Communication method and corresponding device

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method which can be applied to satellite communication or high-altitude platform communication. The method comprises: an access network device determining at least two cells in a coverage area, the at least two cells comprising a first cell and a second cell, the first cell and the second cell respectively corresponding to different user access requirements or different areas, the user access requirements being the number of access users in unit time; the access network device can determine configuration parameters respectively used for scanning SSB beams of a first cell and a second cell according to user access requirements or areas of the first cell and the second cell. The configuration parameters of the SSB beams configured for cells with different user access requirements or different areas are different, so that the parameters of the SSB beams can be configured according to the requirements of the cells, the waste of radio frequency resources of the access network device can be reduced, and the utilization rate of the radio frequency resources is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and corresponding device. Background Art

[0002] High-altitude mobile communications (such as satellite communications) have the characteristics of long communication distance, large coverage area, and flexible networking. They can provide services not only for fixed terminals but also for various mobile terminals.

[0003] Since traditional ground networks cannot provide seamless coverage for terminals, especially in places where base stations cannot be deployed such as the sea, desert, and air, non terrestrial networks (NTN) have been introduced into the fifth generation mobile networks (5G) system. It provides seamless coverage for terminals by deploying base stations or part of the base station functions on high-altitude platforms or satellites. High-altitude platforms or satellites are less affected by natural disasters, which can improve the reliability of the 5G system.

[0004] The base station in the high-altitude mobile communication system scans the covered area through a fixedly configured synchronized signal block (SSB) beam without considering the actual needs of the covered area, which usually wastes the radio frequency resources used for SSB beam scanning. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication method for improving the utilization rate of radio frequency resources. The present application also provides a corresponding device, a computer-readable storage medium, a computer program product, etc.

[0006] The first aspect of the present application provides a communication method, including: an access network device determines at least two cells in a coverage area, the at least two cells include a first cell and a second cell, the first cell and the second cell respectively correspond to different user access requirements or different areas, and the user access requirement is the number of access users per unit time; the access network device determines a first synchronization signal block (SSB) beam for scanning the first cell and a second SSB beam for scanning the second cell according to the user access requirements or areas respectively corresponding to the first cell and the second cell, the configuration parameters of the first SSB beam and the configuration parameters of the second SSB beam are different, the first SSB beam is a beam for carrying the SSB corresponding to the first cell, and the second SSB beam is a beam for carrying the SSB corresponding to the second cell.

[0007] In the present application, the access network device may be a base station or a chip system in a base station. The base station may be a ground base station or a base station mounted on a satellite or a high-altitude platform. The high-altitude platform may be an unmanned aerial vehicle or a hot air balloon, etc.

[0008] In this application, the coverage area refers to the area reached by the communication capability of the access network device. The coverage area can be divided into two cells or three or more cells. If three or more cells are divided, there may be cells with the same area or the same user access requirements among these cells, but at least two cells have different user access requirements or areas.

[0009] In the present application, the configuration parameters of the SSB beam configured for different user access requirements or cells of different areas are different, so that the parameters of the SSB beam can be configured according to the needs of the cell, thereby reducing the waste of radio frequency resources of the access network device and improving the utilization rate of radio frequency resources.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the configuration parameters of the first SSB beam include the width of the first SSB beam and the scanning period of the first SSB beam, and the configuration parameters of the second SSB beam include the width of the second SSB beam and the scanning period of the second SSB beam; the configuration parameters of the first SSB beam and the configuration parameters of the second SSB beam are different in that at least one of the width of the first SSB beam and the width of the second SSB beam, and the scanning period of the first SSB beam and the scanning period of the second SSB beam is different.

[0011] In this application, the beam width is divided into horizontal beam width and vertical beam width. The horizontal beam width is: in the horizontal direction, on both sides of the maximum radiation direction, the angle between the two directions where the radiation power drops by 3dB. The vertical beam width is: in the vertical direction, on both sides of the maximum radiation direction, the angle between the two directions where the radiation power drops by 3dB. In this application, the width of the SSB beam is the horizontal beam width and / or the vertical beam width. The width of the beam will affect the coverage area of ​​the beam, such as: the coverage area of ​​a wide beam is large, and the coverage area of ​​a narrow beam is small.

[0012] In this application, the scanning period refers to the time taken by the SSB beam to complete scanning of the corresponding cell. The length of the scanning period will affect the access time of the terminal device. A short scanning period means that the terminal device accesses quickly, and a long scanning period means that the terminal device accesses slowly. In this way, a shorter scanning period can be configured for cells with large user access requirements, so that the terminal device can quickly access the access network device.

[0013] In this possible implementation, by performing at least one different configuration on the width of the SSB beam and the scanning period of the SSB beam of the first cell and the second cell respectively, different cells can be configured on demand according to corresponding user access requirements or areas, thereby improving the utilization rate of radio frequency resources.

[0014] In one possible implementation, when the area of ​​the first cell meets the first condition, the width of the first SSB beam is configured as a first parameter.

[0015] In this possible implementation, there may be one or more first conditions, and the first parameter is a positive number. By comparing the area of ​​the first cell with the first condition, determining how to configure the width of the first SSB beam is helpful to improve the accuracy of the width configuration of the first SSB beam.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the first condition is: the area of ​​the first cell is greater than the first threshold, or the area of ​​the first cell is less than the first threshold; when the area of ​​the first cell is greater than the first threshold, the first parameter is greater than the first width value, and the first width value is the beam width value corresponding to the first threshold; when the area of ​​the first cell is less than the first threshold, the first parameter is less than the first width value.

[0017] In this possible implementation, the first threshold and the first width value may be a pair of pre-configured parameters. When the area of ​​the cell is equal to the first threshold, the width value of the SSB beam is equal to the first width value, so that the area of ​​the cell and the width value of the SSB beam can be better adapted. By comparing the first area with the first threshold, it is determined whether to use a value greater than the first width value or a value less than the first width value as the first parameter. In this way, a suitable width can be configured for the first SSB beam of the first cell, thereby improving the accuracy of the width configuration. In other words, a wide beam can be configured for a large cell area, and a narrow beam can be configured for a small cell area. In this way, for cells with large areas, wide beams can increase the coverage range and reduce the number of SSB beams, thereby reducing the use of radio frequency channels that generate SSB beams and reducing the waste of radio frequency resources. For cells with small areas, only narrow beam scanning is needed to cover the corresponding range, which can improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of data transmission in cells with smaller areas.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the first condition is: the area of ​​the first cell is larger than the area of ​​the second cell, or the area of ​​the first cell is smaller than the area of ​​the second cell; when the area of ​​the first cell is larger than the area of ​​the second cell, the first parameter is larger than the width value of the second SSB beam; when the area of ​​the first cell is smaller than the area of ​​the second cell, the first parameter is smaller than the width value of the second SSB beam.

[0019] In this possible implementation, the first cell can configure the width of the first SSB beam with reference to the second cell. By comparing the first cell with the second cell in area, a more appropriate width of the first SSB beam can be configured for the first cell, thereby improving the accuracy of the width configuration of the first SSB beam.

[0020] In one possible implementation, when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell meets the second condition, the scanning period of the first SSB beam is configured as the second parameter.

[0021] In the present application, the scanning period of the first SSB beam can generally be configured to 5 milliseconds (ms), 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms and 160ms. Of course, the scanning period can also be configured to other values. The value of the second parameter is not limited in the present application.

[0022] In this possible implementation, the second condition is a condition related to the user access requirement, there may be one or more conditions, and the second parameter is a positive number. By comparing the user access requirement of the first cell with the second condition, determining how to configure the scanning period of the first SSB beam is helpful to improve the accuracy of the scanning period configuration of the first SSB beam.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the second condition is: the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the second threshold, or the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is less than the second threshold; when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the second threshold, the second parameter is less than the first time value, and the first time value is the scanning period corresponding to the second threshold; when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is less than the second threshold, the second parameter is greater than the first time value.

[0024] In this possible implementation, the first time value may be a parameter configured together with the second threshold value, and when the user access demand of the cell is equal to the second threshold value, the scanning period of the SSB beam is equal to the first time value, so that better adaptation of the user access demand and the scanning period of the SSB beam can be achieved. By comparing the user access demand corresponding to the first cell with the second threshold value, a more appropriate scanning period can be configured for the first SSB beam of the first cell, thereby improving the accuracy of the configuration of the first SSB beam.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the second condition is: the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the user access demand of the second cell, or the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is less than the user access demand of the second cell; when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the user access demand of the second cell, the second parameter is less than the scanning period of the second SSB beam; when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is less than the user access demand of the second cell, the second parameter is greater than the scanning period of the second SSB beam.

[0026] In this possible implementation, the first cell can configure the scanning period of the first SSB beam with reference to the second cell. By comparing the user access requirements of the first cell and the second cell, a more appropriate scanning period of the first SSB beam can be configured for the first cell, so that the accuracy of the scanning period configuration of the first SSB beam can be improved.

[0027] In one possible implementation, when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the second threshold, the width of the first SSB beam is greater than the second width value, and the second width value is the beam width value corresponding to the second threshold; when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is less than the second threshold, the width of the first SSB beam is less than the second width value.

[0028] In this possible implementation, the second threshold, the first time value, and the second width value may be a set of preconfigured parameters. When the user access demand of the cell is equal to the second threshold, the scanning period of the SSB beam is the first time value, and the width value of the SSB beam is equal to the second width value, so that the user access demand, the scanning period, and the width value of the SSB beam can be better adapted. By comparing the user access demand of the first cell with the second threshold, it is determined whether to use a value greater than the second width value or a value less than the second width value as the width of the first SSB beam. In this way, a suitable width can be configured for the first SSB beam of the first cell, thereby improving the accuracy of the width configuration. In other words, a wide beam can be configured when the user access demand is large and the scanning period is short, and a narrow beam can be configured when the user access demand is small and the scanning period is long. In this way, for cells with large user access demands, wide beams can improve coverage, and wide beams can be used to achieve rapid scanning of cells, so that terminal equipment can quickly access the access network device. For cells with low user access demand, fewer terminal devices need to access the access network device, and the access needs of these terminal devices can basically be met by using narrow beam scanning. Moreover, the use of narrower beams can also improve the SNR of data transmission in cells with low user access demand.

[0029] In one possible implementation, when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the user access demand of the second cell, the width of the first SSB beam is greater than the width of the second SSB beam; when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is less than the user access demand of the second cell, the width of the first SSB beam is less than the width of the second SSB beam.

[0030] In this possible implementation, the first cell can configure the width of the first SSB beam with reference to the second cell. By comparing the user access requirements of the first cell and the second cell, a more appropriate width of the first SSB beam can be configured for the first cell, thereby improving the accuracy of the width configuration of the first SSB beam.

[0031] In one possible implementation, when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the second threshold, the number of radio frequency channels corresponding to the first cell is greater than a first value, the first value is the number of radio frequency channels corresponding to the second threshold, and the radio frequency channels of the first cell are used to generate a first SSB beam.

[0032] In this possible implementation, the radio frequency channel can be understood as an antenna or an antenna array, and the radio frequency channel is used to generate an SSB beam. The first value can be the number of radio frequency channels configured corresponding to the second threshold value. When the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the second threshold value, more radio frequency channels can be used to generate the first SSB beam. In this way, the beam coverage of the first cell with a greater user access demand can be improved, thereby improving the access efficiency of the terminal device.

[0033] In one possible implementation, when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the user access demand of the second cell, the number of radio frequency channels corresponding to the first cell is greater than the number of radio frequency channels of the second cell, the radio frequency channel of the first cell is used to generate a first SSB beam, and the radio frequency channel of the second cell is used to generate a second SSB beam.

[0034] In this possible implementation, the first cell may refer to the second cell to configure the number of radio frequency channels corresponding to the first cell. By comparing the first cell with the second cell in terms of user access requirements, a more appropriate number of radio frequency channels may be configured for the first cell, thereby improving the accuracy of the configuration of the number of radio frequency channels of the first cell.

[0035] In a possible implementation manner, the access network device determines at least two cells in the coverage area, including: the access network device determines at least two cells in the coverage area according to stored historical access quantities at different locations in the coverage area.

[0036] In this possible implementation, the cells within the coverage area can be divided according to the historical access numbers of different locations within the coverage area stored in the access network device. In this way, the accuracy of the parameter configuration of the SSB beam in each subsequent cell can be improved.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the method also includes: receiving the historical access numbers of different locations within the coverage area from the control center device; the access network device determines at least two cells in the coverage area, including: the access network device determines at least two cells in the coverage area based on the historical access numbers of different locations within the coverage area.

[0038] In this possible implementation, the cells within the coverage area can be divided according to the number of historical accesses at different locations within the coverage area notified by the control center device. In this way, the accuracy of the parameter configuration of the SSB beam in each subsequent cell can be improved.

[0039] A second aspect of the present application provides a communication device, the communication device comprising: a transceiver module and a processing module;

[0040] The processing module is used to determine at least two cells in the coverage area, where the at least two cells include a first cell and a second cell. The first cell and the second cell each correspond to different user access requirements or different areas. The user access requirement is the number of access users per unit time.

[0041] The processing module is also used to determine a first synchronization signal block SSB beam for scanning the first cell and a second SSB beam for scanning the second cell according to user access requirements or areas corresponding to the first cell and the second cell respectively. The configuration parameters of the first SSB beam and the configuration parameters of the second SSB beam are different. The first SSB beam is a beam used to carry the SSB corresponding to the first cell, and the second SSB beam is a beam used to carry the SSB corresponding to the second cell.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the configuration parameters of the first SSB beam include the width of the first SSB beam and the scanning period of the first SSB beam, and the configuration parameters of the second SSB beam include the width of the second SSB beam and the scanning period of the second SSB beam; the configuration parameters of the first SSB beam and the configuration parameters of the second SSB beam are different in that at least one of the width of the first SSB beam and the width of the second SSB beam, and the scanning period of the first SSB beam and the scanning period of the second SSB beam is different.

[0043] In one possible implementation, when the area of ​​the first cell meets the first condition, the width of the first SSB beam is configured as a first parameter.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the first condition is: the area of ​​the first cell is greater than the first threshold, or the area of ​​the first cell is less than the first threshold; when the area of ​​the first cell is greater than the first threshold, the first parameter is greater than the first width value, and the first width value is the beam width value corresponding to the first threshold; when the area of ​​the first cell is less than the first threshold, the first parameter is less than the first width value.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the first condition is: the area of ​​the first cell is larger than the area of ​​the second cell, or the area of ​​the first cell is smaller than the area of ​​the second cell; when the area of ​​the first cell is larger than the area of ​​the second cell, the first parameter is larger than the width value of the second SSB beam; when the area of ​​the first cell is smaller than the area of ​​the second cell, the first parameter is smaller than the width value of the second SSB beam.

[0046] In one possible implementation, when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell meets the second condition, the scanning period of the first SSB beam is configured as the second parameter.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the second condition is: the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the second threshold, or the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is less than the second threshold; when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the second threshold, the second parameter is less than the first time value, and the first time value is the scanning period corresponding to the second threshold; when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is less than the second threshold, the second parameter is greater than the first time value.

[0048] In one possible implementation, the second condition is: the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the user access demand of the second cell, or the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is less than the user access demand of the second cell; when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the user access demand of the second cell, the second parameter is less than the scanning period of the second SSB beam; when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is less than the user access demand of the second cell, the second parameter is greater than the scanning period of the second SSB beam.

[0049] In one possible implementation, when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the second threshold, the width of the first SSB beam is greater than the second width value, and the second width value is the beam width value corresponding to the second threshold; when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is less than the second threshold, the width of the first SSB beam is less than the second width value.

[0050] In one possible implementation, when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the user access demand of the second cell, the width of the first SSB beam is greater than the width of the second SSB beam; when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is less than the user access demand of the second cell, the width of the first SSB beam is less than the width of the second SSB beam.

[0051] In one possible implementation, when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the second threshold, the number of radio frequency channels corresponding to the first cell is greater than a first value, the first value is the number of radio frequency channels corresponding to the second threshold, and the radio frequency channels of the first cell are used to generate a first SSB beam.

[0052] In one possible implementation, when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the user access demand of the second cell, the number of radio frequency channels corresponding to the first cell is greater than the number of radio frequency channels of the second cell, the radio frequency channel of the first cell is used to generate a first SSB beam, and the radio frequency channel of the second cell is used to generate a second SSB beam.

[0053] In a possible implementation manner, the processing module is specifically configured to determine at least two cells in the coverage area according to the stored historical access quantities at different locations in the coverage area.

[0054] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module is used to receive the historical access numbers at different locations within the coverage area of ​​the control center device.

[0055] The processing module is specifically configured to determine at least two cells in the coverage area according to the historical access quantities at different locations in the coverage area.

[0056] The third aspect of the present application provides a communication device, which includes: a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. The memory stores a computer program or a computer instruction, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program or the computer instruction stored in the memory, so that the processor implements the processing operation in the first aspect and any one of the implementations of the first aspect, and the transceiver is used to send and receive signals, such as: implementing the receiving and sending operations in the first aspect and any one of the implementations of the first aspect.

[0057] A fourth aspect of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor, and the processor is used to execute the first aspect and any one of the implementation methods in the first aspect.

[0058] The fifth aspect of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to execute the first aspect and any one of the implementations in the first aspect.

[0059] A sixth aspect of the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the first aspect and any one of the implementations of the first aspect.

[0060] The seventh aspect of the present application provides a chip device, including a processor, for calling a computer program or computer instruction in the memory so that the processor executes the first aspect and any one of the implementation methods in the first aspect.

[0061] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0062] An eighth aspect of the present application provides a communication system, including: an access network device and a terminal device, the access network device communicates with the terminal device, and the access network device is used to execute the method of the above-mentioned first aspect and any one of the implementation methods of the first aspect.

[0063] As mentioned above, the technical effects of the second to eighth aspects of the present application, and any possible implementation methods therein, can be understood in conjunction with the technical effects of the first aspect and any implementation method of the first aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0064] Figure 1A It is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a satellite communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Figure 1C is an example schematic diagram of satellite coverage provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Figure 4A is an exemplary schematic diagram of the relationship between the beam width and the radio frequency channel provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] Figure 4B is another exemplary schematic diagram of the relationship between the beam width and the radio frequency channel provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] Figure 7 is an example schematic diagram of the relationship between the beam width and the user access requirement provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] Figure 8 This is an example schematic diagram of the relationship between the scanning period of the beam and the radio frequency channel provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] Fig.10 is another structural schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] Fig.11 It is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0078] The following describes the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only embodiments of a part of the present application, rather than all embodiments. It is known to those skilled in the art that with the development of technology and the emergence of new scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0079] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0080] The embodiment of the present application provides a communication method for improving the utilization rate of radio frequency resources. The present application also provides a corresponding device, a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program product, etc. The following are detailed descriptions.

[0081] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as satellite communications, fifth generation (5G) systems or new radio (NR), long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD), universal mobile telecommunication systems (UMTS), mobile communication systems after 5G networks (for example, 6G mobile communication systems), vehicle to everything (V2X) communication systems, etc.

[0082] Figure 1A A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0083] like Figure 1A As shown, the communication system applicable to the present application includes a terminal device 101 that can access a network device 102, one access network device 102 can communicate with multiple terminal devices 101, and one terminal device can also communicate with different access network devices 102. Figure 1A Only one terminal device 101 and one access network device 102 are illustrated. It should be noted that the present application does not limit the number of terminal devices and access network devices.

[0084] In the embodiment of the present application, the aforementioned terminal device 101 includes a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, for example, it may include a handheld device with a wireless connection function, or a processing device connected to a wireless modem. The terminal device 101 can communicate with the core network via a radio access network (RAN) and exchange voice and / or data with the RAN. The terminal device 101 may include user equipment (UE), wireless terminal equipment, mobile terminal equipment, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, access point (AP), remote terminal equipment, access terminal equipment, user terminal equipment, user agent, or user equipment, etc. For example, personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, and personal digital assistants (PDA) and other devices. At present, some examples of terminal devices are: mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MID), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in Internet of Vehicles, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, or wireless terminals in smart homes, etc. For example, the wireless terminal in the Internet of Vehicles can be a vehicle-mounted device, a whole vehicle device, a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle, etc. Wireless terminals in industrial control can be cameras, robots, etc.Wireless terminals in smart homes can be TVs, air conditioners, sweepers, speakers, set-top boxes, etc.

[0085] In the Internet of Vehicles scenario, the terminal device 101 may be an Internet of Vehicles terminal device, also known as a V2X terminal device. Specifically, in the V2V communication process, the terminal device 101 may be a vehicle-mounted terminal; in the V2I communication process, the terminal device 101 may be a vehicle-mounted terminal or an infrastructure with mobile communication functions; in other V2X scenarios, the terminal device 101 may also be other V2X devices, which are not specifically limited here. The terminal device 101 may also be a wearable device, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing and shoes, or other portable devices that can be worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories.

[0086] In the IoT scenario, the terminal device 101 may be a restricted device, for example, a low-power terminal device, or a terminal device with limited storage capacity, or a terminal device with limited computing capacity, which is not specifically limited here.

[0087] It should be understood that the terminal device 101 in the embodiment of the present application can be a device in any of the above scenarios or a chip in the device, and the specific details are not limited here. Whether as a device or as a chip, the terminal device 101 can be manufactured, sold or used as an independent product.

[0088] In addition, the access network device 102 that communicates with the aforementioned terminal device 101 may be a device or chip system in a wireless network. For example, the access network device is a device deployed in a wireless access network to provide wireless communication functions for the terminal device. For example, the access network device may be a radio access network (RAN) node that connects the terminal device to the wireless network.

[0089] The access network device includes, but is not limited to, evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP) or transmission and reception point (TRP), etc., and can also be an access network device in a 5G mobile communication system. For example, a next generation NodeB (gNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), or a transmission point (TP) in a new radio (NR) system; or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G mobile communication system; or, the access network device can also be a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point. For example, a baseband unit (BBU), or a distributed unit (DU), etc.

[0090] In some deployments, under the Open RAN architecture, the gNB may include a centralized unit (CU) and a DU. The gNB may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements some functions of the gNB, and the DU implements some functions of the gNB. For example, the CU is responsible for processing non-real-time protocols and services, and implements the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layers. The DU is responsible for processing physical layer protocols and real-time services, and implements the functions of the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and the physical (PHY) layer. The AAU implements some physical layer processing functions, RF processing, and related functions of active antennas. The information of the RRC layer will eventually become the information of the PHY layer, or be converted from the information of the PHY layer. Therefore, under this architecture, high-level signaling (such as RRC layer signaling) can also be considered to be sent by the DU, or by the DU and the AAU. It is understandable that the network device may be a device including one or more of a CU node, a DU node, and an AAU node. In addition, the CU may be classified as a network device in an access network (radio access network, RAN), or the CU may be classified as a network device in a core network (core network, CN), which is not limited in this application.

[0091] It should be understood that the access network device 102 in the embodiment of the present application can be any of the above devices or a chip in the device, and is not specifically limited here. Whether as a device or as a chip, the access network device 102 can be manufactured, sold or used as an independent product.

[0092] The access network device in the embodiment of the present application may be an access network device on the ground, or an access network device carried on a satellite or a high-altitude platform. The high-altitude platform may be an unmanned aerial vehicle or a hot air balloon, etc.

[0093] like Figure 1B As shown, the access network device 102 is carried on the satellite 103 and performs long-distance satellite communication with the terminal equipment 101.

[0094] Take satellite communication scenario as an example. Figure 1CAs shown, the satellite covers a large area, which may include cities, villages, deserts / oceans / mountains, etc. Among them, the cellular network coverage in cities is better, and the terminal devices of users in cities usually give priority to accessing the cellular network in the city, and the access demand for satellite base stations is relatively low. The terminal devices of users in villages will also give priority to accessing the cellular network when there is cellular network coverage, and will only access the satellite base station when there is no cellular network coverage. Compared with cities, the access demand for satellite base stations in villages is higher. There is basically no cellular network coverage in deserts, oceans and mountains, and these areas have a high demand for access to satellite base stations.

[0095] The satellite communication scenario of the embodiment of the present application may be a transparent forwarding scenario or a regeneration mode scenario of satellite communication, and of course, may also be other satellite communication scenarios.

[0096] Whether it is an access network device on a satellite or on the ground, during the process of a terminal device accessing the access network device, the access network device will scan the terminal device through a synchronized signal block (SSB) beam, thereby completing the access process of the terminal device.

[0097] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following first briefly introduces the terms involved in the present application.

[0098] 1. Beam: A beam is a communication resource. A beam can be a wide beam, a narrow beam, or other types of beams. The technology for forming the beam can be beamforming technology or other technical means. The beamforming technology can specifically be digital beamforming technology, analog beamforming technology, and hybrid digital / analog beamforming technology. Different beams can be considered as different resources.

[0099] In the NR protocol, a beam can be called a spatial domain filter, a spatial filter, a spatial domain parameter, a spatial parameter, a spatial parameter, a spatial domain setting, a spatial setting, quasi-colocation (QCL) information, a QCL assumption, or a QCL indication, etc. The beam can be indicated by a transmission configuration indicator state (TCI-state) TCI-state parameter, or by a spatial relation parameter. Therefore, in this application, the beam can be replaced by a spatial domain filter, a spatial filter, a spatial domain parameter, a spatial parameter, a spatial setting, a spatial setting, QCL information, QCL assumption, QCL indication, TCI-state (including uplink TCI-state, downlink TCI-state), or a spatial relation, etc. The above terms are also equivalent to each other. The beam can also be replaced by other terms representing the beam, which are not limited in this application.

[0100] A beam used to transmit a signal may be referred to as a transmission beam (Tx beam), a spatial domain transmission filter, a spatial transmission filter, a spatial transmission filter, a spatial domain transmission parameter, a spatial transmission parameter, a spatial domain transmission setting, or a spatial transmission setting. A downlink transmission beam may be indicated by a TCI-state.

[0101] The beam used to receive the signal may be referred to as a reception beam (Rx beam), a spatial domain reception filter, a spatial reception filter, a spatial domain reception parameter or a spatial reception parameter, a spatial domain reception setting, or a spatial reception setting. The uplink transmit beam may be indicated by any one of a spatial relationship, an uplink TCI-state, and a channel sounding reference signal (SRS) resource (indicating a transmit beam using the SRS). Therefore, the uplink beam may also be replaced by an SRS resource.

[0102] The transmit beam may refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions of space after the signal is transmitted by the antenna, and the receive beam may refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions of space of the wireless signal received from the antenna.

[0103] 2.SSB beam: refers to the beam used to carry the synchronization signal block (SSB).

[0104] 3. SSB beam width: may include horizontal beam width and vertical beam width. The horizontal beam width is: in the horizontal direction, on both sides of the maximum radiation direction, the angle between the two directions where the radiation power drops by 3dB. The vertical beam width is: in the vertical direction, on both sides of the maximum radiation direction, the angle between the two directions where the radiation power drops by 3dB. In this application, the width of the SSB beam is the horizontal beam width and / or the vertical beam width.

[0105] 4. SSB beam scanning period: refers to the time taken by the SSB beam to complete scanning of the corresponding cell.

[0106] 5. Coverage area: refers to the area reached by the communication capability of the access network device, that is, the area covered by the communication capability of the access network device in all directions.

[0107] 6. Cell: refers to different areas within the coverage area, and different areas have different physical cell identifiers (PCI). For example: Figure 1CThe urban area in the image can be a cell, the village area can be a cell, and the desert / ocean / mountain area can be a cell.

[0108] 7. RF channel: A channel used to generate a beam, which can be an antenna or an antenna array. For example, a row of antenna arrays is a RF channel. When the beam is used to carry SSB, the RF channel is used to generate the SSB beam.

[0109] The communication system provided in the embodiment of the present application is introduced above. The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is introduced below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0110] like Figure 2 As shown, an embodiment of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application includes:

[0111] 201. An access network device determines at least two cells in a coverage area, where the at least two cells include a first cell and a second cell.

[0112] The first cell and the second cell respectively correspond to different user access demands or different areas, and the user access demand is the number of access users per unit time.

[0113] Optionally, the access network device may determine at least two cells in the coverage area according to user access requirements. The specific process may be: the access network device determines at least two cells in the coverage area according to the stored historical access quantities at different locations in the coverage area.

[0114] Alternatively, the access network device receives the historical access numbers of different locations in the coverage area from the control center device, and then determines at least two cells in the coverage area according to the historical access numbers of different locations in the coverage area.

[0115] In the embodiment of the present application, the cells in the coverage area are divided by the number of historical accesses at different locations in the coverage area of ​​the access network device, so that the accuracy of parameter configuration of the SSB beam in each subsequent cell can be improved.

[0116] 202. The access network device determines a first SSB beam for scanning the first cell and a second SSB beam for scanning the second cell according to user access requirements or areas corresponding to the first cell and the second cell respectively.

[0117] The configuration parameters of the first SSB beam are different from the configuration parameters of the second SSB beam. The first SSB beam is a beam used to carry the SSB corresponding to the first cell, and the second SSB beam is a beam used to carry the SSB corresponding to the second cell.

[0118] The solution provided in the embodiment of the present application has different configuration parameters for the SSB beam configured for different user access requirements or cells of different areas. In this way, the parameters of the SSB beam can be configured according to the requirements of the cell, thereby reducing the waste of radio frequency resources of the access network device and improving the utilization rate of radio frequency resources.

[0119] In the above embodiment, the configuration parameters of the first SSB beam include the width of the first SSB beam and the scanning period of the first SSB beam, and the configuration parameters of the second SSB beam include the width of the second SSB beam and the scanning period of the second SSB beam; the configuration parameters of the first SSB beam and the configuration parameters of the second SSB beam are different in that at least one of the width of the first SSB beam and the width of the second SSB beam, and the scanning period of the first SSB beam and the scanning period of the second SSB beam is different.

[0120] In the embodiment of the present application, the width of the beam will affect the coverage area of ​​the beam to the cell, for example, a wide beam has a large coverage area, while a narrow beam has a small coverage area. Figure 3 As shown in Figure 1, the area of ​​cell 1 is smaller than that of cell 2. Two narrower SSB beams can cover cell 1, but cannot cover cell 2. Therefore, a wider SSB beam can be configured for cell 2. In this way, two wider SSB beams can be used to cover cell 2. In this way, by configuring a wider SSB beam for a cell with a larger area, the number of RF channels used to generate the SSB beam can be reduced. This process can also be referred to in Figure 4A and Figure 4B to understand through comparison.

[0121] like Figure 4A As shown, for area 400, if an SSB beam with a width of 410 is used for scanning, three RF channels (RF channel 1, RF channel 2, and RF channel 3) are required, and each RF channel generates 8 SSB beams with a width of 410 at different times according to the SSB pattern to complete the scanning of area 400. In the embodiment of the present application, Figure 4A After the area 400 in the image is divided into the cell 401 and the cell 402, the SSB beam with a width of 420 can be used to scan the cell 401. It only needs the radio frequency channel 1 to generate 8 SSB beams with a width of 420 at different times according to the SSB pattern to complete the scanning of the cell 401. The SSB beam with a width of 430 can be used to scan the cell 402. It only needs the radio frequency channel 2 to generate 8 SSB beams with a width of 430 at different times according to the SSB pattern to complete the scanning of the cell 402. Figure 4A and Figure 4B It can be seen from the comparison that for area 400, the Figure 4BThe SSB beam width is configured relative to Figure 4A The occupancy of a radio frequency channel can be reduced, thereby improving the utilization rate of the radio frequency channel.

[0122] In the embodiment of the present application, the scanning period of the SSB beam refers to the time taken to scan the corresponding cell using the SSB beam. The time for each RF channel to generate the SSB beam is certain. For example, if more RF channels are used to simultaneously generate the SSB beams for scanning the cell, the corresponding cell can be scanned in a shorter time. If fewer RF channels are used to simultaneously generate the SSB beams for scanning the cell, it will take a longer time to scan the corresponding cell. Therefore, the number of RF channels used can be controlled by configuring the scanning period.

[0123] In the present application, by performing at least one different configuration on the width of the SSB beam and the scanning period of the SSB beam of the first cell and the second cell respectively, it is possible to configure different cells on demand according to the corresponding user access requirements or areas, thereby improving the utilization rate of radio frequency resources.

[0124] In an embodiment of the present application, the area covered by the access network device can be divided into multiple cells. Taking the first SSB beam corresponding to the first cell as an example, the configuration idea of ​​the width of the first SSB beam and the scanning period of the first SSB beam is introduced.

[0125] How to configure the width of the first SSB beam and the scanning period of the first SSB beam can be achieved in the following ways, which are introduced below:

[0126] Regarding the configuration of the width of the first SSB beam: When the area of ​​the first cell meets the first condition, the width of the first SSB beam is configured as the first parameter. For this process, please refer to Figure 5 To understand.

[0127] like Figure 5 As shown, the configuration process includes:

[0128] 501. The access network device obtains the area of ​​the first cell.

[0129] 502. The access network device compares the area of ​​the first cell with the first threshold. When the area of ​​the first cell is greater than the first threshold, step 503 is executed; when the area of ​​the first cell is less than the first threshold, step 504 is executed.

[0130] 503. When the area of ​​the first cell is greater than the first threshold, the access network device configures the width of the first SSB beam as a first parameter, the first parameter is greater than the first width value, and the first width value is the beam width value corresponding to the first threshold.

[0131] In this case, the first condition is that the area of ​​the first cell is greater than the first threshold.

[0132] The first threshold and the first width value may be a pair of pre-configured parameters. When the area of ​​the cell is equal to the first threshold, the width value of the SSB beam is equal to the first width value, thereby achieving better adaptation between the area of ​​the cell and the width value of the SSB beam.

[0133] 504. When the area of ​​the first cell is smaller than the first threshold, the access network device configures the width of the first SSB beam as a first parameter, and the first parameter is smaller than the first width value.

[0134] In this case, the first condition is that the area of ​​the first cell is smaller than the first threshold.

[0135] In an embodiment of the present application, by comparing the first area with the first threshold, it is determined whether to use a value greater than the first width value or a value less than the first width value as the first parameter. In this way, a suitable width can be configured for the first SSB beam of the first cell, thereby improving the accuracy of the width configuration. In other words, a wide beam can be configured for a large cell area, and a narrow beam can be configured for a small cell area. In this way, for cells with large areas, wide beams can increase the coverage range and reduce the number of SSB beams, thereby reducing the use of radio frequency channels that generate SSB beams and reducing the waste of radio frequency resources. For cells with small areas, only narrow beam scanning is needed to cover the corresponding range, which can improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of data transmission in cells with smaller areas.

[0136] 505. The access network device compares the area of ​​the first cell with the area of ​​the second cell. When the area of ​​the first cell is larger than the area of ​​the second cell, step 506 is executed. When the area of ​​the first cell is smaller than the area of ​​the second cell, step 507 is executed.

[0137] 506. When the area of ​​the first cell is larger than the area of ​​the second cell, the access network device configures the width of the first SSB beam as a first parameter, and the first parameter is larger than the width value of the second SSB beam.

[0138] In this case, the first condition is that the area of ​​the first cell is larger than the area of ​​the second cell.

[0139] 507. When the area of ​​the first cell is smaller than the area of ​​the second cell, the access network device configures the width of the first SSB beam as a first parameter, and the first parameter is smaller than the width value of the second SSB beam.

[0140] In this case, the first condition is that the area of ​​the first cell is smaller than the area of ​​the second cell.

[0141] In the embodiment of the present application, the first cell can configure the width of the first SSB beam with reference to the second cell. By comparing the first cell with the second cell in area, a more suitable width of the first SSB beam can be configured for the first cell, so that the accuracy of the width configuration of the first SSB beam can be improved.

[0142] Regarding the configuration of the width of the first SSB beam: When the user access demand corresponding to the first cell meets the second condition, the scanning period of the first SSB beam is configured as the second parameter. For this process, please refer to Figure 6 To understand.

[0143] like Figure 6 As shown, the configuration process includes:

[0144] 601. The access network device obtains the user access demand of the first cell.

[0145] 602. The access network device compares the user access demand of the first cell with the second threshold. If the user access demand of the first cell is greater than the second threshold, step 603 is executed. If the user access demand of the first cell is less than the second threshold, step 604 is executed.

[0146] 603. When the user access demand of the first cell is greater than the second threshold, the access network device configures the scanning period of the first SSB beam to a second parameter, the second parameter is less than the first time value, and the first time value is the scanning period corresponding to the second threshold.

[0147] In the present application, the scanning period of the first SSB beam can generally be configured to 5 milliseconds (ms), 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms and 160ms. Of course, the scanning period can also be configured to other values. The value of the second parameter is not limited in the present application.

[0148] In this case, the second condition is: the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the second threshold.

[0149] In an embodiment of the present application, the first time value may be a parameter configured together with the second threshold. When the user access demand of the cell is equal to the second threshold, the scanning period of the SSB beam is equal to the first time value, which can achieve better adaptation between the user access demand and the scanning period of the SSB beam.

[0150] 604. When the user access demand of the first cell is less than the second threshold, the access network device configures the scanning period of the first SSB beam to a second parameter, and the second parameter is greater than the first time value.

[0151] In this case, the second condition is: the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is less than the second threshold.

[0152] In an embodiment of the present application, by comparing the user access demand corresponding to the first cell with the second threshold, a more appropriate scanning period can be configured for the first SSB beam of the first cell, thereby improving the accuracy of the first SSB beam configuration.

[0153] 605. The access network device compares the user access demand of the first cell with the user access demand of the second cell. If the user access demand of the first cell is greater than the user access demand of the second cell, step 606 is executed. If the user access demand of the first cell is less than the user access demand of the second cell, step 607 is executed.

[0154] 606. The user access demand of the first cell is greater than the user access demand of the second cell, and the access network device configures the scanning period of the first SSB beam to a second parameter, and the second parameter is smaller than the scanning period of the second SSB beam.

[0155] 607. The user access demand of the first cell is less than the user access demand of the second cell, and the access network device configures the scanning period of the first SSB beam to a second parameter, and the second parameter is greater than the scanning period of the second SSB beam.

[0156] In an embodiment of the present application, the first cell may configure the scanning period of the first SSB beam with reference to the second cell. By comparing the user access requirements of the first cell and the second cell, a more appropriate scanning period of the first SSB beam may be configured for the first cell, thereby improving the accuracy of the scanning period configuration of the first SSB beam.

[0157] In an embodiment of the present application, the configuration of the scanning period is related to the width of the beam, or the configuration of the scanning period is related to the number of RF channels used to generate the SSB beam, which are introduced below respectively.

[0158] 1. Configuration of scanning period and beam width;

[0159] 1.1: Comparison of user access requirements with the second threshold;

[0160] When the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the second threshold, the width of the first SSB beam is greater than the second width value, and the second width value is the beam width value corresponding to the second threshold.

[0161] When the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is less than the second threshold, the width of the first SSB beam is less than the second width value.

[0162] In the embodiment of the present application, the second threshold, the first time value and the second width value may be a set of pre-configured parameters. When the user access demand of the cell is equal to the second threshold, the scanning period of the SSB beam is the first time value and the width value of the SSB beam is equal to the second width value, so that the user access demand, the scanning period and the width value of the SSB beam can be better adapted. By comparing the user access demand of the first cell with the second threshold, it is determined whether to use a value greater than the second width value or a value less than the second width value as the width of the first SSB beam. In this way, a suitable width can be configured for the first SSB beam of the first cell, thereby improving the accuracy of the width configuration.

[0163] 1.2: Comparison of user access requirements of the first cell and the second cell;

[0164] When the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the user access demand of the second cell, the width of the first SSB beam is greater than the width value of the second SSB beam.

[0165] When the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is smaller than the user access demand of the second cell, the width of the first SSB beam is smaller than the width value of the second SSB beam.

[0166] In an embodiment of the present application, the first cell can configure the width of the first SSB beam with reference to the second cell. By comparing the user access requirements of the first cell and the second cell, a more suitable width of the first SSB beam can be configured for the first cell, so that the accuracy of the width configuration of the first SSB beam can be improved.

[0167] For more information about the relationship between user access requirements, scanning cycle length, and SSB beam width, please refer to Figure 7 Understand. Figure 7 As shown, the user access demand of cell 1 is high, and the scanning cycle of the SSB beam is short, so a wide beam can be configured for cell 1. The user access demand of cell 2 is low, and the scanning cycle of the SSB beam is long, so a narrow beam can be configured for cell 2. In this way, for cell 1 with a large user access demand, a wide beam can improve the coverage range, and a wide beam can be used to quickly scan cell 1, so that the terminal device can quickly access the access network device. For cell 2 with a small user access demand, there are fewer terminal devices that need to access the access network device, and only narrow beam scanning is needed to basically meet the access needs of these terminal devices. Moreover, the use of narrower beams can also improve the SNR of data transmission in cells with small user access demands.

[0168] 2. The configuration of the scanning period is related to the number of RF channels used to generate the SSB beam;

[0169] In addition, in an embodiment of the present application, when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the second threshold, the number of radio frequency channels corresponding to the first cell is greater than a first value, the first value is the number of radio frequency channels corresponding to the second threshold, and the radio frequency channels of the first cell are used to generate a first SSB beam.

[0170] It may also be that when the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the user access demand of the second cell, the number of radio frequency channels corresponding to the first cell is greater than the number of radio frequency channels of the second cell, the radio frequency channels of the first cell are used to generate the first SSB beam, and the radio frequency channels of the second cell are used to generate the second SSB beam.

[0171] In the embodiment of the present application, the first cell can refer to the second cell to configure the number of radio frequency channels corresponding to the first cell. By comparing the user access requirements of the first cell and the second cell, a more appropriate number of radio frequency channels can be configured for the first cell, so that the accuracy of the configuration of the number of radio frequency channels of the first cell can be improved.

[0172] For more information about the relationship between the user access requirements of a cell and the number of RF channels used to generate SSB beams and the scanning period of SSB beams, please refer to Figure 8 examples to understand.

[0173] like Figure 8 As shown, the coverage area of ​​the access network device is divided into cell 1 and cell 2 according to user access requirements, wherein there are 16 RF channels corresponding to cell 1 and 16 RF channels corresponding to cell 2. The user access demand of cell 1 is higher, and the user access demand of cell 2 is lower. For example, the ratio of the user access demand of cell 1 to the user access demand of cell 2 is 8:1. When configuring the scanning period of the SSB beam for cell 1 and cell 2, a scanning period of 20ms can be configured for cell 1 and a scanning period of 160ms can be configured for cell 2. Among them, cell 1 can use 16 RF channels at the same time to generate an SSB beam for scanning with a scanning period of 20ms. Cell 2 can use 2 RF channels at the same time to generate an SSB beam for scanning with a scanning period of 160ms, and the other 14 RF channels are used for data transmission instead of SSB beam scanning. It can be seen that the present application can improve the utilization rate of the RF channel by differentially configuring the scanning period of the SSB beam and the number of RF channels used to generate the SSB beam according to the user access requirements corresponding to each cell.

[0174] It should be noted that the above Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 In the corresponding embodiment, the areas of the first cell and the second cell, cell 1 and cell 2 may be the same or different.

[0175] The above describes the communication method and communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application. The following describes the communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application. Fig. 9 , Fig. 9 900 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 900 can be used to perform Figures 2 to 8 For the steps performed by the access network device in the embodiment shown in , please refer to the relevant introduction in the above method embodiment for details.

[0176] The communication device 900 includes a transceiver module 901 and a processing module 902. The transceiver module 901 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 902 is used for data processing. The transceiver module 901 can also be called a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0177] Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a storage unit, which may be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing module 902 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the communication device implements the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0178] The communication device 900 can be used to perform the actions performed by the access network device in the above method embodiment. The communication device 900 can be a component of the access network device, a host, or a component that can be configured with a host. The transceiver module 901 is used to perform the reception-related operations on the access network device side in the above method embodiment, and the processing module 902 is used to perform the processing-related operations on the access network device side in the above method embodiment.

[0179] Optionally, the transceiver module 901 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiment. The receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiment.

[0180] As an example, the communication device 900 is used to perform the above Figure 2 Actions performed by the access network device in the illustrated embodiment.

[0181] The processing module 902 is used to determine at least two cells in the coverage area, where the at least two cells include a first cell and a second cell. The first cell and the second cell each have different corresponding user access requirements or different areas. The user access requirement is the number of access users per unit time.

[0182] Processing module 902 is also used to determine a first synchronization signal block SSB beam for scanning the first cell and a second SSB beam for scanning the second cell according to user access requirements or areas corresponding to the first cell and the second cell respectively. The configuration parameters of the first SSB beam and the configuration parameters of the second SSB beam are different. The first SSB beam is a beam used to carry the SSB corresponding to the first cell, and the second SSB beam is a beam used to carry the SSB corresponding to the second cell.

[0183] As an example, the transceiver module 901 is used to receive the historical access numbers at different locations within the coverage area of ​​the control center device;

[0184] The processing module 902 is specifically configured to determine at least two cells in the coverage area according to the historical access quantities at different locations in the coverage area.

[0185] As an example, the communication device 900 is used to perform the above Figure 5 The processing module 902 is used to execute the actions performed by the access network device in the embodiment shown. Figure 5 Steps 501 to 507 in the embodiment shown.

[0186] As an example, the communication device 900 is used to perform the above Figure 6 The processing module 902 is used to execute the actions performed by the access network device in the embodiment shown. Figure 6 Steps 601 to 607 in the embodiment shown.

[0187] It should be understood that the specific process of each module executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0188] The processing module 902 in the above embodiment can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuit. The transceiver module 901 can be implemented by a transceiver or a transceiver-related circuit. The transceiver module 901 can also be called a communication unit or a communication interface. The storage unit can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0189] like Fig.10 As shown, the embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device 1000. The communication device 1000 includes a processor 1010, the processor 1010 is coupled to a memory 1020, the memory 1020 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data, and the processor 1010 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions and / or data stored in the memory 1020, so that the method in the above method embodiment is executed.

[0190] Optionally, the communication device 1000 includes one or more processors 1010.

[0191] Alternatively, if Fig.10 As shown, the communication device 1000 may further include a memory 1020 .

[0192] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may include one or more memories 1020 .

[0193] Optionally, the memory 1020 may be integrated with the processor 1010 or provided separately.

[0194] Alternatively, if Fig.10 As shown, the communication device 1000 may further include a transceiver 1030, and the transceiver 1030 is used for receiving and / or sending signals. For example, the processor 1010 is used to control the transceiver 1030 to receive and / or send signals.

[0195] As a solution, the communication device 1000 is used to implement the operations performed by the access network device in the above method embodiment.

[0196] For example, the processor 1010 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the access network device in the above method embodiment, and the transceiver 1030 is used to implement the transceiver-related operations performed by the access network device in the above method embodiment.

[0197] The embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device 1100, which may be an access network device or a chip. The communication device 1100 may be used to execute the operations executed by the access network device in the above method embodiment.

[0198] When the communication device 1100 is an access network device, Fig.11 FIG. 1 shows a simplified structural diagram of an access network device. Fig.11 As shown, the access network device includes a processor, a memory, and a transceiver, wherein the memory can store computer program codes, and the transceiver includes a transmitter 1131, a receiver 1132, a radio frequency circuit (not shown in the figure), an antenna 1133, and an input-output device (not shown in the figure). The processor is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, and to control the access network device, execute software programs, process data of software programs, etc. The memory is mainly used to store software programs and data. The radio frequency circuit is mainly used for conversion between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and processing of radio frequency signals. The antenna is mainly used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input-output devices, such as touch screens, display screens, keyboards, etc., are mainly used to receive data input by users and output data to users. It should be noted that some types of access network devices may not have input-output devices.

[0199] When data needs to be sent, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be sent, and then outputs the baseband signal to the RF circuit. The RF circuit performs RF processing on the baseband signal and then sends the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the access network device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor. The processor converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data. For ease of explanation, Fig.11 Only one memory, processor and transceiver are shown. In an actual access network device product, there may be one or more processors and one or more memories. The memory may also be referred to as a storage medium or a storage device. The memory may be set independently of the processor or integrated with the processor, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0200] In the embodiment of the present application, the antenna and the radio frequency circuit having transceiver functions may be regarded as the transceiver unit of the access network device, and the processor having a processing function may be regarded as the processing unit of the access network device.

[0201] like Fig.11 As shown, the access network device includes a processor 1110, a memory 1120 and a transceiver 1130. The processor 1110 may also be referred to as a processing unit, a processing board, a processing module, a processing device, etc., and the transceiver 1130 may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver device, etc.

[0202] Optionally, the device for implementing the receiving function in the transceiver 1130 may be regarded as a receiving unit, and the device for implementing the transmitting function in the transceiver 1130 may be regarded as a transmitting unit, that is, the transceiver 1130 includes a receiver and a transmitter. A transceiver may sometimes be referred to as a transceiver, a transceiver unit, or a transceiver circuit, etc. A receiver may sometimes be referred to as a receiver, a receiving unit, or a receiving circuit, etc. A transmitter may sometimes be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitting unit, or a transmitting circuit, etc.

[0203] For example, in one implementation, the processor 1110 is configured to execute Figure 2 In the embodiment shown, the transceiver 1130 is used to perform the processing action on the access network device side. Figure 2 For example, the processor 1110 is used to execute Figure 2 The processing operations of step 201 and step 202 in the illustrated embodiment.

[0204] For example, in one implementation, the processor 1110 is configured to execute Figure 5 The processing actions on the access network device side in the embodiment shown. The processor 1110 is used to execute Figure 5 The processing operations of steps 501 to 507 in the illustrated embodiment.

[0205] For example, in one implementation, the processor 1110 is configured to execute Figure 6 The processing actions on the access network device side in the embodiment shown. The processor 1110 is used to execute Figure 6 The processing operations of steps 601 to 607 in the illustrated embodiment.

[0206] It should be understood that Fig.11 This is only an example and not a limitation. The access network device including the transceiver unit and the processing unit may not rely on Fig.11 The structure shown.

[0207] When the communication device 1100 is a chip, the chip includes a processor, a memory and a transceiver. The transceiver may be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processor may be a processing unit or a microprocessor or an integrated circuit integrated on the chip. The sending operation of the access network device in the above method embodiment may be understood as the output of the chip, and the receiving operation of the access network device in the above method embodiment may be understood as the input of the chip.

[0208] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium on which computer instructions for implementing the method executed by the access network device in the above method embodiment are stored.

[0209] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the method performed by the access network device in the above method embodiment.

[0210] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, enables the computer to implement the method performed by the access network device in the above method embodiment.

[0211] The present application also provides a chip device, including a processor, configured to call a computer program or computer instruction stored in the memory, so that the processor executes the above Figures 2 to 8 The communication method of the embodiment shown.

[0212] In a possible implementation, the input of the chip device corresponds to the above Figures 2 to 8 In the receiving operation of the embodiment shown, the output of the chip device corresponds to the above Figures 2 to 8 The sending operation in the embodiment shown.

[0213] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0214] Optionally, the chip device further comprises a memory, in which computer programs or computer instructions are stored.

[0215] The processor mentioned in any of the above places can be a general-purpose central processing unit, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more processors for controlling the above Figures 2 to 8 The integrated circuit for executing the program of the communication method of the embodiment shown. The memory mentioned in any of the above places can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM), etc.

[0216] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity of description, the explanation of the relevant contents and beneficial effects in any of the communication devices provided above can refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0217] In an embodiment of the present application, the access network device may include a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. Among them, the hardware layer may include hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and a memory (also called main memory). The operating system of the operating system layer may be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as Linux operating system, Unix operating system, Android operating system, iOS operating system, or Windows operating system. The application layer may include applications such as browsers, address books, word processing software, and instant messaging software.

[0218] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0219] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0220] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0221] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0222] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the part that essentially contributes to the technical solution of the present application or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory, a random access memory, a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The access network device determines at least two cells in a coverage area, the at least two cells include a first cell and a second cell, the first cell and the second cell respectively correspond to different user access demands or different areas, and the user access demand is the number of access users per unit time; The access network device determines a first synchronization signal block SSB beam for scanning the first cell and a second SSB beam for scanning the second cell according to user access requirements or areas corresponding to the first cell and the second cell respectively, and configuration parameters of the first SSB beam and the second SSB beam are different. The first SSB beam is a beam used to carry the SSB corresponding to the first cell, and the second SSB beam is a beam used to carry the SSB corresponding to the second cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The configuration parameters of the first SSB beam include a width of the first SSB beam and a scanning period of the first SSB beam, and the configuration parameters of the second SSB beam include a width of the second SSB beam and a scanning period of the second SSB beam; The configuration parameters of the first SSB beam and the configuration parameters of the second SSB beam are different in that at least one of the width of the first SSB beam and the width of the second SSB beam, and the scanning period of the first SSB beam and the scanning period of the second SSB beam is different.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that When the area of ​​the first cell satisfies a first condition, the width of the first SSB beam is configured as a first parameter.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The first condition is: the area of ​​the first cell is greater than a first threshold, or the area of ​​the first cell is less than the first threshold; When the area of ​​the first cell is greater than the first threshold, the first parameter is greater than a first width value, and the first width value is a beam width value corresponding to the first threshold; When the area of ​​the first cell is smaller than the first threshold, the first parameter is smaller than the first width value.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first condition is: the area of ​​the first cell is larger than the area of ​​the second cell, or the area of ​​the first cell is smaller than the area of ​​the second cell; When the area of ​​the first cell is larger than the area of ​​the second cell, the first parameter is larger than the width value of the second SSB beam; When the area of ​​the first cell is smaller than the area of ​​the second cell, the first parameter is smaller than the width value of the second SSB beam.

6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that When the user access demand corresponding to the first cell meets the second condition, the scanning period of the first SSB beam is configured as a second parameter.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The second condition is: the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than a second threshold, or the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is less than the second threshold; When the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than a second threshold, the second parameter is less than a first time value, and the first time value is a scanning period corresponding to the second threshold; When the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is less than a second threshold, the second parameter is greater than the first time value.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The second condition is: the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the user access demand of the second cell, or the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is less than the user access demand of the second cell; When the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the user access demand of the second cell, the second parameter is less than the scanning period of the second SSB beam; When the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is less than the user access demand of the second cell, the second parameter is greater than the scanning period of the second SSB beam.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that: When the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than a second threshold, the width of the first SSB beam is greater than a second width value, and the second width value is a beam width value corresponding to the second threshold; When the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is less than a second threshold, the width of the first SSB beam is less than the second width value.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that When the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the user access demand of the second cell, the width of the first SSB beam is greater than the width value of the second SSB beam; When the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is smaller than the user access demand of the second cell, the width of the first SSB beam is smaller than the width of the second SSB beam.

11. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that When the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the second threshold, the number of radio frequency channels corresponding to the first cell is greater than a first value, the first value is the number of radio frequency channels corresponding to the second threshold, and the radio frequency channels of the first cell are used to generate the first SSB beam.

12. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that When the user access demand corresponding to the first cell is greater than the user access demand of the second cell, the number of radio frequency channels corresponding to the first cell is greater than the number of radio frequency channels of the second cell, the radio frequency channels of the first cell are used to generate the first SSB beam, and the radio frequency channels of the second cell are used to generate the second SSB beam.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that: The access network device determines at least two cells in a coverage area, including: The access network device determines at least two cells in the coverage area according to the stored historical access quantities at different locations in the coverage area.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Receiving historical access counts at different locations within the coverage area from a control center device; The access network device determines at least two cells in a coverage area, including: The access network device determines at least two cells in the coverage area according to the historical access quantities at different locations in the coverage area.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: include: Transceiver module and processing module, The transceiver module is used to perform the transceiver operation of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 14, and the processing module is used to perform the processing operation of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises: Memory, for storing computer instructions; A processor, configured to execute a computer program or computer instruction stored in the memory, so that the communication device performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: A computer program is stored thereon, and when the computer program is executed by a communication device, the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

18. A communication system, characterized in that: include: An access network device and a terminal device, the access network device communicates with the terminal device, and the access network device is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 14.

19. A computer program product comprising instructions, characterized in that When the method is executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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