Beam indication method and apparatus

Abstract

The embodiment of the application discloses a beam indication method and device, wherein index information of at least one beam on an access link is determined according to a first rule, the first rule is at least one of the following: the index information of the at least one beam is determined by the relay device, the index information of the at least one beam is determined by the network device, the index information of the at least one beam is determined by the relay device and the network device according to a second rule, so that the network device and the relay device can determine the mapping relationship between the logical index of the beam and each actual physical beam, the network device and the relay device can determine the index of the beam on the access link, facilitate subsequent beam-based communication, effectively improve the system communication efficiency, and improve the system coverage.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of communication, and particularly relates to a beam indication method and device. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the related art, a network controlled repeater (NCR) and a network device can indicate the index information of beams used by beams on an access link. How to determine the correspondence between the index information in the logic and the actual physical beams, that is, how to indicate each physical beam on the access link is a problem that needs to be considered. SUMMARY

[0003] The first aspect of the present application provides a beam indication method, the method is executed by a relay device, and the method comprises the following steps:

[0004] According to a first rule, index information of at least one beam on an access link is determined.

[0005] The first rule is at least one of the following:

[0006] The index information is determined by the relay device.

[0007] The index information is determined by a network device.

[0008] The index information is determined by the relay device and the network device according to a second rule.

[0009] The second aspect of the present application provides a beam indication method, the method is executed by a network device, and the method comprises the following steps:

[0010] According to a first rule, index information of at least one beam on an access link is determined.

[0011] The first rule is at least one of the following:

[0012] The index information is determined by a relay device.

[0013] The index information is determined by the network device.

[0014] The index information is determined by the relay device and the network device according to a second rule.

[0015] The third aspect of the present application provides a beam indication device, the device is applied to a relay device, and the device comprises the following steps:

[0016] A processing unit is configured to determine, according to a first rule, index information of at least one beam on an access link.

[0017] The first rule is at least one of the following:

[0018] The index information is determined by the device;

[0019] The index information is determined by the network device;

[0020] The index information is determined by the device and the network device according to a second rule.

[0021] The fourth aspect of the present application provides a beam indication device, the device is applied to a network device, the device comprises:

[0022] A processing unit is configured to determine index information of at least one beam on an access link according to a first rule;

[0023] The first rule is at least one of the following:

[0024] The index information is determined by the relay device;

[0025] The index information is determined by the device;

[0026] The index information is determined by the relay device and the device according to a second rule.

[0027] The fifth aspect of the present application provides a communication device, the device comprises a processor and a memory, the memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program stored in the memory to make the device execute the beam indication method of the first aspect of the present application.

[0028] The sixth aspect of the present application provides a communication device, the device comprises a processor and a memory, the memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program stored in the memory to make the device execute the beam indication method of the second aspect of the present application.

[0029] The seventh aspect of the present application provides a communication device, the device comprises a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit is used for receiving code instructions and transmitting to the processor, and the processor is used for running the code instructions to make the device execute the beam indication method of the first aspect of the present application.

[0030] The eighth aspect of the present application provides a communication device, the device comprises a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit is used for receiving code instructions and transmitting to the processor, and the processor is used for running the code instructions to make the device execute the beam indication method of the second aspect of the present application.

[0031] The ninth aspect of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium for storing instructions, when the instructions are executed, the beam indication method of the first aspect of the present application is realized.

[0032] The tenth aspect of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium for storing instructions, when the instructions are executed, the beam indication method of the second aspect of the present application is realized.

[0033] The eleventh aspect of the present application provides a computer program, when it runs on a computer, the computer executes the beam indication method of the first aspect of the present application.

[0034] The twelfth aspect of the present application provides a computer program, when it runs on a computer, the computer executes the beam indication method of the second aspect of the present application.

[0035] The beam indication method and device provided by the embodiments of the present application can determine the index information of at least one beam on the access link according to the first rule, and the first rule is at least one of the following: the index information of the at least one beam is determined by the relay device, the index information of the at least one beam is determined by the network device, and the index information of the at least one beam is determined by the relay device and the network device according to the second rule, so that the network device and the relay device can determine the mapping relationship between the logical index of the beam and each actual physical beam, the network device and the relay device can determine the index of the beam on the access link, and subsequent beam-based communication is facilitated, the system communication efficiency is effectively improved, and the system coverage is improved.

[0036] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0037] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the background art, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments of the present application or the background art will be described below.

[0038] Figure 1 The figure is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0039] Figure 2 The figure is a flowchart of a beam indication method provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0040] Figure 3 The figure is a flowchart of a beam indication method provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0041] Figure 4is a flowchart of a beam indication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a beam indication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a beam indication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 7 is a flowchart of a beam indication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 8 is a flowchart of a beam indication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 9 is a flowchart of a beam indication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 10 is a structural diagram of a beam indication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 11 is a structural diagram of a beam indication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 12 is a structural diagram of another beam indication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Figure 13 is a structural diagram of a chip provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein with reference to the attached drawings. The following description is with reference to the drawings, in which like numerals refer to like elements throughout. The following detailed description is not intended to restrict the exemplary embodiments to any precise description. Rather, the following detailed description is presented simply by way of illustration of the exemplary embodiments consistent with the present embodiments.

[0052] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0053] It should be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. can be used herein to describe various information, the information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to differentiate one piece of information from another piece of information. For example, without departing from the scope of embodiments of the present application, first information can also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information can also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the words "if" and "when" as used herein can be interpreted as "upon determining" or "in response to determining".

[0054] Embodiments of the present application are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements throughout. The embodiments described below by reference to the drawings are exemplary and are intended to explain the present application, and should not be understood as limiting the present application.

[0055] In order to better understand the beam indication method disclosed by the embodiments of the present application, first, the communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable is described below.

[0056] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 The architecture of a communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown in the figure. The communication system can include, but is not limited to, one network device, one relay device and one terminal device, Figure 1 The number and form of devices shown in the figure are only for example and do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of the present application. In actual applications, two or more network devices, two or more relay devices, and two or more terminal devices can be included. Figure 1 The communication system shown in the figure takes one network device 101, one relay device 102 and one terminal device 103 as an example.

[0057] It should be noted that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems. For example: Long Term Evolution (Long Term Evolution, LTE) system, fifth generation mobile communication system, 5G new air interface system, or other future new mobile communication systems, etc.

[0058] The network device 101 in the embodiments of the present application is an entity for transmitting or receiving signals on the network side. For example, the network device 101 can be an evolved node B (eNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation node B (gNB) in an NR system, a base station in other future mobile communication systems, or an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device. The network device provided by the embodiments of the present application can be composed of a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), wherein the CU can also be referred to as a control unit. The CU-DU structure can split the protocol layers of the network device, for example, the base station, and the functions of part of the protocol layers are centrally controlled by the CU, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers are distributed in the DU and controlled by the CU.

[0059] The relay device 102 in the embodiments of the present application is an entity for forwarding signals once or multiple times between the network side and the user side. The relay device 102 can be a network controlled repeater (NCR), a network unit, or a terminal device with a relay function, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the relay device.

[0060] The terminal device 103 in the embodiments of the present application is an entity for receiving or transmitting signals on the user side, such as a mobile phone. The terminal device can also be referred to as a terminal, a user equipment (UE), a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal (MT), and the like. The terminal device can be a car, a smart car, a mobile phone, a wearable device, a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in smart city, a wireless terminal device in smart home, and the like. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal device.

[0061] As an example, the relay device in the embodiments of the present application is a network-controlled repeater (NCR).

[0062] As shown in Figure 1 The relay device 102 includes a mobile termination (MT) and a forwarding (Fwd) part, wherein the MT part can be used to receive the control command sent by the network device 101, and the control command is used to control the behavior of the Fwd part, that is, the behavior on the backhaul link and the access link, such as the beam indication direction, the opening and closing of the forwarding, and the like. The MT part interacts with the network device 101 through a control link, the Fwd part interacts with the network device 101 through a backhaul link, and the Fwd part interacts with the terminal device 103 through an access link.

[0063] In the related art, the network-controlled repeater (NCR) and the network device can indicate the index information of the beam on the access link using the beam. How to determine the correspondence between the logical index information and the actual physical beam, that is, how to indicate each physical beam on the access link is a problem that needs to be considered.

[0064] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiments of the present application is for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can know that with the evolution of system architecture and the appearance of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0065] The beam indication method and apparatus provided by the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0066] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 is a flowchart of a beam indication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. It should be noted that the beam indication method of the embodiments of the present application is executed by a relay device. The method can be executed independently, or can be executed in combination with any other embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2 , the method can include the following steps:

[0067] Step 201, according to a first rule, determining index information of at least one beam on an access link.

[0068] In the embodiments of the present application, the relay device can determine the index information of at least one beam on an access link (access link) according to a first rule, that is, can determine the logical index (beam ID) corresponding to at least one physical beam on the access link.

[0069] The first rule is at least one of the following:

[0070] The index information of the at least one beam is determined by the relay device;

[0071] The index information of the at least one beam is determined by the network device;

[0072] The index information of the at least one beam is determined by the relay device and the network device according to a second rule.

[0073] In some embodiments, the first rule is that the index information of the at least one beam is determined by the relay device, the relay device can send the characteristic information (beam character information) of the at least one beam to the network device, and the index information of the at least one beam.

[0074] In some embodiments, the first rule is that the index information of the at least one beam is determined by the network device, the relay device can receive the first configuration information sent by the network device, and the index information of the at least one beam is included in the first configuration information.

[0075] In some embodiments, the first rule is determined by the relay device and the network device according to a second rule. The second rule is a rule that is specified by a communication protocol or pre-configured and commonly understood by the relay device and the network device. The relay device and the network device can determine the index information of the at least one beam on the access link based on the second rule that is commonly understood.

[0076] In the embodiments of the present application, the characteristic information of the beam can include at least one of the following: the number of beams, the width type of the beam, the spatial relationship between the beams, and the like.

[0077] Optionally, the width type of the beam can include a wide beam, a narrow beam, or a beam width of 3dB, and the like, the spatial relationship between the beams can include the angle of the vertical direction (the vertical angle with the antenna panel) and / or the horizontal direction (the horizontal angle with the antenna panel) of the boresight of the beam, the contained and contained relationship of the beam in the spatial coverage, the spatial coverage of the beam, and the like.

[0078] In some embodiments, the relay device can determine what the first rule is according to the specification or pre-configuration of the communication protocol.

[0079] In some embodiments, the relay device can send first indication information to the network device, where the first indication information is used to indicate the first rule.

[0080] In some embodiments, after the relay device determines the index information of the at least one beam, the relay device can further receive second configuration information sent by the network device, where the second configuration information includes the index information of the at least one beam, and the relay device can determine the correspondence between the index information of the at least one beam and the at least one physical beam according to the received second configuration information.

[0081] In the embodiments of the present application, the information transmitted between the relay device and the network device (including the characteristic information of the at least one beam, the index information of the at least one beam, the first configuration information, the second configuration information, the first indication information, and the like) can be included in the radio resource control (RRC) signaling or the operation management and maintenance (OAM) signaling.

[0082] In summary, by determining the index information of the at least one beam on the access link according to the first rule, the first rule being at least one of: the index information of the at least one beam being determined by the relay device, the index information of the at least one beam being determined by the network device, the index information of the at least one beam being determined by the relay device and the network device according to the second rule, the network device and the relay device can determine the mapping relationship between the logical index of the beam and each actual physical beam, the network device and the relay device can determine the index of the beam on the access link, facilitating subsequent beam-based communication, effectively improving system communication efficiency, and improving system coverage.

[0083] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 is a flowchart of a beam indication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. It should be noted that the beam indication method of the present embodiment is executed by a relay device. The method can be executed independently, or can be executed in combination with any other embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3 , the method can include the following steps:

[0084] Step 301: sending, to a network device, characteristic information and index information of at least one beam on an access link.

[0085] In the present embodiment, the first rule is that the index information of the at least one beam on the access link is determined by the relay device. The relay device can send the characteristic information of the at least one beam on the access link and the index information of the at least one beam to the network device.

[0086] In the present embodiment, the characteristic information of the beam can include at least one of: the number of beams, the width type of the beam, the spatial relationship between the beams, etc.

[0087] Optionally, the width type of the beam can include wide beams, narrow beams, or 3dB beam width, etc., the spatial relationship between the beams can include the angle of the vertical direction (the vertical angle with the antenna panel) and / or the horizontal direction (the horizontal angle with the antenna panel) of the boresight of the beam, the containing and contained relationship of the beam in the spatial coverage range, the spatial coverage range of the beam, etc.

[0088] In the present embodiment, the characteristic information of the beam sent by the relay device to the network device can be used by the network device to correspond at least one physical beam with the index information of the at least one beam.

[0089] Optionally, the relay device sends the characteristic information of the at least one beam and the corresponding index information of each beam to the network device.

[0090] As an example, the characteristic information and the index information of the beam transmitted by the relay device to the network device can be as follows:

[0091] The beam #1 corresponds to a wide beam, the boresight horizontal angle is X°, and the boresight vertical angle is Y° (wherein X, Y ∈ [0, 360]).

[0092] In some embodiments, the relay device can determine, according to the provision or pre-configuration of the communication protocol, that the first rule is to determine the index of the at least one beam by the relay device. After determining the index of the at least one beam, the relay device can transmit to the network device.

[0093] In some embodiments, the relay device can transmit first indication information to the network device, the first indication information being used to indicate that the first rule is to determine the index information of the at least one beam by the relay device.

[0094] Optionally, the first indication information can be another indication information, or the index information of the at least one beam, that is, after receiving the index information of the at least one beam transmitted by the relay device, the network device can determine that the first rule is to determine the index information of the at least one beam by the relay device, and determine the index of the at least one beam on the access link according to the characteristic information and the index information transmitted by the relay device.

[0095] In some embodiments, after determining the index information of the at least one beam, the relay device can further receive second configuration information transmitted by the network device, the second configuration information including the index information of the at least one beam, and the relay device can determine the correspondence between the index information of the at least one beam and the at least one physical beam according to the received second configuration information.

[0096] Optionally, the second configuration information can include index information of at least one beam update, and the relay device can update the index information of the at least one beam according to the received second configuration information.

[0097] As an example, the relay device determines a beam ID (such as beam #1 corresponds to a wide beam, horizontal boresight is X°, and vertical boresight is Y°), the relay device receives second configuration information sent by the network device, and the second configuration information includes index information of the beam: beam #1 corresponds to a narrow beam, horizontal boresight is X°, and vertical boresight is Y°. Then, the relay device updates the index information of the beam according to the second configuration information, and considers that the physical beam corresponding to the beam ID #1 is a narrow beam, horizontal boresight is X°, and vertical boresight is Y° (wherein X, Y ∈ [0, 360]).

[0098] In the embodiment of the present application, the information transmitted between the relay device and the network device (including the characteristic information of the at least one beam, the index information of the at least one beam, the second configuration information, the first indication information, etc.) can be included in the radio resource control (RRC) signaling or the operation management and maintenance (OAM) signaling.

[0099] In summary, by sending the characteristic information of the at least one beam on the access link and the index information of the at least one beam to the network device, the network device and the relay device can determine the mapping relationship between the logical index of the beam and each actual physical beam, and the network device and the relay device can determine the index of the beam on the access link, which facilitates subsequent beam-based communication, effectively improves the system communication efficiency, and improves the system coverage.

[0100] Please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 is a flowchart of a beam indication method provided in the embodiment of the present application. It should be noted that the beam indication method in the embodiment of the present application is executed by a first network device. The method can be executed independently, or can be executed in combination with any other embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4 , the method can include the following steps:

[0101] Step 401: sending, to a network device, characteristic information of at least one beam on an access link.

[0102] In the embodiment of the present application, the first rule is that the network device determines index information of the at least one beam on the access link. The relay device can send the characteristic information of the at least one beam on the access link to the network device.

[0103] In the embodiment of the present application, the characteristic information of the beam can include at least one of the following: the number of beams, the width type of the beam, the spatial relationship between the beams, etc.

[0104] Optionally, the beam width type can include a wide beam, a narrow beam, or a beam width of 3dB, etc., the spatial relationship between beams can include the angle of the vertical direction (the vertical angle with the antenna panel) and / or the horizontal direction (the horizontal angle with the antenna panel) of the boresight of the beam, the included and included relationship of the spatial coverage of the beam, the spatial coverage of the beam, etc.

[0105] In some embodiments, the feature information of the beam sent by the relay device to the network device can be used by the network device to determine the index information of the at least one beam. The network device can also determine the index information of the at least one beam according to other information (such as deployment information, measurement test information, etc.) or the beam feature information reported by other devices.

[0106] In some embodiments, the network device can also not know the physical feature information of the at least one beam, and only need to determine the correspondence between the physical beam direction and the beam index information.

[0107] Step 402, receiving the first configuration information sent by the network device, wherein the first configuration information includes the index information of the at least one beam.

[0108] In the embodiments of the present application, the first rule is that the network device determines the index information of the at least one beam, the relay device can receive the first configuration information sent by the network device, the first configuration information includes the index information of the at least one beam, and the relay device can determine the index information of the at least one beam on the access link according to the first configuration information.

[0109] Optionally, the first configuration information includes the feature information of the at least one beam and the index information corresponding to the at least one physical beam.

[0110] As an example, the first configuration information sent by the network device to the relay device can be as follows:

[0111] Beam #1 corresponds to a wide beam, the boresight horizontal direction angle is 45°, and the boresight vertical direction angle is 120°.

[0112] Beam #11 corresponds to a narrow beam, the boresight horizontal direction angle is 45°, and the boresight vertical direction angle is 120°, etc.

[0113] It can be understood that the at least one beam of which the network device determines the index information can be all or part of the at least one beam in which the relay device sends the feature information, that is, the network device can configure the index information of part of the beams according to other information (such as deployment information, measurement test information, and the like) and configure the index information to the relay device.

[0114] As an example, for example, the feature information of the beam sent by the relay device includes that the total number of wide beams is 4, there are 6 narrow beams under each wide beam in total, and the vertical angles of the pointing lines (boresights) of the wide beams and the antenna panel are 60°, 90°, 120°, and 150° in turn. According to the deployment or test information, the network device knows that there is no coverage requirement in the 60° direction, and the 90° direction will cause interference to other network devices, and therefore the network device configures the beam indexes #1-#14 to correspond to the wide beams and the narrow beams contained in the wide beams with the vertical angles of the boresights and the antenna panel being 120° and 150° in turn, respectively.

[0115] Optionally, the beams #1-#2 can correspond to the wide beams, the beams #3-#8 and the beams #9-#14 can correspond to the narrow beams contained in the beams #1 and the beams #2, respectively, or the beam #1 can correspond to the wide beam, the beams #2-#7 can correspond to the narrow beams contained in the beam #1, the beam #8 can correspond to the wide beam, and the beams #9-#14 can correspond to the narrow beams contained in the beam #8, and the like, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0116] In some embodiments, the relay device can determine, according to the regulation or pre-configuration of the communication protocol, that the first rule is that the network device determines the index of the at least one beam.

[0117] In some embodiments, the relay device can send first indication information to the network device, the first indication information being used to indicate that the first rule is that the network device determines the index information of the at least one beam, and the network device can determine the index information of the at least one beam after receiving the first indication information.

[0118] In the embodiments of the present application, the information (including the feature information of the at least one beam, the index information of the at least one beam, the first configuration information, the first indication information, and the like) transmitted between the relay device and the network device can be included in the radio resource control (RRC) signaling or the operation management and maintenance (OAM) signaling.

[0119] In summary, by sending the characteristic information of at least one beam on the access link to the network device, receiving the first configuration information sent by the network device, and the first configuration information including the index information of the at least one beam, the network device and the relay device can determine the mapping relationship between the logical index of the beam and each actual physical beam, the network device and the relay device can determine the index of the beam on the access link, facilitate subsequent beam-based communication, effectively improve the system communication efficiency, and improve the system coverage.

[0120] Please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 is a flowchart of a beam indication method provided by the embodiment of the application. It should be noted that the beam indication method of the embodiment of the application is executed by the relay device. The method can be independently executed, or can be executed in combination with any other embodiment of the application. As shown in Figure 5 , the method can include the following steps:

[0121] Step 501, sending the characteristic information of at least one beam on the access link to the network device.

[0122] In the embodiment of the application, the first rule is that the index information of at least one beam on the access link is determined by the relay device and the network device according to the second rule. The relay device can send the characteristic information of at least one beam on the access link to the network device.

[0123] In the embodiment of the application, the characteristic information of the beam can include at least one of the following: the number of beams, the width type of the beam, the spatial relationship between the beams, and the like.

[0124] Optionally, the beam width type can include wide beams, narrow beams, or 3dB beam width, and the like, the spatial relationship between the beams can include the angle of the vertical direction (the vertical angle with the antenna panel) and / or the horizontal direction (the horizontal angle with the antenna panel) of the boresight of the beam, the containing and contained relationship of the beam in the spatial coverage range, the spatial coverage range of the beam, and the like.

[0125] In some embodiments, the characteristic information of the beam sent by the relay device to the network device can be used by the network device to determine the index information of the at least one beam according to the second rule.

[0126] In some embodiments, the network device can also not know the physical characteristic information of the at least one beam, and only needs to determine the correspondence between the physical beam direction and the beam index information.

[0127] Step 502, determining the index information of the at least one beam according to the second rule.

[0128] In the embodiments of the present application, the relay device can determine the index information of the at least one beam on the access link according to a second rule.

[0129] The second rule is a rule that is specified by a communication protocol or pre-configured and commonly understood by the relay device and the network device. The relay device and the network device can determine the index information of the at least one beam on the access link based on the second rule commonly understood.

[0130] Optionally, the relay device determines the characteristic information of the at least one beam and the index information corresponding to each beam according to the second rule.

[0131] As an example, the second rule can be that the wide beams are sorted first, then the narrow beams are sorted in turn, and the index information of all beams is sorted in turn backward. For example, the beam characteristic information sent by the relay device to the network device includes that the total number of wide beams is 4, and there are 6 narrow beams under each wide beam. The relay device can determine the index information #1-#28 of the at least one beam, wherein beams #1-#4 correspond to the 4 wide beams, beams #5-#10 correspond to the 6 narrow beams under the first wide beam (beam #1), beams #11-#16 correspond to the 6 narrow beams under the second wide beam (beam #2), beams #17-#22 correspond to the 6 narrow beams under the third wide beam (beam #3), and beams #23-#28 correspond to the 6 narrow beams under the fourth wide beam (beam #4).

[0132] As another example, the second rule can also be that the wide beams are sorted first, then the narrow beams are sorted in turn, and the index information of all beams is arranged in a hierarchical manner. For example, the beam characteristic information sent by the relay device to the network device includes that the total number of wide beams is 4, and there are 6 narrow beams under each wide beam. The relay device can determine the index information #1-#4-6 of the at least one beam, wherein beam #1 corresponds to the first wide beam, beams #1-1-#1-6 correspond to the 6 narrow beams under the first wide beam (beam #1), beam #2 corresponds to the second wide beam, beams #2-1-#2-6 correspond to the 6 narrow beams under the second wide beam (beam #2), beam #3 corresponds to the third wide beam, beams #3-1-#3-6 correspond to the 6 narrow beams under the third wide beam (beam #3), beam #4 corresponds to the fourth wide beam, and beams #4-1-#4-6 correspond to the 6 narrow beams under the fourth wide beam (beam #4).

[0133] It can be understood that the second rule can also be other rules for determining the index information of each beam, such as sorting the narrow beams first and then sorting the wide beams, and the like, which are not limited herein.

[0134] In some embodiments, after determining the index information of the at least one beam, the relay device can further receive second configuration information sent by the network device, the second configuration information comprising the index information of the at least one beam, and the relay device can determine the correspondence between the index information of the at least one beam and the at least one physical beam according to the received second configuration information.

[0135] Optionally, the second configuration information can comprise index information of at least one beam update, and the relay device can update the index information of the at least one beam according to the received second configuration information.

[0136] As an example, the relay device determines that the beam ID (such as beam #1 corresponds to a wide beam, horizontal boresight is X°, and vertical boresight is Y°), receives second configuration information sent by the network device, the second configuration information comprising the index information of the beam: beam #1 corresponds to a narrow beam, horizontal boresight is X°, and vertical boresight is Y°, and then the relay device updates the index information of the beam according to the second configuration information, considering that the physical beam corresponding to the beam ID #1 is a narrow beam, horizontal boresight is X°, and vertical boresight is Y° (wherein X, Y ∈ [0, 360]).

[0137] In some embodiments, the relay device can determine, according to the communication protocol or pre-configuration, that the first rule is to determine the index of the at least one beam according to the second rule by the relay device and the network device.

[0138] In some embodiments, the relay device can send first indication information to the network device, the first indication information being used to indicate that the first rule is to determine the index of the at least one beam according to the second rule by the relay device and the network device, and the network device can determine the index information of the at least one beam according to the second rule after receiving the first indication information.

[0139] In the embodiments of the present application, the information transmitted between the relay device and the network device (including the characteristic information of the at least one beam, the second configuration information, the first indication information, etc.) can be included in the radio resource control (RRC) signaling or the operation management and maintenance (OAM) signaling.

[0140] In summary, by sending the characteristic information of the at least one beam on the access link to the network device and receiving the beam indication information sent by the network device, the network device and the relay device can determine the mapping relationship between the logical index of the beam and each actual physical beam, and the network device and the relay device can determine the index of the beam on the access link, which facilitates subsequent beam-based communication, effectively improves the system communication efficiency, and improves the system coverage.

[0141] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first rule can also be a combination of the following:

[0142] determining, by the network device, the index information of the at least one beam;

[0143] determining, by the network device, the index information of the at least one beam;

[0144] determining, by the network device and the relay device, the index information of the at least one beam according to a second rule.

[0145] In some embodiments, the beam ID of part of the beams can be determined by the network device, and the beam ID of part of the beams can be determined by the relay device and / or a predefined rule.

[0146] In some embodiments, the beam ID of all of the beams can be determined by the relay device and / or a predefined rule first, and the beam ID of all / part of the beams can be determined by the network device and configured to the relay device for updating.

[0147] As a possible embodiment, the first rule is a combination of “determining, by the network device, the index information of the at least one beam” and “determining, by the network device and the relay device, the index information of the at least one beam according to a second rule”, wherein the network device only needs to determine the beam ID of the beam with a wide beam type, and the network device and the relay device determine the beam ID of the beam with a narrow beam type according to a second rule. For example, the beam feature information sent by the relay device to the network device includes that the total number of wide beams is 4, and there are 6 narrow beams under each wide beam, the network device determines the wide beam ID as #1-#4, and the network device and the relay device determine the narrow beam ID as #1-1, #1-2, … #2-1 … #3-1 … #4-1 … #4-6 based on a predefined second rule, wherein the beams #1-1~#1-6 are narrow beams that are spatially contained in the wide beam #1, and similarly, the beams #2-1~2-6 are narrow beams that are spatially contained in the wide beam #1, and so on, which will not be repeated here.

[0148] As a possible embodiment, the first rule is a combination of "determining the index information of the at least one beam by the network device" and "determining the index information of the at least one beam by the relay device", wherein the relay device only needs to determine the beam ID of the beam with the wide beam type, and the network device determines the beam ID of the beam with the narrow beam type. For example, the beam characteristic information sent by the relay device to the network device includes that the total number of wide beams is 4, and there are 6 narrow beams under each wide beam, the relay device determines the wide beam ID as #1-#4, and the network device determines which narrow beams need to be assigned with the beam ID and configures the narrow beam ID to the relay device, for example, the network device determines the narrow beam ID as #1-1, #1-6, #2-1, #2-5, #3-4, #3-6, #4-1, #4-2, #4-3, #4-4, #4-5, #4-6, and configures the narrow beam ID to the relay device.

[0149] As a possible embodiment, the first rule is a combination of "determining the index information of the at least one beam by the network device" and "determining the index information of the at least one beam by the relay device", wherein the relay device only needs to determine the beam ID of the beam with the wide beam type, and the network device determines the beam ID of the beam with the narrow beam type. For example, the beam characteristic information sent by the relay device to the network device includes that the total number of wide beams is 4, and there are 6 narrow beams under each wide beam, the beam ID is #1, #2, #3, #4, #1-1, #1-2, …, #2-1, …, #3-1, …, #4-1, …, #4-6, wherein the narrow beams #1-1~#1-6 are contained in the wide beam #1 in the spatial relationship, and the narrow beams #2-1~#2-6 are contained in the wide beam #2 in the spatial relationship, and so on, which will not be repeated. The network device configures all the beam IDs to the relay device, and the beam ID is #1, #2, #3, #4, #1-1, #1-2, …, #4-1, #4-2, #4-3, #4-4, #4-5, #4-6.

[0150] As a possible embodiment, the first rule is a combination of "determining the index information of the at least one beam by the network device" and "determining the index information of the at least one beam by the relay device", wherein the relay device determines the beam ID of all the beams, and the network device determines which beams need to be assigned with the beam ID. For example, the beam characteristic information sent by the relay device to the network device includes that the total number of wide beams is 4, and there are 6 narrow beams under each wide beam, the relay device determines the beam ID of all the beams as #1~#4-6, and the network device determines which beams need to be assigned with the beam ID and configures the beam ID to the relay device.

[0151] See Figure 6 , Figure 6is a flowchart of a beam indication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. It should be noted that the beam indication method of the present embodiment is executed by a network device. The method can be executed independently, or in combination with any other embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 6 the method can include the following steps:

[0152] Step 601, according to a first rule, determining index information of at least one beam on an access link.

[0153] In the present embodiment, the network device can determine the index information of at least one beam on an access link (access link) according to the first rule, that is, can determine the logical index (beam ID) corresponding to at least one physical beam on the access link.

[0154] The first rule is at least one of the following:

[0155] The index information of the at least one beam is determined by the relay device;

[0156] The index information of the at least one beam is determined by the network device;

[0157] The index information of the at least one beam is determined by the relay device and the network device according to a second rule.

[0158] In some embodiments, the first rule is that the index information of the at least one beam is determined by the relay device, and the network device can receive the characteristic information (beam characteristic information) of the at least one beam sent by the relay device, and the index information of the at least one beam.

[0159] In some embodiments, the first rule is that the index information of the at least one beam is determined by the network device, the network device can determine the index information of the at least one beam, and can send first configuration information to the relay device, the first configuration information including the index information of the at least one beam. The relay device can determine the index information of the at least one beam according to the first configuration information.

[0160] In some embodiments, the first rule is that the index information of the at least one beam is determined by the relay device and the network device according to a second rule. The second rule is a rule commonly understood by the relay device and the network device, which is specified by a communication protocol or pre-configured. The relay device and the network device can determine the index information of at least one beam on an access link based on the second rule commonly understood.

[0161] In the present embodiment, the characteristic information of the beam can include at least one of the following: the number of beams, the width type of the beam, the spatial relationship between the beams, etc.

[0162] Optionally, the beam width type can include a wide beam, a narrow beam, or a beam width of 3dB, etc., the spatial relationship between beams can include the angle of the vertical direction (the vertical angle with the antenna panel) and / or the horizontal direction (the horizontal angle with the antenna panel) of the boresight of the beam, the containing and contained relationship of the spatial coverage of the beam, the spatial coverage of the beam, etc.

[0163] In some embodiments, the network device can determine what the first rule is according to the provisions of the communication protocol or pre-configuration.

[0164] In some embodiments, the network device can receive the first indication information sent by the relay device, the first indication information being used to indicate the first rule.

[0165] In some embodiments, after the relay device determines the index information of the at least one beam, the network device can further send second configuration information to the relay device, the second configuration information including the index information of the at least one beam, and the relay device can determine the correspondence between the index information of the at least one beam and the at least one physical beam according to the received second configuration information.

[0166] In the embodiments of the present application, the information transmitted between the relay device and the network device (including the characteristic information of the at least one beam, the index information of the at least one beam, the first configuration information, the second configuration information, the first indication information, etc.) can be included in the radio resource control (RRC) signaling or the operation management and maintenance (OAM) signaling.

[0167] In summary, by determining the index information of the at least one beam on the access link according to the first rule, the first rule being at least one of: the index information of the at least one beam being determined by the relay device, the index information of the at least one beam being determined by the network device, the index information of the at least one beam being determined by the relay device and the network device according to the second rule, the network device and the relay device can determine the mapping relationship between the logical index of the beam and each actual physical beam, and the network device and the relay device can determine the index of the beam on the access link, which facilitates subsequent beam-based communication, effectively improves the system communication efficiency, and improves the system coverage.

[0168] Please refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 is a flowchart of a beam indication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. It should be noted that the beam indication method of the embodiments of the present application is executed by the network device. The method can be executed independently, or can be executed in combination with any other embodiment of the present application. For example, Figure 7As shown, the method can include the following steps:

[0169] At step 701, receiving, by the network device, the characteristic information and the index information of the at least one beam on the access link sent by the relay device.

[0170] In an embodiment of the present application, the first rule is that the index information of the at least one beam on the access link is determined by the relay device. The network device can receive the characteristic information of the at least one beam on the access link and the index information of the at least one beam sent by the relay device.

[0171] In an embodiment of the present application, the characteristic information of the beam can include at least one of the following: the number of beams, the width type of the beam, the spatial relationship between the beams, and the like.

[0172] Optionally, the width type of the beam can include wide beam, narrow beam, or 3dB beam width, and the like, the spatial relationship between the beams can include the angle of the vertical direction (the vertical angle with the antenna panel) and / or the horizontal direction (the horizontal angle with the antenna panel) of the boresight of the beam, the containing and contained relationship of the beam in the spatial coverage range, the spatial coverage range of the beam, and the like.

[0173] In an embodiment of the present application, the characteristic information of the beam sent by the relay device to the network device can be used for the network device to correspond the at least one physical beam with the index information of the at least one beam.

[0174] Optionally, the network device can receive the characteristic information of the at least one beam and the corresponding index information of each beam sent by the relay device.

[0175] As an example, the characteristic information and the index information of the beam sent by the relay device received by the network device can be as follows:

[0176] Beam #1 corresponds to wide beam, the horizontal direction angle of the boresight is X°, and the vertical direction angle of the boresight is Y° (wherein X, Y ∈ [0, 360]).

[0177] In some embodiments, the network device can determine, according to the provision or pre-configuration of the communication protocol, that the first rule is that the index of the at least one beam is determined by the relay device. After the relay device determines the index of the at least one beam, the relay device can send it to the network device.

[0178] In some embodiments, the network device can receive the first indication information sent by the relay device, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the first rule is that the index information of the at least one beam is determined by the relay device.

[0179] Optionally, the first indication information can be another indication information, or the index information of the at least one beam, that is, after receiving the index information of the at least one beam sent by the relay device, the network device can determine that the first rule is to determine the index information of the at least one beam by the relay device, and determine the index of the at least one beam on the access link according to the characteristic information and the index information sent by the relay device.

[0180] In some embodiments, after the relay device determines the index information of the at least one beam, the network device can further send second configuration information to the relay device, wherein the second configuration information includes the index information of the at least one beam, and the relay device can determine the correspondence between the index information of the at least one beam and at least one physical beam according to the received second configuration information.

[0181] Optionally, the second configuration information can include index information of at least one beam update, and the relay device can update the index information of the at least one beam according to the received second configuration information.

[0182] As an example, the relay device determines that the beam ID (such as beam #1 corresponds to a wide beam, the horizontal boresight is X°, and the vertical boresight is Y°), and the relay device receives the second configuration information sent by the network device, wherein the second configuration information includes the index information of the beam: beam #1 corresponds to a narrow beam, the horizontal boresight is X°, and the vertical boresight is Y°, then the relay device updates the index information of the beam according to the second configuration information, and considers that the physical beam corresponding to the beam ID #1 is a narrow beam, the horizontal boresight is X°, and the vertical boresight is Y° (wherein X, Y ∈ [0, 360]).

[0183] In the embodiments of the present application, the information transmitted between the relay device and the network device (including the characteristic information of the at least one beam, the index information of the at least one beam, the second configuration information, the first indication information, etc.) can be included in the radio resource control (RRC) signaling or the operation management and maintenance (OAM) signaling.

[0184] In summary, by receiving the characteristic information of the at least one beam on the access link and the index information of the at least one beam sent by the relay device, the network device and the relay device can determine the mapping relationship between the logical index of the beam and each actual physical beam, and the network device and the relay device can determine the index of the beam on the access link, which facilitates subsequent beam-based communication, effectively improves the system communication efficiency, and improves the system coverage.

[0185] See Figure 8 , Figure 8is a flowchart of a beam indication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. It should be noted that the beam indication method of the present embodiment is performed by a network device. The method can be performed independently, or in combination with any other embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 8 the method can include the following steps:

[0186] Step 801: receiving characteristic information of at least one beam on an access link sent by a relay device.

[0187] In the present embodiment, the first rule is that the network device determines index information of at least one beam on an access link. The network device can receive characteristic information of at least one beam on an access link sent by a relay device.

[0188] In the present embodiment, the characteristic information of the beam can include at least one of the following: the number of beams, the width type of the beam, the spatial relationship between beams, etc.

[0189] Optionally, the beam width type can include wide beams, narrow beams, or 3dB beam width, etc., the spatial relationship between beams can include the angle of the vertical direction (the vertical angle with the antenna panel) and / or the horizontal direction (the horizontal angle with the antenna panel) of the boresight of the beam, the containing and contained relationship of the beam in the spatial coverage range, the spatial coverage range of the beam, etc.

[0190] In some embodiments, the characteristic information of the beam sent by the relay device to the network device can be used by the network device to determine the index information of the at least one beam. The network device can also determine the index information of the at least one beam according to other information (such as deployment information, measurement test information, etc.), or beam characteristic information reported by other devices.

[0191] In some embodiments, the network device can also not know the physical characteristic information of the at least one beam, and only needs to determine the correspondence between the physical beam direction and the beam index information.

[0192] Step 802: sending first configuration information to the relay device, the first configuration information including the index information of the at least one beam.

[0193] In the present embodiment, the first rule is that the network device determines the index information of the at least one beam, and the network device can send first configuration information to the relay device, the first configuration information including the index information of the at least one beam, and the relay device can determine the index information of the at least one beam on the access link according to the first configuration information.

[0194] Optionally, the first configuration information includes characteristic information of the at least one beam and index information corresponding to at least one physical beam.

[0195] As an example, the first configuration information sent by the network device to the relay device can be as follows:

[0196] Beam #1 corresponds to a wide beam, the boresight horizontal angle is 45°, and the boresight vertical angle is 120°.

[0197] Beam #11 corresponds to a narrow beam, the boresight horizontal angle is 45°, and the boresight vertical angle is 120°, and so on.

[0198] It can be understood that the at least one beam of which the network device determines the index information can be all or part of the at least one beam for which the relay device sends the characteristic information, that is, the network device can configure the index information of part of the beams according to other information (such as deployment information, measurement test information, and the like) and configure the index information to the relay device.

[0199] As an example, for example, the characteristic information of the beam sent by the relay device includes that the total number of wide beams is 4, there are a total of 6 narrow beams under each wide beam, and the vertical angle between the pointing direction (boresight) of the wide beam and the antenna panel is 60°, 90°, 120°, and 150° in turn. The network device learns from the deployment or test information that there is no coverage requirement in the 60° direction, and the 90° direction will cause interference to other network devices, so the network device configures beam indexes #1-#14, which correspond to the wide beams with boresight vertical angles of 120° and 150° in turn and the narrow beams contained therein.

[0200] Optionally, beam #1-#2 can correspond to wide beams, beam #3-#8 and beam #9-#14 can correspond to the narrow beams contained in beam #1 and beam #2 respectively, or beam #1 can correspond to a wide beam, beam #2-#7 can correspond to the narrow beams contained in beam #1, beam #8 can correspond to a wide beam, and beam #9-#14 can correspond to the narrow beams contained in beam #8, and so on, which are not limited by the embodiments of the present application.

[0201] In some embodiments, the network device can determine, according to the provisions of the communication protocol or pre-configuration, that the first rule is to determine the index of the at least one beam by the network device. The network device can determine the index information of the at least one beam.

[0202] In some embodiments, the relay device can send first indication information to the network device, the first indication information being used to indicate that the first rule is to determine the index information of the at least one beam by the network device, and the network device can determine the index information of the at least one beam after receiving the first indication information.

[0203] In the embodiments of the present application, the information transmitted between the relay device and the network device (including the characteristic information of the at least one beam, the index information of the at least one beam, the first configuration information, the first indication information, etc.) can be included in the radio resource control (RRC) signaling or the operation management and maintenance (OAM) signaling.

[0204] In summary, by receiving the characteristic information of the at least one beam on the access link sent by the relay device, sending the first configuration information including the index information of the at least one beam to the relay device, the network device and the relay device can determine the mapping relationship between the logical index of the beam and each actual physical beam, and the network device and the relay device can determine the index of the beam on the access link, which facilitates subsequent beam-based communication, effectively improves the system communication efficiency, and improves the system coverage.

[0205] See Figure 9 , Figure 9 is a flowchart of a beam indication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. It should be noted that the beam indication method of the embodiments of the present application is executed by a network device. The method can be executed independently, or can be executed in combination with any other embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 9 , the method can include the following steps:

[0206] Step 901, receiving the characteristic information of the at least one beam on the access link sent by the relay device.

[0207] In the embodiments of the present application, the first rule is to determine the index information of the at least one beam on the access link by the relay device and the network device according to the second rule. The network device can receive the characteristic information of the at least one beam on the access link sent by the relay device.

[0208] In the embodiments of the present application, the characteristic information of the beam can include at least one of the following: the number of beams, the width type of the beam, the spatial relationship between the beams, etc.

[0209] Optionally, the beam width type can include a wide beam, a narrow beam, or a beam width of 3dB, etc., the spatial relationship between beams can include the angle of the vertical direction (the vertical angle with the antenna panel) and / or the horizontal direction (the horizontal angle with the antenna panel) of the boresight of the beam, the containing and contained relationship of the spatial coverage of the beam, the spatial coverage of the beam, etc.

[0210] In some embodiments, the feature information of the beam sent by the relay device to the network device can be used by the network device to determine the index information of the at least one beam according to a second rule.

[0211] In some embodiments, the network device can also not know the physical feature information of the at least one beam, and only needs to determine the correspondence between the physical beam direction and the beam index information.

[0212] Step 902, determining the index information of the at least one beam according to a second rule.

[0213] In the embodiments of the present application, the network device can determine the index information of the at least one beam on the access link according to a second rule.

[0214] The second rule is a rule commonly understood by the relay device and the network device, which is specified by a communication protocol or pre-configured. The relay device and the network device can determine the index information of the at least one beam on the access link based on the second rule commonly understood.

[0215] Optionally, the network device determines the feature information of the at least one beam and the index information corresponding to each beam according to the second rule.

[0216] As an example, the second rule can be: first sorting the wide beams, then sorting the narrow beams in turn, and the index information of all beams is sorted in turn backward. For example, the beam feature information sent by the relay device to the network device includes that the total number of wide beams is 4, and there are 6 narrow beams under each wide beam. The network device can determine the index information #1-#28 of the at least one beam, wherein beams #1-#4 correspond to the 4 wide beams, beams #5-#10 correspond to the 6 narrow beams under the first wide beam (beam #1), beams #11-#16 correspond to the 6 narrow beams under the second wide beam (beam #2), beams #17-#22 correspond to the 6 narrow beams under the third wide beam (beam #3), and beams #23-#28 correspond to the 6 narrow beams under the fourth wide beam (beam #4).

[0217] As another example, the second rule can also be: first sort the wide beams, and then sort the narrow beams in turn, and the index information of all beams is arranged in a hierarchical manner. For example, the total number of wide beams included in the beam feature information sent by the relay device to the network device is 4, and there are a total of 6 narrow beams under each wide beam, so the network device can determine the index information #1~#4-6 of the at least one beam, wherein beam #1 corresponds to the first wide beam, beams #1-1~#1-6 correspond to the 6 narrow beams under the first wide beam (beam #1), beam #2 corresponds to the second wide beam, beams #2-1~#2-6 correspond to the 6 narrow beams under the second wide beam (beam #2), beam #3 corresponds to the third wide beam, beams #3-1~#3-6 correspond to the 6 narrow beams under the third wide beam (beam #3), beam #4 corresponds to the fourth wide beam, and beams #4-1~#4-6 correspond to the 6 narrow beams under the fourth wide beam (beam #4).

[0218] It can be understood that the second rule can also be other rules for determining the index information of each beam, such as first sorting the narrow beams and then sorting the wide beams, and the like, which are not limited herein.

[0219] In some embodiments, after the relay device determines the index information of the at least one beam, the network device can further send second configuration information to the relay device, the second configuration information including the index information of the at least one beam, and the relay device can determine the correspondence between the index information of the at least one beam and the at least one physical beam according to the received second configuration information.

[0220] Optionally, the second configuration information can include index information of at least one beam update, and the relay device can update the index information of the at least one beam according to the received second configuration information.

[0221] As an example, the relay device determines the beam ID (such as beam #1 corresponds to a wide beam, horizontal boresight is X°, and vertical boresight is Y°), and the relay device receives the second configuration information sent by the network device, which includes the index information of the beam: beam #1 corresponds to a narrow beam, horizontal boresight is X°, and vertical boresight is Y°, so the relay device updates the index information of the beam according to the second configuration information, and considers that the physical beam corresponding to the beam ID #1 is a narrow beam, horizontal boresight is X°, and vertical boresight is Y° (wherein X, Y ∈ [0, 360]).

[0222] In some embodiments, the network device can determine, according to a provision of the communication protocol or a pre-configuration, that the first rule is for determining the index of the at least one beam by the relay device and the network device according to the second rule.

[0223] In some embodiments, the network device can further receive first indication information sent by the relay device, the first indication information being used to indicate that the first rule is for determining the index of the at least one beam by the relay device and the network device according to the second rule, and the network device can determine the index information of the at least one beam according to the second rule after receiving the first indication information.

[0224] In the embodiments of the present application, the information transmitted between the relay device and the network device (including the characteristic information of the at least one beam, the second configuration information, the first indication information, etc.) can be included in the radio resource control (RRC) signaling or the operation management and maintenance (OAM) signaling.

[0225] In summary, by sending the characteristic information of the at least one beam on the access link to the network device and receiving the beam indication information sent by the network device, the network device and the relay device can determine the mapping relationship between the logical index of the beam and each actual physical beam, and the network device and the relay device can determine the index of the beam on the access link, which facilitates subsequent beam-based communication, effectively improves the system communication efficiency, and improves the system coverage.

[0226] Corresponding to the beam indication method provided in the above several embodiments, the present application further provides a beam indication apparatus. Since the beam indication apparatus provided in the embodiments of the present application corresponds to the method provided in the above several embodiments, the embodiments of the beam indication method are also applicable to the beam indication apparatus provided in the following embodiments, which will not be described in detail in the following embodiments.

[0227] Please refer to Figure 10 , Figure 10 for a structural schematic diagram of a beam indication apparatus provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0228] As Figure 10 shown, the beam indication apparatus 1000 includes a processing unit 1010, wherein:

[0229] The processing unit 1010 is configured to determine index information of at least one beam on an access link according to a first rule.

[0230] The first rule is at least one of the following:

[0231] The index information is determined by the apparatus.

[0232] The index information is determined by the network device.

[0233] The device and the network device determine the index information according to a second rule.

[0234] Optionally, the first rule is that the relay device determines the index information, and the processing unit 1010 is specifically configured to:

[0235] send, to the network device, the characteristic information of the at least one beam and the index information.

[0236] Optionally, the first rule is that the network device determines the index information, and the processing unit 1010 is specifically configured to:

[0237] send, to the network device, the characteristic information of the at least one beam;

[0238] receive first configuration information sent by the network device, the first configuration information including the index information.

[0239] Optionally, the first rule is that the relay device and the network device determine the index information according to a second rule, and the processing unit 1010 is specifically configured to:

[0240] send, to the network device, the characteristic information of the at least one beam;

[0241] determine the index information according to the second rule.

[0242] Optionally, the processing unit 1010 is further configured to:

[0243] determine the first rule according to a protocol.

[0244] Optionally, the processing unit 1010 is further configured to:

[0245] send, to the network device, first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the first rule.

[0246] Optionally, the processing unit 1010 is further configured to:

[0247] receive second configuration information sent by the network device, the second configuration information including the index information;

[0248] determine the index information according to the second configuration information.

[0249] Optionally, at least one of the following information is included in radio control resource (RRC) signaling or operation management and maintenance (OAM) signaling:

[0250] the characteristic information of the at least one beam, the index information of the beam, the first configuration information, the second configuration information, and the first indication information.

[0251] The beam indication apparatus of the embodiment can determine the index information of at least one beam on the access link according to a first rule, the first rule being at least one of the following: the index information of the at least one beam being determined by the relay device, the index information of the at least one beam being determined by the network device, the index information of the at least one beam being determined by the relay device and the network device according to a second rule, so that the network device and the relay device can determine the mapping relationship between the logical index of the beam and each actual physical beam, and the network device and the relay device can determine the index of the beam on the access link, facilitating subsequent beam-based communication, effectively improving system communication efficiency, and improving system coverage.

[0252] Please refer to Figure 11 , Figure 11 A structural schematic diagram of a beam indication apparatus provided by the embodiment of the application.

[0253] As Figure 11 indicated, the beam indication apparatus 1100 includes a processing unit 1110, and the processing unit 1110 is configured to:

[0254] The processing unit 1110 is configured to determine index information of at least one beam on an access link according to a first rule.

[0255] The first rule is at least one of the following:

[0256] The index information is determined by the relay device.

[0257] The index information is determined by the apparatus.

[0258] The index information is determined by the relay device and the apparatus according to a second rule.

[0259] Optionally, the first rule is that the index information is determined by the relay device, and the processing unit 1110 is specifically configured to:

[0260] receive characteristic information and the index information of the at least one beam sent by the relay device.

[0261] Optionally, the first rule is that the index information is determined by the network device, and the processing unit 1110 is specifically configured to:

[0262] receive characteristic information of the at least one beam sent by the relay device.

[0263] send first configuration information to the relay device, the first configuration information including the index information.

[0264] Optionally, the first rule is that the index information is determined by the relay device and the network device according to a second rule, and the processing unit 1110 is specifically configured to:

[0265] receive the characteristic information of the at least one beam transmitted by the relay device;

[0266] determine the index information according to the second rule.

[0267] Optionally, the processing unit 1110 is further configured to:

[0268] determine the first rule according to the agreement.

[0269] Optionally, the processing unit 1110 is further configured to:

[0270] receive first indication information transmitted by the relay device, the first indication information being used to indicate the first rule.

[0271] Optionally, the processing unit 1110 is further configured to:

[0272] transmit second configuration information to the relay device, the second configuration information including the index information, and the second configuration information being used for the relay device to determine the index information.

[0273] Optionally, at least one of the following information is included in radio control resource (RRC) signaling or operation management and maintenance (OAM) signaling:

[0274] the characteristic information of the at least one beam, the index information of the beam, the first configuration information, the second configuration information, and the first indication information.

[0275] The beam indication apparatus of the embodiment can determine the index information of the at least one beam on the access link according to the first rule, the first rule being at least one of the following: the index information of the at least one beam is determined by the relay device, the index information of the at least one beam is determined by the network device, and the index information of the at least one beam is determined by the relay device and the network device according to the second rule, so that the network device and the relay device can determine the mapping relationship between the logical index of the beam and each actual physical beam, and the network device and the relay device can determine the index of the beam on the access link, facilitating subsequent beam-based communication, effectively improving system communication efficiency, and improving system coverage.

[0276] To implement the above-mentioned embodiments, the embodiment of the present application further proposes a communication apparatus, comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program, and the processor executing the computer program stored in the memory to enable the apparatus to perform Figures 2 to 5 the method shown in the embodiment.

[0277] To implement the above-mentioned embodiments, the embodiment of the present application further proposes a communication apparatus, comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program, and the processor executing the computer program stored in the memory to enable the apparatus to performFigures 6 to 9 The method shown in the embodiment.

[0278] To achieve the above-mentioned embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide a communication device, comprising: a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit is used for receiving code instructions and transmitting to the processor, the processor is used for running the code instructions to execute Figures 2 to 6 The method shown in the embodiment.

[0279] To achieve the above-mentioned embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide a communication device, comprising: a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit is used for receiving code instructions and transmitting to the processor, the processor is used for running the code instructions to execute Figures 6 to 9 The method shown in the embodiment.

[0280] Please see Figure 12 , Figure 12 is a structural diagram of another beam indication device provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure. The beam indication device 1200 can be a network device, a terminal device, a chip, a chip system, or a processor supporting the implementation of the network device or the terminal device to perform the above-mentioned method, and the like. The device can be used to implement the method described in the above-mentioned method embodiments. For details, please refer to the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0281] The beam indication device 1200 can include one or more processors 1201. The processor 1201 can be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, etc. For example, it can be a baseband processor or a central processor. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processor can be used to control the beam indication device (such as a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute a computer program, and process data of the computer program.

[0282] Optionally, the beam indication device 1200 can further include one or more memories 1202, which can have a computer program 1203 stored thereon. The processor 1201 executes the computer program 1203 to enable the beam indication device 1200 to perform the method described in the above-mentioned method embodiments. The computer program 1203 can be fixed in the processor 1201, and in this case, the processor 1201 can be implemented by hardware.

[0283] Optionally, the memory 1202 can also store data. The beam indication device 1200 and the memory 1202 can be separately arranged or integrated together.

[0284] Optionally, the beam indication apparatus 1200 can further include a transceiver 1205, an antenna 1206. The transceiver 1205 can be referred to as a transceiving unit, a transceiver, or a transceiving circuit, etc., for realizing transceiving functions. The transceiver 1205 can include a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver can be referred to as a receiver or a receiving circuit, etc., for realizing receiving functions; the transmitter can be referred to as a transmitter or a transmitting circuit, etc., for realizing transmitting functions.

[0285] Optionally, the beam indication apparatus 1200 can further include one or more interface circuits 1207. The interface circuit 1207 is used to receive code instructions and transmit to the processor 1201. The processor 1201 runs the code instructions to make the beam indication apparatus 1200 perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0286] In an implementation manner, the processor 1201 can include a transceiver for realizing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the transceiver can be a transceiving circuit, or an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiving circuit, the interface, or the interface circuit for realizing receiving and transmitting functions can be separate or integrated together. The above transceiving circuit, interface, or interface circuit can be used for reading and writing of codes / data, or the above transceiving circuit, interface, or interface circuit can be used for transmission or transfer of signals.

[0287] In an implementation manner, the beam indication apparatus 1200 can include a circuit, which can realize the functions of sending or receiving or communicating in the foregoing method embodiments. The processor and the transceiver described in the present disclosure can be implemented on an integrated circuit (IC), an analog IC, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), a mixed-signal IC, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a printed circuit board (PCB), an electronic device, etc. The processor and the transceiver can also be manufactured by various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), N-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS), P-type metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS), bipolar junction transistor (BJT), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0288] The beam pointing device described in the above embodiments can be a network device or a relay device, but the scope of the beam pointing device described in this disclosure is not limited to this, and the structure of the beam pointing device can be unrestricted. Figures 10-11 The limitations apply. A beam pointing device can be a standalone device or part of a larger device. For example, a beam pointing device can be:

[0289] (1) Independent integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem;

[0290] (2) A collection of one or more ICs, optionally including storage components for storing data and computer programs;

[0291] (3) ASIC, such as modem;

[0292] (4) Modules that can be embedded in other devices;

[0293] (5) Receivers, terminal equipment, smart terminal equipment, cellular phones, wireless equipment, handheld devices, mobile units, vehicle-mounted equipment, network equipment, cloud equipment, artificial intelligence equipment, etc.

[0294] (6) Others, etc.

[0295] For cases where the beam pointing device can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 13 The diagram shows the structure of the chip. Figure 13 The chip shown includes a processor 1301 and an interface 1302. There can be one or more processors 1301, and multiple interfaces 1302.

[0296] For cases where the chip is used to implement the functions of the relay device in the embodiments of this disclosure:

[0297] Interface 1302 is used for code instructions and their transmission to the processor;

[0298] Processor 1301 is used to run code instructions to perform tasks such as Figures 2 to 5 The method.

[0299] For cases where the chip is used to implement the functions of the network device in the embodiments of this disclosure:

[0300] Interface 1302 is used for code instructions and their transmission to the processor;

[0301] Processor 1301 is used to run code instructions to perform tasks such as Figures 6 to 9 The method.

[0302] Optionally, the chip further comprises a memory 1303, which is configured to store necessary computer programs and data.

[0303] Those skilled in the art can understand that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps listed in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. Whether the function is implemented by hardware or software depends on the specific application and design requirements of the whole system. Those skilled in the art can use various methods to implement the function for each specific application, but such implementation should not be understood as beyond the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0304] The embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a communication system, which comprises the foregoing Figures 10-11 The beam indication apparatus as a relay device and the beam indication apparatus as a network device in the embodiments, or the communication system comprises the foregoing Figure 12 The beam indication apparatus as a relay device and the beam indication apparatus as a network device in the embodiments.

[0305] The present disclosure further provides a readable storage medium, which stores instructions, and the instructions are executed by a computer to realize the functions of any one of the method embodiments.

[0306] The present disclosure further provides a computer program product, which is executed by a computer to realize the functions of any one of the method embodiments.

[0307] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs. When the computer programs are loaded on a computer and executed, all or part of the processes or functions according to the embodiments of the present disclosure are generated. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer programs can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer programs can be transferred from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired (for example, coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (for example, infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (for example, floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), optical media (for example, high-density digital video disc (digital video disc, DVD)), or semiconductor media (for example, solid state disk (solid state disk, SSD)) and the like.

[0308] Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that the first, second, and the like various numerical designations involved in the present disclosure are only for the convenience of description and do not limit the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor represent the order of precedence.

[0309] At least one of the present disclosure can also be described as one or more, and the plurality can be two, three, four or more, and the present disclosure does not limit. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, for a technical feature, the technical features in the technical feature are distinguished by "first", "second", "third", "A", "B", "C" and "D", and there is no order or size order between the technical features described by "first", "second", "third", "A", "B", "C" and "D".

[0310] The correspondence shown in each table in the present disclosure can be configured or predefined. The values of the information in each table are merely examples, and other values can be configured, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. When configuring the correspondence between the information and each parameter, it is not necessarily required to configure all the correspondences shown in each table. For example, the correspondences shown in some rows in the table in the present disclosure can also not be configured. For another example, the above tables can be appropriately deformed, such as split, merged, and the like. The names of the parameters shown in the titles of the above tables can also use other names understandable by the communication device, and the values or representations of the parameters can also use other values or representations understandable by the communication device. The above tables can also use other data structures when implemented, such as array, queue, container, stack, linear table, pointer, linked list, tree, graph, structure, class, heap, hash table, or the like.

[0311] The predefinition in the present disclosure can be understood as definition, predefinition, storage, prestorage, prenegotiation, preconfiguration, solidification, or pre-burning.

[0312] Those skilled in the art can understand that the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are realized in hardware or software 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 present disclosure.

[0313] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0314] It should be understood that the steps shown in the above various forms of flow can be reordered, added or deleted. For example, the steps described in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be executed in parallel, sequentially or in different orders, as long as the desired results of the technical solutions disclosed in the present disclosure can be achieved, and the present disclosure is not limited herein.

[0315] The above detailed description does not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of the present application. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and substitutions can be made according to design requirements and other factors. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A beam pointing method, characterized in that, The method comprises: A network control relay NCR determines index information of at least one beam on an access link; Characteristic information of the at least one beam is included in operation administration and maintenance OAM signaling; The characteristic information includes a horizontal direction angle of the beam and a vertical direction angle of the beam.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: Sending the characteristic information and the index information of the at least one beam to a network device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The method further comprises: Receiving configuration information sent by the network device, wherein the configuration information includes the index information; According to the configuration information, the index information is determined.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, At least one of the following information is included in radio control resource RRC signaling or the OAM signaling: The index information; Configuration information sent by the network device. 5.A method for indicating a beam, the method comprising: The method is performed by a network device, and the method comprises: Determining index information of at least one beam on an access link; Characteristic information of the at least one beam is included in operation administration and maintenance OAM signaling; The characteristic information includes a horizontal direction angle of the beam and a vertical direction angle of the beam.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The determination of the index information of the at least one beam on the access link comprises: Receiving characteristic information and the index information of the at least one beam sent by a network control relay NCR.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The method further comprises: Sending configuration information to the NCR relay device, wherein the configuration information includes the index information, and the configuration information is used for the NCR to determine the index information.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that, At least one of the following information is included in radio control resource RRC signaling or the OAM signaling: The index information; The configuration information sent by the network device. 9.A network control relay NCR, comprising: A processing unit configured to determine index information of at least one beam on an access link; Characteristic information of the at least one beam is included in operation administration and maintenance OAM signaling; The characteristic information includes a horizontal direction angle of the beam and a vertical direction angle of the beam. 10.A network device, comprising: A processing unit configured to determine index information of at least one beam on an access link; Characteristic information of the at least one beam is included in operation administration and maintenance OAM signaling; The characteristic information includes a horizontal direction angle of the beam and a vertical direction angle of the beam.

11. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus comprises a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program stored in the memory to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 4.

12. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus comprises a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program stored in the memory to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 5 to 8.

13. A communications device, characterized by Comprising: A processor and an interface circuit; The interface circuit is configured to receive code instructions and transmit the code instructions to the processor; The processor is configured to run the code instructions to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 4.

14. A communications device, characterized by Comprising: A processor and an interface circuit; The interface circuit is configured to receive code instructions and transmit the code instructions to the processor; The processor is configured to execute the code instructions to perform the method of any one of claims 5 to 8.

15. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 4 to be implemented.

16. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 5 to 8 to be implemented.

17. A communication system, characterized by The communication system comprises: a network control relay, NCR, configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 4; a network device configured to perform the method of any one of claims 5 to 8.

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