Beam scanning method and apparatus, computer readable storage medium

Abstract

A beam scanning method and device, and a computer readable storage medium, the beam scanning method comprising: obtaining obstacle information in a coverage range and position information of a target UE; determining an optimal beam corresponding to the target UE based on the obstacle information and the position information of the target UE. The above scheme can reduce the complexity of the beam scanning process.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of wireless communication, and in particular to a beam scanning method and device, and a computer readable storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the evolution of wireless communication technology, its working frequency band is developing towards higher frequency bands such as millimeter wave, terahertz and visible light. In order to make up for the smaller coverage of high frequency communication, a smaller beam angle beam is used in millimeter wave and higher frequency communication, so more beams need to be used for beam scanning.

[0003] In the prior art, it is usually necessary to determine the optimal beam corresponding to a user equipment (UE) through a beam scanning process. In the existing beam scanning process, assuming that there are M beams on the base station side and N beams on the UE side, M*N beam pairs need to be established. With the increase of the number of beams, the complexity of the beam scanning process will greatly increase. SUMMARY

[0004] The technical problem solved by the embodiments of the present application is that the complexity of the beam scanning process is high.

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a beam scanning method, comprising: obtaining obstacle information in a coverage range and position information of a target UE; determining an optimal beam corresponding to the target UE based on the obstacle information and the position information of the target UE.

[0006] Optionally, the obtaining of the obstacle information in the coverage range comprises: transmitting a probe signal in the coverage range, determining first obstacle information in the coverage range according to a echo of the probe signal; and taking the first obstacle information as the obstacle information in the coverage range.

[0007] Optionally, the obtaining of the obstacle information in the coverage range comprises: transmitting a probe signal in the coverage range, determining first obstacle information in the coverage range according to a echo of the probe signal; obtaining a detection range of the target UE and second obstacle information detected by the target UE in the detection range; and taking the first obstacle information and the second obstacle information as the obstacle information.

[0008] Optionally, before the obtaining of the detection range of the target UE and the second obstacle information detected by the target UE in the detection range, the method further comprises: after determining that the target UE has detection capability, instructing the target UE to perform a detection operation, so that the target UE reports the detection range and the second obstacle information.

[0009] Optionally, the acquiring the position information of the target UE comprises: receiving first position information reported by the target UE; acquiring the first obstacle information; determining an obstacle related to the target UE according to the first position information and the first obstacle information; comparing position information corresponding to the obstacle related to the target UE with the second obstacle information to acquire second position information of the target UE, and taking the second position information as the position information of the target UE.

[0010] Optionally, the acquiring the position information of the target UE comprises: receiving first position information reported by the target UE; acquiring the first obstacle information; determining an obstacle related to the target UE according to the first position information and the first obstacle information; comparing position information corresponding to the obstacle related to the target UE with the second obstacle information to acquire second position information of the target UE, and taking the second position information as the position information of the target UE.

[0011] Optionally, the acquiring the position information of the target UE comprises: receiving first position information reported by the target UE; acquiring the first obstacle information; determining an obstacle related to the target UE according to the first position information and the first obstacle information; comparing position information corresponding to the obstacle related to the target UE with the second obstacle information to acquire second position information of the target UE, and taking the second position information as the position information of the target UE.

[0012] To solve the above technical problem, the embodiment of the present application further provides a beam scanning device, comprising: an acquiring unit, configured to acquire obstacle information in a coverage range and position information of a target UE; a determining unit, configured to determine an optimal beam corresponding to the target UE based on the obstacle information and the position information of the target UE.

[0013] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer readable storage medium, which is a non-volatile storage medium or a non-transient storage medium, and has stored thereon a computer program, which, when run on a processor, performs the steps of the beam scanning method according to any one of the above embodiments.

[0014] The embodiment of the present application further provides another beam scanning device, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory has stored thereon a computer program capable of running on the processor, and the processor, when running the computer program, performs the steps of the beam scanning method according to any one of the above embodiments.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the technical scheme of the embodiment of the present application has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] The obstacle information in the coverage range and the position information of the target UE are acquired, and the optimal beam corresponding to the target UE is determined. Since the optimal first beam is determined according to the obstacle information in the coverage range and the position information of the target UE, the optimal first beam can be determined without full-angle beam scanning, so that the complexity of the beam scanning process can be effectively reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1is a flow chart of a beam scanning method in an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a beam scanning device in an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 3 is an application scenario diagram of a beam scanning method in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] As described in the above background, in the current beam scanning process, the base station side transmits M beams to cover a range of 360°. As the beam angle of the beam becomes smaller, the number of beams that need to be transmitted by the base station side increases, so that the complexity of the beam scanning process also greatly increases.

[0021] In an embodiment of the present application, since the optimal first beam is determined according to the obstacle information in the coverage range and the position information of the target UE, the optimal first beam can be determined without full-angle beam scanning, so that the complexity of the beam scanning process can be effectively reduced.

[0022] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] An embodiment of the present application provides a beam scanning method, referring to Figure 1 , which will be described in detail through specific steps.

[0024] In an embodiment of the present application, the beam scanning method provided in the following steps S101-S102 can be executed by the base station. Specifically, the following steps S101-S102 can be executed by a chip with data processing capability in the base station, or by a chip module containing a data processing chip in the base station.

[0025] Step S101, obtaining obstacle information in a coverage range and position information of a target UE.

[0026] In a specific implementation, the base station can obtain the obstacle information in the coverage range. The coverage range of the base station can be a range that can be covered by the signal of the base station. The obstacle information can include obstacle distribution information, which can represent the directions in which there are obstacles within the coverage range of the base station.

[0027] In the embodiment of the present application, the obstacle information can further include a reflection area corresponding to each obstacle, a reflection coefficient corresponding to each obstacle, and the like. By obtaining the reflection area corresponding to each obstacle and the reflection coefficient corresponding to each obstacle, the area size corresponding to each obstacle and the surface material of the obstacle can be calculated, and then the type of the obstacle can be calculated. The type of the obstacle can be a pedestrian, a vehicle, a building, and the like.

[0028] For example, according to the reflection area of the obstacle and the reflection coefficient corresponding to the obstacle, it is determined that the obstacle is a building. In combination with the distribution information of the obstacle, the distribution of the obstacle and the type of the obstacle in each direction within the coverage range of the base station can be determined.

[0029] In a specific implementation, the base station can transmit a probe signal within the coverage range, and determine the first obstacle information within the coverage range according to the echo of the probe signal. When the base station is located in an open space, for example, the base station is located on the roadside, and the number of obstacles within the coverage range of the base station is small, the first obstacle information obtained by the base station can be directly used as the obstacle information within the coverage range.

[0030] In a specific application, there can be many obstacles within the coverage range of the base station, or there can be a building within the coverage range of the base station. When there is a building within the coverage range of the base station, the signal transmitted by the base station can not cover the back of the building, so that the base station cannot configure an optimal beam for a user equipment located at the back of the building, and the signal quality of the user equipment located at the back of the building is poor.

[0031] In the embodiment of the present application, after obtaining the first obstacle information within the coverage range, the base station can further obtain the probe range of the target UE and the second obstacle information detected by the target UE within the probe range. The base station can combine the first obstacle information and the second obstacle information to obtain the required obstacle information.

[0032] After accessing the base station, the target UE can report capability information to the base station. The UE capability information can include whether the target UE has a detection capability, and if the target UE has a detection capability, the probe range corresponding to the target UE. After accessing the base station, the target UE can further report the corresponding geographic location information to the base station. The steps of reporting the capability information to the base station and reporting the geographic location information to the base station have no logical order. Specifically, the target UE can first report the capability to the base station, and then report the geographic location information to the base station; or the target UE can first report the geographic location information to the base station, and then report the capability information to the base station; or the target UE can report the geographic location information and the capability information to the base station at the same time, and the geographic location information and the capability information can be carried by the same signaling or different signaling.

[0033] After receiving the UE capability information corresponding to the target UE, the base station can determine whether to trigger the target UE to perform a detection operation according to the obtained first obstacle information, the position information of the target UE, and the capability information of the target UE.

[0034] If the target UE has the detection capability, and the base station determines to trigger the target UE to perform the detection operation, the base station can send indication information to the target UE. After receiving the indication information, the target UE can perform the detection operation to obtain second obstacle information in a detection range. The target UE can report the second obstacle information obtained by the detection to the base station.

[0035] In the embodiment of the present application, the second obstacle information can include the number of obstacles in the detection range, the distribution information of the obstacles, the reflection area of the obstacles, and the reflection coefficient of the obstacles, etc.

[0036] In a specific implementation, the base station can be provided with a sensing unit, and the number of the sensing units can be one or more. Through the sensing unit, the base station can sense the obstacle information in the coverage range.

[0037] In the embodiment of the present application, the sensing unit can be a radar unit, which transmits a detection signal to obtain the obstacle information in the coverage range. The sensing unit can also be an antenna module of the base station. In the process of sensing, the base station can control the antenna module to transmit an omnidirectional beam, and the omnidirectional beam transmitted by the antenna module is the detection signal. The base station can receive the reflection signal corresponding to the omnidirectional beam, and then determine the obstacle information in the coverage range.

[0038] Using the antenna module of the base station as the sensing unit can not need to increase additional hardware devices, so there is no need to increase the corresponding cost. In the prior art, after the base station controls the antenna module to transmit an omnidirectional beam, it essentially only receives the measurement results of one or more beams corresponding to the feedback of the UE, and other beams are essentially not fully utilized.

[0039] For example, the base station controls the antenna module to transmit 12 beams, and the 12 beams cover a range of 360°. However, the UE can only measure the beams in two directions and feed back, and the remaining 10 beams are not fully utilized.

[0040] In the embodiment of the present application, after the base station controls the antenna module to transmit an omnidirectional beam, it receives the reflection signal corresponding to all beams, and then determines the obstacle information in the coverage range, so the utilization efficiency of the beam can be improved.

[0041] For example, the base station controls the antenna module to transmit 12 beams, and the 12 beams cover a range of 360°. However, the UE can only measure the beams in 2 directions and feed back. However, the base station can receive the reflected signals corresponding to the 12 beams, and therefore the 12 beams are fully utilized.

[0042] It can be understood that the perception unit can also be other types of units as long as the obstacle information in the coverage range can be acquired, and the specific type of the perception unit does not limit the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0043] In the embodiments of the present application, the target UE can acquire the geographical position information of itself as the first position information. After establishing a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the base station, the target UE can report the first position information to the base station, so that the base station can acquire the first position information of the target UE. After acquiring the first position information reported by the target UE, the base station can directly use the first position information of the target UE as the position information of the target UE.

[0044] In specific applications, the target UE can acquire the geographical position information of itself according to a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) module built-in in the target UE, or can acquire the geographical position information of itself based on a cellular network wireless positioning method. If the target UE is a vehicle-mounted mobile terminal, the target UE can also acquire the geographical position information of itself through a location area identifier (such as Zone ID).

[0045] In the embodiments of the present application, the base station can also actively acquire the first position information of the target UE. For example, when the target UE accesses the base station, the base station acquires the geographical position information of the target UE through cellular base station positioning or the like.

[0046] In specific implementations, the first position information corresponding to the target UE can reflect a rough position corresponding to the target UE. In some application scenarios, the first position information corresponding to the target UE can not accurately reflect the accurate position of the target UE. For example, if the target UE is blocked by a building, the first position information acquired through GNSS positioning or cellular base station positioning or the like substantially has a large error.

[0047] To obtain more accurate position information of the target UE, the base station can also obtain the first obstacle information, and then the base station can determine the obstacle related to the target UE by combining the first obstacle information and the first position information reported by the target UE. The base station can compare the position information corresponding to the obstacle related to the target UE with the second obstacle information reported by the target UE, so as to determine the second position information of the target UE. Compared with the first position information, the second position information can more accurately reflect the position information of the target UE.

[0048] In the embodiment of the application, the obtained second position information of the target UE is used as the position information of the target UE.

[0049] Reference Figure 3 , the application scenario of a beam scanning method in the embodiment of the application is given.

[0050] Figure 3 In the embodiment of the application, the base station sends beams in different directions in the coverage range to obtain the first obstacle information in the coverage range. There is a target building in the coverage range of the base station, and the target UE is blocked by the target building. At this time, the first position information obtained by the target UE through its own GNSS system has poor accuracy. The target UE reports the obtained first position information to the base station. The base station determines that the target UE is near the target building according to the first position information of the target UE and the first obstacle information.

[0051] The base station learns that the target UE has the detection capability, and instructs the target UE to perform the detection operation. After receiving the instruction issued by the base station, the target UE reports the detection range and the second obstacle information to the base station. In the second obstacle information, the target building information is included.

[0052] After receiving the detection range and the second obstacle information of the target UE, the base station compares the position information corresponding to the target building with the second obstacle information, and determines that the target UE is blocked by the target building.

[0053] In the embodiment of the application, the target UE being blocked by the target building means that the beam sent by the base station is blocked by the target building, so that the target UE cannot directly receive the beam sent by the base station.

[0054] In the embodiment of the present application, there is no logical sequence between the step of acquiring the first obstacle information in the coverage range by the base station and the step of acquiring the position information of the target UE. That is, the base station can simultaneously perform the step of acquiring the first obstacle information in the coverage range and the step of acquiring the position information of the target UE, or perform the step of acquiring the first obstacle information in the coverage range first and then perform the step of acquiring the position information of the target UE, or perform the step of acquiring the position information of the target UE first and then perform the step of acquiring the first obstacle information in the coverage range.

[0055] In step S102, the optimal beam corresponding to the target UE is determined based on the obstacle information and the position information of the target UE.

[0056] In a specific implementation, after the base station acquires the obstacle information and the position information of the target UE, the optimal beam corresponding to the target UE can be determined.

[0057] In the embodiment of the present application, if there is an obstacle between the base station and the target UE, the beam transmitted by the base station cannot be directly received by the target UE. At this time, the optimal beam determined by the base station can be a beam that can be received by the target UE after reflection.

[0058] In the embodiment of the present application, if the base station can receive the second obstacle information detected by the target UE, the base station can reconstruct the object distribution information in the coverage range according to the first obstacle information, the second obstacle information and the position information of the target UE, and then determine the optimal beam according to the object distribution information.

[0059] In an embodiment of the present application, the base station can reconstruct a 3D map in the coverage range, and determine the optimal beam according to the 3D map and the position information of the target UE.

[0060] As can be seen from the above, in the embodiment of the present application, the optimal first beam is determined according to the obstacle information in the coverage range and the position information of the target UE, so that the optimal first beam can be determined without full-angle beam scanning, thereby effectively reducing the complexity of the beam scanning process.

[0061] Reference Figure 2 A beam scanning device 20 in the embodiment of the present application is given, which comprises an acquisition unit 201 and a determination unit 202, wherein:

[0062] The acquisition unit 201 is configured to acquire obstacle information in a coverage range and position information of a target UE.

[0063] The determination unit 202 is configured to determine an optimal beam corresponding to the target UE based on the obstacle information and the position information of the target UE.

[0064] In a specific implementation, the specific execution procedures of the acquisition unit 201 and the determination unit 202 described above can correspond to steps S101-S102, and the embodiments of the present application will not be described in detail.

[0065] In a specific implementation, each module / unit contained in each device / product described in the above embodiments can be a software module / unit, a hardware module / unit, or part of a software module / unit and part of a hardware module / unit.

[0066] For example, for each device / product applied to or integrated into a chip, each module / unit contained therein can be implemented in the form of hardware such as a circuit, or at least part of the modules / units can be implemented in the form of a software program running on a processor integrated in the chip, and the remaining (if any) modules / units can be implemented in the form of hardware such as a circuit; for each device / product applied to or integrated into a chip module, each module / unit contained therein can be implemented in the form of hardware such as a circuit, and different modules / units can be located in the same component (for example, a chip, a circuit module, etc.) or different components of the chip module, or at least part of the modules / units can be implemented in the form of a software program running on a processor integrated in the chip module, and the remaining (if any) modules / units can be implemented in the form of hardware such as a circuit; for each device / product applied to or integrated into a terminal, each module / unit contained therein can be implemented in the form of hardware such as a circuit, and different modules / units can be located in the same component (for example, a chip, a circuit module, etc.) or different components of the terminal, or at least part of the modules / units can be implemented in the form of a software program running on a processor integrated in the terminal, and the remaining (if any) modules / units can be implemented in the form of hardware such as a circuit.

[0067] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer readable storage medium, which is a non-volatile storage medium or a non-transitory storage medium, and has stored thereon a computer program. The computer program is run on a processor to perform the steps of the beam scanning method provided in any of the above embodiments.

[0068] The embodiments of the present application also provide another beam scanning device, which includes a memory and a processor. The memory has stored thereon a computer program capable of being run on the processor. The processor executes the computer program to perform the steps of the beam scanning method provided in any of the above embodiments.

[0069] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the steps of various methods in the above embodiments can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through programs, and the programs can be stored in a computer readable storage medium, which can include ROM, RAM, magnetic disk or optical disk, etc.

[0070] Although the present application is disclosed by the above, the present application is not limited to this. Any person skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application, and the protection scope of the present application should be limited by the scope defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A method of beam sweeping, the method comprising: The method comprises the following steps: obtaining obstacle information in a coverage range and position information of a target UE; the step of obtaining the obstacle information in the coverage range comprises the following steps: transmitting a probe signal in the coverage range, and determining first obstacle information in the coverage range according to a return wave of the probe signal; 2.The beam scanning method of claim 1, wherein, obtaining a detection range of the target UE and second obstacle information detected by the target UE in the detection range; and taking the first obstacle information and the second obstacle information as the obstacle information; determining an optimal beam corresponding to the target UE based on the obstacle information and the position information of the target UE. 3.The beam scanning method of claim 1, wherein, The step of obtaining the obstacle information in the coverage range comprises the following steps: transmitting a probe signal in the coverage range, and determining first obstacle information in the coverage range according to a return wave of the probe signal; 4.The beam scanning method of claim 1 or 3, wherein, taking the first obstacle information as the obstacle information in the coverage range. Before the step of obtaining the detection range of the target UE and the second obstacle information detected by the target UE in the detection range, the method further comprises the following steps: after determining that the target UE has detection capability, instructing the target UE to perform a detection operation, so that the target UE reports the detection range and the second obstacle information. The step of obtaining the position information of the target UE comprises the following steps: receiving first position information reported by the target UE; 5.The beam scanning method of claim 4, wherein, obtaining the first obstacle information; determining an obstacle related to the target UE according to the first position information and the first obstacle information; 6.The beam scanning method of claim 1, wherein, comparing position information corresponding to the obstacle related to the target UE with the second obstacle information, obtaining second position information of the target UE, and taking the second position information as the position information of the target UE. The step of obtaining position information corresponding to all obstacles in the coverage range comprises the following steps: transmitting a probe signal in the coverage range, and determining position information corresponding to all obstacles in the coverage range according to a return wave of the probe signal.

7. A beam scanning apparatus, characterized by comprising: The step of obtaining the position information of the target UE comprises the following steps: receiving first position information reported by the target UE; taking the first position information as the position information of the target UE. The method comprises the following steps:

8. A computer-readable storage medium, which is a non-volatile storage medium or a non-transitory storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, characterized by an obtaining unit is configured to obtain obstacle information in a coverage range and position information of a target UE; 9.A beam scanning apparatus, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory has stored a computer program capable of running on the processor, and the computer program comprises the following steps of: the step of obtaining the obstacle information in the coverage range comprises the following steps: transmitting a probe signal in the coverage range, and determining first obstacle information in the coverage range according to a return wave of the probe signal; obtaining a detection range of the target UE and second obstacle information detected by the target UE in the detection range; and taking the first obstacle information and the second obstacle information as the obstacle information; a determining unit is configured to determine an optimal beam corresponding to the target UE based on the obstacle information and the position information of the target UE. The computer program is run by a processor to execute the steps of the beam scanning method in any one of claims 1-6. The processor runs the computer program to execute the steps of the beam scanning method in any one of claims 1-6.

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