Communication method and related equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and related equipment, and relates to the technical field of communication. The method comprises the following steps: a terminal receives a first signal, the first signal is transmitted to a network node by a network device through a first link, and the first signal is forwarded to the terminal by the network node through a second link; and the terminal sends a third signal to the network device, the third signal is transmitted to the network node through the second link, and the third signal is forwarded to the network device by the network node through the first link. Wherein the network node is used for receiving a second signal from the network equipment through the first link, so as to determine a forwarding codebook or a forwarding beam adopted when the first signal is forwarded to the terminal according to the second signal, or determine whether to forward the first signal to the terminal.

Description

Background Art

[0002] In related technologies, how to use network nodes to assist in signal transmission between network devices and terminals is a technical problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0003] The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, which includes: a terminal receives a first signal, the first signal is transmitted by a network device to a network node via a first link, and is forwarded by the network node to the terminal via a second link; the terminal sends a third signal to the network device, the third signal is transmitted to the network node via the second link, and is forwarded by the network node to the network device via the first link. The network node is used to receive a second signal from the network device via the first link, so as to determine the forwarding codebook or forwarding beam used when forwarding the first signal to the terminal according to the second signal, or to determine whether to forward the first signal to the terminal. In an exemplary embodiment, the method can be executed by a terminal, or the method can be executed by a device (such as a chip, etc.) configured in the terminal.

[0004] The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, the method comprising: a network node receives a second signal from a network device via a first link; the network node receives a first signal from the network device via the first link; the network node determines whether to forward the first signal to a terminal via the second link according to the second signal, or determines a forwarding codebook or forwarding beam used to forward the first signal to the terminal. In an exemplary embodiment, the method may be performed by a network node, or the method may be performed by a device (such as a chip, etc.) configured in the network node.

[0005] The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, the method comprising: a network device sends a second signal to a network node via a first link; the network device sends a first signal to the network node via the first circuit, so that the network node determines whether to forward the first signal to a terminal via the second link, or determines a forwarding codebook or forwarding beam used to forward the first signal to the terminal according to the second signal. In an exemplary embodiment, the method can be performed by a network device (such as a base station), or the method can be performed by a device (such as a chip, etc.) configured in the network device.

[0006] The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a terminal, which includes: a first receiving unit, used to receive a first signal, the first signal is transmitted from a network device to a network node via a first link, and forwarded by the network node to the terminal via a second link; a first sending unit, used for the terminal to send a third signal to the network device, the third signal is transmitted to the network node via the second link, and forwarded by the network node to the network device via the first link. The network node is used to receive a second signal from the network device via the first link, so as to determine the forwarding codebook or forwarding beam used when forwarding the first signal to the terminal according to the second signal, or to determine whether to forward the first signal to the terminal.

[0007] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a network node, which includes: a second receiving unit, used to receive a second signal from a network device via a first link; the second receiving unit is also used to receive a first signal from the network device via the first link; a second processing unit is used to determine whether to forward the first signal to a terminal via the second link according to the second signal, or to determine a forwarding codebook or forwarding beam used to forward the first signal to the terminal.

[0008] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a network device, which includes: a third sending unit, used to send a second signal to a network node via a first link; the third sending unit is also used to send a first signal to the network node via the first circuit, so that the network node determines whether to forward the first signal to a terminal via the second link according to the second signal, or determines a forwarding codebook or forwarding beam used to forward the first signal to the terminal.

[0009] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication system, which includes: a terminal as described in any embodiment of the present disclosure, a network node as described in any embodiment of the present disclosure, and a network device as described in any embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device. In one design, the communication device may include a module corresponding to the method / operation / step / action described in any embodiment of the present disclosure. The module may be a hardware circuit, or software, or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. In one design, the communication device includes: a first receiving unit, for receiving a first signal, the first signal is transmitted from a network device to a network node via a first link, and forwarded by the network node to the terminal via a second link; a first sending unit, for the terminal to send a third signal to the network device, the third signal is transmitted to the network node via the second link, and forwarded by the network node to the network device via the first link. In another design, the communication device includes: a second receiving unit, for receiving a second signal from a network device via a first link; the second receiving unit is also used to receive a first signal from the network device via the first link; a second processing unit, for determining whether to forward the first signal to the terminal via the second link, or determining the forwarding codebook or forwarding beam used to forward the first signal to the terminal according to the second signal. In another design, the communication device includes: a third sending unit, used to send a second signal to the network node via the first link; the third sending unit is also used to send a first signal to the network node via the first circuit, so that the network node determines whether to forward the first signal to the terminal via the second link based on the second signal, or determines the forwarding codebook or forwarding beam used to forward the first signal to the terminal.

[0011] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, comprising: a processor. The processor can implement the method in any embodiment of the present disclosure. Optionally, the communication device also includes a memory, and the processor is coupled to the memory, and can be used to execute a computer program in the memory to implement the method in any embodiment of the present disclosure. Optionally, the communication device also includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication interface can be a transceiver, a pin, a circuit, a bus, a module, or other types of communication interfaces, without limitation.

[0012] In one implementation, the communication device is a terminal. When the communication device is a terminal, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0013] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal. When the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal, the communication interface may be an input / output interface.

[0014] Optionally, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0015] In one implementation, the communication device is a network node. When the communication device is a network node, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0016] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a network node. When the communication device is a chip configured in a network node, the communication interface may be an input / output interface.

[0017] In one implementation, the communication device is a network device. When the communication device is a network device, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0018] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a network device. When the communication device is a chip configured in a network device, the communication interface may be an input / output interface.

[0019] The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a processor, including: an input circuit, an output circuit and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is used to receive a signal through the input circuit and transmit a signal through the output circuit, so that the processor executes the method in any embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] In an exemplary embodiment, the processor may be one or more chips, the input circuit may be an input pin, the output circuit may be an output pin, and the processing circuit may be a transistor, a gate circuit, a trigger, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit may be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit may be output to a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter, for example, but not limited to, and the input circuit and the output circuit may be the same circuit, which is used as an input circuit and an output circuit at different times. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0021] The embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a communication system, including at least one communication device in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, which includes: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute the communication method in any embodiment of the present disclosure by executing the executable instructions.

[0023] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the communication method in any embodiment of the present disclosure is implemented.

[0024] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer program product, including a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the communication method in any embodiment of the present disclosure is implemented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a communication system in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0026] Figure 2 A flow chart of a communication method in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0027] Figure 3 A flow chart showing another communication method in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing a communication method in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing another communication method in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 6 A schematic diagram showing yet another communication method in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 7 A schematic diagram showing yet another communication method in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 8 A schematic diagram showing yet another communication method in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Fig. 9 A flow chart of yet another communication method in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0034] Fig.10 A flow chart of another communication method in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0035] Fig.11 A structural block diagram of a terminal in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0036] Fig.12 A structural block diagram of a network node in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0037] Fig.13 A structural block diagram of a network device in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0038] Fig.14 A structural block diagram of a communication device in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, example embodiments can be implemented in a variety of forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure will be more comprehensive and complete and to fully convey the concepts of the example embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0040] In addition, the accompanying drawings are only schematic diagrams of the present disclosure, and the same reference numerals in the drawings represent the same or similar parts, so their repeated description will be omitted. Some of the block diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings are functional entities, which do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically independent entities. These functional entities can be implemented in software form, or implemented in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or implemented in different networks and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0041] In the present disclosure, at least one (item) can be described as one (item) or more (items), and more (items) can be two (items), three (items), four (items) or more (items), without limitation. " / " can indicate that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can indicate A or B; "and / or" can be used to describe that there are three relationships between associated objects, for example, A and / or B can indicate: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In order to facilitate the description of the technical solution of the present disclosure, the words "first", "second", "A", or "B" can be used to distinguish technical features with the same or similar functions. The words "first", "second", "A", or "B" do not limit the quantity and execution order. Moreover, the words "first", "second", "A", or "B" do not necessarily limit them to be different. The words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or descriptions, and any design described as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other design solutions. The use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a specific way for easy understanding.

[0042] The technology described in the embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited to the Long Term Evolution (LTE) / LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system, but can also be used in other wireless communication systems, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single-carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) and other systems. The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are often used interchangeably, and the described technology can be used for the above-mentioned systems and radio technologies as well as other systems and radio technologies. However, the following description describes a New Radio (NR) system for example purposes, and NR terms are used in most of the following descriptions, although these technologies can also be applied to applications other than NR system applications, such as the 6th Generation (6G) communication system.

[0043] Figure 1 The schematic diagram shows an exemplary working scenario of the communication method and related devices that can be applied to the embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1 As shown, the system architecture may include a network device 110, a user terminal 120 (hereinafter referred to as a user or terminal) and a network node 130. The network node 130 may be a non-base station device such as a smart surface device or a repeater device.

[0044] If the network node is a smart surface device, the smart surface device may optionally have the function of receiving signals and adjusting the phase, amplitude or polarization of external signals; for example, it may only support energy detection or sequence reception functions but not support complex functions such as channel decoding. Optionally, the smart surface device may also support sending its own information to the terminal or base station.

[0045] If the network node is a repeater, the repeater may be any one of multiple repeaters such as direct forwarding, transparent forwarding, amplified forwarding, or demodulating and retransmitting the signal, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0046] With the research and progress of smart surface technology, smart surface technology has been studied and applied in many fields, such as millimeter wave communication, THz communication, high-speed rail and fast-moving scenarios, offshore communication, etc. It is believed that with the development of technology, it will play an increasingly important role. Among them, smart surface devices include but are not limited to: intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) devices, large intelligent surfaces (LIS), smart reflective arrays (SRA) and reconfigurable reflective arrays (RRA).

[0047] Intelligent Reflecting Surface (IRS), also known as Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) (hereinafter referred to as intelligent surface or RIS for convenience of description), is an artificial plane composed of a large number of low-cost passive electromagnetic units that can change the amplitude and phase of the incident signal. It can be composed of three layers of materials and an intelligent controller. The outermost layer of the intelligent surface is a dielectric substrate with a large number of metal patches attached. Each metal patch is an electromagnetic unit. These metal patches directly interact with the incident signal and can change the amplitude and phase of the incident signal; the middle layer is a metal copper plate used to prevent the energy leakage of the incident signal; the innermost layer is a control circuit board controlled by the intelligent controller, which is used to adjust the changes in the amplitude and phase of the incident signal by each unit in the outermost layer. The controller connected to the intelligent surface can be implemented by a field programmable gate array (FPGA). It can not only control the electromagnetic units on the intelligent surface, but also act as a gateway to exchange information at a low rate with other parts of the communication network (such as network equipment, user terminals, etc.) through independent wireless links to achieve the purpose of mutual cooperation. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above structural description of the smart surface is merely illustrative, and the smart surface may have any form according to actual needs, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0048] Figure 1In the wireless communication system shown, the network node 130 is taken as an example of a smart surface, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The signal transmitted by the network device 110 (for example, the first signal described below) can be propagated to the smart surface 130 through an incident path (for example, the first link described below), and reach the user terminal 120 from the smart surface 130 through a reflection path (for example, the second link described below). At the same time, the smart surface 130 can generate a control parameter group for each electromagnetic unit in the smart surface 130 according to the control information sent by the network device 110 (for example, carried in the second signal described below), combined with a predetermined codebook set (for example, the forwarding codebook described below) or a specific electromagnetic unit adjustment algorithm, so as to control each electromagnetic unit (for example, as Figure 1 The smart surface 130 shown includes 36 electromagnetic units, and those skilled in the art can adjust the number of electromagnetic units according to actual conditions, thereby adjusting the electromagnetic wave reflection or transmission characteristics of the smart surface.

[0049] Optionally, the electromagnetic wave reflection or transmission characteristics in this embodiment include but are not limited to: phase, amplitude, polarization characteristics of the reflected electromagnetic wave or the transmitted electromagnetic wave, and energy distribution of the reflected electromagnetic wave or the transmitted electromagnetic wave in space. In specific implementation, those skilled in the art may adjust other characteristics of the smart surface according to actual conditions.

[0050] The user terminal 120 may also be referred to as a terminal device, a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can be widely used in various scenarios, for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, automatic driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, a drone, a helicopter, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a mechanical arm, a smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal.

[0051] The network device 110 may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation Node B (gNB) in a fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc.; it may also be a module or unit that completes some functions of a base station, for example, a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). The network device 20 may be a macro base station, a micro base station or an indoor station, a relay node or a donor node, etc. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device 110. For ease of description, the following description takes a base station as an example of the network device 110.

[0052] Those skilled in the art will know that Figure 1 The number of network devices 110, user terminals 120, and smart surfaces 130 is only illustrative, and any number of network devices, user terminals, and smart surfaces may be provided according to actual needs. This is not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0053] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the functions of the base station may also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the base station, or by a control subsystem including the base station functions. The control subsystem including the base station functions here may be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The functions of the terminal may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal, or by a device including the terminal functions.

[0054] The technical solution provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to wireless communication between communication devices. Wireless communication between communication devices may include: wireless communication between network devices and terminals, wireless communication between network devices and network devices, and wireless communication between terminals. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "wireless communication" may also be referred to as "communication", and the term "communication" may also be described as "data transmission", "information transmission" or "transmission".

[0055] Those skilled in the art will know that Figure 1 The number of terminals and network devices in the figure is only for illustration, and any number of terminals and network devices may be provided according to actual needs, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit this.

[0056] IRS consists of a large number of low-cost passive reflective elements. Each reflective element can independently induce changes in the amplitude and / or phase and / or polarization of the incident signal, that is, reconfigure the wireless propagation environment by controlling reflection. In some cases, the terminal is located in the coverage range of the smart surface device or repeater, but is beyond the coverage range of the base station associated with the smart surface or repeater. At this time, the smart surface device or relay-type device can be used for signal forwarding.

[0057] Figure 2 A flow chart of a communication method in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure may include the following steps.

[0058] In S210, the terminal receives a first signal, where the first signal is transmitted from a network device to a network node via a first link and forwarded by the network node to the terminal via a second link.

[0059] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first signal refers to a signal to be transmitted or sent by a network device to a terminal, which can be relayed and forwarded by a network node. That is, the user terminal receives the first signal, which is transmitted from the network side (e.g., the network device on the network side) to the network node via the first link, and is forwarded by the network node to the user terminal via the second link.

[0060] The network node in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be any forwarding relay device, that is, a device with forwarding or relaying functions, such as RIS, NCR (Network Controlled Repeater) or MIMO (Multi Input Multi Output) antenna array, etc. The following uses RIS as an example, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0061] In S220, the terminal sends a third signal to the network device, the third signal is transmitted to the network node via the second link, and is forwarded by the network node to the network device via the first link.

[0062] The network node is used to receive a second signal from the network device via the first link, so as to determine a forwarding codebook or a forwarding beam to be used when forwarding the first signal to the terminal, or to determine whether to forward the first signal to the terminal according to the second signal.

[0063] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the user terminal sends a third signal to the network side, and the third signal is transmitted to the network node via the second link, and forwarded to the network side by the network node via the first link. The third signal in the embodiment of the present disclosure is that the terminal sends the information it needs to send to the network device through any uplink signal, which can be forwarded or relayed by the network node. The terminal can send the third signal after receiving the above-mentioned first signal. The third signal can be any uplink signal, including PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel), PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel), PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel), SRS (Sounding Reference Signal), etc.

[0064] In an exemplary embodiment, the network side receives the third signal, and according to the third signal, can determine the forwarding codebook or forwarding beam used by the network node when serving the user, that is, can determine the forwarding codebook information or forwarding beam information carried by the second signal sent to the network node next time. The forwarding codebook information refers to information used to determine the forwarding codebook used, and the forwarding beam information refers to information used to determine the forwarding beam used.

[0065] In some embodiments, the third signal may carry the position, direction, beam information, etc. of the UE, so that the network side can obtain the position, direction, beam information, etc. of the UE based on the received third signal, thereby determining the forwarding codebook or forwarding beam used by the network node when forwarding the first signal to the UE.

[0066] RIS is composed of a large number of low-cost electromagnetic units. The reflection / transmission direction of the signal incident on the smart surface can be controlled by adjusting the parameters of each electromagnetic unit, such as the phase, and the signal can be reflected / transmitted in the desired direction. Due to the characteristics of low cost, low power consumption, and easy deployment, RIS is expected to become a candidate technology for 6G wireless communications. Generally, RIS can be controlled by the base station, but it is transparent to the user terminal (UE), that is, the UE may not know the existence of RIS. In the case of transparency to the UE (that is, the UE does not need to know the existence of RIS, and the UE does not need to change its own behavior based on the behavior of RIS), how to use RIS auxiliary signals (such as the first signal) for transmission is a key problem that RIS needs to solve.

[0067] In one embodiment, the network node determines a forwarding beam or a forwarding codebook according to the second signal.

[0068] In an exemplary embodiment, the network node determines a forwarding codebook or a forwarding beam used to forward the first signal according to the second signal, and the second signal is transmitted by the network device to the network node.

[0069] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first signal is transmitted from the network side to the network node via the first link, and the network node detects the second signal, which is transmitted from the network side. The network node determines the forwarding codebook or forwarding beam used to forward the first signal according to the second signal.

[0070] In 5G networks, especially in wireless networks using MassMIMO (Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology, the forwarding codebook is a set of precoding matrices (Precoders Matrix) defined when the UE transmits the context with CSI-RS (Channel State Information-Reference Signal) as the reference signal. It is a matrix with complex-valued elements, which is used to convert the data bits sent to the terminal through PDSCH into another set of data mapped to each antenna port. The main function of the forwarding codebook is to support advanced MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) transmission in wireless networks based on the feedback of channel state information (CSI). By selecting a suitable precoding matrix, the efficiency and reliability of data transmission can be improved. In 5G, codebooks can be divided into two types: Type I and Type II. Type I codebooks select only a specific beam from a group of beams, while Type II codebooks select a group of beams and linearly combine all beams in the group to obtain more accurate CSI feedback and better MIMO precoding effects.

[0071] Beamforming is the process of adjusting the phase and amplitude of each element in the transmitting antenna array so that the transmitted electromagnetic waves form a specific directional beam in space. This technology can increase signal gain, reduce interference, and enhance the transmission effect of signals in a specific direction. By precisely controlling the direction and shape of the beam, accurate coverage of the target user and interference suppression can be achieved.

[0072] In an exemplary embodiment, the forwarding codebook or the forwarding beam is determined by first index information carried by the second signal, and the network node determines the forwarding codebook or the forwarding beam according to the first index information.

[0073] Among the beams supported by the communication device, each beam corresponds to a beamindex (beam index); for example, the beamindex corresponding to N beams is {0, 1, ..., N-1} or {1, 2, ..., N}, where N is a positive integer greater than 0. In the disclosed embodiment, the forwarding codebook or the forwarding beam is determined by the first index information carried by the second signal (which may be the beam information or an indication method of the forwarding beam information below), and the network node may determine the forwarding codebook or the forwarding beam according to the first index or the first index information. For example, the second signal may carry a beam index to indicate which forwarding beam is used to forward the first signal.

[0074] In an exemplary embodiment, the forwarding codebook represents parameters of the antenna of the network node, or parameters of the electromagnetic unit of the network node; the parameters include at least one of the following: phase, amplitude, and polarization characteristics.

[0075] In the disclosed embodiment, the forwarding codebook represents the parameters / weights of the antenna of the network node, or the parameters / weights of the electromagnetic unit of the network node, and the parameters / weights include at least one of the following: phase, amplitude, and polarization characteristics.

[0076] Figure 3 FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing another communication method in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 As shown, the method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure may include the following steps.

[0077] In S310, the network side sends a second signal to the network node.

[0078] In S320, the network node determines the adopted forwarding codebook or forwarding beam and the effective time of the forwarding codebook or forwarding beam according to the second signal.

[0079] In some embodiments, if the second signal is a periodic signal, for example, the network node detects the second signal according to the first period, then the effective time of the forwarding codebook or forwarding beam determined by each second signal may be the first period corresponding to the detection of the second signal.

[0080] In other embodiments, if the second signal is a periodic signal and carries validity period information, the validity time of the forwarding codebook or forwarding beam determined by the second signal may be the validity period number determined according to the validity period signal.

[0081] In some further embodiments, if the second signal is a non-periodic signal, the validity time of the forwarding codebook or forwarding beam determined according to the second signal is the duration between the detected second signal and the next detected second signal.

[0082] In S330, the network side sends a first signal to the user via the network node.

[0083] In some embodiments, the second signal is a periodic signal.

[0084] In an exemplary embodiment, the second signal is a periodic signal. The network node detects the second signal in a first period, and the first period is configured by the network device. After receiving the second signal of the current first period, the network node forwards the first signal using a forwarding codebook or forwarding beam determined according to the second signal of the current first period before receiving the second signal of the next first period.

[0085] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the second signal is a periodic signal and the period of the second signal is the first period, the network node detects the second signal in the first period, and the first period is configured by the network side. After the network node receives the second signal in the current first period, before receiving the second signal in the next period (i.e., the next first period), the network node uses the forwarding codebook or forwarding beam determined according to the second signal detected in the current first period to forward the signal, that is, forward the first signal to the terminal.

[0086] In an exemplary embodiment, the network node enters a power saving or sleep mode within a first period in which the second signal is not detected.

[0087] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the network node enters the energy-saving or sleep mode, which means that the network node does not forward the first signal sent by the network device to the terminal, that is, does not forward the signal.

[0088] In order to enhance the differentiated competitive advantage of RIS, how to achieve "tail removal" of RIS is also a key issue. The so-called "tail removal" mainly refers to the use of batteries or energy collection instead of wires to power RIS. Under the idea of ​​"tail removal", how to reduce the power consumption of RIS and how to save energy in RIS are also key issues.

[0089] There is a solution for implementing RIS based on precise control on the network side. This solution can control the forwarding beam of RIS at the time slot level or even the symbol level through the control information on the network side (for example, the control information is carried by the second signal). However, this puts higher requirements on the RIS control device (for example, the intelligent controller of RIS), which will increase the power consumption and cost of RIS.

[0090] The method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, on the one hand, assists the network node in forwarding the first signal sent by the network device to the terminal through the second signal; on the other hand, by allowing the network node to enter the energy-saving or sleep mode when the second signal is not detected, the power consumption of the network node (such as RIS) can be reduced, thereby achieving the effect of energy saving of the network node.

[0091] In some embodiments, the network node detects the second signal in each cycle (eg, each first cycle). If the second signal is not detected in a certain cycle, the network node enters sleep mode in the corresponding cycle.

[0092] In the disclosed embodiment, when a network node such as a RIS is in sleep mode, a network device such as a base station does not send a first signal to a UE. In other words, when the base station does not send a second signal to the RIS in a certain first period, the base station does not send a first signal to the RIS in the first period, or the base station directly sends the first signal to the UE without forwarding it through the RIS.

[0093] In the disclosed embodiment, the UE does not need to know whether the RIS has entered sleep mode, because the RIS is transparent to the UE, that is, the UE is not affected by the behavior of the RIS.

[0094] In the disclosed embodiment, when the network node does not detect the second signal in a certain period, the network node enters a power saving or sleep mode and does not forward signals. A timer can be set in the RIS to detect whether the next first period has arrived, thereby automatically waking up from the sleep state.

[0095] One implementation example Figure 4 As shown, the second signal is a periodic signal, and the network device sends the second signal to the network node according to the first period, and correspondingly, the network node detects the second signal according to the first period. When the network node detects the second signal within a certain first period, the network node performs signal forwarding, such as forwarding the first signal to the terminal. If the network node does not detect the second signal within a certain first period, the network node enters a power saving or sleep mode, that is, does not forward the signal to the terminal, such as not forwarding the first signal to the terminal. Figure 4 In the embodiment, assuming that the network node does not detect the second signal sent by the network device in the first and third first cycles, the network node enters sleep mode. In the second first cycle, the network node detects the second signal sent by the network device, and the network node performs signal forwarding.

[0096] In an exemplary embodiment, the second signal is a periodic signal; if the second signal includes effective period information, the network node determines the effective period number according to the second signal, and uses the determined forwarding codebook or forwarding beam to forward the first signal within the effective period corresponding to the effective period number.

[0097] In the disclosed embodiment, the second signal carries an effective period signal / effective period information, which may indicate multiple first periods. The network node may determine the number of effective periods based on the effective period signal. Within the effective period corresponding to the effective period number, the network node does not need to detect the second signal again.

[0098] In an exemplary embodiment, the validity period number is a positive integer multiple of the first period. When the validity period number indicated by the validity period signal or the validity period information is a positive integer multiple of the first period, the signaling overhead of the second signal can be reduced.

[0099] In other embodiments, the second signal may carry validity duration information to indicate the validity duration of the forwarding codebook or forwarding beam determined by the second signal, that is, the validity duration may be arbitrary and is not necessarily a positive integer multiple of the first period.

[0100] In an exemplary embodiment, the network node no longer detects the second signal during the effective period. When the number of effective periods is a positive integer multiple of the first period, the second signal may be detected only once during the corresponding effective period, i.e., multiple first periods, thereby reducing the power consumption of the network node.

[0101] In an exemplary embodiment, after the validity period ends, the network node enters a power saving or sleep mode until the second signal is detected again.

[0102] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the network node determines the number of effective periods according to the second signal, and the number of effective periods is a positive integer multiple of the first period. The network node uses the determined forwarding code book or forwarding beam to forward signals during the effective period; during the effective period, the network node no longer detects the second signal; after the end of the effective period, until the second signal is detected again, the network node enters a power saving or sleep mode and does not forward signals.

[0103] One embodiment, for example, Figure 5 As shown, the second signal is a periodic signal, and the network device can send the second signal to the network node according to the first period or a positive integer multiple of the first period. Correspondingly, the network node detects the second signal according to the first period or a positive integer multiple of the first period. It is assumed here that the network node determines that the number of effective periods is two first periods according to the second signal. Then, within the two first periods (i.e., the second first period and the third first period) starting from the first period in which the second signal is received, the network node performs signal forwarding, for example, forwarding the first signal received from the network device to the terminal. If the network node does not detect the second signal within the first first period, it goes into sleep.

[0104] In some other embodiments, the second signal is a non-periodic signal.

[0105] In an exemplary embodiment, the second signal is a non-periodic signal; after receiving the current second signal and before detecting the next second signal, the network node forwards the first signal using a forwarding codebook or forwarding beam determined according to the current second signal.

[0106] In the disclosed embodiment, after successfully receiving the second signal and before detecting the next second signal, the network node uses a forwarding codebook or forwarding beam determined according to the second signal (not the next second signal) to forward the signal.

[0107] In an exemplary embodiment, the second signal is a non-periodic signal; the network node determines whether to start forwarding the first signal based on the second signal, and if it is determined not to start forwarding the first signal, enters a power saving or sleep mode until the second signal is detected again.

[0108] In an exemplary embodiment, the second signal is a non-periodic signal; the network node determines whether to enable forwarding of the first signal based on the second signal. If it is determined not to enable forwarding of the first signal, the second signal does not include a forwarding codebook or forwarding beam information.

[0109] In an exemplary embodiment, the second signal is a non-periodic signal; the network node determines whether to start forwarding of the first signal based on the second signal; if it is determined not to start forwarding of the first signal, and the second signal contains a forwarding codebook or forwarding beam information, the forwarding codebook or forwarding beam information contained in the second signal is ignored.

[0110] In some other embodiments, the network node determines whether to start signal forwarding based on the second signal. If the network node determines not to start signal forwarding based on the second signal, the network node enters a power saving or sleep mode until the second signal is detected again; if the second signal indicates that signal forwarding is not to be started, the second signal does not carry the forwarding code book or forwarding beam information. If the second signal carries the forwarding code book or forwarding beam information at this time, the network node ignores the forwarding code book or forwarding beam information.

[0111] In some further embodiments, the network node may be instructed not to enable signal forwarding by not carrying the forwarding codebook information and the forwarding beam information in the second signal. If the second signal carries the forwarding codebook information and the forwarding beam information, the network node may be instructed to enable signal forwarding.

[0112] In some further embodiments, in addition to the forwarding codebook information or the forwarding beam information, the second signal also includes another indication information, and different values ​​of the another indication information indicate whether to enable signal forwarding, or whether the second signal carries the another indication information to indicate whether to enable signal forwarding. For example, if the second signal carries the another indication information, the second signal instructs the network node to enable signal forwarding; if the second signal does not carry the another indication information, the second signal instructs the network node not to enable signal forwarding.

[0113] One implementation example Figure 6 As shown, the second signal is a non-periodic signal. From the time the network node receives a second signal until the network node receives the next second signal, if the second signal indicates to forward the signal, the network node forwards the signal. If the next second signal received by the network node indicates not to forward the signal, the network node enters sleep.

[0114] In another embodiment, the network node determines whether to start signal forwarding according to the second signal, and the second signal does not include forwarding beam information and forwarding codebook information.

[0115] In an exemplary embodiment, the network node determines whether to forward the first signal according to the second signal, and the second signal is transmitted from the network device to the network node.

[0116] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first signal is transmitted from the network side to the network node via the first link, and the network node detects the second signal, which is transmitted from the network side. The network node determines whether to forward the signal according to the second signal.

[0117] In an exemplary embodiment, the second signal is a periodic signal; the network node detects the second signal with a first period, and the first period is configured by the network device; after receiving the second signal of the current first period and determining to forward the first signal, the network node uses a preconfigured forwarding codebook or forwarding beam to forward the first signal before receiving the second signal of the next first period.

[0118] In some embodiments, the second signal is a periodic signal.

[0119] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the network node detects the second signal in a first period, and the first period is configured by the network side. After receiving the second signal and determining to forward the signal, the network node uses a preconfigured forwarding codebook or forwarding beam to forward the signal before receiving the second signal in the next period (e.g., the next first period).

[0120] In an exemplary embodiment, the preconfigured forwarding codebook information or forwarding beam information is determined by an Operation Administration and Maintenance (OAM) entity and provided to the network node and the network device.

[0121] In an exemplary embodiment, the forwarding codebook represents the parameters of the antenna of the network node, or the parameters of the electromagnetic unit of the network node; the parameters include at least one of the following: phase, amplitude, polarization characteristics. That is, the forwarding codebook identifies the parameters or weights of the antenna of the network node, or the parameters or weights of the electromagnetic unit of the network node, and the parameters or weights include at least one of the following: phase, amplitude, polarization characteristics.

[0122] In an exemplary embodiment, the preconfigured forwarding codebook or forwarding beam is one or more; if it is multiple, the network node polls the preconfigured multiple forwarding codebooks or forwarding beams within a first period at a preconfigured first time interval to forward the first signal.

[0123] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the preconfigured forwarding codebook Codebook or forwarding beam may be one or more; if it is multiple, the network node polls within a first period at a preconfigured first time interval (the first time interval is less than the first period) and uses the preconfigured multiple forwarding codebooks Codebook or forwarding beams to forward signals.

[0124] For example, assuming that two forwarding beams (referred to as forwarding beam 1 and forwarding beam 2) are preconfigured, the RIS forwards the first signal to the UE in the first period, the network node forwards the first signal to the terminal using forwarding beam 1 in the first time interval, and the network node forwards the first signal to the terminal using forwarding beam 2 in the second time interval. This method does not require the network node to be synchronized with the base station, and can determine the start and end times of multiple first signals.

[0125] In an exemplary embodiment, the preconfigured first time interval is determined by an Operation, Maintenance and Management (OAM) entity and provided to the network node and the network device.

[0126] In an exemplary embodiment, the network node enters a power saving or sleep mode within a first period in which the second signal is not detected.

[0127] In the disclosed embodiment, when the second signal is a periodic signal, the network node detects the second signal in each period. If the second signal is not detected in one or some periods, the network node enters a power saving or sleep mode and does not forward signals.

[0128] One implementation example Figure 7As shown, the second signal is a periodic signal, and the network device can send the second signal to the network node according to the first period, and correspondingly, the network node detects the second signal according to the first period. It is assumed here that the network node does not detect the second signal in the first first period and the third first period, and then enters the sleep mode. In the second first period, the network node detects the second signal, and the network node polls the forwarding beam according to the first time interval in the second first period to perform signal forwarding. For example, in the first first time interval, forwarding beam 1 is used for signal forwarding; in the second first time interval, forwarding beam 2 is used for signal forwarding.

[0129] In an exemplary embodiment, the second signal is a periodic signal; if the second signal includes effective period information, the network node determines the effective period number according to the second signal, and uses the determined forwarding codebook or forwarding beam to forward the first signal within the effective period corresponding to the effective period number; the determined forwarding codebook or forwarding beam is a preconfigured forwarding codebook or forwarding beam.

[0130] In an exemplary embodiment, the number of effective periods is a positive integer multiple of the first period.

[0131] In an exemplary embodiment, during the validity period, the network node no longer detects the second signal.

[0132] In an exemplary embodiment, after the validity period ends, the network node enters a power saving or sleep mode until the second signal is detected again.

[0133] In an exemplary embodiment, the preconfigured forwarding codebook or forwarding beam is one or more; if it is multiple, the network node polls the preconfigured multiple forwarding codebooks or forwarding beams within the effectiveness period at a preconfigured first time interval to forward the first signal.

[0134] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the second signal is a periodic signal and carries effective period information, it may indicate multiple first periods, and within the effective period, the network node does not need to detect the second signal again.

[0135] In some embodiments, the network node determines the number of effective periods based on the second signal, and the number of effective periods is a positive integer multiple of the first period. The network node uses the determined forwarding codebook or forwarding beam to forward signals during the effective period; during the effective period, the network node no longer detects the second signal; after the end of the effective period, until the second signal is detected again, the network node enters a power saving or sleep mode and does not forward signals.

[0136] In some embodiments, if there are multiple preconfigured forwarding codebooks or forwarding beams, the network node polls and adopts the multiple preconfigured forwarding codebooks or forwarding beams to forward signals within the validity period at a preconfigured first time interval.

[0137] In the disclosed embodiment, after successfully receiving the second signal and before detecting the next second signal, the network node uses a preconfigured forwarding codebook or forwarding beam to forward the signal.

[0138] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the network node determines whether to enable signal forwarding according to the second signal. If the network node determines not to enable signal forwarding according to the second signal, the network node enters a power saving or sleep mode until the second signal is detected again.

[0139] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the preconfigured forwarding codebook Codebook or forwarding beam may be one or more; if there are multiple, the network node polls at a preconfigured second time interval and adopts the preconfigured multiple forwarding codebooks Codebook or forwarding beams to forward signals.

[0140] In some embodiments, the second signal is a non-periodic signal. From the time the network node receives a second signal until the network node receives a next second signal, if the second signal indicates that the signal is to be forwarded, the network node polls the forwarding beam at a second time interval to perform signal forwarding. If the next second signal received by the network node indicates that the signal is not to be forwarded, the network node enters sleep.

[0141] Figure 8 In the embodiment, it is assumed that in the first second time interval, forwarding beam 1 is used for signal forwarding; in the second second time interval, forwarding beam 2 is used for signal forwarding; in the third second time interval, forwarding beam 1 is used for signal forwarding; in the fourth second time interval, forwarding beam 2 is used for signal forwarding.

[0142] In an exemplary embodiment, the second signal is a non-periodic signal; after receiving the current second signal and before detecting the next second signal, the network node uses a preconfigured forwarding codebook or forwarding beam to forward the first signal.

[0143] In an exemplary embodiment, the network node determines whether to enable forwarding of the first signal according to the second signal, and if it is determined not to enable forwarding of the first signal, enters a power saving or sleep mode until the second signal is detected again.

[0144] In an exemplary embodiment, the preconfigured forwarding codebook or forwarding beam is one or more; if it is multiple, the network node polls the preconfigured multiple forwarding codebooks or forwarding beams at a preconfigured second time interval to forward the first signal.

[0145] In an exemplary embodiment, the preconfigured second time interval is determined by an Operation, Maintenance and Management (OAM) entity and provided to the network node and the network device.

[0146] In an exemplary embodiment, the network device is used to determine, based on the third signal, a forwarding codebook or a forwarding beam used by the network node when serving the terminal.

[0147] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned preconfigured first time interval, second time interval, forwarding beam information, and forwarding codebook information are determined by operation, maintenance and management OAM and provided to the network node and network side equipment (eg, base station).

[0148] The communication method provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure is an energy-saving and auxiliary transmission method for network nodes. In the related art, the biggest problem facing the implementation of RIS is the power supply problem. If the power supply of RIS needs to be achieved by pulling wires, the irreplaceability of RIS will be greatly reduced, and the deployment and market size of RIS will also be limited. To this end, the embodiments of the present disclosure propose an energy-saving and auxiliary transmission method for network nodes, which does not require precise synchronization between the network side and RIS (the solution does not involve the time resource location of the detection / forwarding signal given by the network side to the network node, that is, the network node does not know the exact time of signal arrival), simplifies control signaling, adds a sleep mechanism, and further reduces RIS power consumption, so as to help achieve RIS "tail removal".

[0149] Fig. 9 FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing another communication method in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 As shown, the method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure may include the following steps.

[0150] In S910 , a network node receives a second signal from a network device via a first link.

[0151] In S920, the network node receives a first signal from the network device via the first link.

[0152] In S930, the network node determines whether to forward the first signal to the terminal via the second link according to the second signal, or determines a forwarding codebook or a forwarding beam used to forward the first signal to the terminal.

[0153] Fig. 9 For other contents of the embodiment, reference can be made to other embodiments mentioned above and will not be repeated here.

[0154] Fig.10 FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing another communication method in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.10 As shown, the method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure may include the following steps.

[0155] In S1010, the network device sends a second signal to the network node via the first link.

[0156] In S1020, the network device sends a first signal to the network node via the first circuit, so that the network node determines whether to forward the first signal to the terminal via the second link, or determines a forwarding codebook or forwarding beam used to forward the first signal to the terminal based on the second signal.

[0157] Fig.10 For other contents of the embodiment, reference can be made to other embodiments mentioned above and will not be repeated here.

[0158] Fig.11 FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a terminal in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.11 As shown, the terminal 1100 provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a first receiving unit 1110 and a first sending unit 1120 .

[0159] The first receiving unit 1110 is used to receive a first signal, where the first signal is transmitted from a network device to a network node via a first link, and is forwarded by the network node to the terminal via a second link.

[0160] The first sending unit 1120 is used for the terminal to send a third signal to the network device. The third signal is transmitted to the network node via the second link, and is forwarded by the network node to the network device via the first link.

[0161] The network node is used to receive a second signal from the network device via the first link, so as to determine a forwarding codebook or a forwarding beam to be used when forwarding the first signal to the terminal, or to determine whether to forward the first signal to the terminal according to the second signal.

[0162] Fig.11 For other contents of the embodiment, reference can be made to other embodiments mentioned above and will not be repeated here.

[0163] Fig.12 FIG. 2 shows a structural block diagram of a network node in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.12 As shown, the network node 1200 provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a second receiving unit 1210 and a second processing unit 1220 .

[0164] The second receiving unit 1210 is configured to receive a second signal from the network device via the first link.

[0165] The second receiving unit 1210 is further configured to receive a first signal from the network device via the first link.

[0166] The second processing unit 1220 is used to determine whether to forward the first signal to the terminal via the second link according to the second signal, or determine a forwarding codebook or forwarding beam used to forward the first signal to the terminal.

[0167] Fig.12 For other contents of the embodiment, reference can be made to other embodiments mentioned above and will not be repeated here.

[0168] Fig.13 FIG. 2 shows a structural block diagram of a network device in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.13 As shown, the network device 1300 provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a third sending unit 1310 .

[0169] The third sending unit 1310 is configured to send a second signal to the network node via the first link.

[0170] The third sending unit 1310 is also used to send a first signal to the network node via the first circuit, so that the network node determines whether to forward the first signal to the terminal via the second link, or determines the forwarding codebook or forwarding beam used to forward the first signal to the terminal based on the second signal.

[0171] Fig.13 For other contents of the embodiment, reference can be made to other embodiments mentioned above and will not be repeated here.

[0172] Furthermore, an embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a communication system, including: a terminal as described in any embodiment of the present disclosure, a network node as described in any embodiment of the present disclosure, and a network device as described in any embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0173] Furthermore, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication device, comprising: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor. The processor is configured to execute the method described in any embodiment of the present disclosure by executing the executable instructions, or to execute the method described in any embodiment of the present disclosure, or to execute the method described in any embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0174] Furthermore, an embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method described in any embodiment of the present disclosure is implemented, or the method described in any embodiment of the present disclosure is executed, or the method described in any embodiment of the present disclosure is executed.

[0175] Furthermore, an embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program. When the computer program is run, it executes the method described in any embodiment of the present disclosure, or executes the method described in any embodiment of the present disclosure, or executes the method described in any embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0176] It should be noted that the above modules / units as part of the device can be executed in a computer system such as a set of computer executable instructions.

[0177] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented as systems, methods or program products. Therefore, various aspects of the present disclosure may be specifically implemented in the following forms, namely: complete hardware implementation, complete software implementation (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or a combination of hardware and software, which may be collectively referred to herein as "circuits", "modules" or "systems".

[0178] Refer to the following Fig.14 The communication device 1400 according to this embodiment of the present disclosure is described. Fig.14 The communication device 1400 shown is merely an example and should not bring any limitation to the functions and scope of use of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0179] like Fig.14 As shown, the communication device 1400 is in the form of a general-purpose computing device. The components of the communication device 1400 may include, but are not limited to: at least one processing unit 1410, at least one storage unit 1420, and a bus 1430 connecting different system components (including the storage unit 1420 and the processing unit 1410).

[0180] The storage unit 1420 stores program codes, which can be executed by the processing unit 1410, so that the processing unit 1410 executes the steps described in the above “Exemplary Method” section of this specification according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0181] In some embodiments, when the above-mentioned communication device 1400 is a terminal / network node / network device, the processing unit 1410 can execute the steps described in any of the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0182] The storage unit 1420 may include a readable medium in the form of a volatile storage unit, such as a random access storage unit (RAM) 14201 and / or a cache storage unit 14202 , and may further include a read-only storage unit (ROM) 14203 .

[0183] The storage unit 1420 may also include a program / utility 14204 having a set (at least one) of program modules 14205, such program modules 14205 including but not limited to: an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data, each of which or some combination may include an implementation of a network environment.

[0184] Bus 1430 may represent one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory unit bus or memory unit controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, a processing unit, or a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures.

[0185] The communication device 1400 may also communicate with one or more external devices 1440 (e.g., keyboards, pointing devices, Bluetooth devices, etc.), may also communicate with one or more devices that enable a user to interact with the communication device 1400, and / or may communicate with any device that enables the communication device 1400 to communicate with one or more other computing devices (e.g., routers, modems, etc.). Such communication may be performed via an input / output (I / O) interface 1450. Furthermore, the communication device 1400 may also communicate with one or more networks (e.g., a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and / or a public network, such as the Internet) via a network adapter 1460. As shown, the network adapter 1460 communicates with other modules of the communication device 1400 via a bus 1430. It should be understood that, although not shown in the figure, other hardware and / or software modules may be used in conjunction with the communication device 1400, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data backup storage systems.

[0186] Through the description of the above implementation, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the example implementation described here can be implemented by software, or by software combined with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solution according to the implementation of the present disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (which can be a CD-ROM, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to enable a computing device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a terminal device, or a network device, etc.) to execute the method according to the implementation of the present disclosure.

[0187] In particular, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the process described above with reference to the flowchart may be implemented as a computer program product, which includes: a computer program, which implements the above communication method when executed by a processor.

[0188] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, which may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium stores a program product capable of implementing the above-mentioned method of the present disclosure. In some possible implementations, various aspects of the present disclosure may also be implemented in the form of a program product, which includes a program code, and when the program product is run on a terminal / network device, the program code is used to cause the terminal / network device to execute the steps described in the above “Exemplary Method” section of this specification according to various exemplary implementations of the present disclosure.

[0189] More specific examples of computer-readable storage media in the present disclosure may include, but are not limited to, an electrical connection having one or more conductors, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0190] In the present disclosure, a computer readable storage medium may include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, wherein a readable program code is carried. Such propagated data signals may take a variety of forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination of the above. A readable signal medium may also be any readable medium other than a readable storage medium, which may send, propagate, or transmit a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0191] Through the description of the above implementation, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the example implementation described here can be implemented by software, or by software combined with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solution according to the implementation of the present disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (which can be a CD-ROM, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to enable a computing device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a mobile terminal, or a network device, etc.) to execute the method according to the implementation of the present disclosure.

[0192] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present disclosure after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. The present disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the present disclosure, which follow the general principles of the present disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not disclosed in the present disclosure. The description and examples are intended to be exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure are indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The terminal receives a first signal, wherein the first signal is transmitted by a network device to a network node via a first link, and is forwarded by the network node to the terminal via a second link; The terminal sends a third signal to the network device, the third signal is transmitted to the network node via the second link, and is forwarded by the network node to the network device via the first link; The network node is used to receive a second signal from the network device via the first link, so as to determine a forwarding codebook or a forwarding beam to be used when forwarding the first signal to the terminal, or to determine whether to forward the first signal to the terminal according to the second signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The network node determines a forwarding codebook or a forwarding beam used to forward the first signal according to a second signal, and the second signal is transmitted to the network node by the network device.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The forwarding codebook or the forwarding beam is determined by the first index information carried by the second signal, and the network node determines the forwarding codebook or the forwarding beam according to the first index information.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The forwarding codebook represents the parameters of the antenna of the network node, or the parameters of the electromagnetic unit of the network node; The parameter includes at least one of the following: phase, amplitude, and polarization characteristics.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The second signal is a periodic signal; The network node detects the second signal in a first period, where the first period is configured by the network device; After receiving the second signal of the current first cycle and before receiving the second signal of the next first cycle, the network node forwards the first signal using a forwarding codebook or a forwarding beam determined according to the second signal of the current first cycle.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The network node enters a power saving or sleep mode within a first period when the second signal is not detected.

7. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The second signal is a periodic signal; If the second signal includes validity period information, the network node determines the validity period number according to the second signal, and uses the determined forwarding codebook or forwarding beam to forward the first signal within the validity period corresponding to the validity period number.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The effective period number is a positive integer multiple of the first period.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that: During the validity period, the network node no longer detects the second signal.

10. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that After the validity period ends, the network node enters a power saving or sleep mode until the second signal is detected again.

11. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The second signal is a non-periodic signal; After receiving the current second signal and before detecting the next second signal, the network node forwards the first signal using a forwarding codebook or a forwarding beam determined according to the current second signal.

12. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The second signal is a non-periodic signal; The network node determines whether to start forwarding of the first signal according to the second signal, and if it is determined not to start forwarding of the first signal, enters a power saving or sleep mode until the second signal is detected again.

13. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The second signal is a non-periodic signal; The network node determines whether to start forwarding of the first signal according to the second signal. If it is determined not to start forwarding of the first signal, the second signal does not include a forwarding codebook or forwarding beam information.

14. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The second signal is a non-periodic signal; The network node determines whether to start forwarding of the first signal based on the second signal. If it is determined not to start forwarding of the first signal, and the second signal includes a forwarding codebook or forwarding beam information, the forwarding codebook or forwarding beam information included in the second signal is ignored.

15. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The second signal is transmitted by the network device to the network node; the network node determines whether to forward the first signal according to the second signal.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The second signal is a periodic signal; The network node detects the second signal in a first period, where the first period is configured by the network device; After receiving the second signal of the current first period and determining to forward the first signal, the network node uses a preconfigured forwarding codebook or forwarding beam to forward the first signal before receiving the second signal of the next first period.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The preconfigured forwarding codebook information or forwarding beam information is determined by an operation, maintenance and management (OAM) entity and provided to the network node and the network device.

18. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The forwarding codebook represents the parameters of the antenna of the network node, or the parameters of the electromagnetic unit of the network node; The parameter includes at least one of the following: phase, amplitude, and polarization characteristics.

19. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The preconfigured forwarding codebook or forwarding beam is one or more; If there are multiple forwarding codebooks or forwarding beams, the network node polls multiple preconfigured forwarding codebooks or forwarding beams within a first period at a preconfigured first time interval to forward the first signal.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The preconfigured first time interval is determined by an operation, maintenance and management (OAM) entity and provided to the network node and the network device.

21. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The network node enters a power saving or sleep mode within a first period when the second signal is not detected.

22. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The second signal is a periodic signal; If the second signal includes validity period information, the network node determines the validity period number according to the second signal, and forwards the first signal using the determined forwarding codebook or forwarding beam within the validity period corresponding to the validity period number; The determined forwarding codebook or forwarding beam is a preconfigured forwarding codebook or forwarding beam.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that The effective period number is a positive integer multiple of the first period.

24. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that During the validity period, the network node no longer detects the second signal.

25. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that After the validity period ends, the network node enters a power saving or sleep mode until the second signal is detected again.

26. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that The preconfigured forwarding codebook or forwarding beam is one or more; If there are multiple forwarding codebooks or forwarding beams, the network node polls multiple preconfigured forwarding codebooks or forwarding beams within the effectiveness period at a preconfigured first time interval to forward the first signal.

27. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The second signal is a non-periodic signal; After receiving the current second signal and before detecting the next second signal, the network node uses a preconfigured forwarding codebook or forwarding beam to forward the first signal.

28. The method according to claim 27, characterized in that The network node determines whether to start forwarding of the first signal according to the second signal, and if it is determined not to start forwarding of the first signal, enters a power saving or sleep mode until the second signal is detected again.

29. The method according to claim 27, characterized in that The preconfigured forwarding codebook or forwarding beam is one or more; If there are multiple forwarding codebooks or forwarding beams, the network node polls multiple preconfigured forwarding codebooks or forwarding beams at a preconfigured second time interval to forward the first signal.

30. The method according to claim 29, characterized in that The preconfigured second time interval is determined by an operation, maintenance and management (OAM) entity and provided to the network node and the network device.

31. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 30, characterized in that The network device is used to determine, based on the third signal, a forwarding codebook or a forwarding beam used by the network node when serving the terminal.

32. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The network node receives a second signal from the network device via the first link; The network node receives a first signal from the network device via the first link; The network node determines whether to forward the first signal to the terminal via the second link according to the second signal, or determines a forwarding codebook or forwarding beam used to forward the first signal to the terminal.

33. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The network device sends a second signal to the network node via the first link; The network device sends a first signal to the network node via the first circuit, so that the network node determines whether to forward the first signal to the terminal via the second link, or determines a forwarding codebook or forwarding beam used to forward the first signal to the terminal according to the second signal.

34. A terminal, characterized in that: include: A first receiving unit, configured to receive a first signal, wherein the first signal is transmitted by a network device to a network node via a first link, and is forwarded by the network node to the terminal via a second link; A first sending unit, configured for the terminal to send a third signal to the network device, wherein the third signal is transmitted to the network node via the second link, and is forwarded by the network node to the network device via the first link; The network node is used to receive a second signal from the network device via the first link, so as to determine a forwarding codebook or a forwarding beam to be used when forwarding the first signal to the terminal, or to determine whether to forward the first signal to the terminal according to the second signal.

35. A network node, characterized in that: include: A second receiving unit, configured to receive a second signal from the network device via the first link; The second receiving unit is further configured to receive a first signal from the network device via the first link; The second processing unit is used to determine whether to forward the first signal to the terminal via the second link according to the second signal, or determine a forwarding codebook or forwarding beam used to forward the first signal to the terminal.

36. A network device, characterized in that: include: A third sending unit, configured to send a second signal to the network node via the first link; The third sending unit is also used to send a first signal to the network node via the first circuit, so that the network node determines whether to forward the first signal to the terminal via the second link, or determines the forwarding codebook or forwarding beam used to forward the first signal to the terminal based on the second signal.

37. A communication system, characterized in that: include: The terminal as claimed in claim 34, the network node as claimed in claim 35 and the network device as claimed in claim 36.

38. A communication device, characterized in that: include: processor; as well as A memory, configured to store executable instructions of the processor; The processor is configured to execute the method of any one of claims 1 to 31, or the method of claim 32, or the method of claim 33 by executing the executable instructions.

39. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the method described in any one of claims 1 to 31, or implements the method described in claim 32, or implements the method described in claim 33.

40. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, which executes the method of any one of claims 1 to 31, or the method of claim 32, or the method of claim 33 when the computer program is executed.

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