Beam scanning method and device

Abstract

The invention discloses a beam scanning method and device, which can reduce the time delay of beam scanning, save the signaling overhead, and enable a high-frequency link to be established in a short time, thereby improving the user experience. The method comprises: a network device determines at least one first to-be-scanned beam of a terminal device and at least one second to-be-scanned beam of the network device by using low-frequency channel information and correlation between a high-frequency channel and a low-frequency channel, the at least one first to-be-scanned beam being a part of the beam of the terminal device, and the at least one second to-be-scanned beam being a part of the beam of the terminal device; the at least one second to-be-scanned beam is a partial beam of the network equipment; the network equipment sends first information used for indicating at least one first to-be-scanned beam to the terminal equipment; and the terminal equipment receives the first information, and scans at least one first to-be-scanned beam based on the first information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a beam scanning method and device. Background Art

[0002] In beamforming technology, the transmitter can transmit wireless signals through multiple antenna elements at the same time, and by adjusting the phases of these wireless signals, these signals are superimposed in a set direction, thereby forming a beam pointing in that direction. In other words, the transmitter can converge the energy of wireless signals transmitted by multiple antenna elements in a specific direction, thereby increasing the propagation distance of the signal. For a network device and a terminal device that are communicating, the key to achieving better communication quality is to perform beamforming to align the beams of the two.

[0003] Typically, network devices and terminal devices perform a beam scanning process to achieve beam alignment. Taking the following beam scanning as an example, the network device can transmit a beam in a set direction at a set time point, and then slightly change the direction of the beam and transmit again at the next time point, and so on, until it can cover all areas where the terminal devices are located. While the network device uses beam scanning to send signals, the terminal device can also use beam scanning to receive signals. Ultimately, the two can find a pair of transmit and receive beams that make the received signal strength stronger.

[0004] The time consumed by network devices and terminal devices for beam scanning is related to the number of beams scanned by the network devices and the number of beams scanned by the terminal devices. Currently, network devices and terminal devices usually scan all beams, which results in large delays and large signaling overhead, resulting in the inability to establish high-frequency links in a short time, thus affecting user experience. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides a beam scanning method and device, which can reduce the delay of beam scanning, save signaling overhead, and enable high-frequency links to be established in a shorter time, thereby improving user experience.

[0006] In a first aspect, a beam scanning method is provided, comprising: receiving first information from a network device, wherein the first information is used to indicate at least one first beam to be scanned of a terminal device, wherein the at least one first beam to be scanned is a partial beam of the terminal device; and scanning the at least one first beam to be scanned based on the first information.

[0007] The above method can be executed by a terminal device or by a chip in the terminal device. The terminal device can be a device that provides voice / data connectivity to users, such as a handheld device or vehicle-mounted device with wireless connection function. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0008] It should be understood that the at least one first beam to be scanned may also be referred to as a candidate beam, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0009] It should also be understood that, for uplink beam scanning, the at least one first beam to be scanned is a transmitting beam, and the at least one second beam to be scanned is a receiving beam; for downlink beam scanning, the at least one first beam to be scanned is a receiving beam, and the at least one second beam to be scanned is a transmitting beam. Uplink beam scanning or downlink beam scanning can be performed between the network device and the terminal device, and both uplink beam scanning and downlink beam scanning can be performed, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0010] In the above method, the terminal device can determine the beam direction of at least one first beam to be scanned according to the first information, and then receive or send a reference signal in the corresponding direction to perform beam training. Exemplarily, the reference signal can be a temporary reference signal (T-RS).

[0011] The beam scanning method provided in the embodiment of the present application determines the partial beams that the terminal device needs to scan and the partial beams that the network device needs to scan through the network device, and indicates the partial beams that the terminal device needs to scan to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can determine the partial beams that need to be scanned and perform the corresponding beam scanning. In this way, the network device and the terminal device only need to scan partial beams, and there is no need for the network device and the terminal device to scan all beams, which reduces the delay of beam scanning, saves signaling overhead, and enables high-frequency links to be established in a shorter time, thereby improving user experience.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first information includes angle of arrival (AOA) information, where the AOA information is used to indicate the angle of arrival of the at least one first beam to be scanned;

[0013] The scanning of the at least one first beam to be scanned based on the first information includes: determining the beam information of the at least one first beam to be scanned based on the AOA information and the posture information of the terminal device; and scanning the at least one first beam to be scanned based on the beam information of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0014] It should be understood that the above AOA information can be carried in media access control element (MAC CE) signaling.

[0015] In this way, the network device sends the AOA information to the terminal device. The terminal device combines the AOA information with its own posture information to calculate the information of the beam to be scanned, and then performs beam scanning on the beam to be scanned. In this way, the terminal device does not need to report the posture information to the network device, which simplifies the processing flow of beam scanning and saves signaling overhead. Since the terminal device does not need to frequently report its own posture information, it can reduce the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving second information from the network device, where the second information is used to indicate the number of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0017] It should be understood that the number of the at least one first beam to be scanned may be predefined or indicated by the network device to the terminal device through signaling.

[0018] It should also be understood that the above-mentioned second information and first information can be carried in the same signaling, or can be carried in different signalings respectively, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0019] After determining the number of the first beams to be scanned, the terminal device can determine the beam information of the first beams to be scanned more quickly, so as to improve the processing efficiency of the terminal device.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the AOA information includes information for indicating the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and information for indicating the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the arrival angle AOA information includes information for indicating the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and information for indicating the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned; wherein, the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal direction in the earth coordinate system, the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the nadir direction in the earth coordinate system, and the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the zenith direction in the earth coordinate system.

[0021] Taking a first beam to be scanned as an example, in this implementation, the terminal device can determine the local coordinate system of the terminal device in combination with its own attitude information, and then calculate the conversion angle difference between the above-mentioned earth coordinate system and the local coordinate system of the terminal device. Then, the terminal device can use the conversion angle difference to convert the horizontal angle and nadir angle (or horizontal angle and zenith angle) of the first beam to be scanned included in the above-mentioned AOA information into an angle in the local coordinate system of the terminal device. Finally, the terminal device can determine the beam identifier of the first beam to be scanned using the angle in the local coordinate system.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the AOA information includes identification information of at least one spherical coordinate grid in the earth coordinate system; the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0023] It should be understood that one spherical coordinate grid corresponds to one AOA, that is, one spherical coordinate grid corresponds to one nadir angle and horizontal angle (or zenith angle and horizontal angle). The spherical coordinate grid can be indicated by identification information, and the identification information of the spherical coordinate grid can be agreed upon by the protocol, or configured by the network device for the terminal device. In this way, through the identification information of the spherical coordinate grid, the terminal device can determine the spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the identification information, and then determine the nadir angle and horizontal angle (or zenith angle and horizontal angle) corresponding to the spherical coordinate grid.

[0024] It should be understood that the manner of carrying the identification information of the spherical coordinate grid in the above-mentioned AOA information can reduce the amount of information to be transmitted, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the AOA information includes bit map information of a spherical coordinate grid in an earth coordinate system, and the bit map information is used to indicate at least one spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the at least one first beam to be scanned; the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0026] It should be understood that the spherical coordinate grid can be indicated by bit map information, the number of bits included in the bit map information is equal to the number of spherical coordinate grids, and one bit corresponds to one spherical coordinate grid. The meaning of the bit map information may be agreed upon by the protocol, or configured by the network device for the terminal device. For example, 1 indicates that the spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the bit is selected, and 0 indicates that the spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the bit is not selected; or, 0 indicates that the spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the bit is selected, and 1 indicates that the spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the bit is not selected. In this way, the terminal device can determine the selected spherical coordinate grid based on the bit map information, and then determine the nadir angle and horizontal angle (or zenith angle and horizontal angle) corresponding to the spherical coordinate grid.

[0027] In this implementation, the number of spherical coordinate grids that need to be selected indicated by the bit map information can be one or more, which is equal to the number of the at least one first beam to be scanned. Assuming that 1 indicates that the spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the bit is selected, and 0 indicates that the spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the bit is not selected, then the number of 1s in the bit map information is equal to the number of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0028] The above-mentioned AOA information is a bitmap information, which can reduce the amount of information to be transmitted, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0029] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first information includes information for indicating a beam identification of the at least one first beam to be scanned; before receiving the first information from the network device, the method also includes: sending third information to the network device, the third information including posture information of the terminal device and direction information of the beam of the terminal device in the coordinate system of the terminal device.

[0030] It should be understood that the above-mentioned beam of the terminal device may refer to all beams of the terminal device, that is, the third information includes the direction information of all beams of the terminal device in the coordinate system of the terminal device.

[0031] It should be understood that the above third information can be carried in MAC CE signaling.

[0032] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device first reports its own posture information and the direction information of the beam of the terminal device in the coordinate system of the terminal device to the network device. The network device infers the beam identifier of the candidate beam on the terminal device side by combining the posture information, beam information, and low-frequency channel information through an algorithm, and then indicates the beam identifier to the terminal device through the first information. The terminal device can directly determine at least one first beam to be scanned according to the beam identifier indicated by the first information, and perform subsequent beam scanning. In this way, the terminal device does not need to perform calculations, which can reduce the burden on the terminal device.

[0033] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, before receiving the first information from the network device, the method also includes: sending fourth information to the network device, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports beam indication.

[0034] It should be understood that the fourth information mentioned above can be carried in RRC signaling.

[0035] It should be understood that the third information and the fourth information can be sent through different signaling or the same signaling, which is not limited in the present embodiment. Sending the third information and the fourth information through the same signaling can simplify the process and save the signaling overhead of the terminal device.

[0036] It should also be understood that if the terminal device supports beam indication, the network device can send the first information to the terminal device in accordance with the embodiment of the present application, thereby saving signaling overhead; if the terminal device does not support beam indication, the terminal device can adopt the traditional beam scanning method, that is, scan all beams of the terminal device.

[0037] The embodiment of the present application reports capabilities through terminal devices, so that network devices can support beam scanning of terminal devices with different capabilities. It not only takes traditional terminal devices into consideration, but also allows different terminal devices to choose appropriate indication methods according to their own capabilities, thereby improving the flexibility and practicality of beam scanning.

[0038] In a second aspect, a beam scanning method is provided, including: utilizing low-frequency channel information and the correlation between a high-frequency channel and a low-frequency channel to determine at least one first beam to be scanned of a terminal device and at least one second beam to be scanned of a network device, wherein the at least one first beam to be scanned is a partial beam of the terminal device, and the at least one second beam to be scanned is a partial beam of the network device; and sending first information to the terminal device, wherein the first information is used to indicate the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0039] The above method can be executed by a network device, or by a chip in the network device. The network device can be any device with wireless transceiver function.

[0040] It should be understood that the at least one first beam to be scanned and the at least one second beam to be scanned can also be called candidate beams, and the number of first beams to be scanned and the number of second beams to be scanned can be equal or unequal, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0041] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first information includes angle of arrival AOA information, and the AOA information is used to indicate the angle of arrival of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0042] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending second information to the terminal device, where the second information is used to indicate the number of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0043] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the AOA information includes information for indicating the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and information for indicating the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the angle of arrival AOA information includes information for indicating the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and information for indicating the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned; wherein, the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal direction in the earth coordinate system, the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the nadir direction in the earth coordinate system, and the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the zenith direction in the earth coordinate system.

[0044] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the AOA information includes identification information of at least one spherical coordinate grid in the earth coordinate system; the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0045] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the AOA information includes bit map information of a spherical coordinate grid in an earth coordinate system, and the bit map information is used to indicate at least one spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the at least one first beam to be scanned; the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0046] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first information includes information for indicating a beam identification of the at least one first beam to be scanned; before determining at least one first beam to be scanned of the terminal device, the method also includes: receiving third information from the terminal device, the third information including posture information of the terminal device and direction information of the beam of the terminal device in the coordinate system of the terminal device; determining at least one first beam to be scanned of the terminal device includes: determining the beam identification of the at least one first beam to be scanned using the low-frequency channel information, the correlation between the high-frequency channel and the low-frequency channel, the posture information and the direction information.

[0047] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, determining at least one first beam to be scanned of the terminal device includes: simultaneously inputting the third information and the low-frequency channel information into a beam prediction algorithm to obtain a beam identifier of the at least one first beam to be scanned, and the beam prediction algorithm utilizes the correlation between high-frequency channels and low-frequency channels.

[0048] It should be understood that the above-mentioned beam prediction algorithm is trained using low-frequency channel information, the correlation between high-frequency channels and low-frequency channels, the posture information of the terminal device, and the direction information of each beam of the terminal device, and can directly output the beam identifier of the candidate beam of the terminal device.

[0049] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, determining at least one first beam to be scanned of the terminal device includes: inputting the low-frequency channel information into a high-frequency beam prediction algorithm to obtain the arrival angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, the beam prediction algorithm machine learning model is determined by training using the correlation between the high-frequency channel and the low-frequency channel; based on the arrival angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, the posture information and the beam direction information, determining the beam identifier of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0050] It should be understood that the above beam prediction algorithm is obtained by training using low-frequency channel information and the correlation between high-frequency channels and low-frequency channels, and can output the AOA information of the candidate beams of the terminal device.

[0051] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, before sending the first information to the terminal device, the method also includes: receiving fourth information from the terminal device, the fourth information being used to indicate the beam indication capability of the terminal device; sending the first information to the terminal device includes: sending the first information to the terminal device if the terminal device supports beam indication.

[0052] In a third aspect, a beam scanning device is provided, which is used to execute the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect. Specifically, the device includes a module for executing the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0053] In a fourth aspect, a beam scanning device is provided, comprising: a processor, and a memory communicatively connected to the processor; the memory stores computer-executable instructions; the processor executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory to implement a method as in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect above.

[0054] In one implementation, the beam scanning device is a terminal device or a network device. When the beam scanning device is a terminal device or a network device, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0055] In another implementation, the beam scanning device is a chip configured in a terminal device or a network device.

[0056] Optionally, the number of the processors is one or more, and the number of the memories is one or more.

[0057] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0058] In the specific implementation process, the memory can be a non-transitory memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), which can be integrated with the processor on the same chip or can be set on different chips respectively. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of memory and the setting method of the memory and the processor.

[0059] It should be understood that the relevant data interaction process, such as sending indication information, can be a process of outputting indication information from a processor, and receiving capability information can be a process of receiving input capability information from a processor. Specifically, the processed output data can be output to a transmitter, and the input data received by the processor can come from a receiver. Among them, the transmitter and the receiver can be collectively referred to as a transceiver.

[0060] The processing device in the fourth aspect mentioned above can be a chip. The processor can be implemented by hardware or by software. When implemented by hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc.; when implemented by software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, which is implemented by reading the software code stored in the memory. The memory can be integrated in the processor or can be located outside the processor and exist independently.

[0061] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, and when the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, they are used to implement the method in any possible implementation manner of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0062] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product is provided. When the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer implements the method in any possible implementation manner of the first aspect or the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0063] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a beam in a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figure 3 is a schematic flow chart of a beam scanning method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the earth coordinate system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the process of converting the AOA information provided in the embodiment of the present application into the corresponding beam identification information;

[0068] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the correspondence between the spherical coordinate grid and the nadir angle and the horizontal angle provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of identification information of a spherical coordinate grid provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of bitmap information of a spherical coordinate grid provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] Fig. 9 is a schematic flow chart of another beam scanning method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] Fig.10 is a schematic block diagram of a process for a network device to determine a beam identifier according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] Fig.11 is another schematic block diagram of a process for a network device to determine a beam identifier provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] Fig.12 is a schematic block diagram of a beam scanning device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] Fig.13 It is a schematic block diagram of another beam scanning device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0076] The technical solution in this application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0077] In order to clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish the same or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art can understand that words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit the difference.

[0078] It should be noted that, in this application, words such as "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplarily" or "for example" in this application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplarily" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a specific way.

[0079] In addition, "at least one" means one or more, and "plurality" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b and c can mean: a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or b and c, or a, b and c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0080] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, fifth generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), future evolved communication systems, such as sixth generation (6G) system, etc.

[0081] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a communication system 100 to which an embodiment of the present application is applied. Figure 1 As shown, the communication system 100 includes: 110 and 120, which may include a terminal device 110 and a network device 120.

[0082] The network device 110 and the terminal device 120 involved in the embodiment of the present application can communicate via a wireless link. The network device 110 or the terminal device 120 can be configured with multiple antennas, and the multiple antennas may include at least one transmitting antenna for sending signals and at least one receiving antenna for receiving signals. In addition, the network device 110 or the terminal device 120 also additionally includes a transmitter chain and a receiver chain. It can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that they can all include multiple components related to signal transmission and reception (such as processors, modulators, multiplexers, demodulators, demultiplexers or antennas, etc.). Therefore, the network device 110 and the terminal device 120 can communicate via multi-antenna technology.

[0083] It should be understood that Figure 1 This is just a schematic diagram. The communication system 100 may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices. Figure 1 The embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of network devices and terminal devices included in the communication system 100.

[0084] In the embodiment of the present application, the network device may be any device with wireless transceiver function. The network equipment includes, but is not limited to, evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or homeNode B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP) or transmission and reception point (TRP), etc. It can also be a gNB in ​​a 5G, such as NR, system, or a transmission point (TRP or TP), one or a group of (including multiple antenna panels) antenna panels of a base station in a 5G system, or it can also be a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU), etc.

[0085] In some deployments, the gNB may include a centralized unit (CU) and a DU. The gNB may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements some functions of the gNB, and the DU implements some functions of the gNB. For example, the CU may be responsible for processing non-real-time protocols and services, such as the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) layer, the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, and / or the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. The DU may be responsible for processing physical layer protocols and real-time services. For example, the functions of the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and the physical (PHY) layer may be implemented. A DU may be connected to only one CU or to multiple CUs, and a CU may be connected to multiple DUs, and the CU and DU may communicate through the F1 interface. The AAU may implement some physical layer processing functions, RF processing, and related functions of active antennas. Since the information of the RRC layer will eventually be delivered to the PHY layer and become the information of the PHY layer, or be converted from the information of the PHY layer, therefore, under this architecture, high-level signaling, such as RRC layer signaling, can also be considered to be sent by DU, or by DU+AAU.

[0086] It is understandable that the network device may be a device including one or more of a CU node, a DU node, and an AAU node. In addition, the CU may be classified as a network device in an access network (radio access network, RAN), or the CU may be classified as a network device in a core network (core network, CN), which is not limited in this application.

[0087] The network equipment provides services for the cell, and the terminal equipment communicates with the cell through the transmission resources (for example, frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources) allocated by the network equipment. The cell can belong to a macro base station (for example, macro eNB or macro gNB, etc.), or it can belong to a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cell here may include: metro cell, micro cell, pico cell, femto cell, etc. These small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0088] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device.

[0089] The terminal device can be a device that provides voice / data connectivity to users, for example, a handheld device with wireless connection function, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. At present, some examples of terminals can be: mobile phones, tablet computers (pad), computers with wireless transceiver functions (such as laptops, PDAs, etc.), mobile Internet devices (mobile internet devices, MIDs), virtual reality (virtual reality, VR) devices, augmented reality (augmented reality, AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (session initiation protocol, SIP) phones, wireless local loop (wireless local loop, WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (personal digital assistants) assistant, PDA), handheld devices with wireless communication function, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, terminal devices in 5G networks or terminal devices in future evolved public land mobile communication networks (public land mobile network, PLMN), etc.

[0090] Among them, wearable devices can also be called wearable smart devices, which are a general term for the intelligent design and development of wearable devices for daily wear using wearable technology, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that are worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices, but also realize powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include full-featured, large-sized, and independent of smartphones to achieve complete or partial functions, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0091] In addition, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in the Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is an important part of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection. IoT technology can achieve massive connections, deep coverage, and terminal power saving through narrowband (NB) technology, for example.

[0092] In addition, terminal devices can also include sensors such as smart printers, train detectors, and gas stations. Their main functions include collecting data (part of the terminal equipment), receiving control information and downlink data from network devices, and sending electromagnetic waves to transmit uplink data to network devices.

[0093] In an embodiment of the present application, a terminal device or a network device includes a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer includes hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and a memory (also called main memory). The operating system can be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through a process, such as a Linux operating system, a Unix operating system, an Android operating system, an iOS operating system, or a windows operating system. The application layer includes applications such as a browser, an address book, a word processing software, and an instant messaging software. In addition, the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, as long as it can communicate according to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application by running a program that records the code of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, for example, the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be a terminal device or a network device, or a functional module in a terminal device or a network device that can call a program and execute a program.

[0094] In addition, various aspects or features of the present application can be implemented as methods, devices or products using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "product" used in this application covers computer programs that can be accessed from any computer-readable device, carrier or medium. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks or tapes, etc.), optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc.), smart cards and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), cards, sticks or key drives, etc.). In addition, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0095] To facilitate understanding, the following terms related to the embodiments of the present application are first introduced.

[0096] 1. Carrier aggregation (CA)

[0097] CA technology is a key technology to solve the problem of limited bandwidth of a single carrier. It aggregates two or more component carriers (CC) to serve terminal devices to support larger transmission bandwidth. In carrier aggregation, there can be multiple cells providing services for a single terminal device, that is, a terminal device has multiple service cells, including a primary cell (PCell) and one or more secondary cells (SCell).

[0098] PCell is the cell where the terminal device establishes the initial connection, or the cell where the radio resource control (RRC) connection is reestablished, or the primary cell designated during the handover process. PCell is responsible for RRC communication with the terminal device. The carrier unit corresponding to PCell is called the primary component carrier (PCC), where the downlink carrier of PCell is called DL PCC and the uplink carrier of PCell is called UL PCC.

[0099] SCell is added by the terminal device during RRC reconfiguration to provide additional wireless resources. There is no RRC communication between the SCell and the terminal device. The carrier unit corresponding to the SCell is called a secondary component carrier (SCC), where the downlink carrier of the SCell is called a DL SCC and the uplink carrier of the SCell is called a UL SCC.

[0100] A serving cell may include only one downlink carrier, one downlink carrier and one uplink carrier, or one downlink carrier and two uplink carriers. Therefore, a serving cell may correspond one to one downlink carrier.

[0101] 2. High frequency and low frequency

[0102] Two frequency ranges (Frequency Range, FR) are defined in NR, namely (Frequency Range 1, FR1) and (Frequency Range 2, FR2). Among them, the frequency band range of FR1 is between 410MHz and 7125MHz, which is usually called the sub 6GHz band. The frequency band range of FR2 is between 24250MHz and 52600MHz, which is usually called the millimeter wave band. Generally speaking, the higher the frequency of the signal, the greater the propagation loss it experiences during the propagation process, resulting in a limited propagation distance. In order to overcome the loss of high-frequency signals during the propagation process, beamforming technology based on array antennas can be used.

[0103] 3. Beamforming

[0104] In beamforming technology, the transmitter can transmit wireless signals through multiple antenna elements at the same time, and by adjusting the phases of these wireless signals, these signals are superimposed in a set direction, thereby forming a beam pointing in that direction. In other words, the transmitter can converge the energy of wireless signals transmitted by multiple antenna elements in a specific direction, thereby increasing the propagation distance of the signal. For ease of understanding, the following analogy can be made: low-frequency signals are like the light emitted by a light bulb, which can fill a room, while high-frequency signals are like the light emitted by a flashlight, which is a beam that can only illuminate a specific direction.

[0105] The embodiment of beam in NR protocol can be spatial domain filter, or spatial filter or spatial parameter. The beam used to send signals can be called transmission beam (Tx beam), can be called spatial domain transmission filter or spatial transmission parameter; the beam used to receive signals can be called reception beam (Rx beam), can be called spatial domain receive filter or spatial receive parameter.

[0106] The transmit beam may refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions of space after the signal is transmitted by the antenna, and the receive beam may refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions of space of the wireless signal received from the antenna.

[0107] The transmit beam and the receive beam have a pairing relationship. The pairing relationship between the transmit beam and the receive beam can also be called a pairing relationship between a spatial transmit filter and a spatial receive filter. Transmitting a signal between the transmit beam and the receive beam that have a beam pairing relationship can obtain a larger beamforming gain.

[0108] For a network device and a terminal device that are communicating, the key to obtaining better communication quality is to perform beamforming to align the beams of the two. Usually, the network device and the terminal device will perform a beam scanning process to achieve beam alignment. Taking the following beam scanning as an example, the network device can transmit a beam in a set direction at a set time point (essentially sending a reference signal through a beam in a set direction), and then slightly change the direction of the beam at the next time point to transmit again, and so on, until it can cover all areas where the terminal device is located. While the network device uses beam scanning to send signals, the terminal device can also use beam scanning to receive signals. In the end, the two can find a pair of transceiver beams that make the received signal strength stronger. In NR, the beam scanning of the network device is combined with the transmission of the synchronization signal. The network device performs beam scanning by sending a synchronization signal block (SSB). The terminal device obtains cell synchronization by detecting the SSB and reports the SSB reception strength of different beams detected to the network device. The network device can select the optimal beam for subsequent data transmission based on the report of the terminal device.

[0109] It should be understood that the time consumed by the network device and the terminal device for beam scanning is related to the number of beams scanned by the network device and the number of beams scanned by the terminal device. At present, the network device and the terminal device usually scan all beams, which results in large delays and large signaling overhead, resulting in the inability to establish high-frequency links in a short time, thus affecting the user experience.

[0110] like Figure 2 As shown in a, the network device includes 16 beams and the terminal device includes 8 beams. Both the network device and the terminal device scan all beams, but this method has a large delay. In order to reduce the time consumed by beam scanning, a current method is that the network device determines to scan only part of the beams based on multiple information. Figure 2 As shown in b, the network equipment can use the correlation between high and low frequency channels based on the low frequency channel information measured by the low frequency cell to infer the beam direction that the high frequency cell needs to scan, that is, Figure 2 The eight beams shown in b (i.e., beams 5 to 12 are beams to be scanned). Figure 2Compared with a, this method reduces the number of beams scanned by the network device. It should be understood that the sequence number of the beam can start from 0 or from 1, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0111] The above method still requires the terminal device to scan all beams, which results in large delay and signaling overhead, resulting in the inability to establish a high-frequency link in a short time, thus affecting the user experience.

[0112] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a beam scanning method and an apparatus thereof, which determines, through a network device, some beams that a terminal device needs to scan and some beams that the network device needs to scan, and indicates to the terminal device the some beams that the terminal device needs to scan, so that the terminal device can determine the some beams that need to be scanned and perform the corresponding beam scanning. In this way, both the network device and the terminal device only need to scan some beams, and there is no need for the network device and the terminal device to scan all beams, which reduces the delay of beam scanning, saves signaling overhead, and enables high-frequency links to be established in a shorter time, thereby improving user experience.

[0113] The beam scanning method and device provided by the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the technical solution of the present application can be applied to wireless communication systems, for example, Figure 1 The communication system 100 shown in FIG. Two communication devices in the wireless communication system may have a wireless communication connection relationship, and one of the two communication devices may correspond to Figure 1 The terminal device 120 shown in FIG. 1 may be, for example, Figure 1 The terminal device shown in may also be a chip configured in the terminal device; the other communication device of the two communication devices may correspond to Figure 1 The network device 110 shown in FIG. 1 may be, for example, Figure 1 The network device shown in may also be a chip configured in the network device.

[0114] Below, without loss of generality, the beam scanning method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail by taking the interaction process between the terminal device and the network device as an example.

[0115] Figure 3 A beam scanning method 300 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. The method can be applied to Figure 1 The communication system 100 shown may also be applied to other communication systems, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0116] The method 300 comprises the following steps:

[0117] S301, the network device determines at least one first beam to be scanned of the terminal device and at least one second beam to be scanned of the network device by using the low-frequency channel information and the correlation between the high-frequency channel and the low-frequency channel, wherein the at least one first beam to be scanned is a partial beam of the terminal device, and the at least one second beam to be scanned is a partial beam of the network device.

[0118] S302: The network device sends first information to the terminal device, where the first information is used to indicate the at least one first beam to be scanned. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information from the network device.

[0119] S303: The terminal device scans the at least one first beam to be scanned based on the first information.

[0120] It should be understood that the at least one first beam to be scanned and the at least one second beam to be scanned can also be called candidate beams, and the number of first beams to be scanned and the number of second beams to be scanned can be equal or unequal, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0121] It should also be understood that, for uplink beam scanning, the at least one first beam to be scanned is a transmitting beam, and the at least one second beam to be scanned is a receiving beam; for downlink beam scanning, the at least one first beam to be scanned is a receiving beam, and the at least one second beam to be scanned is a transmitting beam. Uplink beam scanning or downlink beam scanning can be performed between the network device and the terminal device, and both uplink beam scanning and downlink beam scanning can be performed, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0122] In the above S301, the network device can calculate the candidate beams (i.e., the above-mentioned at least one first beam to be scanned and at least one second beam to be scanned) through a variety of information. Exemplarily, the network device can use the correlation between the low-frequency channel and the high-frequency channel to collect a large amount of low-frequency channel information and high-frequency transceiver beam information, use a machine learning algorithm to establish a mapping relationship between the low-frequency channel and the high-frequency transceiver beam, train a machine learning model, and store the machine learning model in the network device. Subsequently, when the network device obtains the low-frequency channel information between a terminal device, the low-frequency channel information can be input into the machine learning model to infer the high-frequency transceiver beam corresponding to the low-frequency channel information, and the high-frequency transceiver beam is used as a candidate beam between the network device and the terminal device.

[0123] In the above S303, the terminal device can determine the beam direction of at least one first beam to be scanned based on the first information, and then receive or send a reference signal in the corresponding direction to perform beam training. Taking the temporary reference signal (T-RS) as an example, the network device can send the T-RS to the terminal device, and instruct the terminal device to receive and detect the T-RS on at least one first beam to be scanned, so as to select the optimal transmission beam according to the detection result. It should be understood that T-RS is a user-level reference signal introduced to reduce the time overhead of beam scanning. Compared with the traditional cell-level reference signal, there is no need to wait for a fixed period and a fixed transmission direction. The network device can allocate customized user-level T-RS to the terminal device according to different candidate beams of different terminal devices, thereby reducing the time overhead of beam scanning.

[0124] The beam scanning method provided in the embodiment of the present application determines the partial beams that the terminal device needs to scan and the partial beams that the network device needs to scan through the network device, and indicates the partial beams that the terminal device needs to scan to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can determine the partial beams that need to be scanned and perform the corresponding beam scanning. In this way, the network device and the terminal device only need to scan partial beams, and there is no need for the network device and the terminal device to scan all beams, which reduces the delay of beam scanning, saves signaling overhead, and enables high-frequency links to be established in a shorter time, thereby improving user experience.

[0125] The embodiment of the present application indicates at least one first beam to be scanned of a terminal device through first information. Regarding the first information, there are multiple different implementation methods, which are described in detail below.

[0126] In implementation mode 1, the first information includes angle of arrival (AOA) information, and the AOA information is used to indicate the angle of arrival AOA of the at least one first beam to be scanned. The above S303 may specifically include: the terminal device determines the beam information of the at least one first beam to be scanned based on the AOA information and the posture information of the terminal device; the terminal device scans the at least one first beam to be scanned based on the beam information of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0127] It should be understood that the above AOA is an angle in the earth coordinate system, and does not represent the true angle of the beam of the terminal device. The terminal device has its own coordinate system, and the direction of the beam of the terminal device in the coordinate system of the terminal device itself represents the true angle of the beam of the terminal device. Therefore, the terminal device needs to combine the AOA information and its own attitude information to calculate the direction of the beam of the terminal device in the coordinate system of the terminal device itself, that is, the above beam information.

[0128] Optionally, the number of AOAs included in the AOA information is equal to the number of at least one first beam to be scanned. In this way, the terminal device can calculate the beam information of the first beam to be scanned corresponding to each AOA according to each AOA in the AOA information and the posture information of the terminal device.

[0129] Optionally, the AOA information may be carried in a media access control element (MAC CE) signaling.

[0130] It should be understood that the number of the at least one first beam to be scanned may be predefined or indicated by the network device to the terminal device through signaling.

[0131] When the number of at least one first beam to be scanned is predefined, the network device can determine the predefined number of first beams to be scanned and send AOA information to the terminal device. The terminal device can determine the beam information of the predefined number of first beams to be scanned through the AOA information.

[0132] In the case where the number of at least one first beam to be scanned is indicated by the network device to the terminal device through signaling, optionally, the method further includes: the network device sends second information to the terminal device, the second information being used to indicate the number of the at least one first beam to be scanned. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second information.

[0133] The above-mentioned second information and first information can be carried in the same signaling, or can be carried in different signalings respectively, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0134] After determining the number of the first beams to be scanned, the terminal device can determine the beam information of the first beams to be scanned more quickly, so as to improve the processing efficiency of the terminal device.

[0135] In the embodiment of the present application, the network device may indicate the AOA in a variety of ways, that is, the presentation method of the AOA information may be diverse.

[0136] In a first possible implementation, the AOA information includes information for indicating the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and information for indicating the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the arrival angle AOA information includes information for indicating the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and information for indicating the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0137] It should be understood that the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal direction in the earth coordinate system, the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the nadir direction in the earth coordinate system, and the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the zenith direction in the earth coordinate system. Wherein, the zenith angle and the nadir angle are complementary angles, and the sum of the nadir angle and the nadir angle is 180 degrees.

[0138] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the earth coordinate system, such as Figure 4 As shown, the earth coordinate system includes coordinate points such as the north point (north, N), the south point (south, S), the zenith (zenith, Z), the nadir (nadir, Z'), as well as the celestial meridian and the true horizon. The horizontal angle is the angle between the AOA direction of the beam to be scanned by the terminal device and the horizontal direction in the earth coordinate system. The nadir angle is the angle between the AOA direction of the beam to be scanned by the terminal device and the nadir direction in the earth coordinate system. The zenith angle is the angle between the AOA direction of the beam to be scanned by the terminal device and the zenith direction in the earth coordinate system. Among them, the earth coordinate system can have multiple forms (such as the horizontal coordinate system, the first equatorial coordinate system, the second equatorial coordinate system, etc.). The earth coordinate system here is only exemplary, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0139] Taking a first beam to be scanned as an example, in this implementation, the terminal device can determine the local coordinate system of the terminal device in combination with its own attitude information, and then calculate the conversion angle difference between the above-mentioned earth coordinate system and the local coordinate system of the terminal device. Then, the terminal device can use the conversion angle difference to convert the horizontal angle and nadir angle (or horizontal angle and zenith angle) of the first beam to be scanned included in the above-mentioned AOA information into an angle in the local coordinate system of the terminal device. Finally, the terminal device can determine the beam identifier of the first beam to be scanned using the angle in the local coordinate system.

[0140] For example, Figure 5As shown, the AOA of a first beam to be scanned carried in the AOA information is (θ, φ), where θ is the horizontal angle and φ is the nadir angle. The terminal device can determine the conversion angle difference between the earth coordinate system and the local coordinate system of the terminal device as (Δθ, Δφ) in combination with its own attitude information, where Δθ is the horizontal angle conversion angle difference and Δφ is the nadir angle conversion angle difference. The terminal device can determine the angle (θ', φ') of the first beam to be scanned in the local coordinate system of the terminal device as follows: θ'=θ+Δθ, φ'=φ+Δφ. Based on the angle (θ', φ') in the local coordinate system, the terminal device can determine the beam identifier of the first beam to be scanned.

[0141] The local coordinate system of the terminal device can be understood as a coordinate system established by the terminal device based on its own posture information. The local coordinate system of the terminal device is also referred to as the coordinate system of the terminal device in other places of this application.

[0142] It should be understood that the above example is described using one beam to be scanned as an example. When at least one first beam to be scanned includes multiple beams, the AOA of other beams are processed in a similar manner and are not listed one by one here.

[0143] It should also be understood that the horizontal angle θ and the nadir angle φ carried in the above AOA information are quantized AOAs of a first beam to be scanned. Figure 6 Figure 2 shows a quantized range of horizontal angle and nadir angle. Figure 6 As shown, in the Earth coordinate system, the horizontal angle can be obtained from (θ 1 ,θ 2 ,θ 3 ,θ 4 ), the nadir angle can be selected from (φ 1 ,φ 2 ,φ 3 ,φ 4 ), for example, the AOA of the first beam 1 to be scanned can be expressed as (φ 1 ,θ 2 ), the AOA of the first scanned beam 2 can be expressed as (φ 2 ,θ 3 ), the AOA of the at least one first beam to be scanned can be represented by a combination of the horizontal angle and the nadir angle.

[0144] In a second possible implementation, the AOA information includes identification information of at least one spherical coordinate grid in the earth coordinate system. The at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0145] It should be understood that one spherical coordinate grid corresponds to one AOA, that is, one spherical coordinate grid corresponds to one nadir angle and horizontal angle (or zenith angle and horizontal angle). The spherical coordinate grid can be indicated by identification information, and the identification information of the spherical coordinate grid can be agreed upon by the protocol, or configured by the network device for the terminal device. In this way, through the identification information of the spherical coordinate grid, the terminal device can determine the spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the identification information, and then determine the nadir angle and horizontal angle (or zenith angle and horizontal angle) corresponding to the spherical coordinate grid.

[0146] For example, Figure 7 As shown, the values ​​of the identification information of the spherical coordinate grid belong to the set {1,2,…,16}, corresponding to Figure 6 If the identification information carried in the AOA information is 7, the terminal device can determine the quantized horizontal angle θ of the first beam to be scanned according to the identification information 7. 3 and the nadir angle φ 2 .

[0147] It should be understood that the manner of carrying the identification information of the spherical coordinate grid in the above-mentioned AOA information can reduce the amount of information to be transmitted, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0148] In a third possible implementation, the AOA information includes bitmap information of a spherical coordinate grid in an earth coordinate system, and the bitmap information is used to indicate at least one spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the at least one first beam to be scanned. The at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0149] It should be understood that the spherical coordinate grid can be indicated by bit map information, the number of bits included in the bit map information is equal to the number of spherical coordinate grids, and one bit corresponds to one spherical coordinate grid. The meaning of the bit map information can be agreed upon by the protocol, or configured by the network device for the terminal device, for example, 1 indicates that the spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the bit is selected, and 0 indicates that the spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the bit is not selected; or, 0 indicates that the spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the bit is selected, and 1 indicates that the spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the bit is not selected. In this way, the terminal device can determine the selected spherical coordinate grid according to the bit map information, and then determine the nadir angle and horizontal angle (or zenith angle and horizontal angle) corresponding to the spherical coordinate grid.

[0150] In this implementation, the number of spherical coordinate grids that need to be selected indicated by the bit map information can be one or more, which is equal to the number of the at least one first beam to be scanned. Assuming that 1 indicates that the spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the bit is selected, and 0 indicates that the spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the bit is not selected, then the number of 1s in the bit map information is equal to the number of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0151] Taking the number of at least one first beam to be scanned as 1 as an example, illustratively, Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 , the number of spherical coordinate grids is 16. Therefore, the number of bits included in the bitmap is 16, and one bit in the bitmap corresponds to one spherical coordinate grid. Assume that 1 indicates that the spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the bit is selected, and 0 indicates that the spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the bit is not selected. If the above bitmap information is (0000001000000000), it means that the 7th spherical coordinate grid is selected, and the terminal device can determine the horizontal angle θ corresponding to the 7th spherical coordinate grid. 3 and the nadir angle φ 2 .

[0152] It should be understood that the above-mentioned AOA information is a bitmap information, which can reduce the amount of information to be transmitted, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0153] In implementation method 1 of the present application, the network device sends AOA information to the terminal device. The terminal device combines the AOA information and its own posture information to calculate the information of the beam to be scanned, and then performs beam scanning on the beam to be scanned. In this way, the terminal device does not need to report posture information to the network device, which simplifies the processing flow of beam scanning and saves signaling overhead. Since the terminal device does not need to frequently report its own posture information, the power consumption of the terminal device can be reduced.

[0154] Implementation method 2, the above-mentioned first information includes information for indicating the beam identification of the at least one first beam to be scanned; at S301, before receiving the first information from the network device, the method also includes: the terminal device sends third information to the network device, and the third information includes the posture information of the terminal device and the direction information of the beam of the terminal device in the coordinate system of the terminal device.

[0155] It should be understood that the above-mentioned beam of the terminal device may refer to all beams of the terminal device, that is, the third information includes the direction information of all beams of the terminal device in the coordinate system of the terminal device.

[0156] In this implementation, the terminal device can first report the posture information and the direction information of the beam of the terminal device in the coordinate system of the terminal device to the network device, and the network device calculates the beam identifier of at least one first beam to be scanned based on this information, and directly indicates the beam identifier of the at least one first beam to be scanned to the terminal device.

[0157] Optionally, the third information mentioned above may be carried in MAC CE signaling.

[0158] For specific implementation methods, see Fig. 9 , method 900 comprises the following steps:

[0159] S901, the terminal device sends third information to the network device, the third information including the posture information of the terminal device and the direction information of the beam of the terminal device in the coordinate system of the terminal device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the third information.

[0160] S902: The network device determines a beam identifier of at least one first beam to be scanned of the terminal device by using the low-frequency channel information, the correlation between the high-frequency channel and the low-frequency channel, and the third information.

[0161] S903: The network device sends first information to the terminal device, where the first information includes information indicating a beam identifier of the at least one first beam to be scanned. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information.

[0162] S904: The terminal device scans the at least one first beam to be scanned based on the first information.

[0163] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device may determine the beam identifier of the at least one first beam to be scanned by a beam prediction algorithm. The beam prediction algorithm may be understood as a pre-trained machine learning model, and a corresponding prediction result may be obtained by inputting the information to be predicted into the beam prediction algorithm.

[0164] In one possible implementation, the above-mentioned beam prediction algorithm is trained using low-frequency channel information, the correlation between high-frequency channels and low-frequency channels, the posture information of the terminal device, and the direction information of each beam of the terminal device, and can directly output the beam identifier of the candidate beam of the terminal device.

[0165] In this way, if Fig.10 As shown, the network device can input the posture information of the terminal device, the direction information of the beam of the terminal device in the coordinate system of the terminal device and the measured low-frequency channel information into the above-mentioned beam prediction algorithm at the same time, and obtain the beam identification of at least one first beam to be scanned of the terminal device.

[0166] In another possible implementation, the beam prediction algorithm is trained using low-frequency channel information and the correlation between the high-frequency channel and the low-frequency channel, and can output the AOA information of the candidate beams of the terminal device.

[0167] In this way, if Fig.11 As shown, the network device can input the measured low-frequency channel information into the above-mentioned beam prediction algorithm to obtain the AOA information of at least one first beam to be scanned of the terminal device. Then, the network device can determine the beam identifier of at least one first beam to be scanned by combining the AOA information of the at least one first beam to be scanned, the posture information of the terminal device, and the direction information of the beam of the terminal device in the coordinate system of the terminal device.

[0168] It should be understood that the specific manner in which the network device determines the beam identification of at least one first beam to be scanned by combining the AOA information, the posture information of the terminal device and the direction information of the beam of the terminal device in the coordinate system of the terminal device is the same as the specific manner in which the terminal device determines the beam identification of at least one first beam to be scanned, and will not be repeated here.

[0169] In implementation method 2 of the present application, the terminal device first reports its own posture information and the direction information of the beam of the terminal device in the coordinate system of the terminal device to the network device. The network device uses an algorithm to combine the posture information, beam information, and low-frequency channel information to infer the beam identifier of the candidate beam on the terminal device side, and then indicates the beam identifier to the terminal device through the first information. The terminal device can directly determine at least one first beam to be scanned based on the beam identifier indicated by the first information, and perform subsequent beam scanning. In this way, the terminal device does not need to perform calculations, which can reduce the burden on the terminal device.

[0170] In other possible implementations of the present application, the terminal device may send fourth information to the network device, where the fourth information is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports beam indication; correspondingly, the network device receives the fourth information.

[0171] Optionally, the fourth information mentioned above can be carried in RRC signaling.

[0172] It should be understood that in the above implementation method 1, the terminal device is required to be able to calculate the beam identifier under its current posture based on the AOA information combined with the terminal device's own posture information. In the above implementation method 2, the terminal device is required to read its current posture information and the direction information of the beam in its own coordinate system for reporting. However, in actual applications, not all terminal devices have the above capabilities. Therefore, the embodiment of the present application reports the capability through the terminal device so that the network device can determine whether the terminal device supports beam indication in the above manner. If the terminal device supports beam indication, the network device can send the first information to the terminal device in the manner of the embodiment of the present application, thereby saving signaling overhead; if the terminal device does not support beam indication, the terminal device can adopt the traditional beam scanning method, that is, scan all beams of the terminal device.

[0173] Exemplarily, the fourth information may carry whether beam indication based on AOA information is supported. If the fourth information indicates that the terminal device supports beam indication based on AOA information, the network device may execute this solution according to implementation method 1.

[0174] Exemplarily, the fourth information may carry whether beam indication based on beam identification is supported. If the fourth information indicates that the terminal device supports beam indication based on beam identification, the network device may execute this solution according to implementation method 2. Further optionally, when the terminal device supports beam indication based on beam identification, the terminal device may report the third information.

[0175] Optionally, the third information and the fourth information may be sent through different signaling or the same signaling, which is not limited in the present embodiment. Sending the third information and the fourth information through the same signaling can simplify the process and save the signaling overhead of the terminal device.

[0176] The embodiment of the present application reports capabilities through terminal devices, so that network devices can support beam scanning of terminal devices with different capabilities. It not only takes traditional terminal devices into consideration, but also allows different terminal devices to choose appropriate indication methods according to their own capabilities, thereby improving the flexibility and practicality of beam scanning.

[0177] It should be understood that the sequence numbers of the above processes do not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0178] Combined with the above Figures 1 to 11, describes in detail the beam scanning method according to the embodiment of the present application, and will be combined with Fig.12 and Fig.13 , describe in detail the beam scanning device of an embodiment of the present application.

[0179] Fig.12 The beam scanning device 1200 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. The device 1200 includes: a transceiver unit 1210 and a processing unit 1220 .

[0180] In a possible implementation, the apparatus 1200 is used to execute the steps corresponding to the terminal device in the above method.

[0181] Among them, the transceiver unit 1210 is used to receive first information from a network device, and the first information is used to indicate at least one first beam to be scanned of the device, and the at least one first beam to be scanned is a partial beam of the device; the processing unit 1220 is used to scan the at least one first beam to be scanned based on the first information.

[0182] Optionally, the first information includes arrival angle AOA information, and the AOA information is used to indicate the arrival angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned; the processing unit 1220 is specifically used to: determine the beam information of the at least one first beam to be scanned based on the AOA information and the posture information of the device; and scan the at least one first beam to be scanned based on the beam information of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0183] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1210 is further used to: receive second information from the network device, where the second information is used to indicate the number of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0184] Optionally, the AOA information includes information for indicating the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and information for indicating the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the angle of arrival AOA information includes information for indicating the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and information for indicating the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned; wherein, the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal direction in the earth coordinate system, the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the nadir direction in the earth coordinate system, and the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the zenith direction in the earth coordinate system.

[0185] Optionally, the AOA information includes bit map information of a spherical coordinate grid in an earth coordinate system, and the bit map information is used to indicate at least one spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the at least one first beam to be scanned; the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0186] Optionally, the first information includes information for indicating the beam identification of the at least one first beam to be scanned; the transceiver unit 1210 is also used to: send third information to the network device, the third information including the posture information of the device and the direction information of the beam of the device in the coordinate system of the device.

[0187] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1210 is further used to: send fourth information to the network device, where the fourth information is used to indicate whether the device supports beam indication.

[0188] In another possible implementation, the apparatus 1200 is used to execute the steps corresponding to the network device in the above method.

[0189] Among them, the transceiver unit 1210 is used to determine at least one first beam to be scanned of the terminal device and at least one second beam to be scanned of the device by utilizing the low-frequency channel information and the correlation between the high-frequency channel and the low-frequency channel, wherein the at least one first beam to be scanned is a partial beam of the terminal device, and the at least one second beam to be scanned is a partial beam of the device; the processing unit 1220 is used to send first information to the terminal device, and the first information is used to indicate the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0190] Optionally, the first information includes angle of arrival AOA information, and the AOA information is used to indicate the angle of arrival of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0191] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1210 is further used to: send second information to the terminal device, where the second information is used to indicate the number of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0192] Optionally, the AOA information includes information for indicating the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and information for indicating the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the angle-of-arrival AOA information includes information for indicating the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and information for indicating the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned;

[0193] Among them, the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal direction in the earth coordinate system, the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the nadir direction in the earth coordinate system, and the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the zenith direction in the earth coordinate system.

[0194] Optionally, the AOA information includes identification information of at least one spherical coordinate grid in the earth coordinate system; the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0195] Optionally, the AOA information includes bit map information of a spherical coordinate grid in an earth coordinate system, and the bit map information is used to indicate at least one spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the at least one first beam to be scanned; the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

[0196] Optionally, the first information includes information for indicating a beam identifier of the at least one first beam to be scanned;

[0197] The transceiver unit 1210 is further used to: receive third information from the terminal device, the third information including posture information of the terminal device and direction information of the beam of the terminal device in the coordinate system of the terminal device;

[0198] The processing unit 1220 is further configured to determine a beam identifier of the at least one first beam to be scanned by using the low-frequency channel information, the correlation between the high-frequency channel and the low-frequency channel, the posture information and the direction information.

[0199] Optionally, the processing unit 1220 is specifically used to: input the third information and the low-frequency channel information into a beam prediction algorithm at the same time to obtain a beam identifier of the at least one first beam to be scanned, and the beam prediction algorithm is determined by using the correlation between the high-frequency channel and the low-frequency channel.

[0200] Optionally, the processing unit is specifically used to: input the low-frequency channel information into a beam prediction algorithm to obtain the arrival angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, wherein the beam prediction algorithm is determined by utilizing the correlation between the high-frequency channel and the low-frequency channel; and determine the beam identification of the at least one first beam to be scanned based on the arrival angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, the attitude information and the direction information.

[0201] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1210 is further used to: receive fourth information from the terminal device, the fourth information being used to indicate whether the terminal device supports beam indication; and send the first information to the terminal device if the terminal device supports beam indication.

[0202] It should be understood that the device 1200 here is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" here may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (such as a shared processor, a proprietary processor or a group processor, etc.) and a memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, a merged logic circuit and / or other suitable components that support the described functions. In an optional example, those skilled in the art can understand that the device 1200 can be specifically a network device or a terminal device in the above-mentioned embodiment, and the device 1200 can be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the network device or the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0203] The apparatus 1200 of each of the above schemes has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the network device or the terminal device in the above method; the function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing the corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. For example, the transceiver unit can be replaced by a receiver and a transmitter, and other units, such as a processing unit, can be replaced by a processor to respectively perform the transceiver operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0204] In the embodiments of the present application, Fig.12 The device 1200 in the embodiment may also be a chip or a chip system, such as a system on chip (SoC). Correspondingly, the transceiver unit 1210 may be a transceiver circuit of the chip, which is not limited here.

[0205] Fig.13Another beam scanning device 1300 provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown. The device 1300 includes a processor 1310, a transceiver 1320, and a memory 1330. The processor 1310, the transceiver 1320, and the memory 1330 communicate with each other through an internal connection path, the memory 1330 is used to store instructions, and the processor 1310 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 1330 to control the transceiver 1320 to send signals and / or receive signals.

[0206] It should be understood that the device 1300 can be specifically a network device or a terminal device in the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be used to execute the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the network device or the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. Optionally, the memory 1330 may include a read-only memory and a random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor. A part of the memory may also include a non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory may also store information about the device type. The processor 1310 may be used to execute instructions stored in the memory, and when the processor 1310 executes instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1310 is used to execute the various steps and / or processes of the above-mentioned method embodiment corresponding to the network device or the terminal device. The transceiver 1320 may include a transmitter and a receiver, the transmitter may be used to implement the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the above-mentioned transceiver for performing the sending action, and the receiver may be used to implement the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the above-mentioned transceiver for performing the receiving action.

[0207] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the processor of the above-mentioned device may be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0208] In the implementation process, each step of the above method can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in a processor or an instruction in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiment of the present application can be directly embodied as a hardware processor for execution, or a combination of hardware and software units in a processor for execution. The software unit can be located in a storage medium mature in the art such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in a memory, and the processor executes the instructions in the memory, and completes the steps of the above method in conjunction with its hardware. To avoid repetition, it is not described in detail here.

[0209] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which is used to store a computer program, and the computer program is used to implement the method corresponding to the network device or terminal device in the above embodiment.

[0210] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instruction). When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer can execute the method corresponding to the network device or terminal device shown in the above embodiment.

[0211] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various method steps and units described in the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. In order to clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software, the steps and components of each embodiment have been generally described in the above description according to function. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those of ordinary skill in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0212] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0213] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, or it can be an electrical, mechanical or other form of connection.

[0214] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiments of the present application.

[0215] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0216] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions to enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), disk or optical disk and other media that can store program code.

[0217] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of various equivalent modifications or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, and these modifications or replacements should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A beam scanning method, characterized in that: include: Receiving first information from a network device, where the first information is used to indicate at least one first beam to be scanned of a terminal device, where the at least one first beam to be scanned is a partial beam of the terminal device; Based on the first information, scanning of the at least one first beam to be scanned is performed.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first information includes angle of arrival (AOA) information, where the AOA information is used to indicate the angle of arrival of the at least one first beam to be scanned; The scanning of the at least one first beam to be scanned based on the first information includes: Determine beam information of the at least one first beam to be scanned based on the AOA information and the posture information of the terminal device; Scanning of the at least one first beam to be scanned is performed based on the beam information of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: Second information is received from the network device, where the second information is used to indicate the number of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The AOA information includes information for indicating the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and information for indicating the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the angle-of-arrival AOA information includes information for indicating the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and information for indicating the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned; Among them, the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal direction in the earth coordinate system, the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the nadir direction in the earth coordinate system, and the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the zenith direction in the earth coordinate system.

5. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The AOA information includes identification information of at least one spherical coordinate grid in the earth coordinate system; The at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

6. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The AOA information includes bitmap information of a spherical coordinate grid in an earth coordinate system, where the bitmap information is used to indicate at least one spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the at least one first beam to be scanned; The at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first information includes information for indicating a beam identifier of the at least one first beam to be scanned; Before receiving the first information from the network device, the method further includes: Send third information to the network device, where the third information includes posture information of the terminal device and direction information of the beam of the terminal device in the coordinate system of the terminal device.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that Before receiving the first information from the network device, the method further includes: Send fourth information to the network device, where the fourth information is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports beam indication.

9. A beam scanning method, characterized in that: include: Determine at least one first beam to be scanned of a terminal device and at least one second beam to be scanned of a network device by using the low-frequency channel information and the correlation between the high-frequency channel and the low-frequency channel, wherein the at least one first beam to be scanned is a partial beam of the terminal device, and the at least one second beam to be scanned is a partial beam of the network device; Sending first information to the terminal device, where the first information is used to indicate the at least one first beam to be scanned.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The first information includes angle of arrival (AOA) information, where the AOA information is used to indicate the angle of arrival of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending second information to the terminal device, where the second information is used to indicate the number of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: The AOA information includes information for indicating the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and information for indicating the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the angle-of-arrival AOA information includes information for indicating the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and information for indicating the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned; Among them, the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal direction in the earth coordinate system, the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the nadir direction in the earth coordinate system, and the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned is the angle between the AOA direction of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the zenith direction in the earth coordinate system.

13. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: The AOA information includes identification information of at least one spherical coordinate grid in the earth coordinate system; The at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

14. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: The AOA information includes bitmap information of a spherical coordinate grid in an earth coordinate system, where the bitmap information is used to indicate at least one spherical coordinate grid corresponding to the at least one first beam to be scanned; The at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the nadir angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, or the at least one spherical coordinate grid is used to indicate the zenith angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned and the horizontal angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned.

15. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The first information includes information for indicating a beam identifier of the at least one first beam to be scanned; Before determining at least one first beam to be scanned of the terminal device, the method further includes: receiving third information from the terminal device, the third information including posture information of the terminal device and direction information of a beam of the terminal device in a coordinate system of the terminal device; The determining at least one first beam to be scanned of the terminal device includes: The beam identifier of the at least one first beam to be scanned is determined by using the low-frequency channel information, the correlation between the high-frequency channel and the low-frequency channel, the posture information and the direction information.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The determining at least one first beam to be scanned of the terminal device includes: The third information and the low-frequency channel information are simultaneously input into a beam prediction algorithm to obtain a beam identifier of the at least one first beam to be scanned, wherein the beam prediction algorithm utilizes the correlation between the high-frequency channel and the low-frequency channel.

17. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The determining at least one first beam to be scanned of the terminal device includes: Inputting the low-frequency channel information into a beam prediction algorithm to obtain an arrival angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, wherein the beam prediction algorithm is determined by using a correlation between a high-frequency channel and a low-frequency channel; A beam identifier of the at least one first beam to be scanned is determined based on the arrival angle of the at least one first beam to be scanned, the attitude information, and the direction information.

18. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 17, characterized in that Before sending the first information to the terminal device, the method further includes: Receiving fourth information from the terminal device, where the fourth information is used to indicate a receiving beam indication capability of the terminal device; and sending the first information to the terminal device includes: In a case where the terminal device supports beam indication, the first information is sent to the terminal device.

19. A beam scanning device, characterized in that: include: A unit for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

20. A beam scanning device, characterized in that: include: A processor, wherein the processor is coupled to a memory, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and when the processor calls the computer program, the device executes the device according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: Used to store a computer program, the computer program comprising instructions for implementing the apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

22. A computer program product, comprising instructions, characterized in that: When the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is enabled to implement the apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

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