Multi-carrier communication method, apparatus, and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a multi-carrier communication method, device and storage medium. The multi-carrier communication method comprises: sending capability information, wherein the capability information is used to indicate that the terminal simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability; and receiving beam management indication information, wherein the beam management indication information is determined by a network device based on the capability information. Through the present disclosure, flexible management of beams can be performed for terminals supporting unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a multi-carrier communication method, apparatus and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of mobile communication technology, in order to meet the requirements of higher speeds, high frequency, large bandwidth, massive MIMO, and multi-carrier aggregation technologies are increasingly becoming the trend in wireless communication technology development. Currently, massive MIMO and multi-carrier aggregation technologies have become the main technical characteristics of the millimeter-wave band in fifth-generation communication.

[0003] In massive MIMO (Massively Multi-Span Antenna) technology, beam management is necessary to ensure that both terminals and network devices can select the optimal beam and guarantee the best connection performance. In multi-carrier systems, network devices manage the beams of terminals based on the different beam management capabilities reported by the terminals. These beam management capabilities include supporting unified beam management or independent beam management. The network devices then statically perform unified or independent beam management based on the beam management capabilities reported by the terminals.

[0004] However, under unified beam management, downlink reception on different carriers in the same beam direction may lead to degraded reception performance on some carriers. Under independent beam management, beam measurements are performed and the results are collected separately for each carrier. When the receiving beam capabilities of these multiple different carriers are similar, unnecessary signaling overhead can be added.

[0005] Therefore, a new beam management method needs to be studied. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To overcome the problems existing in related technologies, this disclosure provides a multi-carrier communication method, apparatus and storage medium.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a multi-carrier communication method is provided, applied to a terminal, the multi-carrier communication method comprising:

[0008] Send capability information, which indicates that the terminal simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability; receive beam management indication information, which is determined by the network device based on the capability information.

[0009] In one embodiment, the beam management indication information includes unified beam management indication information.

[0010] In one embodiment, the beam management indication information includes indication information for independent beam management.

[0011] In one embodiment, the beam management indication information includes semi-static beam management indication information, which is used to indicate the dynamic switching between unified beam management and independent beam management.

[0012] In one embodiment, the multi-carrier communication method further includes: receiving a beamforming reference signal on a designated carrier among multiple carriers, and performing beam measurement and reporting the beam measurement results on the designated carrier; wherein, when the network device determines that the terminal is subject to unified beam management, the designated carrier is one of the multiple carriers; when the network device determines that the terminal is subject to independent beam management, the designated carrier is each of the multiple carriers.

[0013] In one embodiment, the multi-carrier communication method further includes: dynamically switching the designated carrier for receiving the beamforming reference signal in response to a change in the beam management type applicable to the terminal.

[0014] In one embodiment, the multi-carrier communication method further includes: when the terminal is subject to unified beam management, receiving the same downlink beam indication corresponding to the multi-carrier on each of the multiple carriers, and adjusting the beam direction based on the downlink beam indication to perform downlink reception on the multiple carriers in the same beam direction; or when the terminal is subject to independent beam management, receiving different downlink beam indications corresponding to each carrier on each of the multiple carriers, and adjusting the beam direction independently for each carrier based on the downlink beam indication to perform downlink reception in the beam direction corresponding to each carrier.

[0015] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a multi-carrier communication method is provided, applied to a network device, the multi-carrier communication method comprising:

[0016] Receive capability information, which indicates that the terminal simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability; determine and send beam management instruction information based on the capability information.

[0017] In one embodiment, the beam management indication information includes unified beam management indication information.

[0018] In one embodiment, the beam management indication information includes indication information for independent beam management.

[0019] In one embodiment, the beam management indication information includes semi-static beam management indication information, which is used to indicate the dynamic switching between unified beam management and independent beam management.

[0020] In one embodiment, the multi-carrier communication method further includes:

[0021] The appropriate beam management type for the terminal is determined, including unified beam management or independent beam management; a beamforming reference signal is transmitted on a designated carrier among multiple carriers, and beam measurement results are received on the designated carrier; wherein, when the network device determines that the terminal is subject to unified beam management, the designated carrier is one of the multiple carriers; when the network device determines that the terminal is subject to independent beam management, the designated carrier is each of the multiple carriers.

[0022] In one embodiment, the multi-carrier communication method further includes: dynamically switching the designated carrier when the beam management type applicable to the terminal changes.

[0023] In one embodiment, the multi-carrier communication method further includes:

[0024] When the terminal is subject to unified beam management, the same downlink beam indication corresponding to the multiple carriers is transmitted on each of the multiple carriers; or when the terminal is subject to independent beam management, different downlink beam indications corresponding to each carrier are transmitted on each of the multiple carriers.

[0025] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a multi-carrier communication device is provided for use in a terminal, the multi-carrier communication device comprising:

[0026] The transmitting unit is configured to transmit capability information, which indicates that the terminal simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability; the receiving unit is configured to receive beam management indication information, which is determined by the network device based on the capability information.

[0027] In one embodiment, the beam management indication information includes unified beam management indication information.

[0028] In one embodiment, the beam management indication information includes indication information for independent beam management.

[0029] In one embodiment, the beam management indication information includes semi-static beam management indication information, which is used to indicate the dynamic switching between unified beam management and independent beam management.

[0030] In one embodiment, the receiving unit receives a beamforming reference signal on a designated carrier among multiple carriers, and the transmitting unit performs beam measurement on the designated carrier and reports the beam measurement results; wherein, when the network device determines that the terminal is subject to unified beam management, the designated carrier is one of the multiple carriers; when the network device determines that the terminal is subject to independent beam management, the designated carrier is each of the multiple carriers.

[0031] In one implementation, in response to a change in the beam management type applicable to the terminal, the receiving unit dynamically switches the designated carrier for receiving the shaped reference signal.

[0032] In one embodiment, when the terminal uses unified beam management, the receiving unit receives the same downlink beam indication corresponding to each of the multiple carriers on each of the multiple carriers, and adjusts the beam direction based on the downlink beam indication to perform downlink reception on the multiple carriers in the same beam direction; or when the terminal uses independent beam management, the receiving unit receives different downlink beam indications corresponding to each of the multiple carriers on each of the multiple carriers, and adjusts the beam direction independently for each carrier based on the downlink beam indication to perform downlink reception in the beam direction corresponding to each carrier.

[0033] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a multi-carrier communication device is provided, applied to a network device, the multi-carrier communication device comprising:

[0034] The receiving unit is configured to receive capability information, which indicates that the terminal simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability; the transmitting unit is configured to determine and transmit beam management indication information based on the capability information.

[0035] In one embodiment, the beam management indication information includes unified beam management indication information.

[0036] In one embodiment, the beam management indication information includes indication information for independent beam management.

[0037] In one embodiment, the beam management indication information includes semi-static beam management indication information, which is used to indicate the dynamic switching between unified beam management and independent beam management.

[0038] In one embodiment, the transmitting unit is further configured to:

[0039] The appropriate beam management type for the terminal is determined, including unified beam management or independent beam management; a beamforming reference signal is transmitted on a designated carrier among multiple carriers, and beam measurement results are received on the designated carrier; wherein, when the network device determines that the terminal is subject to unified beam management, the designated carrier is one of the multiple carriers; when the network device determines that the terminal is subject to independent beam management, the designated carrier is each of the multiple carriers.

[0040] In one embodiment, when the beam management type applicable to the terminal changes, the transmitting unit dynamically switches the designated carrier.

[0041] In one embodiment, when the terminal is subject to unified beam management, the transmitting unit transmits the same downlink beam indication corresponding to the multiple carriers on each of the multiple carriers; or when the terminal is subject to independent beam management, the transmitting unit transmits different downlink beam indications corresponding to each carrier on each of the multiple carriers.

[0042] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a multi-carrier communication device is provided, comprising:

[0043] Processor; memory used to store processor-executable instructions;

[0044] The processor is configured to execute the multi-carrier communication method described in the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect.

[0045] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a multi-carrier communication device is provided, comprising:

[0046] Processor; memory used to store processor-executable instructions;

[0047] The processor is configured to execute the multi-carrier communication method described in the second aspect or any embodiment of the second aspect.

[0048] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided, the storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a terminal, enable the terminal to execute the multi-carrier communication method described in the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect.

[0049] According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided, the storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a network device, enable the network device to perform the multicarrier communication method described in the second aspect or any embodiment of the second aspect.

[0050] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this disclosure can include the following beneficial effects: the terminal reports capability information that it simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability; the network device determines and sends beam management instruction information based on the capability information. This disclosure allows for better scheduling of the terminal's receive / transmit beams, enabling the terminal to select a better beam direction on all carriers and saving signaling overhead.

[0051] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0052] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure.

[0053] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating a wireless communication system architecture according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0054] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0055] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0056] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0057] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0058] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0059] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0060] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0061] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0062] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0063] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0064] Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0065] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0066] Figure 14 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0067] Figure 15 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0068] Figure 16 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0069] Figure 17 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0070] Figure 18 This is a block diagram illustrating a multicarrier communication device according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0071] Figure 19 This is a block diagram illustrating a multicarrier communication device according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0072] Figure 20 This is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for multi-carrier communication according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0073] Figure 21 This is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for multi-carrier communication according to an exemplary embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0074] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0075] The multicarrier communication method provided in this disclosure can be applied to... Figure 1 The wireless communication system shown. (See attached image) Figure 1As shown, this wireless communication system includes a terminal and a network device. The terminal connects to the network device via wireless resources and transmits and receives data.

[0076] Understandable Figure 1 The wireless communication system shown is for illustrative purposes only. A wireless communication system may also include other network devices, such as core network equipment, wireless relay equipment, and wireless backhaul equipment. Figure 1 Not shown in the diagram. This disclosure does not limit the number of network devices and terminals included in the wireless communication system.

[0077] It is further understood that the wireless communication system of this disclosure is a network providing wireless communication functionality. The wireless communication system can employ different communication technologies, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA), single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), and carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance. Based on factors such as capacity, speed, and latency, networks can be categorized as 2G networks, 3G networks, 4G networks, or future evolution networks, such as 5G networks. 5G networks can also be referred to as New Radio (NR). For ease of description, this disclosure may sometimes simply refer to the wireless communication network as a network.

[0078] Furthermore, the network device involved in this disclosure can also be referred to as a wireless access network device. This wireless access network device can be: a base station, an evolved Node B (eNB), a home base station, an access point (AP) in a Wireless Fidelity (WIFI) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, a transmission point (TP), or a transmission and reception point (TRP), etc. It can also be a gNB in ​​an NR system, or a component or part of a base station. When it is a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication system, the network device can also be an in-vehicle device. It should be understood that the specific technologies and device forms used in the embodiments of this disclosure are not limited.

[0079] Furthermore, the terminal involved in this disclosure can also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., and is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user. For example, a terminal can be a handheld device with wireless connectivity, an in-vehicle device, etc. Currently, some examples of terminals include: smartphones (Mobile Phones), pocket personal computers (PPCs), handheld computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptops, tablets, wearable devices, or in-vehicle devices, etc. In addition, when it is a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication system, the terminal device can also be an in-vehicle device. It should be understood that the embodiments of this disclosure do not limit the specific technology or specific device form adopted by the terminal.

[0080] In this embodiment of the disclosure, multi-carrier communication is supported between network devices (e.g., base stations) and terminals. This multi-carrier communication can be implemented based on carrier aggregation technology, dual connectivity (DC) technology, or multi-access system dual connectivity (MRDC) technology, such as EN-DC and NE-DC. EN-DC refers to dual connectivity between the 4G radio access network and 5G NR, while NE-DC refers to dual connectivity between 5G NR and the 4G radio access network.

[0081] In multi-carrier communication systems, network devices and terminals can transmit data based on beams to meet higher speed requirements. For example, multi-carrier communication in the millimeter-wave band of fifth-generation communication is a key technical feature. To ensure that both the terminal and network device can select the optimal beam and guarantee the best connection performance, beam management is necessary. In a multi-carrier system, the network device manages the beam of the terminal based on the different beam management capabilities reported by the terminal. The beam management capabilities supported by the terminal include supporting unified beam management or independent beam management. The network device statically performs unified or independent beam management based on the beam management capabilities reported by the terminal.

[0082] However, the beam performance of a terminal changes dynamically during communication. Whether a network device performs static unified beam management or independent beam management will affect communication performance. For example, when a terminal communicates with a network device based on two carriers, A and B, the terminal can only report support for either unified or independent beam management. With unified beam management, when carriers A and B receive downlink data in the same beam direction, the peak values ​​of the received beams on carriers A and B may be inconsistent, potentially leading to degraded reception performance on either carrier A or carrier B. With independent beam management, carriers A and B perform beam measurements and report the results separately. However, when the receiving beam capabilities of carriers A and B are similar, unified beam management is possible; therefore, independent beam management increases unnecessary signaling overhead.

[0083] With the development of communication technology, the capabilities of terminals are constantly being enhanced. Among these enhanced capabilities, terminals can simultaneously support unified beam management and independent beam management. Network devices can also perform flexible beam management based on the capabilities reported by the terminals.

[0084] This disclosure provides a multi-carrier communication method in which the terminal reports capability information that simultaneously supports unified beam management and independent beam management capabilities. The network device performs semi-static beam management on the terminal through actual beam measurement, which can better schedule the terminal's receive / transmit beams, enabling the terminal to select a better beam direction on all carriers and also saving signaling overhead.

[0085] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the multi-carrier communication method used in a terminal includes the following steps.

[0086] In step S11, capability information is sent, which indicates that the terminal simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability.

[0087] In step S12, beam management instruction information is received. The beam management instruction information is determined by the network device based on the capability information reported by the terminal.

[0088] In the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, new terminal capability reporting signaling can be introduced to report capability information that simultaneously supports unified beam management capabilities and independent beam management capabilities. For example, capability information that simultaneously supports unified beam management capabilities and independent beam management capabilities can be reported through the beam management type in R17 (such as beamManagementType-r17).

[0089] In the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the terminal can receive beam management instruction information sent by the network device through a signaling notification message sent by the network device. This signaling notification message can be Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling, or a combination of RRC and MAC signaling.

[0090] In the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the beam management indication information received by the terminal may include unified beam management indication information, independent beam management indication information, or indication information indicating dynamic switching between unified beam management and independent beam management.

[0091] In this embodiment, for ease of description, the indication information that indicates dynamic switching between unified beam management and independent beam management is referred to as semi-static beam management indication information. If a terminal receives semi-static beam management indication information, it can be understood that the terminal may receive indication information for unified beam management or independent beam management.

[0092] In one embodiment of the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the beam management indication information received by the terminal in this disclosure includes unified beam management indication information.

[0093] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the multi-carrier communication method used in a terminal includes the following steps.

[0094] In step S21, capability information is sent, which indicates that the terminal simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability.

[0095] In step S22, the instruction information for unified beam management is received.

[0096] In one example, the terminal reports its capability to simultaneously support unified beam management and independent beam management via a new terminal capability reporting signaling, such as beamManagementType-r17. Upon receiving the terminal capability reporting signaling (showing simultaneous support for unified and independent beam management), the network device sends an instruction to the terminal to perform unified beam management. The terminal then receives the unified beam management instruction.

[0097] In another embodiment of the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the beam management indication information received by the terminal in this disclosure includes indication information for independent beam management.

[0098] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the multi-carrier communication method used in a terminal includes the following steps.

[0099] In step S31, capability information is sent, which indicates that the terminal simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability.

[0100] In step S32, instruction information for independent beam management is received.

[0101] In one example, the terminal reports its capability to simultaneously support unified beam management and independent beam management via a new terminal capability reporting signaling, such as beamManagementType-r17. Upon receiving the terminal capability reporting signaling (showing simultaneous support for unified and independent beam management), the network device sends an instruction to the terminal to perform independent beam management. The terminal then receives the instruction for independent beam management.

[0102] In another embodiment of the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the beam management indication information received by the terminal in this disclosure includes semi-static beam management indication information.

[0103] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the multi-carrier communication method used in a terminal includes the following steps.

[0104] In step S41, capability information is sent, which indicates that the terminal simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability.

[0105] In step S42, semi-static beam management instruction information is received.

[0106] In one example, the terminal reports its capability information—such as beamManagementType-r17—through a new terminal capability reporting signaling system, which supports both unified beam management and independent beam management. Upon receiving the terminal capability reporting signaling (supporting both unified and independent beam management), the network device sends an instruction to the terminal to perform semi-static beam management. The terminal then receives the semi-static beam management instruction.

[0107] In this embodiment, the terminal reports capability information that simultaneously supports unified beam management and independent beam management capabilities. The network device can determine beam management instruction information for beam management of the terminal based on this capability information and send it to the terminal. The terminal receives the beam management instruction information sent by the network device. Specifically, based on the capability information reported by the terminal, the network device can flexibly manage the beam based on the terminal's beam measurement results; that is, it can issue different beam management instruction information according to the beam measurement results.

[0108] In the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the network device sends a beamforming reference signal, such as a Channel State Information (CSI) Reference Signal (RS), to the terminal. The terminal receives the beamforming reference signal sent by the network device and performs beam measurement and reports the beam measurement results based on the beamforming reference signal.

[0109] In the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the network device can determine the appropriate beam management type (unified beam management or independent beam management) for the terminal based on the terminal's beam receiving performance, and determine the carrier for transmitting the shaped reference signal to the terminal based on the appropriate beam management type. For ease of description, the carrier for transmitting the shaped reference signal from the network device to the terminal is referred to as the designated carrier.

[0110] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the multi-carrier communication method used in a terminal includes the following steps.

[0111] In step S51, a shaped reference signal is received on a designated carrier among multiple carriers.

[0112] In step S52, beam measurement is performed on the specified carrier and the beam measurement results are reported.

[0113] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the designated carrier for the terminal to receive the beamforming reference signal is determined based on the management type applicable to the terminal. For example, on one hand, if the network device determines that the terminal is subject to uniform beam management, the designated carrier is one of multiple carriers. On the other hand, if the network device determines that the terminal uses independent beam management, the designated carrier is each of the multiple carriers.

[0114] In one example, a multi-carrier communication system with two carriers, carrier A and carrier B, is used for illustration. For instance, if the network device determines that the terminal uses unified beam management, the network device can transmit a shaping reference signal (CSI-RS) only on carrier A, and the terminal can perform beam measurements and report the results only on carrier A. Alternatively, if the network device determines that the terminal uses independent beam management, the network device can transmit shaping reference signals (CSI-RS) on both carrier A and carrier B, and the terminal can perform beam measurements and report the results on both carriers A and B respectively.

[0115] In the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the beam management type applicable to the terminal can change dynamically. For example, on the one hand, the beam management type applicable to the terminal can change from being applicable to unified beam management to being applicable to independent beam management. On the other hand, the beam management type applicable to the terminal can also change from being applicable to independent beam management to being applicable to unified beam management.

[0116] In the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, when the beam management type applicable to the terminal changes dynamically, the terminal switches to the designated beam for receiving the shaped reference signal.

[0117] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment, such as... Figure 7 As shown, the multi-carrier communication method used in a terminal includes the following steps.

[0118] In step S61, in response to a change in the beam management type applicable to the terminal, the designated carrier for receiving the beamforming reference signal is dynamically switched.

[0119] In one embodiment of the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, when a terminal receives semi-static beam management instruction information sent by a network device, it can dynamically switch the designated carrier for receiving the shaped reference signal.

[0120] In one example, the terminal reports its capabilities via a new terminal capability reporting signaling, such as beamManagementType-r17, indicating that it supports both unified beam management and independent beam management. Upon receiving the terminal capability reporting signaling (supporting both unified and independent beam management), the network device sends an instruction to the terminal to perform semi-static beam management. The terminal receives the semi-static beam management instruction. After sending the semi-static beam management instruction, if the network device determines that the applicable beam management type for the terminal is unified beam management, it can transmit a shaping reference signal (CSI-RS) only on carrier A. The terminal receives the shaping reference signal (CSI-RS) on carrier A and performs corresponding beam measurements and reports the beam measurement results on carrier A. When the network device detects a deterioration in the performance of the signal on carrier B in the corresponding beam direction, the network device determines that the applicable beam management type for the terminal can be dynamically switched from unified beam management to independent beam management for carrier B. The network device then sends a shaping reference signal (CSI-RS) to carrier B, triggering beam measurement on carrier B and reporting of the beam measurement results. The terminal receives the shaping reference signal (CSI-RS) on carrier B and performs corresponding beam measurements on carrier B, reporting the beam measurement results.

[0121] In one example, the terminal reports its capabilities using a new terminal capability reporting signaling, such as beamManagementType-r17, indicating that it supports both unified beam management and independent beam management. Upon receiving the terminal capability reporting signaling (supporting both unified and independent beam management), the network device sends an instruction to the terminal to perform semi-static beam management. The terminal receives the semi-static beam management instruction. After sending the semi-static beam management instruction, if the network device determines that the applicable beam management type for the terminal is independent beam management, the network device transmits a shaping reference signal (CSI-RS) on carrier A and carrier B respectively. The terminal receives the shaping reference signal (CSI-RS) on carrier A and carrier B respectively, and performs beam measurement and reports the beam measurement results on carrier A and carrier B. When the network device detects that the beam directions on carrier A and carrier B are very similar, the network device determines that the applicable beam management type for the terminal can be switched from independent beam management to unified beam management. In this case, the network device can send a shaped reference signal (CSI-RS) on carrier A, and the terminal only performs the corresponding beam measurement and reports the beam measurement results on carrier A.

[0122] In the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the network device can send a downlink beam indication to the terminal based on the beam measurement results reported by the terminal. Upon receiving the downlink beam indication sent by the network device, the terminal can adjust the beam direction and perform downlink reception on the corresponding carrier.

[0123] In one embodiment of the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the network device can send a downlink beam indication to the terminal based on a designated carrier used by the terminal when performing beam measurement and reporting beam measurement results. The terminal receives the downlink beam indication sent by the network device on the designated carrier used when performing beam measurement and reporting beam measurement results.

[0124] In one implementation, in response to the terminal using a designated carrier among multiple carriers when performing beam measurement and reporting the beam measurement results (i.e., when beam management is uniform), the network device can send the same downlink beam indication for all carriers in the multiple carriers. The terminal receives the same downlink beam indication for the corresponding multiple carriers and adjusts the beam direction based on the same downlink beam indication to perform downlink reception on the multiple carriers in the same beam direction.

[0125] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment, such as... Figure 8 As shown, the multi-carrier communication method used in a terminal includes the following steps.

[0126] In step S71, when the terminal is subject to unified beam management, the same downlink beam indication is received on each of the multiple carriers, and the beam direction is adjusted based on the same downlink beam indication so as to receive downlink signals on the multiple carriers in the same beam direction.

[0127] In this embodiment of the disclosure, on one hand, the terminal may receive the same downlink beam indication for corresponding multi-carriers when receiving unified beam management indication information. On the other hand, the terminal may receive the same downlink beam indication for corresponding multi-carriers when receiving semi-static beam management indication information.

[0128] In one example, we will still use a multi-carrier system including carrier A and carrier B as an example for illustration.

[0129] For unified beam management indication information, the terminal reports its capabilities through a new terminal capability reporting signaling, such as beamManagementType-r17, indicating that it supports both unified and independent beam management. Upon receiving the terminal capability reporting signaling (supporting both unified and independent beam management), the network device sends an indication to the terminal to perform unified beam management. The terminal receives the unified beam management indication. The network device only transmits the shaped reference signal (CSI-RS) on carrier A, and the terminal only performs corresponding beam measurements and reports the results on carrier A. Based on the beam measurement results reported by the terminal, the network device sends the same downlink beam indication to both carrier A and carrier B. After receiving the same downlink beam indication for multiple carriers, the terminal adjusts its beam direction and simultaneously performs downlink reception on both carrier A and carrier B in the same beam direction.

[0130] For semi-static beam management indication information, the terminal reports its capability information (supporting both unified beam management and independent beam management) through a new terminal capability reporting signaling, such as beamManagementType-r17. Upon receiving the terminal capability reporting signaling (supporting both unified and independent beam management), the network device sends an indication to the terminal to perform semi-static beam management. The terminal receives the semi-static beam management indication information. After sending the semi-static beam management indication information, if the network device determines that the applicable beam management type for the terminal is unified beam management, it can transmit a shaped reference signal (CSI-RS) only on carrier A. The terminal receives the shaped reference signal (CSI-RS) on carrier A and performs corresponding beam measurements and reports the beam measurement results on carrier A. Based on the beam measurement results reported by the terminal, the network device sends the same downlink beam indication to carriers A and B. After receiving the same downlink beam indication for the corresponding multiple carriers, the terminal adjusts the beam direction and simultaneously performs downlink reception on carriers A and B in the same beam direction.

[0131] In another implementation, in response to the terminal using each of multiple carriers (all carriers in the multiple carriers) as the designated carrier when performing beam measurement and reporting the beam measurement results, i.e., when beam management is performed independently, the network device can send different downlink beam indications for each carrier in the multiple carriers. The terminal receives the different downlink beam indications sent by the network device and adjusts the beam direction independently for each carrier based on these different downlink beam indications, performing downlink reception in the beam direction corresponding to each carrier.

[0132] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment, such as... Figure 9As shown, the multi-carrier communication method used in a terminal includes the following steps.

[0133] In step S81, when the terminal is subject to independent beam management, the different downlink beam indications corresponding to each carrier are received on each of the multiple carriers, and the beam direction of each carrier is adjusted independently based on the different downlink beam indications, and downlink reception is performed in the beam direction corresponding to each carrier.

[0134] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, on one hand, the terminal may receive different downlink beam indications corresponding to each carrier in the corresponding multi-carrier when receiving independent beam management indication information. On the other hand, the terminal may receive different downlink beam indications corresponding to each carrier in the corresponding multi-carrier when receiving semi-static beam management indication information.

[0135] In one example, we will still use a multi-carrier system including carrier A and carrier B as an example for illustration.

[0136] In cases involving independent beam management indications, the terminal reports its capabilities via a new terminal capability reporting signaling, such as beamManagementType-r17, indicating that it supports both unified and independent beam management. Upon receiving this signaling, the network device sends an indication to the terminal to perform independent beam management. The terminal receives this indication. The network device transmits shaped reference signals (CSI-RS) on carriers A and B, respectively. The terminal receives these CSI-RS on both carriers A and B, and performs beam measurements and reports the results on both carriers. Based on the beam measurement results reported by the terminal, the network device sends different downlink beam indications to carriers A and B. Upon receiving these different downlink beam indications, the terminal adjusts the beam direction of each carrier in both carriers A and B individually, performing downlink reception on both carriers in the corresponding beam directions.

[0137] For semi-static beam management indication information, the terminal reports its capability information (supporting both unified beam management and independent beam management) through a new terminal capability reporting signaling, such as beamManagementType-r17. Upon receiving the terminal capability reporting signaling (supporting both unified and independent beam management), the network device sends an indication to the terminal to perform semi-static beam management. The terminal receives the semi-static beam management indication information. After sending the semi-static beam management indication information, if the network device determines that the applicable beam management type for the terminal is independent beam management, the network device sends a shaped reference signal (CSI-RS) on carrier A and carrier B respectively. The terminal receives the shaped reference signal (CSI-RS) on carrier A and carrier B respectively, and performs beam measurement and reports the beam measurement results on carrier A and carrier B respectively. Based on the beam measurement results reported by the terminal, the network device sends corresponding downlink beam indications for carrier A and carrier B respectively. After receiving different downlink beam indications, the terminal adjusts the beam direction of each carrier in carrier A and carrier B individually, and performs downlink reception on carrier A and carrier B in the corresponding beam direction.

[0138] In the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the terminal reports capability information that supports both unified beam management and independent beam management capabilities. The network device performs flexible beam management on the terminal through actual beam measurement, such as unified beam management, independent beam management, or semi-static beam management. This can better schedule the terminal's transmit / receive beams, enabling the terminal to select a better beam direction on all carriers and also saving signaling overhead.

[0139] It should be noted that in the above embodiments of this disclosure, the inclusion of two carriers, carrier A and carrier B, in a multi-carrier system is merely for ease of description. Those skilled in the art should understand that in actual applications, beam management situations involving more than two carriers are not excluded in multi-carrier systems.

[0140] Based on the same concept, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a multi-carrier communication method that can be executed by a network device.

[0141] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment, such as... Figure 10 As shown, the multi-carrier communication method used in network devices includes the following steps.

[0142] In step S91, capability information is received, which indicates that the terminal simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability.

[0143] In step S92, beam management instruction information is determined and sent based on the received capability information.

[0144] In the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the network device can receive capability information that simultaneously supports unified beam management and independent beam management capabilities through newly introduced terminal capability reporting signaling. For example, it can receive capability information reported by the terminal that simultaneously supports unified beam management and independent beam management capabilities through beamManagementType-r17.

[0145] In the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the network device can send beam management indication information by sending a signaling notification message. This signaling notification message can be RRC signaling, MAC signaling, or a combination of both.

[0146] In the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the beam management indication information sent by the network device may include unified beam management indication information, independent beam management indication information, or semi-static beam management indication information indicating dynamic switching between unified beam management and independent beam management. The sending of semi-static beam management indication information by the network device can be understood as the network device being able to send either unified beam management indication information or independent beam management indication information.

[0147] In one embodiment of the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the beam management indication information sent by the network device in this disclosure includes unified beam management indication information.

[0148] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment, such as... Figure 11 As shown, the multi-carrier communication method used in network devices includes the following steps.

[0149] In step S101, capability information is received, which indicates that the terminal simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability.

[0150] In step S102, a unified beam management instruction is sent.

[0151] In one embodiment of the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the beam management indication information sent by the network device in this disclosure includes independent beam management indication information.

[0152] Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment, such as... Figure 12 As shown, the multi-carrier communication method used in network devices includes the following steps.

[0153] In step S111, capability information is received, which indicates that the terminal simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability.

[0154] In step S112, instruction information for independent beam management is sent.

[0155] In one embodiment of the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the beam management indication information sent by the network device in this disclosure includes semi-static beam management indication information.

[0156] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment, such as... Figure 13 As shown, the multi-carrier communication method used in network devices includes the following steps.

[0157] In step S121, capability information is received, which indicates that the terminal simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability.

[0158] In step S122, semi-static beam management instruction information is sent.

[0159] In the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the network device can send a beamforming reference signal, such as CSI-RS, to the terminal so that the terminal can perform beam measurement and report the beam measurement results.

[0160] In one embodiment, in the multi-carrier communication method provided by this disclosure, the network device can determine the beam management type applicable to the terminal, determine the designated carrier for transmitting the beamforming reference signal based on the beam management type, and receive the beam measurement result on the designated carrier.

[0161] Figure 14 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment, such as... Figure 14 As shown, the multi-carrier communication method used in network devices includes the following steps.

[0162] In step S131, the beam management type applicable to the terminal is determined. The beam management type includes unified beam management or independent beam management.

[0163] In step S132, a beamforming reference signal is transmitted on a designated carrier among multiple carriers, and beam measurement results are received on the designated carrier.

[0164] In the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, on the one hand, when the network device determines that the terminal is subject to unified beam management, the designated carrier for transmitting the shaping reference signal is one of the multiple carriers. On the other hand, when the network device determines that the terminal is subject to independent beam management, the designated carrier for transmitting the shaping reference signal is each of the multiple carriers.

[0165] In one embodiment, the beam management type applicable to the terminal in the multi-carrier communication method provided by this disclosure can be dynamically changed. For example, on one hand, the beam management type applicable to the terminal can change from being applicable to unified beam management to being applicable to independent beam management. On the other hand, the beam management type applicable to the terminal can also change from being applicable to independent beam management to being applicable to unified beam management.

[0166] In the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, when the beam management type applicable to the terminal changes dynamically, the network device can switch the designated carrier for transmitting the shaped reference signal.

[0167] Figure 15 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment, such as... Figure 15 As shown, the multi-carrier communication method used in network devices includes the following steps.

[0168] In step S141, when the beam management type applicable to the terminal changes, the designated carrier for transmitting the shaped reference signal is dynamically switched.

[0169] In the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the network device can send a downlink beam indication to the terminal based on the beam measurement results reported by the terminal.

[0170] In one implementation, in response to the terminal performing beam measurement and reporting the beam measurement results, the designated carrier used is one of multiple carriers, that is, in the case of unified beam management, the network device can send the same downlink beam indication for all carriers in the multiple carriers.

[0171] Figure 16 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment, such as... Figure 16 As shown, the multi-carrier communication method used in network devices includes the following steps.

[0172] In step S151, when the terminal is subject to uniform beam management, the same downlink beam indication corresponding to the multi-carrier is transmitted on each of the multi-carriers.

[0173] In this embodiment of the disclosure, on one hand, the network device may transmit the same downlink beam indication for each of the multiple carriers when sending unified beam management indication information. On the other hand, the network device may transmit the same downlink beam indication for each of the multiple carriers when sending semi-static beam management indication information.

[0174] In one example, we will still use a multi-carrier system including carrier A and carrier B as an example for illustration.

[0175] For unified beam management indication information, the terminal reports its capability information by using a new terminal capability reporting signaling, such as beamManagementType-r17, to indicate that it supports both unified beam management and independent beam management. Upon receiving the terminal capability reporting signaling (indicating simultaneous support for both unified and independent beam management), the network device sends unified beam management indication information to the terminal. The terminal receives the unified beam management indication information. The network device only transmits the shaped reference signal (CSI-RS) on carrier A, and the terminal only performs corresponding beam measurements and reports the beam measurement results on carrier A. Based on the beam measurement results reported by the terminal, the network device sends the same downlink beam indication to both carrier A and carrier B. After receiving the same downlink beam indication for the corresponding multiple carriers, the terminal adjusts its beam direction and simultaneously performs downlink reception on both carrier A and carrier B in the same beam direction.

[0176] For semi-static beam management indication information, the terminal reports its capability information (supporting both unified beam management and independent beam management) through a new terminal capability reporting signaling, such as beamManagementType-r17. Upon receiving the terminal capability reporting signaling (supporting both unified and independent beam management), the network device sends an indication to the terminal to perform semi-static beam management. The terminal receives the semi-static beam management indication information. After sending the semi-static beam management indication information, if the network device determines that the applicable beam management type for the terminal is unified beam management, it can transmit a shaped reference signal (CSI-RS) only on carrier A. The terminal receives the shaped reference signal (CSI-RS) on carrier A and performs corresponding beam measurements and reports the beam measurement results on carrier A. Based on the beam measurement results reported by the terminal, the network device sends the same downlink beam indication to carriers A and B. After receiving the same downlink beam indication for the corresponding multiple carriers, the terminal adjusts the beam direction and simultaneously performs downlink reception on carriers A and B in the same beam direction.

[0177] In another implementation, in response to the terminal performing beam measurement and reporting the beam measurement results, the designated carrier used is each of the multiple carriers (all carriers in the multiple carriers), that is, the beam management is performed as independent beam management, then the network device can send different downlink beam indications for each carrier in the multiple carriers.

[0178] Figure 17 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-carrier communication method according to an exemplary embodiment, such as... Figure 17 As shown, the multi-carrier communication method used in network devices includes the following steps.

[0179] In step S161, when the terminal is subject to independent beam management, different downlink beam indications corresponding to each carrier are transmitted on each of the multiple carriers.

[0180] In the embodiments provided in this disclosure, on one hand, the network device may send different downlink beam indications corresponding to each carrier in the corresponding multi-carrier when sending independent beam management indication information. On the other hand, the network device may send different downlink beam indications corresponding to each carrier in the corresponding multi-carrier when sending semi-static beam management indication information.

[0181] In one example, we will still use a multi-carrier system including carrier A and carrier B as an example for illustration.

[0182] In cases involving independent beam management indications, the terminal reports its capabilities via a new terminal capability reporting signaling, such as beamManagementType-r17, indicating that it supports both unified and independent beam management. Upon receiving this signaling, the network device sends an indication to the terminal to perform independent beam management. The terminal receives this indication. The network device transmits shaped reference signals (CSI-RS) on carriers A and B, respectively. The terminal receives these CSI-RS on both carriers A and B, and performs beam measurements and reports the results on both carriers. Based on the beam measurement results reported by the terminal, the network device sends different downlink beam indications to carriers A and B. Upon receiving these different downlink beam indications, the terminal adjusts the beam direction of each carrier in both carriers A and B individually, performing downlink reception on both carriers in the corresponding beam directions.

[0183] For semi-static beam management indication information, the terminal reports its capability information (supporting both unified beam management and independent beam management) through a new terminal capability reporting signaling, such as beamManagementType-r17. Upon receiving the terminal capability reporting signaling (supporting both unified and independent beam management), the network device sends an indication to the terminal to perform semi-static beam management. The terminal receives the semi-static beam management indication information. After sending the semi-static beam management indication information, if the network device determines that the applicable beam management type for the terminal is independent beam management, the network device sends a shaped reference signal (CSI-RS) on carrier A and carrier B respectively. The terminal receives the shaped reference signal (CSI-RS) on carrier A and carrier B respectively, and performs beam measurement and reports the beam measurement results on carrier A and carrier B respectively. Based on the beam measurement results reported by the terminal, the network device sends corresponding downlink beam indications for carrier A and carrier B respectively. After receiving different downlink beam indications, the terminal adjusts the beam direction of each carrier in carrier A and carrier B individually, and performs downlink reception on carrier A and carrier B in the corresponding beam direction.

[0184] In the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure, the terminal reports capability information that supports both unified beam management and independent beam management capabilities. The network device performs flexible beam management on the terminal through actual beam measurement, such as unified beam management, independent beam management, or semi-static beam management. This can better schedule the terminal's transmit / receive beams, enabling the terminal to select a better beam direction on all carriers and also saving signaling overhead.

[0185] It should be noted that in the above embodiments of this disclosure, the inclusion of two carriers, carrier A and carrier B, in a multi-carrier system is merely for ease of description. Those skilled in the art should understand that in actual applications, beam management situations involving more than two carriers are not excluded in multi-carrier systems.

[0186] It is understood that the multi-carrier communication method provided in this disclosure can be applied to the process of network devices and terminals interacting to achieve multi-carrier communication. Since the network devices and terminals possess the multi-carrier communication functionality described in the above embodiments during the process of network devices and terminals interacting to achieve multi-carrier communication, this will not be elaborated further here.

[0187] It should be noted that those skilled in the art will understand that the various implementation methods / embodiments described above in this disclosure can be used in conjunction with the foregoing embodiments, or they can be used independently. Whether used alone or in conjunction with the foregoing embodiments, the implementation principle is similar. In this disclosure, some embodiments are described as implementations used together. Of course, those skilled in the art will understand that such illustrative examples are not intended to limit the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0188] Based on the same concept, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a multi-carrier communication device.

[0189] It is understood that the multi-carrier communication device provided in this disclosure includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to each function in order to achieve the above-mentioned functions. In conjunction with the units and algorithm steps of the various examples disclosed in this disclosure, this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the technical solutions of this disclosure.

[0190] Figure 18 This is a block diagram illustrating a multi-carrier communication device according to an exemplary embodiment. (Refer to...) Figure 18 A multi-carrier communication device 100 is applied to a terminal. The multi-carrier communication device 100 includes a transmitting unit 101 and a receiving unit 102.

[0191] Transmitting unit 101 is configured to transmit capability information, which indicates that the terminal simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability. Receiving unit 102 is configured to receive beam management indication information, which is determined by the network device based on the capability information.

[0192] In one implementation, the beam management instruction information includes unified beam management instruction information.

[0193] In one implementation, the beam management indication information includes indication information for independent beam management.

[0194] In one embodiment, the beam management indication information includes semi-static beam management indication information, which is used to indicate the dynamic switching between unified beam management and independent beam management.

[0195] In one embodiment, the receiving unit 102 receives a beamforming reference signal on a designated carrier among multiple carriers, and the transmitting unit 101 performs beam measurement on the designated carrier and reports the beam measurement results. Wherein, if the network device determines that the terminal is subject to unified beam management, the designated carrier is one of the multiple carriers. If the network device determines that the terminal is subject to independent beam management, the designated carrier is each of the multiple carriers.

[0196] In one embodiment, in response to a change in the beam management type applicable to the terminal, the receiving unit 102 dynamically switches the designated carrier for receiving the shaped reference signal.

[0197] In one embodiment, when the terminal uses unified beam management, the receiving unit 102 receives the same downlink beam indication for each of the multiple carriers, and adjusts the beam direction based on the same downlink beam indication to perform downlink reception on the multiple carriers in the same beam direction. Alternatively, when the terminal uses independent beam management, the receiving unit 102 receives different downlink beam indications for each of the multiple carriers, and adjusts the beam direction independently for each carrier based on the different downlink beam indications to perform downlink reception in the beam direction corresponding to each carrier.

[0198] Figure 19 This is a block diagram illustrating a multi-carrier communication device according to an exemplary embodiment. (Refer to...) Figure 19 A multi-carrier communication device 200, applied to network equipment, includes a receiving unit 201 and a transmitting unit 202.

[0199] The receiving unit 201 is configured to receive capability information, which indicates that the terminal simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability. The transmitting unit 202 is configured to determine and transmit beam management indication information based on the capability information.

[0200] In one implementation, the beam management instruction information includes unified beam management instruction information.

[0201] In one implementation, the beam management indication information includes indication information for independent beam management.

[0202] In one embodiment, the beam management indication information includes semi-static beam management indication information, which is used to indicate the dynamic switching between unified beam management and independent beam management.

[0203] In one embodiment, the transmitting unit 202 is further configured to:

[0204] The appropriate beam management type for the terminal is determined, which may be unified beam management or independent beam management. A beamforming reference signal is transmitted on a designated carrier among multiple carriers, and beam measurement results are received on the designated carrier. Where the network device determines that the terminal is subject to unified beam management, the designated carrier is one of the multiple carriers. Where the network device determines that the terminal is subject to independent beam management, the designated carrier is each of the multiple carriers.

[0205] In one implementation, the transmitting unit 202 dynamically switches the designated carrier when the beam management type applicable to the terminal changes.

[0206] In one embodiment, when the terminal uses unified beam management, the transmitting unit 202 transmits the same downlink beam indication corresponding to each of the multiple carriers on each carrier. Alternatively, when the terminal uses independent beam management, the transmitting unit 202 transmits different downlink beam indications corresponding to each carrier on each of the multiple carriers.

[0207] Regarding the apparatus in the above embodiments, the specific manner in which each module performs its operation has been described in detail in the embodiments related to the method, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0208] Figure 20 This is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus 300 for multi-carrier communication according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, apparatus 300 may be a mobile phone, computer, digital broadcasting terminal, messaging device, game console, tablet device, medical device, fitness equipment, personal digital assistant, etc.

[0209] Reference Figure 20 The device 300 may include one or more of the following components: processing component 302, memory 304, power component 306, multimedia component 308, audio component 310, input / output (I / O) interface 312, sensor component 314, and communication component 316.

[0210] Processing component 302 typically controls the overall operation of device 300, such as operations associated with display, telephone calls, data communication, camera operation, and recording. Processing component 302 may include one or more processors 320 to execute instructions to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described above. Furthermore, processing component 302 may include one or more modules to facilitate interaction between processing component 302 and other components. For example, processing component 302 may include a multimedia module to facilitate interaction between multimedia component 308 and processing component 302.

[0211] Memory 304 is configured to store various types of data to support the operation of device 300. Examples of such data include instructions for any application or method operating on device 300, contact data, phonebook data, messages, pictures, videos, etc. Memory 304 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic storage, flash memory, magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0212] The power supply component 306 provides power to the various components of the device 300. The power supply component 306 may include a power management system, one or more power sources, and other components associated with generating, managing, and distributing power to the device 300.

[0213] Multimedia component 308 includes a screen that provides an output interface between the device 300 and the user. In some embodiments, the screen may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a touch panel (TP). If the screen includes a touch panel, the screen may be implemented as a touchscreen to receive input signals from the user. The touch panel includes one or more touch sensors to sense touches, swipes, and gestures on the touch panel. The touch sensors may sense not only the boundaries of the touch or swipe action but also the duration and pressure associated with the touch or swipe operation. In some embodiments, multimedia component 308 includes a front-facing camera and / or a rear-facing camera. When the device 300 is in an operating mode, such as a shooting mode or a video mode, the front-facing camera and / or the rear-facing camera may receive external multimedia data. Each front-facing camera and rear-facing camera may be a fixed optical lens system or have focal length and optical zoom capabilities.

[0214] Audio component 310 is configured to output and / or input audio signals. For example, audio component 310 includes a microphone (MIC) configured to receive external audio signals when device 300 is in an operating mode, such as call mode, recording mode, and voice recognition mode. The received audio signals may be further stored in memory 304 or transmitted via communication component 316. In some embodiments, audio component 310 also includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

[0215] I / O interface 312 provides an interface between processing component 302 and peripheral interface modules, such as keyboards, click wheels, buttons, etc. These buttons may include, but are not limited to, home buttons, volume buttons, power buttons, and lock buttons.

[0216] Sensor assembly 314 includes one or more sensors for providing status assessments of various aspects of device 300. For example, sensor assembly 314 may detect the on / off state of device 300, the relative positioning of components such as the display and keypad of device 300, changes in the position of device 300 or a component of device 300, the presence or absence of user contact with device 300, the orientation or acceleration / deceleration of device 300, and temperature changes of device 300. Sensor assembly 314 may include a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of nearby objects without any physical contact. Sensor assembly 314 may also include a light sensor, such as a CMOS or CCD image sensor, for use in imaging applications. In some embodiments, sensor assembly 314 may also include an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor.

[0217] Communication component 316 is configured to facilitate wired or wireless communication between device 300 and other devices. Device 300 can access wireless networks based on communication standards, such as WiFi, 2G, or 3G, or combinations thereof. In one exemplary embodiment, communication component 316 receives broadcast signals or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In one exemplary embodiment, communication component 316 also includes a near-field communication (NFC) module to facilitate short-range communication. For example, the NFC module may be implemented based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, Infrared Data Association (IrDA) technology, ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, Bluetooth (BT) technology, and other technologies.

[0218] In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 300 may be implemented by 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, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other electronic components to perform the methods described above.

[0219] In an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions is also provided, such as a memory 304 including instructions, which can be executed by a processor 320 of the device 300 to perform the above-described method. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be a ROM, random access memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage device, etc.

[0220] Figure 21 This is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus 400 for multicarrier communication according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, apparatus 400 may be provided as a network device. (Refer to...) Figure 21The apparatus 400 includes a processing component 422, which further includes one or more processors, and memory resources represented by memory 432 for storing instructions, such as application programs, that can be executed by the processing component 422. The application programs stored in memory 432 may include one or more modules, each corresponding to a set of instructions. Furthermore, the processing component 422 is configured to execute instructions to perform the methods described above.

[0221] Device 400 may also include a power supply component 426 configured to perform power management of device 400, a wired or wireless network interface 450 configured to connect device 400 to a network, and an input / output (I / O) interface 458. Device 400 may operate on an operating system stored in memory 432, such as Windows Server™, Mac OS X™, Unix™, Linux™, FreeBSD™, or similar.

[0222] In an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions is also provided, such as a memory 432 including instructions, which can be executed by a processing component 422 of the apparatus 400 to perform the above-described method. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be a ROM, random access memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage device, etc.

[0223] It can be further understood that in this disclosure, "multiple" refers to two or more, and other quantifiers are similar. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist; for example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. The singular forms "a," "the," and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0224] It is further understood that the terms "first," "second," etc., are used to describe various types of information, but this information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another, and do not indicate a specific order or degree of importance. In fact, the expressions "first," "second," etc., are completely interchangeable. For example, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, first information can also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information can also be referred to as first information.

[0225] It is further understood that although operations are described in a specific order in the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of this disclosure, this should not be construed as requiring these operations to be performed in the specific order or serial order shown, or requiring all of the shown operations to be performed to obtain the desired result. In certain environments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

[0226] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the following claims.

[0227] It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A multi-carrier communication method, characterized in that, The multi-carrier communication method, applied to a terminal, includes: Send capability information, which indicates that the terminal simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability; Receive beam management instruction information, which is determined by the network device based on the capability information; the beam management instruction information includes semi-static beam management instruction information, which is an instruction information used to indicate dynamic switching between unified beam management and independent beam management.

2. The multi-carrier communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The beam management instruction information includes unified beam management instruction information.

3. The multi-carrier communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The beam management instruction information includes instruction information for independent beam management.

4. The multi-carrier communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The multi-carrier communication method further includes: Receive a beamforming reference signal on a designated carrier among multiple carriers, and perform beam measurement on the designated carrier and report the beam measurement results; Wherein, when the network device determines that the terminal is subject to unified beam management, the designated carrier is one of the multiple carriers; When the network device determines that the terminal is subject to independent beam management, the designated carrier is each of the plurality of carriers.

5. The multi-carrier communication method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The multi-carrier communication method further includes: In response to a change in the beam management type applicable to the terminal, the designated carrier for receiving the beamforming reference signal is dynamically switched.

6. The multi-carrier communication method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The multi-carrier communication method further includes: When the terminal uses unified beam management, the same downlink beam indication corresponding to the multiple carriers is received on each of the multiple carriers, and beam direction adjustment is performed based on the same downlink beam indication to perform downlink reception on the multiple carriers in the same beam direction; or When the terminal is equipped with independent beam management, it receives different downlink beam indications corresponding to each of the multiple carriers, and independently adjusts the beam direction of each carrier based on the different downlink beam indications, and performs downlink reception in the beam direction corresponding to each carrier.

7. A multi-carrier communication method, characterized in that, The multi-carrier communication method, applied to network devices, includes: Receive capability information, which indicates that the terminal simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability; Based on the capability information, beam management instruction information is determined and sent; the beam management instruction information includes semi-static beam management instruction information, which is an instruction information used to indicate dynamic switching between unified beam management and independent beam management.

8. The multi-carrier communication method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The beam management instruction information includes unified beam management instruction information.

9. The multi-carrier communication method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The beam management instruction information includes instruction information for independent beam management.

10. The multi-carrier communication method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, The multi-carrier communication method further includes: Determine the appropriate beam management type for the terminal, wherein the beam management type includes unified beam management or independent beam management; Transmit a beamforming reference signal on a designated carrier among multiple carriers, and receive beam measurement results on the designated carrier; Wherein, when the network device determines that the terminal is subject to unified beam management, the designated carrier is one of the multiple carriers; When the network device determines that the terminal is subject to independent beam management, the designated carrier is each of the plurality of carriers.

11. The multi-carrier communication method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The multi-carrier communication method further includes: When the beam management type applicable to the terminal changes, the designated carrier is dynamically switched.

12. The multi-carrier communication method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The multi-carrier communication method further includes: When the terminal is subject to unified beam management, the same downlink beam indication corresponding to the multiple carriers is transmitted on each of the multiple carriers; or When the terminal is subject to independent beam management, different downlink beam indications corresponding to each of the multiple carriers are transmitted on each carrier.

13. A multi-carrier communication device, characterized in that, The multi-carrier communication device, applied to a terminal, includes: The transmitting unit is configured to transmit capability information, which is used to indicate that the terminal simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability. The receiving unit is configured to receive beam management indication information, which is determined by the network device based on the capability information; the beam management indication information includes semi-static beam management indication information, which is indication information used to indicate dynamic switching between unified beam management and independent beam management.

14. A multi-carrier communication device, characterized in that, The multi-carrier communication device, applied to network equipment, includes: The receiving unit is configured to receive capability information, which indicates that the terminal simultaneously supports unified beam management capability and independent beam management capability. The transmitting unit is configured to determine and transmit beam management indication information based on the capability information; the beam management indication information includes semi-static beam management indication information, which is indication information used to indicate dynamic switching between unified beam management and independent beam management.

15. A multi-carrier communication device, characterized in that, include: processor; Memory used to store processor-executable instructions; The processor is configured to execute the multi-carrier communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or to execute the multi-carrier communication method according to any one of claims 7 to 12.

16. A storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores instructions that, when executed by the processor of the terminal, enable the terminal to perform the multi-carrier communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or, when executed by the processor of the network device, enable the network device to perform the multi-carrier communication method according to any one of claims 7 to 12.

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