds a certain threshold, the base station cannot transmit the signal on the channel for a while, and the base station cannot transmit the signal on the channel until the channel is found to be idle.

When the CCA detection result is that the channel is clear, the communication signal is not immediately transmitted, and a second time point may be determined by the second determining module 30, so that the processing module 40 determines how to transmit the first communication signal based on the relationship between the first time point determined by the first determining module 10 and the second time point determined by the second determining module 30.

If the second time point is the same as the first time point, the processing module 40 immediately controls the OFDM symbol corresponding to the first time point in the subframe to start sending the first communication signal.

If the second time point is before the time of the first time point, the processing module 40 immediately controls to start sending the channel occupying signal at the second time point of the subframe, and after the time reaches the first time point, the processing module 40 controls to start sending the first communication signal at the OFDM symbol corresponding to the first time point in the subframe.

Referring to fig. 11 again, it is a schematic structural diagram of another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the communication apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention may be disposed in a communication server on a base station side, specifically, the apparatus includes a first determining module 10, a detecting module 20, a second determining module 30, and a processing module 40 in the previous embodiment. The first determining module 10, the detecting module 20, the second determining module 30 and the processing module 40 in the embodiment of the present invention may also specifically perform the following functions.

Specifically, the second determining module 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention may include:

a judging unit 301, configured to judge whether a result of the idle channel detection indicates that a channel is idle;

a determining unit 302, configured to determine a second time point at which the signal can be transmitted when the determination result of the determining unit indicates that the channel is idle.

Optionally, the second determining module 30 is specifically configured to determine a second time point at which the signal can be sent in the first subframe, where the second time point is not earlier than a third time point; wherein the third time point is a second candidate transmission time point in the first subframe, and the second candidate transmission time point is: before the time of the first candidate transmission time point and for the time of the last time point of the predefined candidate transmission time points for transmitting the second communication signal in the first subframe.

Optionally, the second determining module 30 is specifically configured to determine a second time point, which is not earlier than a third time point, of the second subframe, where the second time point is a subframe before the first subframe, where the second time point is capable of sending a signal; wherein the third time point is a second candidate transmission time point in the second subframe, and the second candidate transmission time point is a last time point of candidate time points predefined in the second subframe and used for transmitting a second communication signal.

The second determination module 30 may simultaneously implement the above-mentioned functions as needed.

Further optionally, the detecting module 20 in the embodiment of the present invention is specifically configured to determine a starting time point of performing idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be sent; starting to perform idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted at the determined starting time point; wherein the starting time point is in the first subframe and is not earlier than a third time point, the third time point is a second candidate transmission time point in the first subframe, and the second candidate transmission time point is: before the time of the first candidate transmission time point and for the time of the last time point of the predefined candidate transmission time points for transmitting the second communication signal in the first subframe.

Further optionally, the detecting module 20 in the embodiment of the present invention is specifically configured to determine a starting time point of performing idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be sent; starting to perform idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted at the determined starting time point; wherein the starting time point is in the second subframe, the starting time point is not earlier than a third time point, and the second subframe is a subframe previous to the first subframe; the third time point is a second candidate transmission time point in the second subframe, and the second candidate transmission time point is the last time point in the candidate time points predefined in the second subframe and used for transmitting the second communication signal.

Further optionally, the detecting module 20 in the embodiment of the present invention is further configured to perform idle channel detection for the second communication signal; wherein a policy implemented for idle channel detection for the second communication signal is different from a policy implemented for idle channel detection for the first communication signal.

Further optionally, the processing module 40 in this embodiment of the present invention is further configured to suspend back-off counting of a back-off counter for idle channel detection performed for the second communication signal in a process of sending the first communication signal after successful idle channel detection performed for the first communication signal, where a current count value of the back-off counter is an integer greater than 0; and if the first communication signal is sent out, recovering the back-off counting of a back-off counter of idle channel detection executed for the second communication signal, and starting the back-off counting from the current counting value.

Further optionally, the processing module 40 in this embodiment of the present invention is further configured to send the second communication signal in a time period of sending the first communication signal.

Specifically, the specific implementation of each module and unit in the embodiment of the present invention may refer to the detailed description of the relevant steps in fig. 1 to fig. 5.

Referring to fig. 12, it is a schematic structural diagram of a communication server according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the communication server may be configured at a base station side, and specifically, the communication server includes: network interface 1102, processor 1104, transceiver including transmitter 1106, receiver 1108, and coupler 1110, antenna 1112, and memory 1114.

The transceiver is connected to the processor 1104 and configured to transmit a signal to be transmitted, which is indicated by the processor 1104;

the processor 1104 is configured to determine a first time point preconfigured in a first subframe, where the first time point is a first candidate transmission time point for transmitting a first communication signal; performing idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted before the first time point; determining a second time point capable of sending signals according to the idle channel detection result; if the second time point is the same as the first time point, the first communication signal is transmitted from the first time point through the transceiver device; or, if the second time point is before the time of the first time point, transmitting a channel occupying signal by the transceiving means during a period from the second time point to the end of the first time point, and transmitting the first communication signal by the transceiving means from the first time point.

Further optionally, when the processor 1104 is configured to determine a second time point at which a signal can be sent according to the result of the idle channel detection, the processor is specifically configured to determine whether the result of the idle channel detection indicates that a channel is idle; and if the judgment result indicates that the channel is idle, further determining a second time point capable of sending the signal.

Further optionally, the processor 1104 is specifically configured to determine a second time point in the first subframe at which a signal can be sent, where the second time point is no earlier than a third time point; wherein the third time point is a second candidate transmission time point in the first subframe, and the second candidate transmission time point is: before the time of the first candidate transmission time point and for the time of the last time point of the predefined candidate transmission time points for transmitting the second communication signal in the first subframe.

Further optionally, the processor 1104 is specifically configured to determine a second time point, which is not earlier than a third time point, of the second subframe, where the second time point is a subframe before the first subframe, where the second time point is capable of sending a signal; wherein the third time point is a second candidate transmission time point in the second subframe, and the second candidate transmission time point is a last time point of candidate time points predefined in the second subframe and used for transmitting a second communication signal.

Further optionally, the processor 1104, when configured to perform idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be sent before the first time point, is specifically configured to determine a starting time point of performing idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be sent; starting to perform idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted at the determined starting time point; wherein the starting time point is in the first subframe and is not earlier than a third time point, the third time point is a second candidate transmission time point in the first subframe, and the second candidate transmission time point is: before the time of the first candidate transmission time point and for the time of the last time point of the predefined candidate transmission time points for transmitting the second communication signal in the first subframe.

Further optionally, the processor 1104, when configured to perform idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be sent before the first time point, is specifically configured to determine a starting time point of performing idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be sent; starting to perform idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted at the determined starting time point; wherein the starting time point is in the second subframe, the starting time point is not earlier than a third time point, and the second subframe is a subframe previous to the first subframe; the third time point is a second candidate transmission time point in the second subframe, and the second candidate transmission time point is the last time point in the candidate time points predefined in the second subframe and used for transmitting the second communication signal.

Further optionally, the processor 1104 is further configured to perform clear channel detection for the second communication signal; wherein a policy implemented for idle channel detection for the second communication signal is different from a policy implemented for idle channel detection for the first communication signal.

Further optionally, the processor 1104 is further configured to suspend a back-off count of a back-off counter for idle channel detection performed for the second communication signal in a process of sending the first communication signal after successful idle channel detection performed for the first communication signal is performed, where a current count value of the back-off counter is an integer greater than 0; and if the first communication signal is sent out, recovering the back-off counting of a back-off counter of idle channel detection executed for the second communication signal, and starting the back-off counting from the current counting value.

Further optionally, the processor 1104 is further configured to transmit the second communication signal through the transceiver device during a time period when the first communication signal is transmitted.

Specifically, the specific implementation of the processor 1104 in the embodiment of the present invention may refer to the detailed description of the relevant steps and functional modules in fig. 1 to fig. 11.

Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will clearly understand that each embodiment can be implemented by software plus a necessary general hardware platform, and certainly can also be implemented by hardware. With this understanding in mind, the above-described technical solutions may be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as ROM/RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc., and includes instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the embodiments or some parts of the embodiments.

The above-described embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention. Any modification, equivalent replacement, and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the above-described embodiments should be included in the protection scope of the technical solution.

Claims

1. A method for processing a communication signal, comprising:

transmitting a channel occupancy signal for a period of time from the second point in time to the end of the first point in time and transmitting the first communication signal from the first point in time if the second point in time is before the moment of the first point in time;

the method further comprises the following steps:

performing idle channel detection for the second communication signal;

wherein the first communication signal comprises a discovery reference signal; the second communication signal includes at least one of the following information: a control channel, a data channel, a reference signal other than the discovery reference signal; the policy enforced by idle channel detection enforced for the second communication signal is different from the policy enforced by idle channel detection enforced for the first communication signal, and the priority of the policy enforced by idle channel detection enforced for the first communication signal is higher than the priority of the policy enforced by idle channel detection enforced for the second communication signal.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining a second time point at which a signal can be transmitted according to the result of the idle channel detection comprises:

and if the judgment result indicates that the channel is idle, further determining a second time point capable of sending the signal.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein said determining a second point in time at which a signal can be transmitted comprises:

4. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein said determining a second point in time at which a signal can be transmitted comprises:

determining a second time point in a second subframe, wherein the second time point is not earlier than a third time point, and the second subframe is a subframe previous to the first subframe;

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said performing idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted prior to the first point in time comprises:

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said performing idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted prior to the first point in time comprises:

wherein the starting time point is in a second subframe, the starting time point is not earlier than a third time point, and the second subframe is a subframe previous to the first subframe; the third time point is a second candidate transmission time point in the second subframe, and the second candidate transmission time point is the last time point in the candidate time points predefined in the second subframe and used for transmitting the second communication signal.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after the idle channel detection is successfully executed for the first communication signal, in the process of sending the first communication signal, suspending the back-off count of a back-off counter of the idle channel detection executed for the second communication signal, wherein the current count value of the back-off counter is an integer greater than 0;

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting the second communication signal during a time period in which the first communication signal is transmitted.

9. A communications apparatus, comprising:

the processing module is used for starting to send the first communication signal from the first time point if the second time point is the same as the first time point in time; or, if the second time point is before the time of the first time point, transmitting a channel occupying signal for a period from the second time point to the first time point, and transmitting the first communication signal from the first time point;

the detection module is further configured to perform idle channel detection for the second communication signal; wherein the first communication signal comprises a discovery reference signal; the second communication signal includes at least one of the following information: a control channel, a data channel, a reference signal other than the discovery reference signal; the policy enforced by idle channel detection enforced for the second communication signal is different from the policy enforced by idle channel detection enforced for the first communication signal, and the priority of the policy enforced by idle channel detection enforced for the first communication signal is higher than the priority of the policy enforced by idle channel detection enforced for the second communication signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second determining module comprises:

11. The apparatus of claim 9 or 10,

the second determining module is specifically configured to determine a second time point at which a signal can be sent in the first subframe, where the second time point is not earlier than a third time point;

12. The apparatus of claim 9 or 10,

the second determining module is specifically configured to determine a second time point, which is not earlier than a third time point, in a second subframe, where the second time point is a subframe before the first subframe, where the second time point is capable of sending a signal;

13. The apparatus of claim 9,

the detection module is specifically configured to determine a starting time point for performing idle channel detection on the first communication signal to be sent; starting to perform idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted at the determined starting time point; wherein the starting time point is in the first subframe and is not earlier than a third time point, the third time point is a second candidate transmission time point in the first subframe, and the second candidate transmission time point is: before the time of the first candidate transmission time point and for the time of the last time point of the predefined candidate transmission time points for transmitting the second communication signal in the first subframe.

14. The apparatus of claim 9,

the detection module is specifically configured to determine a starting time point for performing idle channel detection on the first communication signal to be sent; starting to perform idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted at the determined starting time point;

15. The apparatus of claim 9,

the processing module is further configured to suspend back-off counting of a back-off counter for idle channel detection performed for the second communication signal in a process of sending the first communication signal after idle channel detection is successfully performed for the first communication signal, where a current count value of the back-off counter is an integer greater than 0; and if the first communication signal is sent out, recovering the back-off counting of a back-off counter of idle channel detection executed for the second communication signal, and starting the back-off counting from the current counting value.

16. The apparatus of claim 9,

the processing module is further configured to send the second communication signal within a time period in which the first communication signal is sent.

17. A communications server, comprising: a processor and a transceiver device, wherein the transceiver device is connected with the processor,

the processor is configured to determine a first time point preconfigured in a first subframe, where the first time point is a first candidate transmission time point for transmitting a first communication signal; performing idle channel detection for the first communication signal to be transmitted before the first time point; determining a second time point capable of sending signals according to the idle channel detection result; if the second time point is the same as the first time point, the first communication signal is transmitted from the first time point through the transceiver device; or, if the second time point is before the time of the first time point, transmitting a channel occupying signal by the transceiving means during a time period from the second time point to the end of the first time point, and transmitting the first communication signal by the transceiving means from the first time point;

the processor is further configured to perform idle channel detection for the second communication signal; wherein the first communication signal comprises a discovery reference signal; the second communication signal includes at least one of the following information: a control channel, a data channel, a reference signal other than the discovery reference signal; the policy enforced by idle channel detection enforced for the second communication signal is different from the policy enforced by idle channel detection enforced for the first communication signal, and the priority of the policy enforced by idle channel detection enforced for the first communication signal is higher than the priority of the policy enforced by idle channel detection enforced for the second communication signal.