Patent Description:
In practical application, data transmission in a wireless communication system is generally performed in a form of data frames, and different subframes in a data frame may have different transmission directions. That is, the transmission direction of some subframes in a data frame may be an uplink direction, and the transmission direction of some subframes in a data frame may be a downlink direction. In the subframes whose transmission direction is the downlink direction, a terminal may receive data sent by a base station; and in the subframes whose transmission direction is the uplink direction, the terminal may send data to the base station. In order to ensure that the data transmission between the terminal and the base station is performed, the terminal and the base station need to settle the transmission direction of each subframe in the data frame.

In the related art, the wireless communication system may pre-configure the transmission direction of each subframe in the data frame, and the terminal and base station may perform data transmission based on the pre-configure direction. For example, if the wireless communication system pre-configures that the transmission direction of the <NUM>st, <NUM>rd, <NUM>th, <NUM>th, <NUM>th, <NUM>th, <NUM>th, <NUM>th and <NUM>th subframes is the downlink direction, and the transmission direction of the <NUM>nd subframe is the uplink direction, the terminal may transmit the data to the base station in the <NUM>nd subframe, and receive the data sent by the base station in the <NUM>st, <NUM>rd, <NUM>th, <NUM>th, <NUM>th, <NUM>th, <NUM>th, <NUM>th and <NUM>th subframes.

However, the manner in the related art regarding pre-specifying the transmission direction of each subframe in the data frame has a low flexibility, and may not adapt to the requirement of a new-generation communication system on dynamically changing transmission directions.

<NPL> discloses a preliminary simulation results for traffic adaptation performance of different slot adjustment periods in a single cell scenario. Based on the observations of simulation results, we further discuss and propose the mechanism of slot type indication and downlink control signaling design.

<NPL> discloses how to implement duplex. Besides, the corresponding scheduling and HARQ influence are also discussed.

<NPL> discloses several aspects with respect to dynamic TDD in the context of NR. The possible time-scales of dynamic TDD are discussed first based on the agreement on frame structure in RAN1. #<NUM> meeting. Then, potential necessary mechanisms to enable dynamic TDD operation in NR are discussed, including interference management, flexible timing and other related aspects.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a data transmission method and apparatus.

In a first aspect, a data transmission method according to claim <NUM>, for applying to a terminal, is provided.

In a second aspect, a terminal is provided according to claim <NUM>.

Further aspects and embodiments are defined in the appended claims.

The technical solutions according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include following advantageous effects.

The terminal may receive target indication information sent by the base station, determine transmission directions of n transmission units based on the target indication information, and then transmit data through the n transmission units based on the determined transmission directions. In this way, the transmission directions of the transmission units can be determined flexibly, and can be dynamically changed according to the data transmission requirement of the communication system, thereby meeting the requirement of the new-generation communication system on the dynamically changing transmission directions.

It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary and explanatory, and do not limit the present disclosure.

In the following, embodiments of the invention are described with particular reference to <FIG> and <FIG>. The other embodiments and/or examples of the disclosure are provided for illustrative purposes to support a better understanding of the invention.

The implementations set forth in the following description of embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with aspects related to the disclosure as recited in the appended claims.

In exemplary embodiments, a wireless communication system generally includes two duplexing modes, which are frequency division duplexing (FDD) mode and time division duplexing (TDD) mode, respectively. In the FDD mode, data transmission in the uplink direction (the terminal sending data to the base station) and data transmission in the downlink direction (the base station sending data to the terminal) are performed on an uplink channel and a downlink channel, respectively. Under this case, the transmission direction of each subframe in a data frame on the uplink channel is the uplink direction, and the transmission direction of each subframe in a data frame on the downlink channel is the downlink direction. In the TDD mode, data transmission in the uplink direction and data transmission in the downlink direction are both performed on a channel having a same frequency. Under this case, the transmission direction of some subframes in a data frame on the channel is the downlink direction, and the transmission direction of some subframes is the uplink direction.

In order to ensure that the data transmission between the terminal and the base station is performed normally under the TDD mode, the terminal and the base station may need to agree on the transmission direction of each subframe in the data frame. In an embodiment, the wireless communication system may pre-specify the transmission direction of each subframe in the data frame, and the terminal and base station may perform the data transmission based on the pre-specified direction. Table <NUM> shows a pre-specified transmission direction of each subframe in seven data frames of the wireless communication system, according to an embodiment.

The term "ms" in Table <NUM> denotes millisecond; the letter "D" in Table <NUM> denotes that the transmission direction of the subframe is the downlink direction; the letter "U" in Table <NUM> denotes that the transmission direction of the subframe is the uplink direction; and "S" denotes that the subframe is a special subframe, which may include an uplink pilot time slot (UpPTS), a downlink pilot time slot (DwPTS) and a guard period (GP), and is mainly configured to prevent interference from occurring between the downlink data transmission and the uplink data transmission.

When the terminal and the base station agree to perform the data transmission according to the specification of sequence number <NUM> in Table <NUM>, the terminal may receive the data sent by the base station in the <NUM>th , <NUM>rd, <NUM>th, <NUM>th, <NUM>th, <NUM>th, <NUM>th, and <NUM>th subframes of the data frame, and send data to the base station in the <NUM>nd subframe.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment. The system may include a base station <NUM> and a terminal <NUM>. The base station <NUM> and the terminal <NUM> may perform data transmission therebetween under the TDD mode in the uplink direction and the downlink direction based on the same channel.

<FIG> is a flow chart of a data transmission method according to an embodiment. For example, the data transmission method is adopted by a terminal, such as the terminal <NUM> shown in <FIG>, and includes the following steps.

In step <NUM>, the terminal receives target indication information sent by the base station.

In step <NUM>, the terminal determines transmission directions of n transmission units based on the target indication information. The transmission directions include the uplink direction and the downlink direction, and n is a positive integer larger than or equal to <NUM>.

In step <NUM>, the terminal transmits data through the n transmission units based on the transmission directions indicated by the target indication information.

In the data transmission method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal receives target indication information sent by the base station, determines transmission directions of n transmission units based on the target indication information, and then transmits data through the n transmission units based on the determined transmission direction. In this way, the transmission directions of the transmission units can be determined flexibly, and can be dynamically changed according to the data transmission requirement of the communication system, thereby meeting the requirement of the new-generation communication system on the dynamically changing transmission directions.

<FIG> is a flow chart of a data transmission method according to an embodiment that is not part of the present invention as claimed. For example, the data transmission method is adopted by a base station, such as the base station <NUM> shown in <FIG>, and includes following steps.

In step <NUM>, the base station generates target indication information.

In step <NUM>, the base station sends the target indication information to the terminal, so that the terminal determines transmission directions of n transmission units based on the target indication information. The transmission directions include the uplink direction and the downlink direction, and n is a positive integer larger than or equal to <NUM>.

In the data transmission method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the base station sends target indication information to the terminal, which enables the terminal to determine transmission directions of n transmission units based on the target indication information and then transmit data through the n transmission units based on the determined transmission directions. In this way, the transmission directions of the transmission units can be determined flexibly, and can be dynamically changed according to the data transmission requirement of the communication system, thereby meeting the requirement of the new-generation communication system on the dynamically changing transmission directions.

<FIG> is a flow chart of a data transmission method according to an embodiment. For example, the data transmission method is adopted by a wireless communication system, such the system shown in <FIG>, and includes following steps.

In step <NUM>, the base station generates target indication information, and sends the target indication information to the terminal.

In an embodiment, in order to meet the requirement of a new-generation communication system on the dynamically changing transmission directions, the base station may generate and send target indication information to the terminal, and the terminal determines transmission directions of n transmission units based on the target indication information, where n is a positive integer larger than or equal to <NUM>. In this way, the base station and the terminal may agree on the transmission directions of the n transmission units based on the target indication information, and transmit data through the n transmission units based on the agreed transmission directions, which is more flexible compared to the manner in the wireless communication system regarding pre-specifying the transmission direction of each subframe in the data frame, and thereby more adaptable to the requirement of the new-generation communication system.

In the embodiment, the base station and the terminal generally transmit the data through data frames. The n transmission units are data frames, subframes, time slots, or orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. In an embodiment, one data frame may include ten subframes, each of which has a length of <NUM> and includes two time slots; and each time slot has a length of <NUM> and includes seven OFDM symbols, each of which has a length of <NUM>/<NUM>.

In the related art, since the wireless communication system merely specifies the transmission directions of subframes in the data frame, the transmission directions of all the time slots and OFDM symbols included in a data subframe are all the same, which causes the data transmission direction to change in a low flexibility. However, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the n transmission units may be transmission units (time slots, OFDM symbols) smaller than the subframes. Thus, the time slots and OFDM symbols included in a subframe may have different transmission directions, and the data transmission direction in the embodiment of the present disclosure may be changed more flexibly, which is thereby more adaptable to the requirement of the new-generation communication system.

In step <NUM>, the terminal receives the target indication information, and then determines locations of the n transmission units based on the target indication information.

After receiving the target indication information, the terminal needs to determine locations of the n transmission units based on the target indication information. The present disclosure provides following two exemplary manners of determining locations of the n transmission units.

In the first manner, the terminal determines the transmission unit transmitting the target indication information as the target transmission unit; then, according to the location of the target transmission unit, the terminal determines locations of the n transmission units associated with the location of the target transmission unit.

In the embodiment, the terminal stores therein a location association rule that defines the location, relative to the location of the target transmission unit, of the transmission unit associated with the target transmission unit; then, the terminal determines the locations of the n transmission units based on the location of the target transmission unit and the location association rule. In the embodiment, the location association rule is sent by the base station in advance to the terminal through physical layer signalling. In an alternative procedure, which is not part of the present invention, the location association rule may be sent by the base station in advance through higher layer signalling or may be specified by the communication protocol. It should be noted that the high layer signaling may be RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling or the like, which will not be specifically limited in the present disclosure, either.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the locations of the n transmission units as determined by the terminal based on the location association rule are as follows: the n transmission units are consecutively located after and adjacent to the target transmission unit.

For instance, as shown in <FIG>, the transmission unit transmitting the target indication information is the time slot a, which means that the time slot a is the target transmission unit. If the location association rule stored in the terminal is that the transmission units associated with the target transmission unit are two consecutive transmission units located after and adjacent to the target transmission unit, the terminal may determine that the n transmission units are time slot a+<NUM> and time slot a +<NUM>.

In the second manner that is not part of the present invention as claimed, the target indication information may include location indication information that indicates locations of the n transmission units, and the terminal may determine locations of the n transmission units based on the location indication information.

As shown in the example of <FIG>, the target indication information may include location indication information indicating that the n transmission units are the time slot a+<NUM> and time slot a+<NUM>.

In step <NUM>, the terminal determines transmission directions of the n transmission units based on the target indication information.

After determining the locations of the n transmission units the terminal determines transmission directions of the n transmission units based on the target indication information. The present disclosure provides following two exemplary manners of determining transmission directions of the n transmission units.

In the first manner, the target indication information may include a composite indicator configured to indicate transmission directions of the n transmission units, and the terminal may determine the transmission directions indicated by the composite indicator as the transmission directions of the n transmission units.

In an embodiment, a mapping relationship table between the composite indicator and the transmission directions may be maintained in the terminal, as shown in Table <NUM>.

The term "DL" in Table <NUM> denotes that the transmission direction is the downlink direction; "UL" denotes that the transmission direction is the uplink direction; the term "DL dominant" in Table <NUM> denotes that the transmission direction is mainly the downlink direction; and the term "UL dominant" in Table <NUM> denotes that the transmission direction is mainly the uplink direction.

In an embodiment, the mapping relationship table may be sent by the base station in advance to the terminal through high layer signaling or physical layer signaling, or may be specified by the communication protocol, which will not be specifically limited in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Furthermore, it should be noted that the mapping relationship table shown in Table <NUM> is merely exemplary, and does not limit the present disclosure. It should be further noted that the high layer signaling may be RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling or the like, which will not be specifically limited in the embodiment of the present disclosure, either.

The terminal may determine the transmission directions indicated by the composite indicator based on the composite indicator and the mapping relationship table, and may further treat the determined transmission directions as the transmission directions of the n transmission units. As shown in the example of <FIG>, the target indication information in the time slot a may include a composite indicator <NUM>. Then, the terminal may determine that the transmission directions of the time slot a+<NUM> and time slot a+<NUM> are both the uplink direction.

In the second manner, the target indication information may include n individual indicators correspond to the n transmission units, respectively. Each individual indicator may be configured to indicate the transmission direction of the corresponding transmission unit, and the terminal may determine the transmission direction of each transmission unit among the n transmission units as the transmission direction indicated by the corresponding individual indicator.

In an embodiment, a mapping relationship table between the individual indicator and the transmission direction may be maintained in the terminal, and may be the same as the mapping relationship table shown in Table <NUM>.

The terminal may determine the transmission direction indicated by each individual indicator based on the n individual indicators and the mapping relationship table, and further determine the transmission direction indicated by each individual indicator as the transmission direction of the corresponding transmission unit. As shown in the example of <FIG>, the target indication information in the time slot a may include individual indicators <NUM> and <NUM> that are arranged in sequence. Then, the terminal may determine that the transmission direction of the time slot a+<NUM> is the downlink direction, and the transmission direction of the time slot a+<NUM> is the uplink direction.

In an embodiment, after determining the transmission direction of each of the n transmission units, the terminal may send data to the base station through the transmission unit whose transmission direction is the uplink direction among the n transmission units, and receive the data sent by the base station through the transmission unit whose transmission direction is the uplink direction among the n transmission units.

As shown in the example of <FIG>, if the terminal determines that the transmission direction of the time slot a+<NUM> is the downlink direction, and the transmission direction of the time slot a+<NUM> is the uplink direction, the terminal may receive the data sent by the base station through the time slot a+ <NUM>, and send the data to the base station through the time slot a+<NUM>.

In the data transmission method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal receives target indication information sent by the base station, determines transmission directions of n transmission units based on the target indication information, and then transmits data through the n transmission units based on the determined transmission directions. In this way, the transmission directions of the transmission units can be determined flexibly, and can also be dynamically changed according to the data transmission requirement of the communication system, thereby meeting the requirement of the new-generation communication system on the dynamically changing transmission directions.

<FIG> is a block diagram of a data transmission apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment that is not part of the present invention as claimed. Referring to <FIG>, the apparatus <NUM> includes a reception module <NUM>, a determination module <NUM>, and a transmission module <NUM>.

The reception module <NUM> is configured to receive target indication information sent by the base station.

The determination module <NUM> is configured to determine transmission directions of n transmission units based on the target indication information. The transmission directions include the uplink direction and the downlink direction, and n is a positive integer larger than or equal to <NUM>.

The transmission module <NUM> is configured to transmit data through the n transmission units based on transmission directions indicated by the target indication information.

As shown in <FIG>, in an embodiment that is not part of the present invention as claimed, the determination module <NUM> includes a location determination sub-module <NUM> configured to determine locations of the n transmission units based on the target indication information, and a direction determination sub-module <NUM> configured to determine transmission directions of the n transmission units based on the target indication information.

The location determination sub-module <NUM> is configured to determine the transmission unit transmitting the target indication information as the target transmission unit, and further, according to the location of the target transmission unit, determine locations of the n transmission units associated with the location of the target transmission unit.

In an embodiment, the n transmission units may be consecutively located after and adjacent to the target transmission unit; or the n transmission units may include the target transmission unit and n-<NUM> consecutive transmission units that are located after and adjacent to the target transmission unit.

In an embodiment, the target indication information includes location indication information; and the location determination sub-module <NUM> is configured to determine locations of the n transmission units based on the location indication information.

In an embodiment, the target indication information may include a composite indicator configured to indicate the transmission directions of the n transmission units; and the determination module <NUM> is configured to determine the transmission directions indicated by the composite indicator as the transmission directions of the n transmission units.

In an embodiment, the target indication information may include n individual indicators that are configured to indicate the transmission directions, and correspond to the n transmission units, respectively. The determination module <NUM> is configured to determine the transmission direction of each transmission unit among the n transmission units as the transmission direction indicated by the corresponding individual indicator.

In an embodiment, the transmission module <NUM> is configured to: determine the transmission direction of each of the transmission units based on the target indication information, send data to the base station through the transmission unit whose transmission direction is the uplink direction among the n transmission units, and receive data sent by the base station through the transmission unit whose transmission direction is the downlink direction among the n transmission units.

In an embodiment, the n transmission units are data frames, subframes, time slots, or OFDM symbols.

In the data transmission apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, after the target indication information sent by the base station is received, the transmission directions of n transmission units are determined based on the target indication information, and data are transmitted through the n transmission units based on the determined transmission direction. In this way, the transmission directions of the transmission units can be determined flexibly, and can also be dynamically changed according to the data transmission requirement of the communication system, thereby meeting the requirement of the new-generation communication system on the dynamically changing transmission directions.

With regard to the apparatus in the forgoing described embodiments, the specific manner in which the respective modules perform the operations has been described in detail in the method embodiments, and will not be repeated herein.

<FIG> is a block diagram of a data transmission apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment that is not part of the present invention as claimed. Referring to <FIG>, the apparatus <NUM> may include a generation module <NUM> and a transmission module <NUM>.

The generation module <NUM> is configured to generate target indication information.

The transmission module <NUM> is configured to send the target indication information to the terminal, so that the terminal determines the transmission direction of n transmission units based on the target indication information. The transmission directions include the uplink direction and the downlink direction, and n is a positive integer larger than or equal to <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the target indication information includes location indication information for indicating locations of the n transmission units.

In an embodiment, the target indication information includes a composite indicator configured to indicate transmission directions of the n transmission units.

In an embodiment, the target indication information includes n individual indicators that correspond to the n transmission units, respectively, and each individual indicator is configured to indicate the transmission direction of the corresponding transmission unit.

In the data transmission apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, by sending target indication information to the terminal, the terminal can determine transmission directions of n transmission units based on the target indication information and then transmit the data through the n transmission units based on the determined transmission direction. In this way, the transmission directions of the transmission units can be determined flexibly, and can be dynamically changed according to the data transmission requirement of the communication system, thereby meeting the requirement of the new-generation communication system on the dynamically changing transmission directions.

<FIG> is a block diagram of a data transmission apparatus <NUM> in accordance with an embodiment. For example, the apparatus <NUM> may be a mobile phone, a computer, a digital broadcast terminal, a messaging device, a gaming console, a tablet device, a medical device, a fitness equipment, a personal digital assistant, and the like.

The processing component <NUM> typically controls the overall operations of the apparatus <NUM>, such as the operations associated with display, telephone calls, data communications, camera operations, and recording operations.

The memory <NUM> is configured to store various types of data to support the operation of the apparatus <NUM>. Examples of such data include instructions for any applications or methods operated on the apparatus <NUM>, contact data, phonebook data, messages, pictures, videos, etc. The memory <NUM> may be implemented by using any type of volatile or non-volatile memory devices, or a combination thereof, such as a static random access memory (SRAM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), a read-only memory (ROM), a magnetic memory, a flash memory, a magnetic or optical disk.

The multimedia component <NUM> includes a screen providing an output interface between the apparatus <NUM> and the user. The touch sensors may not only sense a boundary of a touch or swipe action, but also sense the duration and pressure associated with the touch or swipe action. The front camera and the rear camera may receive external multimedia data while the apparatus <NUM> is in an operation mode, such as a photographing mode or a video mode.

The audio component <NUM> is configured to output and/or input audio signals. For example, the audio component <NUM> includes a microphone (MIC) configured to receive external audio signals when the apparatus <NUM> is in an operation mode, such as a call mode, a recording mode, and a voice recognition mode. The received audio signal may be further stored in the memory <NUM> or transmitted via the communication component <NUM>. In some embodiments, the audio component <NUM> further includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

The buttons may include, but are not limited to, a home button, a volume button, a start button, and a lock button.

The sensor component <NUM> includes one or more sensors to provide status assessments of various aspects of the apparatus <NUM>. For instance, the sensor component <NUM> may detect an on/off status of the apparatus <NUM>, relative positioning of components, e.g., the display device and the mini keyboard of the apparatus <NUM>, and the sensor component <NUM> may also detect a position change of the apparatus <NUM> or a component of the apparatus <NUM>, presence or absence of user contact with the apparatus <NUM>, orientation or acceleration/deceleration of the apparatus <NUM>, and temperature change of the apparatus <NUM>. The sensor component <NUM> may also include a light sensor, such as a CMOS or CCD image sensor, used for imaging applications.

The communication component <NUM> is configured to facilitate communication, wired or wirelessly, between the apparatus <NUM> and other devices. The apparatus <NUM> can access a wireless network based on a communication standard, such as WiFi, <NUM>, or <NUM>, or a combination thereof. In an embodiment, the communication component <NUM> receives broadcast signals or broadcast associated information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In an embodiment, the communication component <NUM> further includes a near field communication (NFC) module to facilitate short-range communications. In an embodiment, the communication component <NUM> may be implemented based on a radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, an infrared data association (IrDA) technology, an ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, a Bluetooth (BT) technology, and other technologies.

In some embodiments, the apparatus <NUM> may be implemented with one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, or other electronic components, for performing the above described methods.

In some embodiments, there is also provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions, such as included in the memory <NUM>, executable by the processor <NUM> in the apparatus <NUM>, for performing the above-described methods. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disc, an optical data storage device, and the like.

In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium is further provided. When instructions in the storage medium are executed by a processor in a mobile terminal, the mobile terminal can perform the data transmission method. For example, the mobile terminal may receive target indication information sent by the base station, determine transmission directions of the n transmission units based on the target indication information, with the transmission directions including uplink direction and downlink direction, and n being a positive integer larger than or equal to <NUM>, and transmit data through the n transmission units based on the transmission directions indicated by the target indication information.

<FIG> is a block diagram of a data transmission apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment. The data transmission apparatus <NUM> may be a base station, and as shown in <FIG>, the data transmission apparatus <NUM> may include a processor <NUM>, a receiver <NUM>, a transmitter <NUM>, and a memory <NUM>. The receiver <NUM>, the transmitter <NUM>, and the memory <NUM> are connected to the processor <NUM> through a bus, respectively.

The processor <NUM> includes one or more processing cores. The memory <NUM> may be configured to store the software programs and modules. For example, the memory <NUM> may store an operation system <NUM>, and an application module <NUM> to implement at least one function. The receiver <NUM> is configured to receive communication messages sent by other devices, and the transmitter <NUM> is configured to send communication messages to other devices.

In the embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium is further provided. When instructions in the storage medium are executed by a processor in a base station, the base station can perform the above described data transmission method. For example, the base station may generate target indication information, and send the target indication information to the terminal, so that the terminal can determine transmission directions of the n transmission units based on the target indication information. The transmission directions include the uplink direction and the downlink direction, and n is a positive integer larger than or equal to <NUM>.

Other embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the present disclosure. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present disclosure following the general principles thereof and including common knowledge or commonly used technical measures which are not disclosed herein. The embodiments are examples only, with a true scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the following claims.

Claim 1:
A data transmission method, performed by a terminal (<NUM>), comprising
receiving (<NUM>) target indication information sent by a base station (<NUM>);
determining a transmission unit transmitting the target indication information as a target transmission unit, determining, based on a location of the target transmission unit and a location association rule stored in the terminal, n transmission units that are consecutively located after and adjacent to the target transmission unit, and determining (<NUM>) transmission directions of the n transmission units based on the target indication information, wherein the transmission directions comprise an uplink direction and a downlink direction, and n is a positive integer larger than or equal to <NUM>, the n transmission units are data frames, subframes, time slots, or orthogonal frequency division multiplexing, OFDM, symbols, the location association rule defines a location, relative to the location of the target transmission unit, of a transmission unit associated with the target transmission unit, and the location association rule is sent by the base station in advance to the terminal through a physical layer signaling;
transmitting (<NUM>) data through the n transmission units according to the transmission directions indicated by the target indication information.