Beamforming scheme for MIMO communication

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to on-demand marking for channel classification training. A first device transmits a first signal from the first device to each of a plurality of second devices via a first beam. The first device also updates the first beam at least once by: receiving, from each of the plurality of second devices, a second signal transmitted via a second beam determined based on the first beam; and adjusting the first beam based on a measurement of the received second signal. In this manner, instead of achieving a maximum beamforming gain for a one-to-one network device and terminal device pair, the total beamforming gain between a plurality of network devices and a plurality of terminal devices is optimized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and in particular, to a beamforming scheme for a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) system. Background Art

[0002] In order to meet the increasing demand for wireless data services, a variety of solutions have been proposed and implemented, among which MIMO technology is considered to be a powerful solution for achieving high data throughput in communication systems. MIMO refers to the type of wireless transmission and reception scheme in which both the transmitter and the receiver use more than one antenna. Further, in a MIMO system, the terminal device needs to simulate the process of beamforming and beam alignment before communicating with the network device. Therefore, the technology of beamforming and beam alignment is important for the MIMO system. Summary of the invention

[0003] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the first device to at least perform: sending a first signal from the first device to each of a plurality of second devices via a first beam; and updating the first beam at least once by the following actions: receiving a second signal sent via a second beam from each of the plurality of second devices, the second beam being determined based on the first beam; and adjusting the first beam based on a measurement result of the received second signal.

[0004] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the second device to at least perform: determining a second beam used by the second device to communicate with a first device at least once by: receiving a first signal transmitted via a first beam determined by the corresponding first device from each of a plurality of first devices; adjusting a second beam based on a measurement result of the received first signal; and sending a second signal to the first device via the second beam.

[0005] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a third device is provided. The third device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the third device to at least perform: generating a configuration related to at least one of the following: a first signal sent by a first device as an initiator of beam alignment; or a second signal sent by a second device as a collaborator of beam alignment; and sending the configuration to a network device connected to the third device among the first device and the second device.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: at a first device, sending a first signal to each of a plurality of second devices via a first beam; updating the first beam at least once by: receiving a second signal sent via a second beam from each of the plurality of second devices, the second beam being determined based on the first beam; and adjusting the first beam based on a measurement result of the received second signal.

[0007] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: determining at a second device that a second beam is used by the second device to communicate with a first device at least once by the following actions: receiving, from each of a plurality of first devices, a first signal transmitted via a first beam determined by the corresponding first device; adjusting the second beam based on a measurement result of the received first signal; and sending a second signal to the first device via the second beam.

[0008] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: generating, at a third device, a configuration related to at least one of: a first signal sent by a first device as an initiator of beam alignment; or a second signal sent by a second device as a collaborator of beam alignment; and sending the configuration to one of a first device and a second device as network devices connected to the third device.

[0009] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: a component for sending a first signal to each of a plurality of second devices via a first beam; a component for updating the first beam at least once by: receiving a second signal sent via a second beam from each of the plurality of second devices, the second beam being determined based on the first beam; and adjusting the first beam based on a measurement result of the received second signal.

[0010] In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes: a component for determining, at the second device, that a second beam is used by the second device to communicate with a first device at least once by the following actions: receiving, from each of a plurality of first devices, a first signal transmitted via a first beam determined by the corresponding first device; adjusting the second beam based on a measurement result of the received first signal; and a component for sending a second signal to the first device via the second beam.

[0011] In a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, a third device is provided. The third device includes: a component for generating, at the third device, a configuration related to at least one of the following: a first signal sent by a first device as an initiator of beam alignment; or a second signal sent by a second device as a collaborator of beam alignment; and a component for sending the configuration to one of the first device and the second device as network devices connected to the third device.

[0012] In a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, the instructions being used to cause a device to at least execute instructions of the method according to the first aspect.

[0013] In an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, the instructions being used to cause a device to at least execute instructions of the method according to the second aspect.

[0014] In a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, the instructions being used to cause a device to at least execute instructions of the method according to the third aspect.

[0015] It should be understood that the abstract is not intended to identify the key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1 An example communication environment is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0018] Figure 2 shows a signaling flow for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 3A Another signaling flow for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 3B shows transmission timing according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 4A shows other signaling flows for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 4B shows another transmission timing according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 5 An example of the distribution of access points (APs) and terminal devices within the considered area is shown;

[0024] Fig. 6A The spectral efficiency performance of the proposed simulated beam alignment process compared with the small cell solution is shown;

[0025] Figure 6B Another spectral efficiency performance of the proposed simulated beam alignment process compared with the small cell solution is shown;

[0026] Figure 7 The convergence performance of the proposed beam alignment process versus the number of iterations is shown;

[0027] Figure 8 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0028] Fig. 9 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0029] Fig.10 A flowchart of a method implemented at a third device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0030] Fig.11 shows a simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0031] Fig.12 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is shown according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0032] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are only for illustrative purposes and are helpful for those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways different from the ways described below.

[0034] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0035] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0036] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0037] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions, where a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”, means at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0038] As used herein, unless explicitly stated, performing a step "in response to A" does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after "A" occurs, and may include one or more intervening steps.

[0039] The terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "include", "including", "have", "have", "include" and / or "include" specify the presence of the features, elements and / or components, etc. when used herein, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0040] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation in simulation only) and / or digital circuit; and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (where applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, and (ii) any part of a hardware processor and software (including a digital signal processor), software and memory that together enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform its functions; and (c) Hardware circuits and / or processors, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, require software (such as firmware) in order to operate, but the software may not be present when the software is not required for its operation.

[0041] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, the term circuitry also covers a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit used in a mobile device or similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device, if applicable to the particular claim element.

[0042] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal device and the network equipment in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generated communication protocol, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocol and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there are of course communication technologies and systems of future types that can implement the present disclosure. It should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to the above-mentioned system.

[0043] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network, via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from it. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a NodeB (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low-power node such as a femto, a micro, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or a non-terrestrial network device (such as a satellite network device), a low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device, etc., depending on the terminology and technology applied. In some example embodiments, a radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) at an IAB donor node. An IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that behaves like a user equipment (UE) toward a parent node, and the DU portion of the IAB node behaves like a base station toward a next-hop IAB node.

[0044] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, the terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, UE, user station (SS), portable user station, mobile station (MS) or access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device (such as a digital camera, a game terminal device, a music storage and playback device), a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of an industrial and / or automated processing chain), consumer electronic devices, equipment operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) part of an IAB node (eg, a relay node).In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0045] As used herein, the term "resource", "transmission resource", "resource block", "physical resource block" (PRB), "uplink resource" or "downlink resource" may refer to any resource used to perform communication, for example, communication between a terminal device and a network device, such as resources in the time domain, resources in the frequency domain, resources in the spatial domain, resources in the code domain, or any other resource that enables communication. In the following, unless explicitly stated, resources in the frequency domain and the time domain will be used as examples of transmission resources for describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Note that the example embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0046] Although the functions described herein may be performed in fixed and / or wireless network nodes in various example embodiments, in other example embodiments, the functions may be implemented in a user equipment device (such as a cellular phone or a tablet computer or a laptop computer or a desktop computer or a mobile IOT device or a fixed IOT device). The user equipment device may, for example, be equipped with corresponding capabilities as appropriately described in conjunction with fixed and / or wireless network nodes. The user equipment device may be a user device and / or a control device, such as a chipset or a processor, for controlling the user device when the user device is installed therein. Examples of such functions include boot server functions and / or home user servers, which may be implemented in a user equipment device by providing the user equipment device with software configured to cause the user equipment device to execute from the perspective of these functions / nodes.

[0047] Millimeter wave / terahertz communications are expected to be supported, thus providing more communication resources for wireless communications. However, millimeter wave / terahertz communications always have coverage issues due to propagation limitations such as large path loss, easy obstruction, and shadowing. The Massive MIMO and Terahertz Working Group of International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT)-2030 (sixth generation, 6G) discussed a network architecture called distributed / cellless MIMO network. In a distributed / cellless MIMO network, by exploring the macro diversity of distributed APs, multiple large antenna arrays of smaller size in a hybrid architecture can be effectively deployed in a distributed manner on multiple APs, instead of using a single co-located very large antenna array.

[0048] Distributed / cellless MIMO networks are expected to support millimeter wave and sub-MHz frequency communications. Specifically, at millimeter wave and sub-terahertz frequencies, terminal devices will be equipped with multiple antennas and hybrid array architectures, which requires analog beamforming on the terminal devices and beam alignment with network equipment (such as APs). Therefore, in distributed / cellless MIMO, distributed analog beamforming needs to be designed at each AP to effectively align the beams between the coordinated APs and the corresponding service UEs.

[0049] It is expected that distributed / cell-free MIMO networks can support communications on mmWave and sub-Thz freq. Specifically, at mmWave and sub-Thz frequencies, terminal devices will be installed with multiple antennas and hybrid array architectures, which require analog beamforming and beam alignment network devices (such as APs) at the terminal devices. Therefore, in distributed / cell-free MIMO, it is expected how to design distributed analog beamforming at each AP so that beam alignment between coordinated APs and corresponding service UEs can be effectively performed.

[0050] However, in distributed or cell-less MIMO networks, where multiple APs serve multiple terminal devices simultaneously, the goal of beamforming is to maximize the total beamforming gain, which cannot be achieved when each terminal device aligns an analog beam with each AP.

[0051] If the traditional beam alignment process is applied in a distributed or cell-free MIMO network, the AP performs beam scanning (for a specific cell) and each terminal device will feedback multiple beam identities (IDs) for its serving AP. In this event, the number of beams is proportional to the number of UEs served simultaneously at each AP, which is unrealistic because it requires a sufficient number of radio frequency (RF) chains at each AP to support its serving terminal devices, or the beams are not universally optimized to achieve the overall beamforming gain. In addition, the terminal device also needs to determine its receive analog beam from the channel of the combined serving AP rather than each individual AP, which is also a technical problem to be solved.

[0052] In view of the above, it is desirable to propose an efficient beam alignment mechanism for distributed / cell-free MIMO systems, where the analog beamforming requirements of terminal devices equipped with multiple antennas and hybrid arrays can be met.

[0053] According to the present invention, a beamforming scheme for a MIMO system is provided. In the present disclosure, each of a plurality of first devices sends a corresponding first signal to a plurality of second devices via a corresponding first beam, and each of a plurality of second devices measures the first signal to determine a corresponding second beam. Then, each of a plurality of second devices sends a corresponding second signal to a plurality of first devices via the determined second beam. Then, each of a plurality of first devices updates the corresponding first beam based on the received second signal. In this way, the total beamforming gain between a plurality of network devices and a plurality of terminal devices can be optimized, rather than achieving the maximum beamforming gain of a one-to-one network device and terminal device pair. .

[0054] To facilitate discussion, some of the terms used in the following description are listed below: ●First device: the initiator of beam alignment; the first device triggers beam alignment. • First beam: one or more beams used or to be used by the first device. First signal: a signal sent by a first device. The first signal may be distributed in different transmission resources. ● Second device: Collaborating party during beam alignment. ● Second beam: one or more beams used or to be used by the second device. ● Second signal: a signal sent by the second device. The second signal may be distributed in different transmission resources. Example Environment

[0055] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. In the communication environment 100, multiple communication devices are involved, including multiple first devices 110-1, 110-2, ..., 110-P and multiple second devices 120-1, 120-1, ..., 120-Q, where P and Q are both greater than 2. For the purpose of discussion, the first devices 110-1, 110-2, ..., 110-P are collectively or individually referred to as first devices 110, and the second devices 120-1, 120-1, ..., 120-Q are collectively or individually referred to as second devices 120.

[0056] In a specific embodiment, each first device 110 can communicate with more than one second device 120 via a physical communication channel or link, and each second device 120 can correspondingly communicate with more than one first device 110 via a physical communication channel or link. It is clear that different first devices 110 can communicate with multiple different second devices 120, and different second devices can also similarly communicate with multiple different first devices 110.

[0057] In addition, the technology of distributed / cell-free MIMO is supported. Specifically, each first device 110 can communicate with more than one second device 120 via one or more first beams to achieve directional communication, and each second device 120 can also communicate with more than one first device 110 via one or more second beams to achieve directional communication.

[0058] Optionally, the communication environment 100 further includes a third device 130 responsible for resource scheduling and network management. As a specific embodiment, the third device is a central processing device (such as a central processing unit CPU). As another specific embodiment, the third device may be a core network (CN) device.

[0059] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 is a network device (such as an AP) to which the first device 110 is connected to the third device 130. In this event, the third device 130 may send configuration and information to the first device 110, and the first device 110 may optionally forward the received configuration and information to the second device 120 (such as a terminal device). Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the second device 120 is a network device (such as an AP) to which the second device 120 is connected. In this event, the third device 130 may send configuration and information to the second device 120, and the second device 120 may optionally forward the received configuration and information to the first device 110 (such as a terminal device).

[0060] It should be understood that Figure 1 The devices shown in and the number of their connections are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. The communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices suitable for implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the number of the first device 110, the second device 120, and the third device 130 and their connections are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. The communication environment 100 may include any suitable first device 110, the second device 120, and the third device 130 suitable for implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, although not shown, it should be understood that one or more additional first devices, second devices, and third devices may be located in the corresponding cells. Working Principle and Example Signaling Flow

[0061] Reference below Figure 2 Describing in detail example embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 2 FIG. 2 shows a signaling flow 200 for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 A signaling flow 200 is described.

[0062] like Figure 2 As shown, the signaling process 200 involves the first device 110 (from the first device 110-1 to the first device 110-P), the second device 120 (from the second device 120-1 to the second device 110-Q), and the third device 130. For the purpose of discussion, reference is made to Figure 1 The signaling process 200 is described.

[0063] In the following, although sometimes description is made with respect to a specific first device 110 (such as the first device 110-1) and a specific second device 120 (such as the second device 120-1), it should be understood that all first devices 110 / and second devices 120 are similar. That is, the description discussed with respect to a specific first device 110 should be considered applicable to other first devices 110, and the description discussed with respect to a specific second device 120 should be considered applicable to other second devices 120. For the sake of brevity, some similar contents are omitted here.

[0064] It should also be clear that in the following description, different first devices 110 may communicate with different pluralities of second devices 120 , and different second devices may also communicate with different pluralities of first devices 110 .

[0065] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 is a network device, the second device 120 is a terminal device, and the third device 130 is a central processing device.

[0066] Alternatively, in some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 is a terminal device, the second device 120 is a network device, and the third device 130 is a central processing device.

[0067] In operation, first device 110-1 transmits 215 a first signal via a first beam to second device 120. In some example embodiments, first device 110-1 transmits the first signal in a broadcast or multicast manner.

[0068] In addition, each of the other first devices 110 - 1 to 110 -P also transmits 215 a corresponding first signal to the second device 120 via a corresponding first beam.

[0069] In some example embodiments, the first beam may be initially determined 210 by the respective first device based on any suitable manner. In a particular example embodiment, the first beam is initially determined to be a predetermined beam, such as a most recently used beam, a most frequently used beam, a beam with a simple beamforming matrix. It should be understood that the above examples of predetermined beams are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. In other example embodiments, the first beam is initially determined to be any other suitable predetermined beam. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0070] Alternatively, in another specific example embodiment, the first beam is initially determined as a randomly acquired beam. For example, a random beam selection mechanism (such as a random DFT-based beam) can be used to initially determine the first beam. It should be understood that in other example embodiments, other random beam selection mechanisms can also be used to initially determine the first beam. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0071] In some example embodiments, the first signal is a reference signal / pilot, such as a channel state information (CSI) reference signal (RS), CSI-RS, and a sounding reference signal SRS.

[0072] In some example embodiments, the first beam is initially determined to be a wide beam. In this way, the first signal transmitted via the first beam may be more easily detected by the second device 120.

[0073] Based on the first signal, each second device 120 may determine 220 - 1 a corresponding second beam to be used by the second device 120 to communicate with its associated first device 110 .

[0074] like Figure 2 As shown, the second device 120 - 1 receives the first signal from each of the first devices 110 , and adjusts the corresponding second beam based on the measurement results of the received first signals.

[0075] In this way, the second beam to be used by the second device may be determined without any feedback required from the second device 120 - 1 to the first device 110 .

[0076] In some example embodiments, the second device 120-1 adjusts the second beam to increase the beamforming gain at the second device 120 relative to all of its related first devices 110. In a specific example embodiment, the second device 120-1 receives the first signal through beam scanning and determines which beam has a higher beamforming gain than at least one other beam. Based on the result of the beam scanning, the second beam may be determined. Additionally, in some example embodiments, the second device 120-1 adjusts the second beam to a beam that enables maximum beamforming gain at the second device 120-1 relative to all of its related first devices 110.

[0077] In this manner, when determining the second beam based on the first signals from the plurality of first devices 110 , the overall beamforming gain at the system level is maximized.

[0078] In some example embodiments, the first signals are sent simultaneously by the first device 110. In this way, each second device 120 can receive all signals that need to be measured at one time, thereby saving power consumption of the second device and improving network performance accordingly.

[0079] In some example embodiments, the first signal is periodic. In this way, each second device 120 may select an inappropriate timing to receive the first signal, which enables more flexible reception of the first signal.

[0080] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may update 230-1 the originally determined first beam, which may be achieved by measuring the second signal sent by the second device 120. Figure 2 As shown, the first device 110 - 1 receives 225 - 1 a second signal from each of its associated second devices 120 , and adjusts the first beam based on the measurement results of the received second signals.

[0081] Similar to the operation of determining the second beam at the second device 120, in some example embodiments, the first device 110-1 adjusts the first beam to increase the beamforming gain of the first device 110-1 relative to all its related second devices 120. In a specific example embodiment, the first device 110-1 receives the second signal through beam scanning and determines which beam has a higher beamforming gain than at least one other beam. According to the result of the beam scanning, the first beam can be updated. In addition, in some example embodiments, the first device 110-1 adjusts the first beam to enable the beam with the maximum beamforming gain at the first device 110-1 relative to all its related second devices 120.

[0082] In this manner, when the first beam is updated based on the second signals from the plurality of second devices 120, the overall beamforming gain at the system level is maximized.

[0083] In some example embodiments, the second signals are sent simultaneously by the second device 120. In this way, each first device 110 can receive all the signals required for measurement at one time, which saves power consumption of the first device and improves network performance accordingly.

[0084] Similar to the first signal, the second signal may also be a reference signal / pilot, such as a downlink (DL) CSI-RS, an uplink (UL) SRS. In addition, in some example embodiments, the second signal is periodic. In this way, each first device 110 may select an inappropriate time to receive the second signal, which enables more flexible reception of the second signal.

[0085] In some example embodiments, the transmission of the first signal or the second signal may be configured by the third device 130. The third device 130 may configure any suitable parameters for the transmission of the first signal or the second signal. An example of a suitable parameter is a transmission resource, such as a first transmission resource allocated for the first signal and a second transmission resource allocated for the second signal. Another example of a suitable parameter is a timing for transmission, such as a first timing configured for the first signal and a second timing configured for the second signal. Another example of a suitable parameter is a periodicity for transmission, such as a first periodicity for transmitting the first signal, and a second periodicity for transmitting the second signal. Other examples of suitable parameters include, but are not limited to, an indication for transmission, such as a first indication indicating that the first device 110 sends the first signal, and a second indication indicating that the second device 120 receives the first signal.

[0086] It should be understood that the above examples of suitable parameters are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. In some other example embodiments, any suitable parameters for transmission of the first signal or the second signal may be determined by the third device 130. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0087] In addition, the configuration may be indicated to the first device 110 and the second device 120. Specifically, in some example embodiments, the first device 110 is a network device and is connected to the third device 130. In this event, the third device 130 may send the configuration to the first device 110, and the first device 110 may further forward the received configuration to the second device 120. Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the second device 120 is a network device and is connected to the third device 130. In this event, the third device 130 may send the configuration to the second device 120, and the second device 120 may optionally forward the received configuration to the first device 110.

[0088] In this way, simultaneous transmission of the first signal or the second signal is guaranteed.

[0089] In some example embodiments, in order to refine the first / second beam, an iteration 250 may be performed. During the iteration 250, the operation of determining the second beam may be performed 220-i more than once by the second device 120. Figure 2 As shown, the second device 120 receives 215 - i the first signal from each first device 110 and adjusts the corresponding second beam based on the measurement results of the received first signal.

[0090] Thus, during iteration 250, the operation of updating the first beam may be performed 230-i more than once by the first device 110. Figure 2As shown, the first device 110 receives 225 - i second signals from each second device 120 and adjusts the corresponding first beam based on the measurement results of the received second signals.

[0091] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 iteratively updates the first beam until the first stop condition is met. The first stop condition can use many factors to control the iteration 250. One example factor is the number of iterations. Another example factor is the beamforming gain of the first beam at the first device. Another example factor is the beamforming gain difference between two adjacent iterations. Other example factors include, but are not limited to, an indication to stop the iteration (such as an indication sent by the third device 130).

[0092] In one specific example embodiment, if the number of iterations reaches a first predefined number, it is determined that the first termination condition is satisfied. Alternatively, in another specific example embodiment, if the beamforming gain brought by at least one first beam at the first device is equal to or greater than the first predefined beamforming gain, it is determined that the first termination condition is satisfied. Alternatively, in another specific example embodiment, if the beamforming gain difference between two adjacent iterations is equal to or less than the first predefined gain difference, it is determined that the first termination condition is satisfied. Alternatively, in another specific example embodiment, if a third indication is received indicating that the first device terminates the iteration, it is determined that the first termination condition is satisfied.

[0093] It should be understood that the above example factors are for illustration purposes only and do not imply any limitation.In other example embodiments, any suitable deterministic configuration parameters and dynamic measurements at the first device and the second device may be associated with the first stop condition.

[0094] Similarly, in some example embodiments, the second device 120 iteratively determines the second beam until the second stop condition is met. Similar to the first stop condition, the second stop condition may also be related to one or more of the following: the number of iterations, the beamforming gain of the second beam at the second device, the beamforming gain difference between two adjacent iterations, or an indication to stop the iteration (such as an indication sent by the third device 130). For the sake of brevity, similar content is omitted here.

[0095] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 and the second device 120 share a common stop condition, which means that the first stop condition and the second stop condition are the same. Alternatively, the first stop condition and the second stop condition are independently defined, which means that the first stop condition and the second stop condition may be different.

[0096] In some example embodiments, the first stop condition and the second stop condition are default configurations. In this event, the first and second stop conditions can be implemented as local configurations at the first device and the second device. Therefore, the third device 130 does not need additional signaling exchanges.

[0097] Alternatively, the first stop condition and the second stop condition are determined by the third device 130 and notified to the first device 110 and the second device 120. The transmission process of the first stop condition and the second stop condition is similar to the configuration of the first signal and the second signal. For the sake of brevity, similar content is omitted here.

[0098] In some example embodiments, whether to stop iteration 250 is determined by first device 110 / second device 120 according to the first stop condition / second stop condition. Alternatively, whether to stop iteration 250 is determined by third device 130. Figure 2 As shown, the first device 110 / the second device 120 may transmit the measurement result of the second signal / the first signal to the third device 130. The third device 130 determines whether to stop the iteration 250 based on the measurement result and / or the first stop condition / the second stop condition. If the third device 130 determines to stop the iteration 250, the third device 130 may generate an indication instructing the first device 110 / the second device 120 to stop the iteration 250.

[0099] In some example embodiments, the state of iteration 250 should be consistent among first device 110, second device 120, and third device 130. Therefore, once it is determined to start or stop iteration 250, first device 110, second device 120, and third device 130 should exchange messages with each other to ensure that the state of iteration 250 is consistent.

[0100] As described above, the first device 110-1 or the second device 120-1 corrects the second signal and the first signal by beam scanning. In some example embodiments, the beam scanning process can be optimized during iteration 250. Specifically, as the number of iterations increases, the number of beams in the beam scanning decreases. That is, since after the original beam scanning, the first device 110-1 and the second device 120-1 may understand an approximate angular coverage range, subsequent beam scanning may be performed within the approximate angular coverage range. In this way, power consumption caused by unnecessary beam scanning is avoided.

[0101] Next, the first device 110 and the second device 120 may perform 270 transmission (including data, RS, etc.) with each other.

[0102] According to the above example process, the beam alignment mechanism in distributed / cell-free MIMO is enabled. According to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, the total effective array gain between the first device 110 and the second device 120 is maximized, approaching full digital performance.

[0103] In addition, the present invention does not need to increase the number of RF chains and is simpler, more convenient and more feasible.

[0104] In addition, beam alignment can be triggered periodically in the communication system, so that the overall beamforming gain can be guaranteed even if the channel conditions change and the terminal devices move. Discussion about a specific scenario

[0105] In order to better understand the solution of the present disclosure, an example process will be discussed in conjunction with a specific scenario. In the specific scenario, a cell-free MIMO network is supported, and the cell-free MIMO network includes M APs and K terminal devices, where M and K are greater than 2.

[0106] The M APs are indexed as AP 1, ...AP m, ...AP M (m is the index of AP, m=1, ..., M), and the K terminal devices are indexed as terminal device 1, ...terminal device k, ...terminal device K (k is the index of terminal device, k=1, ..., K).

[0107] For the purpose of discussion, AP 1, AP m, and AP M are collectively or individually referred to as APs, and terminal device 1, terminal device k, and terminal device K are collectively or individually referred to as terminal devices.

[0108] Distributed analog beamforming is performed at each AP. For AP m and terminal k, the analog beamforming matrix is ​​composed of F m and W k express.

[0109] In some example embodiments, to achieve good beam alignment, the beamforming process may be designed to maximize the total beamforming gain or effective array gain in a cell-free MIMO network. In some example embodiments, the maximization problem may be formulated by the following formula (1). in The parameter H is the total channel matrix from M APs to K terminal devices. Parameter F = diag{F1, ..., F M} and W = diag{W1, ..., W K} are the total beamforming matrices at the AP and the terminal device, respectively, Operation||·|| F Denotes the Frobenius norm. The phase shifter-based energy-efficient beamforming network is assumed to have a constant modulus constraint.

[0110] In some example embodiments, in order to solve the above-mentioned maximization problem, it is effective to alternately perform analog beamformer and combiner calculations in a coordinated manner between the AP and the terminal device.

[0111] In some example embodiments, in a fixed In the case of , each terminal device needs to determine the optimal beamformer W by solving the following optimization problem formulated by the following formula (2): k in Parameter T k Indicates the signal measurements at terminal device k from all APs.

[0112] In some example embodiments, in a fixed In the case of , each AP attempts to find the best beamformer F by solving the following optimization problem formulated by the following formula (3): m . in Where Q m Indicates the signal measurements at AP m from all K serving terminal devices.

[0113] As described above, the first device 110 (ie, the initiator) may be an AP or a terminal device. In the following, the above two situations will be discussed separately. Example scenario where the initiator is an AP

[0114] The following will refer to Figure 3A and Figure 3B The exemplary embodiments are described in detail, wherein Figure 3A Another signaling flow 300 for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown, and Figure 3B A transmission timing 350 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The signaling flow 300 and the transmission timing 350 include AP 1 to AP M and terminal device 1 to terminal device K.

[0115] like Figure 3A As shown, during the initialization phase, APs (AP 1 to AP M) simultaneously transmit 305 first signals (such as DL pilots, CSI-RS) via the initialized AP-dedicated common beam m (ie, the first beam).

[0116] In some example embodiments, the simultaneous transmissions from the AP are scheduled by the CPU (ie, the third device). In a specific embodiment, the CPU schedules one or more of the transmission resources, the transmission timing, and the period of the first signal (such as CSI-RS).

[0117] In some example embodiments, an initialized AP-specific common beam is determined at each AP. In a specific example embodiment, the initialized AP-specific common beam may be initialized to direct combination, e.g. Among them, M t , N t The numbers of antenna elements and RF chains at each AP are represented respectively. In some other example embodiments, the initialized AP-specific common beam may be determined as the other default beam.

[0118] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, a random DFT-based beam may be used to initialize an AP-specific common beam. For DFT-initialized beams, Among them C DFT (i) is N randomly selected from the DFT codebook T Beam Vector. Additionally, in some example embodiments, if an approximate angle of interest is available, the AP-specific common beam may be selected based on this knowledge.

[0119] In some example embodiments, during the initialization phase, the AP may (semi-)periodically broadcast a first signal through an initialized first beam, so that the terminal device may perform measurements on the received first signal in its time slot. Figure 3B As shown, terminal device 1 can receive the first signal at the first duration, and terminal device K can receive the first signal at the first duration or the second duration. The periodic transmission of the first signal also helps to improve coverage because the terminal device can perform time averaging on the measurement of the first signal.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the AP triggers their serving terminal devices 1 to K to apply beam measurement (such as beam scanning) to receive the first signal sent by the initialization beam from the AP. Each of the terminal devices 1 to K determines its own second beam, i.e., the terminal device 1 determines 310-1 its own second beam, and the terminal device K determines 310-K its own second beam accordingly.

[0121] In some example embodiments, by using receive beam measurements, the terminal device selects a terminal device-specific common beam (ie, denoted as The dedicated public beam of the terminal device is optimal for all its serving APs. In a specific example embodiment, the dedicated public beam of the terminal device It can be obtained by beam scanning to solve the optimization problem in formula (1). in is the codebook on the terminal device, T k is the equivalent channel covariance measure at terminal device k.

[0122] In this way, the selected common beam dedicated to the terminal device can maximize the beamforming gain of all its serving APs. Figure 3A As shown, the terminal devices apply their own common beams and simultaneously send 315 UL pilots (e.g., SRS) to the AP they serve. Then, each terminal device sends 315 a second signal (such as UL RS, SRS). In some example embodiments, the CPU may also configure the terminal device's upcoming SRS transmissions, such as transmission resources, transmission timing, and periodicity, via the AP.

[0123] In some example embodiments, each AP receives and measures the UL pilot, and then selects an AP-specific common beam (i.e., the updated first beam) that is optimal for all serving terminal devices. In a specific example embodiment, the AP-specific common beam may be obtained by solving the optimization problem in equation (2) using beam scanning: in is the codebook at the AP, and Q m is the equivalent channel covariance measure at AP m. Parameters A "shared" beam indicates that the AP beam maximizes the beamforming gain of all its served terminal devices.

[0124] In some example embodiments, iterations may be used to further align the AP-specific common beam and the terminal device-specific common beam. Figure 3A As shown in , the operations at 310-1, 310-K, 315, 320-1, 320-M and 325 can be iteratively performed. In some example embodiments, the stopping criteria of the iteration (i.e., the first stopping condition or the second stopping condition) are configured by the CPU. In some example embodiments, the stopping criteria of the iteration are based on the deterministic configuration of the network. As an example, the stopping criteria can be configured by the CPU as a threshold number of iterations based on historical statistics.

[0125] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the stopping criteria of the iteration is based on dynamic measurements at each AP and / or terminal device. As an example, whether to stop the iteration can be determined based on the measurement results at the AP, for example, each AP can measure the effective beamforming gain according to the following equation (3).

[0126] Each AP also determines the beamforming gain difference by the following equation (4).

[0127] Each AP may determine to stop iterations if the beamforming gain difference is less than a threshold difference.

[0128] Alternatively, whether to stop iteration can be determined by the CPU. As an example, each AP sends a beamforming gain difference to the CPU. After collecting all beamforming gain differences from M APs, the CPU determines whether to , where ∈ is the convergence threshold. If yes, the CPU can determine to stop the iteration.

[0129] It should be understood that whether to stop iteration may also be determined based on the measurement result at the terminal device. For the sake of brevity, similar content is omitted here.

[0130] In some embodiments, it is not necessary to scan all beams at each iteration. In one specific example embodiment, measuring the received pilots may be performed by scanning all beams in an initial beam scan, where the pilots may be sent via wide beams. In the next beam scan, the terminal device or AP already knows the approximate angular coverage and will then use narrow beams within the approximate angular coverage for beam alignment.

[0131] Next, the terminal device and the AP may perform 330 transmission (including data, RS, etc.) with each other. When the first device 110 Example when (i.e., the initiator) is a terminal device

[0132] The following will refer to Figure 4A and Figure 4B Describe in detail the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein Figure 4A shows other signaling flows 400 for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, and Figure 4B Another transmission sequence 450 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The signaling flow 400 and the transmission sequence 450 include AP 1, ..., AP M and terminal devices 1 to K.

[0133] like Figure 4AAs shown, during the initialization phase, the terminal devices (terminal device 1 to terminal device K) simultaneously transmit 405 a first signal (such as UL pilot, SRS) via the initialized terminal device dedicated common beam m (ie, the first beam).

[0134] In some example embodiments, the simultaneous transmissions from the terminal device are scheduled by the CPU (ie, the third device).In a specific embodiment, the CPU schedules transmission resources and transmission timing for the first signal (ie, the SRS).

[0135] In some example embodiments, an initialized terminal device-specific common beam is determined at each terminal device. In a specific example embodiment, the initialized terminal device-specific common beam may be initialized to direct combination, e.g. Among them, M r , N r The numbers of antenna elements and RF chains at each terminal device are represented respectively. In some other example embodiments, the initialized terminal device-specific common beam may be determined as another default beam.

[0136] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, a random DFT-based beam may be used to initialize an initialized terminal device-specific common beam. Among them C DFT (i) is N randomly selected from the DFT codebook r Beam vector. In addition, in some example embodiments, if a rough angle of interest is available, the initialized terminal device-specific common beam may be selected based on this knowledge.

[0137] In some example embodiments, each AP selects an AP-specific common beam (ie, the second beam) that is optimal for all service terminal devices, ie, AP 1 determines 410-1 its corresponding second beam, and AP M accordingly determines 410-M its corresponding second beam.

[0138] In a specific example embodiment, the AP-specific public beam may be acquired by beam scanning. To solve the optimization problem in the above formula (2).

[0139] like Figure 4A As shown, the AP applies its own AP-specific common beam and simultaneously transmits 415 a second signal (such as a DL pilot, CSI-RS) to its served terminal device. The terminal device receives the second signal and measures the received second signal.

[0140] In some example embodiments, each terminal device selects a terminal device-specific common beam (i.e., the first beam updated by Jing), which is the best for all serving APs. In a specific example embodiment, the terminal device-specific common beam can be obtained by beam scanning to solve the optimization problem in the above formula (1).

[0141] In some example embodiments, iterations may be used to further align the AP-specific common beam and the terminal device-specific common beam. Figure 4A As shown in , the operations of 410-1, 410-K, 415, 420-1, 420-M and 425 can be iteratively performed. In some example embodiments, the stopping criteria of the iteration (i.e., the first stopping condition or the second stopping condition) are configured by the CPU. The configuration of the stopping criteria is similar to the configuration discussed for the example scenario where the initiator is the AP. For the sake of brevity, similar content is omitted here.

[0142] Next, the terminal device and the AP may perform 430 transmission (including data, RS, etc.) with each other. Simulation Results

[0143] In the following, the performance of the present disclosure for beamforming functions is evaluated by comparing the present disclosure with a small cell solution using multi-antenna / hybrid array terminal devices in a millimeter wave distributed / cell-free massive MIMO system. For the small cell solution, each terminal device is served by only one AP, and the available APs are selected based on the best channel quality. If an AP has been selected by other terminal devices, the next available AP with the second best channel quality will be selected. Unselected APs are inactive.

[0144] In addition, the mmWave channel is modeled at 28 GHz, where each channel link can be in one of three states, namely line-of-sight, non-line-of-sight, and interrupted. The probability calculations for distance d are as follows: The large-scale propagation parameters are shown in Table 1 below. Table 1 Simulation parameters of channel model

[0145] In addition, the simulation model involves M = 20 APs, which are evenly distributed in a square area with a size of 200m × 200m. The minimum spacing between any two APs is set to 40m, and the terminal devices are also randomly distributed in the area, such as Figure 5As shown, the figure illustrates an example 500 of the distribution of APs and terminal devices in the considered area. A fixed AP distribution and 1000 realizations of random terminal device locations were considered in the simulation. Each AP has a uniform rectangular array (URA) of size 4×8 and is fully connected with 4 RF chains. The average transmit power of each AP is 250mW and the noise power spectral density of the terminal device is -162dBm.

[0146] Two cases of terminal device configuration are simulated. When the terminal device has two antennas Mr=2, i.e., a fully digital receiver, it corresponds to a special case where no analog beam alignment is required. When each terminal device has a hybrid array, i.e., a 2x4 URA with 8 antenna elements (Mr=8) and 2 RF chains, it applies the proposed analog beam alignment to enhance the beamforming gain of the system.

[0147] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B The spectral efficiency performance 600 and 650 of the proposed simulated beam alignment procedure in distributed / cell-free MIMO compared to the small cell scheme is shown, considering various numbers of terminal devices. It can be observed that, in general, the cell-free scheme significantly outperforms the small cell scheme at both the median and 5% levels by a factor of 5-8 and 5-10, respectively. It also shows that enhanced performance is obtained at the terminal device (Mr=2) using the proposed simulated beam alignment (Mr=8) compared to the no simulated beam case, especially in the distributed / cell-free system.

[0148] Therefore, it demonstrates great potential for application in mmWave cell-free concept with hybrid array terminal devices, where the proposed analog beam alignment mechanism can bring satisfactory performance compared to the small cell scheme.

[0149] The convergence performance using iterations is also evaluated. Figure 7 The convergence performance 700 of the proposed beam alignment procedure is shown as a function of the number of iterations, where two beam initialization schemes are considered, identity beam or random DFT beam. Using a random DFT beam spatial beam (which can be a wide beam covering a large angular area without prior knowledge of the angle information) as the initialization beam, only 2 iterations are required at most. If the identity beamforming matrix is ​​used (worst case), 3 iterations are required to reach convergence.

[0150] In some cases, the beam management procedure needs to include: i. the procedures for transmit beam scanning and receive beam scanning; ii. the refined transmit beam scanning. The delay of the beam management process is equal to 2 iterations.

[0151] In summary, according to some embodiments, distributed beamforming and system architectures for distributed MIMO are supported, and the antenna array size and power consumption of each access point in distributed MIMO are smaller than those of massive MIMO located at the same location. In addition, multi-panel terminal devices have multi-beam transmission and reception capabilities, thereby improving link reliability. In addition, the total effective array gain between all APs to all terminal devices is maximized, approaching full digital performance. In addition, it does not increase the number of RF chains, that is, there is no constraint on the number of RF chains on the AP side because one beam (at least one) that is good for all terminal devices can be found. Due to the criterion of maximizing the total effective array gain, the iterative process easily implements the maximization problem.

[0152] The present disclosure is different from the technology of non-coherent joint transmission (NCJT). Specifically, in the scheme of the present disclosure, it is considered to simultaneously send pilots via predefined / selected beams and trigger multiple UE / APs to simultaneously measure received pilots and not send and receive points (TRP) to send beam scanning and terminal device beam feedback processes. Example Method

[0153] Figure 8 A flowchart showing an example method 800 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present invention is shown. For discussion purposes, Figure 1 The method 800 is described from the perspective of the first device 110.

[0154] At block 810 , the first device 110 transmits a first signal from the first device 110 to each of the plurality of second devices 120 via a first beam.

[0155] At box 820, the first device 110 updates the first beam at least once by: receiving a second signal sent via a second beam from each second device of the plurality of second devices 120, the second beam being determined based on the first beam; and adjusting the first beam based on a measurement result of the received second signal.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the first beam is initially determined to be a wide beam.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the first beam is initially determined to be a predetermined beam, or a randomly acquired beam.

[0158] Optionally, at least one of the following is periodic: the first signal or the second signal.

[0159] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 receives the second signal from the plurality of second devices 120 simultaneously.

[0160] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 adjusts the first beam to increase a beamforming gain of the first device 110 relative to the plurality of second devices 120 .

[0161] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 adjusts the first beam to a beam that enables maximum beamforming gain at the first device 110 with respect to the plurality of second devices 120 .

[0162] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 receives a configuration generated by the third device 130 related to at least one of: the first signal or the second signal.

[0163] In some example embodiments, the configuration indicates a transmission resource. Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the configuration indicates a timing for the transmission. Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the configuration indicates a periodicity for the transmission. Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the configuration indicates an indication for the transmission.

[0164] In some example embodiments, if the first device 110 is a network device, and the first device 110 also sends the configuration to the second device 120 .

[0165] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 iteratively updates the first beam until a first stop condition is met.

[0166] In some example embodiments, the first stopping condition is related to the number of iterations. Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the first stopping condition is related to a beamforming gain of the first device 110 at the first device. Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the first stopping condition is related to a beamforming gain difference between two adjacent iterations. Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the first stopping condition is related to an indication to stop the iteration.

[0167] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 receives information about the first stop condition determined by the third device 130 .

[0168] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 receives the second signal through beam scanning, wherein the number of beams in the beam scanning decreases as the number of iterations increases.

[0169] In some example embodiments, the first signal and the second signal are reference signals.

[0170] In some exemplary embodiments, the first device 110 is a network device, and the plurality of second devices 120 are terminal devices; or, the first device 110 is a terminal device, and the plurality of second devices 120 are network devices.

[0171] Fig. 9A flowchart showing an example method 900 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present invention is shown. For the purpose of discussion, Figure 1 Method 900 is described from the perspective of the second device 120.

[0172] At box 910, the second device 120 determines a second beam used by the second device 120 to communicate with the first device 110 at least once by: receiving a first signal transmitted via a first light beam determined by the corresponding first device 110 from each of the multiple first devices 110; and adjusting the second beam based on a measurement result of the received first signal.

[0173] At block 920 , the second device 120 transmits a second signal to the first device 110 via a second beam.

[0174] Optionally, at least one of the following is periodic: the first signal or the second signal.

[0175] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 receives the first signal from a plurality of first devices 110 simultaneously.

[0176] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 adjusts the second beam to increase a beamforming gain at the second device 120 relative to the plurality of first devices 110 .

[0177] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 adjusts the second beam to a beam that enables maximum beamforming gain at the second device 120 with respect to the plurality of first devices 110 .

[0178] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 receives a configuration generated by the third device 130 related to at least one of: the first signal or the second signal.

[0179] In some example embodiments, the configuration indicates transmission resources.

[0180] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the configuration dictates the timing for the transmission.

[0181] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the configuration indicates a periodicity for the transmission.

[0182] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the configuration indicates an indication for transmission.

[0183] In some example embodiments, if the second device 120 is a network device, the second device 120 also sends the configuration to the first device 110 .

[0184] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 iteratively determines the second beam until a second stop condition is satisfied.

[0185] In some example embodiments, the second stopping condition is related to the number of iterations.

[0186] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the second stopping condition is related to a beamforming gain of the second beam 120 at the second device.

[0187] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the second stopping condition is related to a beamforming gain difference between two adjacent iterations.

[0188] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the second stop condition relates to an indication to stop the iteration.

[0189] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 receives information about the second stop condition determined by the third device 130 .

[0190] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 receives the first signal through beam scanning, wherein the number of beams in the beam scanning decreases as the number of iterations increases.

[0191] In some example embodiments, the first signal and the second signal are reference signals.

[0192] In some exemplary embodiments, the second device 120 is a network device, and the plurality of first devices 110 are terminal devices; or, the second device 120 is a terminal device, and the plurality of first devices 110 are network devices.

[0193] Fig.10 FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing an example method 1000 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present invention. For the purpose of discussion, the method 1000 will be described in detail in FIG. Figure 1 Method 1000 is described from the perspective of a third device 130.

[0194] At block 1010 , the third device 130 generates a configuration related to at least one of: a first signal transmitted by the first device 110 as an initiator of beam alignment; or a second signal transmitted by the second device 120 as a coordinator of beam alignment.

[0195] At block 1010 , the third device 130 sends a configuration to a network device in the first device and the second device 120 that is connected to the third device 130 .

[0196] In some example embodiments, the configuration indicates transmission resources.

[0197] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the configuration dictates the timing for the transmission.

[0198] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the configuration indicates a periodicity for the transmission.

[0199] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the configuration indicates an indication for transmission.

[0200] In some example embodiments, the third device 130 sends at least one of the following to a network device connected to the third device 130 in the first device and the second device 120: information about a first stop condition to be used by the first device 110 to determine whether to stop beam alignment, or information about a second stop condition to be used by the second device 120 to determine whether to stop beam alignment.

[0201] In some exemplary embodiments, the third device 130 is a central processing device, the first device 110 is a network device, and the second device 120 is a terminal device, or the first device 110 is a terminal device and the second device 120 is a network device. Example devices, equipment, and media

[0202] In some example embodiments, a first device (eg, Figure 1 The first device 110 in the method 800 may include components for performing the various operations of the method 800. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, these functions may be implemented in circuits or software modules. The first device may be used as Figure 1 The first device 110 is implemented or included therein.

[0203] In some example embodiments, a first device includes: a component for sending a first signal to each of a plurality of second devices via a first beam; a component for updating the first beam at least once by: receiving a second signal sent via a second beam from each of the plurality of second devices, the second beam being determined based on the first beam; and adjusting the first beam based on a measurement result of the received second signal.

[0204] In some example embodiments, the first beam is initially determined to be a wide beam.

[0205] In some example embodiments, the first beam is initially determined to be a predetermined beam, or a randomly acquired beam.

[0206] Optionally, at least one of the following is periodic: the first signal or the second signal.

[0207] In some example embodiments, the first device includes means for simultaneously receiving second signals from a plurality of second devices.

[0208] In some example embodiments, the first device comprises: means for adjusting the first beam to increase a beamforming gain of the first device relative to the plurality of second devices.

[0209] In some example embodiments, the first device includes means for adjusting the first beam to a beam that enables maximum beamforming gain at the first device relative to the plurality of second devices.

[0210] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for receiving a configuration generated by a third apparatus related to at least one of: the first signal or the second signal.

[0211] In some example embodiments, the configuration indicates a transmission resource. Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the configuration indicates a timing for the transmission. Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the configuration indicates a periodicity for the transmission. Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the configuration indicates an indication for the transmission.

[0212] In some example embodiments, if the first device is a network device, the first device further comprises means for sending the configuration to the second device.

[0213] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for iteratively updating the first beam until a first stopping condition is satisfied.

[0214] In some example embodiments, the first stopping condition is related to the number of iterations. Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the first stopping condition is related to a beamforming gain of the first beam at the first device. Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the first stopping condition is related to a beamforming gain difference between two adjacent iterations. Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the first stopping condition is related to an indication to stop the iteration.

[0215] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for receiving information on the first stop condition determined by the third apparatus.

[0216] In some example embodiments, the first device receives the second signal through beam scanning, wherein the number of beams in the beam scanning decreases as the number of iterations increases.

[0217] In some example embodiments, the first signal and the second signal are reference signals.

[0218] Optionally, the first device is a network device, and the multiple second devices are terminal devices; or, the first device is a terminal device, and the multiple second devices are network devices.

[0219] In some example embodiments, any of the methods 900 can be performed (e.g., Figure 1The second device of the first device 120 in the method 900 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of the method 900. The device may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the device may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The second device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 In the second device 120.

[0220] In some example embodiments, the second device includes: a component for determining a second beam used by the second device to communicate with the first device at least once by: receiving a first signal transmitted via a first beam determined by the corresponding first device from each of a plurality of first devices; and adjusting the second beam based on a measurement result of the received first signal; and a component for sending a second signal to the first device via the second beam.

[0221] Optionally, at least one of the following is periodic: the first signal or the second signal.

[0222] In some example embodiments, the second device simultaneously receives the first signal from a plurality of first devices.

[0223] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus comprises means for adjusting the second beam to increase a beamforming gain at the second apparatus relative to the plurality of first apparatuses.

[0224] In some example embodiments, the second device comprises means for adjusting the second beam to be a beam that enables maximum beamforming gain at the second device relative to the plurality of first devices.

[0225] In some example embodiments, the second device further comprises means for receiving a configuration generated by the third device related to at least one of: the first signal or the second signal.

[0226] In some example embodiments, the configuration indicates transmission resources.

[0227] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the configuration dictates the timing for the transmission.

[0228] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the configuration indicates a periodicity for the transmission.

[0229] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the configuration indicates an indication for transmission.

[0230] Optionally, if the second device is a network device, the second device also sends the configuration to the first device.

[0231] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus iteratively determines the second beam until a second stop condition is satisfied.

[0232] In some example embodiments, the second stopping condition is related to the number of iterations.

[0233] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the second stopping condition is related to a beamforming gain of the second beam at the second device.

[0234] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the second stopping condition is related to a beamforming gain difference between two adjacent iterations.

[0235] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the second stop condition is related to an indication to stop the iteration.

[0236] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for receiving information on the second stop condition determined by the third apparatus.

[0237] In some example embodiments, the second device receives the first signal through beam scanning, wherein the number of beams in the beam scanning decreases as the number of iterations increases.

[0238] In some example embodiments, the first signal and the second signal are reference signals.

[0239] Optionally, the second device is a network device, and the multiple first devices are terminal devices; alternatively, the second device is a terminal device, and the multiple first devices are network devices.

[0240] In some example embodiments, any of the methods 1000 can be performed (e.g., Figure 1 The third device of the first device 130 in the method 1000 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of the method 1000. The device may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the device may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The third device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 In the third device 130.

[0241] In some example embodiments, the third device includes: a component for generating a configuration related to at least one of: a first signal sent by a first device as an initiator of beam alignment; or a second signal sent by a second device as a collaborator of beam alignment; and a component for sending the configuration to a network device in the first device and the second device that is connected to the third device.

[0242] In some example embodiments, the configuration indicates transmission resources.

[0243] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the configuration dictates the timing for the transmission.

[0244] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the configuration indicates a periodicity for the transmission.

[0245] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the configuration indicates an indication for transmission.

[0246] In some example embodiments, the third device sends at least one of the following to a network device in the first device and the second device that is connected to the third device: information about a first stop condition to be used by the first device to determine whether to stop beam alignment, or information about a second stop condition to be used by the second device to determine whether to stop beam alignment.

[0247] Optionally, the third device is a central processing device, the first device is a network device, and the second device is a terminal device, or the first device is a terminal device and the second device is a network device.

[0248] Fig.11 1 is a simplified block diagram of a device 1100 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 1100 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 The first device 110, the second device 120 or the third device 130 is shown. As shown in the figure, the device 1100 includes one or more processors 1110, one or more memories 1120 coupled to the processor 1110, and one or more communication modules 1140 coupled to the processor 1110.

[0249] The communication module 1140 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 1140 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communicating with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 1140 may include at least one antenna.

[0250] As non-limiting examples, processor 1110 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network, and may include one or more of the following: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 1100 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips, which are time-slaved to a clock that synchronizes a master processor.

[0251] The memory 1120 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 1124, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), optical disk, laser disk, and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 1122 and other volatile memories that do not persist during a power outage.

[0252] The computer program 1130 includes computer executable instructions executed by the associated processor 1110. The instructions of the program 1130 may include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 1130 may be stored in a memory, such as ROM 1124. The processor 1110 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 1130 into the RAM 1122.

[0253] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by the program 1130 so that the device 1100 may execute the Figures 2 to 10 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0254] In some example embodiments, the program 1130 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 1100 (such as in the memory 1120) or other storage device accessible by the device 1100. The device 1100 may load the program 1130 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 1122 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. As used herein, the term "non-transitory" is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible rather than a signal), not a limitation on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0255] Fig.12 An example of a computer readable medium 1110 is shown which may be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium 1110 has a program 1130 stored thereon.

[0256] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof in non-limiting examples.

[0257] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium such as a non-transient computer-readable medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in a program module, executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor to perform any of the methods described above. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The functions of the program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed in various embodiments. Machine executable instructions for program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in local and remote storage media.

[0258] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device so that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, enables the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be implemented. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0259] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0260] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor system, device or apparatus, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer readable storage media would include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0261] In addition, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or performing all of the operations shown to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these details should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but should be interpreted as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Unless explicitly stated, certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, unless explicitly stated, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0262] Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least perform: transmitting a first signal from the first device to each of a plurality of second devices via a first beam; as well as Update the first beam at least once by: receiving, from each second device of the plurality of second devices, a second signal transmitted via a second beam, the second beam being determined based on the first beam; and The first beam is adjusted based on the received measurement of the second signal. 2 . The first device of claim 1 , wherein the first beam is initially determined to be a wide beam. 3 . The first device according to claim 1 , wherein the first beam is initially determined as a predetermined beam, or a randomly acquired beam. 4 . The first device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the following is periodic: the first signal or the second signal.

5. The first device of claim 1 , wherein receiving the second signal comprises: The second signals are received from the plurality of second devices simultaneously.

6. The first device of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the first beam comprises: The first beam is adjusted to increase a beamforming gain of the first device relative to the plurality of second devices.

7. The first device of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the first beam to increase beamforming gain comprises: The first beam is adjusted to a beam that enables maximum beamforming gain at the first device with respect to the plurality of second devices.

8. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further configured to execute: A configuration related to at least one of the following is received, which is generated by a third device: the first signal or the second signal.

9. The first device of claim 8, wherein the configuration indicates at least one of the following: Transfer resources, Regarding the transmission timing, For the transmission cycle, or Instructions for transmission.

10. The first device according to claim 8, wherein the first device is a network device, and the first device is further configured to execute: The configuration is sent to the second device.

11. The first device of claim 1 , wherein updating the first beam comprises: The first beam is iteratively updated until a first stopping condition is met.

12. The first device according to claim 11, wherein the first stop condition is related to at least one of the following: The number of iterations, a beamforming gain of the first beam at the first device, The beamforming gain difference between two adjacent iterations, or Instruction to stop iteration.

13. The first device according to claim 11, wherein the first device is further configured to execute: Information regarding the first stop condition determined by a third device is received.

14. The first device of claim 11, wherein updating the first beam comprises: The second signal is received by beam scanning, wherein the number of beams in the beam scanning decreases as the number of iterations increases.

15. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first signal and the second signal are reference signals.

16. The first device according to claim 1, wherein The first device is a network device, and the plurality of second devices are terminal devices; or, The first device is a terminal device, and the plurality of second devices are network devices.

17. A second device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least perform: Determining a second beam used by the second device to communicate at least once with the first device by: receiving, from each first device of the plurality of first devices, a first signal transmitted via a first light beam determined by the corresponding first device; adjusting the second beam based on a measurement result of the received first signal; as well as A second signal is sent to the first device via the second beam.

18. The second device of claim 17, at least one of the following being periodic: the first signal or the second signal.

19. The second device of claim 17, wherein receiving the first signal comprises: The first signals are received from the plurality of first devices simultaneously.

20. The second device of claim 17, wherein adjusting the second beam comprises: The second beam is adjusted to increase a beamforming gain at the second device relative to the plurality of first devices.

21. The second device of claim 17, wherein adjusting the second beam comprises: The second beam is adjusted to a beam that enables maximum beamforming gain at the second device with respect to the plurality of first devices.

22. The second device of claim 17, wherein the second device is further configured to: A configuration related to at least one of: the first signal or the second signal is received, generated by a third device.

23. The second device of claim 22, wherein the configuration indicates at least one of the following: Transfer resources, Regarding the transmission timing, For the transmission cycle, or Instructions for transmission.

24. The second device of claim 22, wherein if the second device is a network device, the second device is further caused to execute: The configuration is sent to the first device.

25. The second device of claim 17, wherein determining the second beam at least once comprises: The second beam is iteratively determined until a second stop condition is met.

26. The second device according to claim 25, wherein the second stop condition is related to at least one of the following: The number of iterations, a beamforming gain of the second beam at the second device, The beamforming gain difference between two adjacent iterations, or Instruction to stop iteration.

27. The second device according to claim 25, wherein the second device is further caused to perform: Information regarding the second stop condition determined by a third device is received.

28. The second device of claim 25, wherein determining the second beam comprises: The first signal is received by beam scanning, wherein the number of beams in the beam scanning decreases as the number of iterations increases.

29. The second device of claim 17, wherein the first signal and the second signal are reference signals.

30. The second device according to claim 17, wherein The second device is a network device, and the plurality of first devices are terminal devices, or, The second device is a terminal device, and the plurality of first devices are network devices.

31. A third device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the third device to at least perform: Generates configurations related to at least one of the following: a first signal sent by a first device as an initiator of beam aiming; or a second signal sent by a second device as a collaborating party in beam alignment; The configuration is sent to a network device in the first device and the second device that is connected to the third device.

32. The third device of claim 31 , wherein the configuration indicates at least one of the following: Transfer resources, Regarding the transmission timing, For the transmission cycle, or Instructions for transmission.

33. The third device according to claim 31, wherein the third device is further configured to perform: Sending at least one of the following to a network device connected to the third device in the first device and the second device: information about the first stop condition to be used by the first device to determine whether to stop the beam alignment, or The information about the second stop condition is used by the second device to determine whether to stop the beam alignment.

34. The third device according to claim 31, wherein the third device is a central processing device, and The first device is a network device, and the second device is a terminal device, or, The first device is a terminal device, and the second device is a network device.

35. A method comprising: At the first device, transmitting a first signal to each second device of the plurality of second devices via a first beam; Update the first beam at least once by: receiving, from each second device of the plurality of second devices, a second signal transmitted via a second beam, the second beam being determined based on the first beam; and The first beam is adjusted based on the received measurement of the second signal.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the first beam is initially determined to be a wide beam.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the first beam is initially determined to be a predetermined beam, or a randomly acquired beam.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein at least one of the following is periodic: the first signal or the second signal.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein receiving the second signal comprises: The second signals are received from the plurality of second devices simultaneously.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein adjusting the first beam comprises: The first beam is adjusted to increase a beamforming gain of the first device relative to the plurality of second devices.

41. The method of claim 35, wherein adjusting the first beam to increase beamforming gain comprises: The first beam is adjusted to a beam that enables maximum beamforming gain at the first device with respect to the plurality of second devices.

42. The method of claim 35, further comprising: A configuration related to at least one of the following is received, which is generated by a third device: the first signal or the second signal.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the configuration indicates at least one of: Transfer resources, Regarding the transmission timing, For the transmission cycle, or Instructions for transmission.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein if the first device is a network device, the method further comprises: The configuration is sent to the second device.

45. The method of claim 35, wherein updating the first beam comprises: The first beam is iteratively updated until a first stopping condition is met.

46. ​​The method of claim 45, wherein the first stop condition is associated with at least one of: The number of iterations, a beamforming gain of the first beam at the first device, The beamforming gain difference between two adjacent iterations, or Instruction to stop iteration.

47. The method of claim 45, further comprising: Information regarding the first stop condition determined by a third device is received.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein updating the first beam comprises: The second signal is received by beam scanning, wherein the number of beams in the beam scanning decreases as the number of iterations increases.

49. The method of claim 35, wherein the first signal and the second signal are reference signals.

50. The method of claim 35, wherein The first device is a network device, and the plurality of second devices are terminal devices; or, The first device is a terminal device, and the plurality of second devices are network devices.

51. A method comprising: Determining, at the second device, that the second beam is used by the second device to communicate with the first device at least once by: receiving, from each first device of the plurality of first devices, a first signal transmitted via a first light beam determined by the corresponding first device; adjusting the second beam based on a measurement result of the received first signal; as well as A second signal is sent to the first device via the second beam.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein at least one of the following is periodic: the first signal or the second signal.

53. The method of claim 51 , wherein receiving the first signal comprises: The first signals are received from the plurality of first devices simultaneously.

54. The method of claim 51 , wherein adjusting the second beam comprises: The second beam is adjusted to increase a beamforming gain at the second device relative to the plurality of first devices.

55. The method of claim 51 , wherein adjusting the second beam comprises: The second beam is adjusted to a beam that enables maximum beamforming gain at the second device with respect to the plurality of first devices.

56. The method of claim 51, further comprising: A configuration related to at least one of: the first signal or the second signal is received, generated by a third device.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein the configuration indicates at least one of: Transfer resources, Regarding the transmission timing, For the transmission cycle, or Instructions for transmission.

58. The method of claim 56, wherein if the second device is a network device, the method further comprises: The configuration is sent to the first device.

59. The method of claim 51 , wherein determining the second beam at least once comprises: The second beam is iteratively determined until a second stop condition is met.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein the second stop condition is associated with at least one of: The number of iterations, a beamforming gain of the second beam at the second device, The beamforming gain difference between two adjacent iterations, or Instruction to stop iteration.

61. The method of claim 59, further comprising: Information regarding the second stop condition determined by a third device is received.

62. The method of claim 59, wherein determining the second beam comprises: The first signal is received by beam scanning, wherein the number of beams in the beam scanning decreases as the number of iterations increases.

63. The method of claim 51, wherein the first signal and the second signal are reference signals.

64. The method of claim 51, wherein The second device is a network device, and the plurality of first devices are terminal devices, or, The second device is a terminal device, and the plurality of first devices are network devices.

65. A method comprising: Generating, at the third device, a configuration related to at least one of the following: a first signal sent by a first device as an initiator of beam alignment; or a second signal sent by a second device as a collaborating party in beam alignment; A configuration is sent to one of the first device and the second device that is a network device connected to the third device.

66. The method of claim 65, wherein the configuration indicates at least one of: Transfer resources, Regarding the transmission timing, For the transmission cycle, or Instructions for transmission.

67. The method of claim 65, further comprising: Sending at least one of the following to one of the first device and the second device as network devices connected to the third device: information about the first stop condition to be used by the first device to determine whether to stop the beam alignment, or The information about the second stop condition is used by the second device to determine whether to stop the beam alignment.

68. The method of claim 65, wherein the third device is a central processing device, and The first device is a network device, and the second device is a terminal device, or, The first device is a terminal device, and the second device is a network device.

69. A first device, comprising: means for transmitting a first signal to each second device of a plurality of second devices via a first beam; Means for updating said first beam at least once by: receiving, from each second device of the plurality of second devices, a second signal transmitted via a second beam, the second beam being determined based on the first beam; and The first beam is adjusted based on the received measurement of the second signal.

70. A second device, comprising: A means for determining, at a second device, that the second beam is used by the second device to communicate with the first device at least once by: receiving, from each first device of the plurality of first devices, a first signal transmitted via a first light beam determined by the corresponding first device; adjusting the second beam based on a measurement result of the received first signal; as well as Means for transmitting a second signal to the first device via the second beam.

71. A third device, comprising: Means for generating, at a third device, a configuration associated with at least one of: a first signal sent by a first device as an initiator of beam alignment; or a second signal sent by a second device as a coordinating party to beam alignment; Means for sending a configuration to one of the first device and the second device being a network device connected to the third device.

72. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions for causing an apparatus to at least perform the method of claims 35 to 68.

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