Beam alignment method and device

Abstract

The invention provides a beam alignment method, which can be applied to a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) system supporting 802.11 series protocols such as IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 802.11 ax (WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) 6), 802.11 be (Wi-Fi 7) or 802.11 bn (Wi-Fi 8) and the like, and can also be applied to other wireless protocols, standards and wireless communication systems with a beam alignment link. The method comprises: a first station obtaining first information, the first information indicating a first beam group and a second beam group, and obtaining a first measurement result of the first beam group and a second measurement result of the second beam group based on the first information, the first measurement result and the second measurement result being used for determining a target beam for beam alignment, it is also used to determine the stop of beam measurement. By grouping the to-be-measured beams, the first station can stop beam measurement in the measurement process, and beam training overhead can be saved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and more particularly, to a beam alignment method and device. Background Art

[0002] In high-frequency communications, such as high-frequency standards (standards of 45 GHz and above), such as 802.11ad and 802.11ay standards running around 60 GHz, and integrated mmWave in WiFi8, the higher operating frequency causes the signal to have a larger path loss when transmitted in space. In order to increase the communication distance, two communication devices can perform beamforming and beam alignment before communication to find a better communication link.

[0003] In order to determine the beam direction for beam alignment, the communication device usually needs to perform exhaustive and indiscriminate beam scanning within a certain range (such as the coverage range), and determine the beam for beam alignment based on the measurement results of each beam. This beam alignment process causes a lot of beam training overhead. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a beam alignment method and device, which can reduce the beam training overhead caused in the beam alignment process.

[0005] In a first aspect, a beam alignment method is provided, which can be performed by a first site, or can also be performed by a component (such as a chip or circuit) of the first site, without limitation. For ease of description, the first site is used as an example for description below.

[0006] The method includes: acquiring first information indicating a first beam group and a second beam group; acquiring a first measurement result of the first beam group and a second measurement result of the second beam group based on the first information, wherein the first measurement result and the second measurement result are used to determine a target beam for beam alignment and also to determine the stop of beam measurement.

[0007] Based on the technical solution, during the beam alignment process, the first station does not perform exhaustive and indiscriminate beam measurement, but groups the beams to be measured, and determines the target beam and the stop of the beam measurement based on the measurement results of the beam groups. In other words, since the beams to be measured are divided into multiple beam groups, the first station can know whether the beam measurement can be stopped during the measurement process. If the first station knows that the beam measurement can be stopped during the measurement process, the first station does not need to continue measuring the remaining beams to be measured, thereby saving the beam training overhead during the beam alignment process.

[0008] Exemplarily, the first site receives first information indicating a first beam group and a second beam group; the first site obtains a first measurement result of the first beam group and a second measurement result of the second beam group, and determines a target beam for beam alignment based on the first measurement result and the second measurement result, and determines to stop the beam measurement.

[0009] As another example, the first site receives first information, which indicates a first beam group and a second beam group; the first site obtains a first measurement result of the first beam group and a second measurement result of the second beam group; the first site sends third information to the second site based on the first measurement result and the second measurement result, and the third information is used to determine a target beam for beam alignment and to determine the stop of beam measurement.

[0010] Also exemplarily, the first site generates first information indicating a first beam group and a second beam group; the first site sends the first information; the first site obtains a first measurement result of the first beam group and a second measurement result of the second beam group, and determines a target beam for beam alignment based on the first measurement result and the second measurement result, and determines to stop the beam measurement.

[0011] Also exemplarily, the first site generates first information, the first information indicating a first beam group and a second beam group; the first site sends the first information; the first site obtains a first measurement result of the first beam group and a second measurement result of the second beam group; the first site sends third information to the second site based on the first measurement result and the second measurement result, the third information is used to determine a target beam for beam alignment, and is also used to determine the stop of beam measurement.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the first measurement result indicates the reception quality of the beams in the first beam group, and the second measurement result indicates the reception quality of the beams in the second beam group. When the reception quality of all beams in the second beam group is not higher than the reception quality of the highest quality beam in the first beam group, the beam measurement is stopped, and the target beam is included in the first beam group and the second beam group.

[0013] Based on the present technical solution, by comparing the two sets of measurement results, when the two sets of measurement results meet certain conditions, it can be determined to stop the beam measurement, and the first site does not need to continue measuring the remaining beams to be measured, thereby saving the beam training overhead in the beam alignment process.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes: sending second information, where the second information indicates that the beam measurement is stopped.

[0015] Based on this technical solution, the first station can instruct the second station to stop beam measurement, so that the second station can stop sending the remaining first frames to be sent, saving beam training overhead in the beam alignment process.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the second information further indicates a target beam.

[0017] Based on the technical solution, the first site determines the target beam, and the second site can achieve beam alignment based on the target beam.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes: sending third information based on the first measurement result and the second measurement result, the third information being used to determine a target beam for beam alignment and also being used to determine the stop of beam measurement.

[0019] Based on this technical solution, the first site can feed back the measurement results, and the second site determines the target beam.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the first beam group and the second beam group are divided based on one or more of the following information: location information of the first site, location information of the second site, historical communication data of the first site and the second site, historical beam alignment directions of the first site and the second site, the type of the first site, the type of the second site, or the communication environment between the first site and the second site, wherein the target beam is used for beam alignment between the first site and the second site.

[0021] Based on the technical solution, the first beam group and the second beam group can be determined based on various prior information, thereby improving the reliability of beam grouping and thus improving the efficiency of beam alignment.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the first beam group and the second beam group are beam groups in L beam groups, and the L beam groups are obtained by dividing N first beams.

[0023] Exemplarily, the first beam group and the second beam group are two adjacently transmitted beam groups among the L beam groups.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the first information indicates one or more of the following: a manner in which N first beams are divided into L beam groups, an identifier of the L beam group, an identifier of the N first beams, a measurement duration of the L beam groups, a measurement duration of the last beam group in the L beam groups, a measurement start time of the L beam groups, whether the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario, whether the N first beams are divided into L beam groups, whether the measurement results of the L beam groups are fed back, the type of measurement results of the L beam groups fed back, and whether to start transmission of the first communication link, wherein the L beam groups are transmitted on the first communication link, and the frequency band of the first communication link is higher than or equal to the first threshold.

[0025] Exemplarily, the type of measurement results of the feedback L group beam groups includes one or more of the following: the RSSI and corresponding beam ID of the first beam, the RSSI and corresponding beam ID of the first beam with the highest RSSI in the beam group, the first Q RSSIs with higher rankings in the beam group and corresponding beam IDs, or the beam ID for beam alignment decided by the first site.

[0026] Based on the technical solution, the first information can indicate L groups of beam groups in a variety of ways, so that the receiving device of the first information can perform beam measurement based on the first information.

[0027] In addition, before the beam measurement, the first station obtains the implementation mode of the L beam groups by first acquiring the first information. The grouping mode of the L beam groups can be aligned with the second station through less interaction, which can save the beam training overhead.

[0028] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the first information indicates that the first station starts measurement of the first beam group and measurement of the second beam group.

[0029] For example, before each time the second station sends the first frame corresponding to a beam group, it may send a first message to the first station to instruct the first station to start measuring the beam group, so that the first station can reliably group the measurement results and improve the reliability of the beam measurement.

[0030] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the N first beams are beams in a target space, the target space is divided into L subspaces, and the L groups of beam groups respectively include beams in the L subspaces.

[0031] Based on this technical solution, the first site can measure the beam in the target space instead of measuring all beams in the entire coverage area, thereby reducing the beam training overhead caused by beam alignment.

[0032] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the target space is a cone, and when the N first beams are the transmitting beams of the second site, the vertex of the cone is located at the second site, and when the N first beams are the receiving beams of the first site, the vertex of the cone is located at the first site, wherein L-1 conical surfaces divide the cone into L subspaces, the vertices of the L-1 conical surfaces are located at the vertices of the cone, the opening angles of the L-1 conical surfaces increase, the first subspace among the L subspaces is a cone surrounded by the first conical surface among the L-1 conical surfaces, and the j-th subspace among the L subspaces is the space surrounded by the j-th conical surface and the j-1-th conical surface among the L-1 conical surfaces, and j≥2.

[0033] Based on the technical solution, the N first beams can be divided and grouped in sequence from the center to the edge, and the probability of the target beam appearing in the beam group arranged in front is higher than the probability of appearing in the beam group arranged in the back. In other words, the probability of the target beam appearing in the first beam group is the highest, and the probability of appearing in the subsequent beam groups decreases successively. This improves the efficiency of beam alignment.

[0034] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the kth beam group among the L beam groups is determined based on a measurement result of at least one beam group among the first k-1 beam groups among the L beam groups, and k≥2.

[0035] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the target space is an elliptical cone, and when the N first beams are the transmitting beams of the second site, the vertex of the elliptical cone is located at the second site, and when the N first beams are the receiving beams of the first site, the vertex of the elliptical cone is located at the first site, wherein L-1 elliptical cone surfaces divide the elliptical cone into L subspaces, the vertices of the L-1 elliptical cone surfaces are located at the vertex of the elliptical cone, the opening angles of the L-1 elliptical cone surfaces increase, the first subspace among the L subspaces is an elliptical cone surrounded by the first elliptical cone surface among the L-1 elliptical cone surfaces, and the kth subspace among the L subspaces is the space surrounded by the kth elliptical cone surface and the k-1th elliptical cone surface among the L-1 elliptical cone surfaces, and j≥2.

[0036] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the probability that the target beam for beam alignment exists in the i-th beam group among L beam groups is greater than or equal to the probability that the target beam exists in the i+1-th beam group among the L beam groups, where L-1≥i≥1.

[0037] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the N first beams are determined based on one or more of the following information: location information of the first site, location information of the second site, historical communication data of the first site and the second site, historical beam alignment directions of the first site and the second site, the type of the first site, the type of the second site, or the communication environment between the first site and the second site.

[0038] Based on the technical solution, the first site can determine N first beams based on prior information instead of measuring all beams within the entire coverage area, thereby reducing the beam training overhead caused by beam alignment.

[0039] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the N first beams are beams within the target space, and the target space is a cone or an elliptical cone. When the N first beams are the transmitting beams of the second site, the vertex of the target space is located at the second site, and the direction from the vertex of the target space to the center of the bottom surface is the direction from the position of the second site to the position of the first site. When the N first beams are the receiving beams of the first site, the vertex of the target space is located at the first site, and the direction from the vertex of the target space to the center of the bottom surface is the direction from the position of the first site to the position of the second site.

[0040] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario.

[0041] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the method also includes: obtaining a third measurement result of the M second beams, the third measurement result indicating the first S second beams with the highest reception quality among the M second beams, the N first beams being beams within the target space, and the target space being determined based on the space to which the first S second beams belong, wherein the beam width of the second beam is greater than the beam width of the first beam.

[0042] Based on the technical solution, the first site can determine N first beams based on the measurement results of the second beam with a wider beam width, instead of measuring all beams within the entire coverage area, thereby reducing the beam training overhead caused by beam alignment.

[0043] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes: receiving fourth information, and determining whether the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario based on a shortest path signal component of the fourth information.

[0044] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the fourth information is also used to determine location information of the first site.

[0045] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the method also includes: obtaining a fourth measurement result of the third beam, the fourth measurement result is used to determine whether the first site and the second site belong to a LOS scenario, wherein the third beam is transmitted through the first communication link, the operating frequency band of the first communication link is higher than or equal to the first threshold, and the direction of the third beam is from the first site to the second site, or the direction of the third beam is from the second site to the first site.

[0046] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, when the beam of the first beam group is the transmitting beam of the second site, the frame corresponding to the beam of the first beam group is directionally received by the first site; and when the beam of the first beam group is the receiving beam of the first site, the frame corresponding to the beam of the first beam group is directionally sent by the second site.

[0047] Based on the technical solution, the first station receives directionally or the second station sends directionally, and the first station or the second station does not need to traverse multiple directions to receive or send the first frame, thereby further reducing the beam training overhead in the beam alignment process.

[0048] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the direction of directional reception at the first site or the direction of directional transmission at the second site is determined based on one or more of the following information: location information of the first site, location information of the second site, historical communication data of the first site and the second site, historical beam alignment directions of the first site and the second site, the type of the first site, the type of the second site, or the communication environment between the first site and the second site.

[0049] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes: determining whether the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario; and in the case where the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario, determining to divide the N first beams into L beam groups.

[0050] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, sending the first information includes: sending the first information via a second communication link, a frequency band of the second communication link being lower than a frequency band of the first communication link.

[0051] Based on this technical solution, the first site can use low-frequency technology to assist the beam alignment of the high-frequency communication system to improve the efficiency of beam alignment.

[0052] In a second aspect, a beam alignment method is provided, which can be performed by a second site, or can also be performed by a component (such as a chip or circuit) of the second site, without limitation. For ease of description, the second site is used as an example for description below.

[0053] The method includes: acquiring first information, the first information indicating a first beam group and a second beam group; based on the first information, sending a first frame corresponding to the first beam group and a first frame corresponding to the second beam group, a first measurement result of the first beam group and a second measurement result of the second beam group are used to determine a target beam for beam alignment, and also to determine the stop of beam measurement.

[0054] The various implementation methods of the second aspect are implementation methods corresponding to the various implementation methods of the first aspect. Regarding the beneficial technical effects of the various implementation methods of the second aspect, reference can be made to the description of the relevant implementation methods of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0055] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes: receiving second information, where the second information indicates that the beam measurement is stopped.

[0056] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes: receiving third information, where the third information is generated based on the first measurement result and the second measurement result; determining the target beam based on the third information, and also determining to stop the beam measurement.

[0057] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the method also includes: sending a second frame corresponding to M second beams, the third measurement results of the M second beams indicate the first S second beams with the highest reception quality among the M second beams, and the target space is determined based on the space to which the first S second beams belong, wherein the beam width of the second beam is greater than the beam width of the first beam, the first beam group and the second beam group are beam groups in L beam groups, the L beam groups are obtained by dividing N first beams, and the N first beams are beams within the target space.

[0058] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes: the method further includes: sending fourth information, receiving the shortest path signal component of the fourth information to determine whether the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario.

[0059] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the method also includes: sending a third frame corresponding to a third beam, and a fourth measurement result of the third beam is used to determine whether the first site and the second site belong to a LOS scenario, wherein the third beam is transmitted through a second communication link, the operating frequency band of the second communication link is higher than or equal to a second threshold, and the direction of the third beam is from the first site to the second site, or the direction of the third beam is from the second site to the first site.

[0060] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the first measurement result indicates the reception quality of the beams in the first beam group, and the second measurement result indicates the reception quality of the beams in the second beam group. When the reception quality of all beams in the second beam group is not higher than the reception quality of the highest quality beam in the first beam group, the beam measurement is stopped, and the target beam is included in the first beam group and the second beam group.

[0061] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations, the second information further indicates a target beam.

[0062] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the first beam group and the second beam group are divided based on one or more of the following information: location information of the first site, location information of the second site, historical communication data of the first site and the second site, historical beam alignment directions of the first site and the second site, the type of the first site, the type of the second site, or the communication environment between the first site and the second site, wherein the target beam is used for beam alignment between the first site and the second site.

[0063] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the first beam group and the second beam group are beam groups in L groups of beam groups, and the L groups of beam groups are obtained by dividing N first beams.

[0064] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the first information indicates one or more of the following: a manner in which N first beams are divided into L beam groups, an identifier of the L beam group, an identifier of the N first beams, a measurement duration of the L beam groups, a measurement duration of the last beam group in the L beam groups, a measurement start time of the L beam groups, whether the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario, whether the N first beams are divided into L beam groups, whether the measurement results of the L beam groups are fed back, the type of measurement results of the L beam groups fed back, and whether to start transmission of the first communication link, wherein the L beam groups are transmitted on the first communication link, and the frequency band of the first communication link is higher than or equal to the first threshold.

[0065] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the first information indicates that the first station starts measurement of the first beam group and measurement of the second beam group.

[0066] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the N first beams are beams in a target space, the target space is divided into L subspaces, and the L groups of beam groups respectively include beams in the L subspaces.

[0067] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the target space is a cone, and when the N first beams are the transmitting beams of the second site, the vertex of the cone is located at the second site, and when the N first beams are the receiving beams of the first site, the vertex of the cone is located at the first site, wherein L-1 conical surfaces divide the cone into L subspaces, the vertices of the L-1 conical surfaces are located at the vertices of the cone, the opening angles of the L-1 conical surfaces increase, the first subspace among the L subspaces is the cone surrounded by the first conical surface among the L-1 conical surfaces, and the j-th subspace among the L subspaces is the space surrounded by the j-th conical surface and the j-1-th conical surface among the L-1 conical surfaces, and j≥2.

[0068] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the kth beam group among the L beam groups is determined based on the measurement results of at least one beam group among the first k-1 beam groups among the L beam groups, and k≥2.

[0069] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the target space is an elliptical cone, and when the N first beams are the transmitting beams of the second site, the vertex of the elliptical cone is located at the second site, and when the N first beams are the receiving beams of the first site, the vertex of the elliptical cone is located at the first site, wherein L-1 elliptical cone surfaces divide the elliptical cone into L subspaces, the vertices of the L-1 elliptical cone surfaces are located at the vertex of the elliptical cone, the opening angles of the L-1 elliptical cone surfaces increase, the first subspace among the L subspaces is an elliptical cone surrounded by the first elliptical cone surface among the L-1 elliptical cone surfaces, and the kth subspace among the L subspaces is the space surrounded by the kth elliptical cone surface and the k-1th elliptical cone surface among the L-1 elliptical cone surfaces, and j≥2.

[0070] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the probability that the target beam for beam alignment exists in the i-th beam group among the L beam groups is greater than or equal to the probability that the target beam exists in the i+1-th beam group among the L beam groups, where L-1≥i≥1.

[0071] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the N first beams are determined based on one or more of the following information: location information of the first site, location information of the second site, historical communication data of the first site and the second site, historical beam alignment directions of the first site and the second site, the type of the first site, the type of the second site, or the communication environment between the first site and the second site.

[0072] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the N first beams are beams within the target space, and the target space is a cone or an elliptical cone. When the N first beams are the transmitting beams of the second site, the vertex of the target space is located at the second site, and the direction from the vertex of the target space to the center of the bottom surface is the direction from the position of the second site to the position of the first site. When the N first beams are the receiving beams of the first site, the vertex of the target space is located at the first site, and the direction from the vertex of the target space to the center of the bottom surface is the direction from the position of the first site to the position of the second site.

[0073] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario.

[0074] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes: receiving fourth information, and determining whether the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario based on a shortest path signal component of the fourth information.

[0075] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the fourth information is also used to determine location information of the first site.

[0076] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the method also includes: obtaining a fourth measurement result of the third beam, the fourth measurement result is used to determine whether the first site and the second site belong to a LOS scenario, wherein the third beam is transmitted through the first communication link, the operating frequency band of the first communication link is higher than or equal to the first threshold, and the direction of the third beam is from the first site to the second site, or the direction of the third beam is from the second site to the first site.

[0077] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, when the beam of the first beam group is the transmitting beam of the second site, the frame corresponding to the beam of the first beam group is directionally received by the first site; and when the beam of the first beam group is the receiving beam of the first site, the frame corresponding to the beam of the first beam group is directionally sent by the second site.

[0078] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the direction of directional reception at the first site or the direction of directional transmission at the second site is determined based on one or more of the following information: location information of the first site, location information of the second site, historical communication data of the first site and the second site, historical beam alignment directions of the first site and the second site, the type of the first site, the type of the second site, or the communication environment between the first site and the second site.

[0079] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, the method further includes: determining whether the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario; and in the case where the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario, determining to divide the N first beams into L beam groups.

[0080] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations, sending the first information includes: sending the first information via a second communication link, a frequency band of the second communication link being lower than a frequency band of the first communication link.

[0081] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first site, or can also be executed by a component (such as a chip or circuit) of the first site, without limitation. For ease of description, the first site is used as an example for description below.

[0082] The method includes: receiving fourth information to obtain a shortest path signal component of the fourth information; determining whether the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario based on the shortest path component. The fourth information is sent via a second communication link, and a frequency band of the second communication link is lower than or equal to a second threshold.

[0083] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations, the shortest path signal component is greater than or equal to a second threshold, and the first site and the second site belong to a LOS scenario.

[0084] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a second site, or can also be executed by a component (such as a chip or circuit) of the second site, without limitation. For ease of description, the second site execution is used as an example for description below.

[0085] The method includes: sending fourth information, receiving the shortest path component of the fourth information to determine whether the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario.

[0086] In a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first site, or can also be executed by a component (such as a chip or circuit) of the first site, without limitation. For ease of description, the following description is based on the first site as an example.

[0087] The method includes: obtaining a measurement result of a third beam, and determining whether a first site and a second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario based on the measurement result of the third beam. A third frame corresponding to the third beam is sent via a first communication link, and a frequency band of the first communication link is higher than or equal to a first threshold.

[0088] In combination with the fifth aspect, in some implementations, the measurement result of the third beam indicates the reception quality of the third beam, the reception quality of the third beam is greater than or equal to a third threshold, and the first site and the second site belong to a LOS scenario.

[0089] In a sixth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a second site, or can also be executed by a component (such as a chip or circuit) of the second site, without limitation. For ease of description, the second site execution is used as an example for description below.

[0090] The method includes: sending a third frame corresponding to a third beam, and the measurement result of the third beam is used to determine whether the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario.

[0091] In a seventh aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first site, or can also be executed by a component (such as a chip or circuit) of the first site, without limitation. For ease of description, the following description is based on the first site as an example.

[0092] The method includes: determining N first beams, wherein the N first beams are determined based on at least one or more of the following information: historical communication data of a first site and the second site, historical beam alignment directions of the first site and the second site, or a communication environment between the first site and the second site; the measurement results of the N first beams are used to determine a target beam for beam alignment.

[0093] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, which is used to execute the method provided in the first aspect, the third aspect, or the fifth aspect. Specifically, the device may include a unit and / or module, such as a processing unit and / or a communication unit, for executing the method provided in any one of the above implementations of the first aspect, the third aspect, or the fifth aspect.

[0094] Exemplarily, when the communication device is the first site in the above-mentioned first aspect, the communication unit is used to obtain first information indicating a first beam group and a second beam group; the processing unit is used to obtain a first measurement result of the first beam group and a second measurement result of the second beam group based on the first information, wherein the first measurement result and the second measurement result are used to determine a target beam for beam alignment, and also to determine the stop of beam measurement.

[0095] Exemplarily, when the communication device is the first site in the third aspect above, the communication unit is used to receive fourth information to obtain the shortest path signal component of the fourth information; the processing unit is used to determine whether the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario based on the shortest path component.

[0096] Exemplarily, when the communication device is the first site in the fifth aspect above, the communication unit obtains the measurement result of the third beam, and determines whether the first site and the second site belong to the line-of-sight LOS scenario based on the measurement result of the third beam.

[0097] Exemplarily, when the communication device is the first site in the seventh aspect above, the processing unit is used to determine N first beams, and the N first beams are determined based on at least one or more of the following information: historical communication data of the first site and the second site, historical beam alignment directions of the first site and the second site, or the communication environment between the first site and the second site; the measurement results of the N first beams are used to determine the target beam for beam alignment.

[0098] In one implementation, the communication unit may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface; the processing unit may be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0099] In another implementation, the device is a chip, a chip system or a circuit used in the first site. When the device is a chip, a chip system or a circuit used in a terminal device, the communication unit may be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin or a related circuit on the chip, the chip system or the circuit; the processing unit may be at least one processor, a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0100] In a ninth aspect, a communication device is provided, which is used to execute the method provided in the second aspect, the fourth aspect, or the sixth aspect. Specifically, the device may include a unit and / or module, such as a processing unit and / or a communication unit, for executing the method provided in any one of the above implementations of the second aspect, the fourth aspect, or the sixth aspect.

[0101] Exemplarily, when the communication device is the second site in the above-mentioned second aspect, the communication unit is used to obtain first information, the first information indicating a first beam group and a second beam group; the communication unit is used to send a first frame corresponding to the first beam group and a first frame corresponding to the second beam group based on the first information, and the first measurement result of the first beam group and the second measurement result of the second beam group are used to determine a target beam for beam alignment, and also to determine the stop of beam measurement.

[0102] Exemplarily, when the communication device is the second site in the fourth aspect above, the communication unit is used to send fourth information, receive the shortest path component of the fourth information and determine whether the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario.

[0103] Exemplarily, when the communication device is the second site in the sixth aspect above, the communication unit is used to send a third frame corresponding to the third beam, and the measurement result of the third beam is used to determine whether the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario.

[0104] In one implementation, the communication unit may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface; the processing unit may be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0105] In another implementation, the device is a chip, a chip system or a circuit used in the first site. When the device is a chip, a chip system or a circuit used in a terminal device, the communication unit may be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin or a related circuit on the chip, the chip system or the circuit; the processing unit may be at least one processor, a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0106] In a tenth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a memory for storing programs; and at least one processor for executing computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to execute any one of the above-mentioned implementations of the first to seventh aspects, or a method provided by any one of the above-mentioned implementations of the first to seventh aspects.

[0107] In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a processor for executing the methods provided in the above aspects.

[0108] For the operations such as sending and acquiring / receiving involved in the processor, unless otherwise specified, or unless they conflict with their actual function or internal logic in the relevant description, they can be understood as operations such as processor output, reception, input, etc., or as sending and receiving operations performed by the radio frequency circuit and antenna, and this application does not limit this.

[0109] In a twelfth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a program code for execution by a device, and the program code includes a method provided by any one of the above-mentioned implementation methods for executing the above-mentioned first to seventh aspects.

[0110] In a thirteenth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided. When the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer executes the method provided by any one of the above-mentioned implementations of the first to seventh aspects.

[0111] In a fourteenth aspect, a chip is provided, the chip including a processor and a communication interface, the processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the communication interface, and executes a method provided by any one of the above-mentioned implementation methods of the first to seventh aspects.

[0112] Optionally, as an implementation method, the chip also includes a memory, in which a computer program or instructions are stored, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the processor is used to execute the method provided in any one of the above implementation methods.

[0113] In a fifteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising the first site and the second site mentioned above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0114] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of an application scenario applicable to the embodiment of the present application.

[0115] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided by the present application.

[0116] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of two communication scenarios.

[0117] Figure 4 It is a schematic flowchart of a beam alignment method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0118] Figure 5 It is a schematic flowchart of two implementation methods of obtaining the first information provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0119] Figure 6 It is a schematic flowchart of a method of sending first information provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0120] Figure 7 It is a schematic flowchart of another method of sending first information provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0121] Figure 8 It is a schematic flowchart of a method for determining whether to stop beam measurement provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0122] Fig. 9 It is a schematic flowchart of a method for dividing N first beams into L groups of beam groups provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0123] Fig.10 It is a schematic flowchart of a hierarchical scanning method for determining N first beams provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0124] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram illustrating the division method of L groups of beam groups provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0125] Fig.12 It is a schematic flowchart of a method for determining whether it is a LOS communication scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0126] Fig.13 It is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0127] Fig.14 It is a schematic flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0128] Fig.15 It is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0129] Fig.16 It is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0130] Fig.17 It is a schematic diagram of a chip system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0131] The technical solution in this application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0132] The technical solution provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applicable to wireless local area network (WLAN) scenarios, for example, supporting the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 related standards, such as IEEE 802.11a / b / g, 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4), 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5), 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7), 802.11bn (Wi-Fi 8), 802.11ad, 802.11ay or 802.11bf and other standards, and can also be applied to other wireless protocols or standards with beam alignment links, such as 6G standards and 802.15 series standards based on ultra wide band (UWB). Among them, the 802.11n standard is called high throughput (HT), the 802.11ac standard is called very high throughput (VHT) standard, the 802.11ax standard is called high efficient (HE) standard, and the 802.11be standard is called extremely high throughput (EHT) standard. Among them, 802.11bf includes two major standards: low frequency (for example, sub7GHz) and high frequency (for example, 60GHz). The implementation of sub7GHz mainly relies on 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be and the next generation standards, and the implementation of 60GHz mainly relies on 802.11ad, 802.11ay and the next generation standards. Among them, 802.11ad may also be called a directional multi-gigabit (DMG) standard, and 802.11ay may also be called an enhanced directional multi-gigabit (EDMG) standard.

[0133] Although the embodiments of the present application are mainly described by deploying a WLAN network, especially a network using the IEEE 802.11 system standard, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the various aspects involved in the embodiments of the present application can be extended to other networks using various standards or protocols, such as a high performance radio local area network (HIPERLAN), a wireless wide area network (WWAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN), or other networks known now or developed later. Therefore, regardless of the coverage range and wireless access protocol used, the various aspects provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to any suitable wireless network.

[0134] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to various wireless communication systems, such as: WLAN communication system, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, 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), sixth generation (6G) system, Internet of Things (IoT), vehicle to x (V2X) or ultra-wideband (UWB) communication system, etc.

[0135] The above-mentioned communication system applicable to the present application is only an example for illustration, and the communication system applicable to the present application is not limited to this. A unified description is given here and no further elaboration is given below.

[0136] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of an application scenario applicable to the embodiment of the present application. Figure 1As shown, the communication method provided by the present application is applicable to data communication between an access point (AP) and a station (STA), wherein the station may be a non-AP station (non-AP STA), referred to as a non-AP station or STA. Specifically, the scheme of the present application is applicable to data communication between an AP and one or more non-AP stations (for example, data communication between AP1 and non-AP STA1, non-AP STA2), and also to data communication between APs (for example, data communication between AP1 and AP2), and data communication between non-AP STAs and non-AP STAs (for example, data communication between non-AP STA2 and non-AP STA3).

[0137] Among them, the access point can be a node for terminals (such as mobile phones) to enter the wired (or wireless) network. It is mainly deployed in homes, buildings and parks, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters. Of course, it can also be deployed outdoors. The access point is equivalent to a bridge connecting the wired network and the wireless network. Its main function is to connect various wireless network clients together and then connect the wireless network to the Ethernet.

[0138] Specifically, the access point can be a terminal or network device with a Wi-Fi chip, and the network device can be a server, a router, a switch, a bridge, a computer, a mobile phone, a relay station, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a network device in a 5G network, a network device in a 6G network, or a network device in a public land mobile network (PLMN), etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The access point can be a device that supports the Wi-Fi standard. For example, the access point can also support one or more standards of the IEEE 802.11 series such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11bn, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11bf, etc.

[0139] A non-AP site may be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor or a wireless communication terminal, etc., and may also be referred to as a user, user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent or a user device. A non-AP site may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, an Internet of Things device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, a terminal device in a 6G network or a terminal device in a PLMN, etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. A non-AP site may be a device that supports the WLAN format. For example, the non-AP station may support one or more standards of the IEEE 802.11 series, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11bn, and 802.11bf.

[0140] For example, non-AP sites can be mobile phones, tablet computers, set-top boxes, smart TVs, smart wearable devices, vehicle-mounted communication devices, computers, Internet of Things (IoT) nodes, sensors, smart homes such as smart cameras, smart remote controls, smart water and electricity meters, and sensors in smart cities.

[0141] The above-mentioned AP or non-AP site may include a transmitter, a receiver, a memory, a processor, etc., wherein the transmitter and the receiver are respectively used for sending and receiving packet structures, the memory is used to store signaling information and store preset values ​​agreed in advance, etc., and the processor is used to parse signaling information, process related data, etc.

[0142] Figure 2 A communication device provided by the present application is shown. Figure 2 The device shown can be an AP or a non-AP site. Among them, the medium access control (MAC) layer processing module, the physical (PHY) layer processing module, the radio frequency / antenna, etc. are used to implement the relevant functions of the above-mentioned transmitter and receiver, such as Figure 2As shown, in addition to the MAC layer processing module, the PHY layer processing module, the RF / antenna, the memory, and the processor, the device may also include a controller and a scheduler.

[0143] It should be understood that Figure 2 This is only an example of a device provided in the present application and does not constitute a limitation of the present application. For example, the device may not include a controller and / or a scheduler.

[0144] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, some terms or concepts that may be involved in the embodiments of the present application are first briefly described.

[0145] 1. Beam

[0146] A beam used to send a signal may be referred to as a transmission beam (Tx beam). A transmission beam may refer to the distribution of signal strength formed in different directions in space after a signal is transmitted through an antenna.

[0147] The beam used to receive the signal may be called a reception beam (Rx beam). The reception beam may refer to the signal strength distribution of the wireless signal received from the antenna in different directions in space.

[0148] The beam can be a wide beam or a narrow beam. The beam angle of a wide beam is greater than that of a narrow beam. The beam width refers to the angle of the fan formed by the wireless signal in space. A wide beam has a wide coverage range, but the signal strength is weak and is easily interfered and attenuated. A narrow beam has a strong signal strength, but a narrow coverage range.

[0149] In an embodiment of the present application, one or more beams may form a beam group. Exemplarily, multiple transmit beams (or receive beams) of a device may be divided into multiple beam groups, and a beam group may include one or more transmit beams (or receive beams). The multiple beam groups may be assigned a beam group identifier, and the device may obtain a mapping relationship between the beam group identifier and the transmit beam (or receive beam) identifier included in the beam group.

[0150] 2. Beam Alignment

[0151] In high-frequency communications, such as high-frequency standards (standards of 45GHz and above), such as 802.11ad, 802.11ay standards running near 60GHz, and integrated mmWave in WiFi 8, the higher operating frequency makes the signal have a larger path loss when transmitted in space. In order to increase the communication distance, the two communication devices can perform beam alignment through beam training before communication to find a better communication link. Beam alignment can include unilateral beam alignment and bilateral beam alignment. Among them, unilateral beam alignment refers to determining the transmit beam or receive beam of one communication device (for the sake of simplicity of description, the first station is used as an example below), so that the first station uses the transmit beam to send data to the other communication device (for the sake of simplicity of description, the second station is used as an example below), or uses the receive beam to receive data from the other communication device. Bilateral beam alignment refers to determining the transmit beam of the first station and the receive beam of the second station, so that the first station uses the transmit beam to send data to the second station, and the second station uses the receive beam to receive the data. Or similarly, determine the receiving beam of the first station and the transmitting beam of the second station, so that the second station uses the transmitting beam to send data to the first station, and the first station uses the receiving beam to receive the data.

[0152] In some implementations, during the beam alignment process, the receiving beam direction of the station determined by beam training for beam alignment can be directly regarded as the transmitting beam of the station for beam alignment, that is, the transmitting beam and receiving beam of the station can be determined through one round of training. In other implementations, the receiving beam direction of the station determined by beam training for beam alignment cannot be directly regarded as the transmitting beam of the station for beam alignment, that is, the transmitting beam and receiving beam of the station can be determined by two rounds of beam training respectively. This application does not make any special limitation to this.

[0153] The beams used for beam alignment by the first station and the second station are related to the relative positions of the first station and the second station, and the communication scenario between the first station and the second station. Figure 3 Two possible communication scenarios are exemplified.

[0154] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of two communication scenarios. Figure 3 In (a), the first site and the second site are in a line-of-sight (LOS) scenario. In this scenario, the beam direction used for beam alignment is most likely the relative direction between the first site and the second site. Figure 3(b) The first site and the second site belong to a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) scenario. In this scenario, due to obstacles between the first site and the second site, the beam direction used for beam alignment is usually not the relative direction between the first site and the second site.

[0155] In order to determine the beam direction for beam alignment, such as determining the transmission beam of the first station, the first station usually needs to perform exhaustive and indiscriminate beam scanning within a certain range (such as the coverage range) and determine the beam for beam alignment based on the measurement results of each beam. This beam alignment process causes a lot of beam training overhead.

[0156] The present application embodiment provides a beam alignment method that can reduce the beam training overhead caused by beam alignment. Figure 4 The method provided in the embodiments of the present application is described.

[0157] It can be understood that the first site involved in the embodiments of the present application can be an access point AP, and the second site can be a non-access point non-AP (such as STA); or, the second site can be an access point STA, and the first site can be a non-access point AP; or, the first site and the second site are access point AP; or, the first site and the second site are non-access points non-AP.

[0158] It can also be understood that, in the process of beam alignment, if the transmission beam of the second station is to be determined, the second station transmits transmission beams in multiple directions, and the first station measures the reception quality of the multiple transmission beams to determine the transmission beam used for beam alignment; if the reception beam of the first station is to be determined, the second station can transmit a transmission beam in one direction, and the first station performs measurements on the reception beams in multiple directions to determine the reception beam used for beam alignment. Accordingly, if the transmission beam of the first station is to be determined, the first station transmits transmission beams in multiple directions, and the second station measures the reception quality of the multiple transmission beams to determine the transmission beam used for beam alignment; if the reception beam of the second station is to be determined, the first station can transmit a transmission beam in one direction, and the second station performs measurements on the reception beams in multiple directions to determine the reception beam used for beam alignment.

[0159] For simplicity, in the following description of the embodiments of the present application, an exemplary description is given by determining the transmit beam of the second station, or determining the receive beam of the first station. That is to say, the following mainly uses the first station as the measurement end subject of the beam measurement for exemplary description. The method of determining the transmit beam of the first station, or determining the receive beam of the second station, that is, the second station as the measurement subject of the beam measurement is similar to this and will not be repeated.

[0160] It should be understood that the size of the serial number of each process below does 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 embodiment of the present application.

[0161] Figure 4 : is a schematic flow chart of a beam alignment method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method comprises the following steps:

[0162] S410: The first site obtains first information.

[0163] The first information indicates the first beam group and the second beam group.

[0164] S420: The first station obtains a first measurement result of the first beam group and a second measurement result of the second beam group based on the first information.

[0165] The first measurement result and the second measurement result are used to determine a target beam and to determine the stop of beam measurement, wherein the target beam is used for beam alignment.

[0166] The first beam group and the second beam group may be beam groups in L beam groups, and the L beam groups may be obtained by dividing N first beams, where N and L are positive integers greater than 2.

[0167] It can be understood that the target beam belongs to N first beams, and the N first beams can be the N transmission beams of the second station, or the N first beams can be the N receiving beams of the first station. When the N first beams are the transmission beams of the second station, the second station sends N first frames to the first station through the N first beams, and the first station can measure the N first beams omnidirectionally or directionally. When the N first beams are the receiving beams of the first station, the second station can send N first frames to the first station omnidirectionally or directionally, and the first station can scan and measure the N first beams.

[0168] L groups of beam groups can be measured in chronological order. Exemplarily, the 10 first beams (beam #1 to beam #10) are divided into 4 beam groups (beam group #1 to beam group #4), beam group #1 includes beam #1 to beam #4, beam group #2 includes beam #5 to beam #7, beam group #3 includes beam #8 and beam #9, and beam group #4 includes beam #10. Beam group #1 to beam group #4 are measured in chronological order. That is, the first station can first measure beam group #1 to obtain the measurement results of beam #1 to beam #4, then measure beam group #2 to obtain the measurement results of beam #5 to beam #7, and so on.

[0169] It is understandable that the embodiments of the present application do not impose any limitation on the order in which beams in a beam group are measured. For example, beams #1 to #4 included in beam group #1 can be measured in any order.

[0170] In some implementations, the first beam group and the second beam group may be two adjacent beam groups to be measured in the L groups of beam groups, such as beam group #1 and beam group #2, or beam group #2 and beam group #3.

[0171] It can be understood that the first measurement result and the second measurement result are used to determine the stop of the beam measurement, that is, the first station may not measure the beam group arranged after the first beam group and the second beam group.

[0172] In an embodiment of the present application, the first site obtains a set of measurement results, and can determine whether to continue beam measurement based on the set of measurement results and the previous set of measurement results. For example, if the set of measurement results indicates that the reception quality of all the first beams in the group is not higher than the highest quality in the previous group, then the beam measurement is stopped and a target beam is selected from the previous set of beam groups. If the set of measurement results indicates that the reception quality of the first beam in the group is higher than or equal to the highest reception quality in the previous group, then the beam measurement is continued until the target beam is determined or all beams to be measured are measured. It can be understood that if the first site measures the last two groups of beam groups, the first site can select the first beam with the highest reception quality in the two beam groups as the target beam.

[0173] Based on the technical solution, during the beam alignment process, the first station does not perform exhaustive and indiscriminate beam measurement, but groups the first beam to be measured, and determines the target beam and the stop of the beam measurement based on the measurement results of the beam groups. In other words, since the beam to be measured is divided into multiple beam groups, the first station can know whether the beam measurement can be stopped during the measurement process. If the first station knows that the beam measurement can be stopped during the measurement process, the first station does not need to continue measuring the remaining beams to be measured, thereby saving the beam training overhead during the beam alignment process.

[0174] It should be noted that from Figure 4 It can be seen from the scheme introduced in that the first station measures N first beams based on the division result of L beam groups to obtain multiple groups of measurement results. The first station can obtain first information, and the first information indicates the first beam group and the second beam group, for example, the first information indicates L beam groups. Since the first station and / or the second station can divide the N first beams into L beam groups, the present application can at least include Figure 5 Two implementations are shown.

[0175] Figure 5 It is a schematic flowchart of two implementation methods of obtaining the first information provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0176] The first implementation method includes steps S501a and S502a.

[0177] S501a, the second site generates first information.

[0178] The second station may divide the N first beams into L beam groups, and generate the first information based on the division result. For the manner of dividing the N first beams into L beam groups, see below Figures 9 to 11 The description is not repeated here.

[0179] The first information may indicate the L group of beams in a variety of ways. For example, the first information may indicate at least one or more of the following: a division method of the L group of beams, a measurement time period of the L group of beams, an identifier of the L group of beams, an identifier of the first beam included in the L group of beams, or a value of L. The content indicated by the first information is related to the sending method of the first information. For details, see below. Figure 6 and Figure 7 The description is not repeated here.

[0180] S502a, the second site sends first information to the first site. Correspondingly, the first site receives the first information from the second site.

[0181] The first station receives the first information and may perform beam measurement based on the first information to obtain multiple groups of measurement results.

[0182] The above is an implementation manner in which the second site sends the first information to the first site. The following is an explanation of an implementation manner in which the first site sends the first information to the second site.

[0183] The second implementation includes steps S501b and S502b.

[0184] S501b, the first site generates first information.

[0185] The first station may divide the N first beams into L beam groups, and generate first information based on the division result. For a method of dividing the N first beams into L beam groups, see below Figures 9 to 11 For the first information, please refer to the following Figure 6 and Figure 7 The description is not repeated here.

[0186] S502b, the first site sends first information to the second site. Correspondingly, the second site receives the first information from the first site.

[0187] The second station receives the first information and can send N first frames corresponding to the N first beams to the second station based on the first information.

[0188] Combination of the above Figure 5 Two methods of obtaining the first information are described. For the sake of simplicity, the following description will be based on the first implementation method (the implementation method in which the second station sends the first information to the first station).

[0189] Since the content indicated by the first information may be related to the sending method of the first information, the following first combines Figure 6 and Figure 7 Two possible sending methods are introduced.

[0190] It should be noted that, for ease of description, the L groups of beam groups are labeled as beam group #1, beam group #2, beam group #3, etc. in the order of measurement time. The first beam in beam group #1 is labeled as L1 first beams #1, the first beam in beam group #2 is labeled as L2 first beams #2, the first beam in beam group #3 is labeled as L3 first beams #3, and so on. The first frame corresponding to the first beam #1 is labeled as first frame #1, the first frame corresponding to the first beam #2 is labeled as first frame #2, the first frame corresponding to the first beam #3 is labeled as first frame #3, and so on. The measurement result of the first beam group #1 is labeled as measurement result #1, the measurement result of the first beam group #2 is labeled as measurement result #2, the measurement result of the first beam group #3 is labeled as measurement result #3, and so on. It is not elaborated below.

[0191] Figure 6 It is a schematic flowchart of a method of sending first information provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0192] S601, the second site sends first information #a to the first site. Correspondingly, the first site receives the first information #a from the second site.

[0193] The first information #a indicates L groups of beam groups. In the first example, the first information #a may indicate the duration of the measurement of the L groups of beam groups, for example, the first information #a may include a field indicating the duration of each group of measurements. For example, the first information #a indicates that beam group #1 lasts for 2 seconds, beam group #2 lasts for 3 seconds, and beam group #3 lasts for 4 seconds. Thus, after the first station starts beam measurement, the measurement result obtained in the first 2 seconds is measurement result #1 of beam group #1, the measurement result obtained in the next 3 seconds is measurement result #2 of beam group #2, and the measurement result obtained in the next 4 seconds is measurement result #3 of beam group #3.

[0194] In the second example, the first information #a may indicate a mapping relationship between identification information of the beam group and identification information of the first beam in the beam group. For example, the first information #a may include a field indicating the mapping relationship. The first frame subsequently received by the first station may include a field indicating the identification of the corresponding first beam, so that the first station can determine which group of beam groups the first beam belongs to based on the mapping relationship and the identification of the first beam.

[0195] In the third example, the first information #a indicates the value of L and the identification information of the L group of beam groups, for example, the first information #a includes a field indicating the value of L and a field indicating the identification information of the L group of beam groups. The first frame subsequently received by the first station may include a field indicating the beam group to which the corresponding first beam belongs, so that the first station can determine whether the first beam belongs to the last group of beam groups based on the identification information of the L group of beam groups and the value of L.

[0196] In the fourth example, the first information #a indicates a grouping method of the L groups of beam groups, for example, the first information #a may include a field indicating a grouping method. The field may indicate how the first station is divided into the L groups of beam groups. Alternatively, the first station may preconfigure multiple grouping schemes, the field may indicate an identifier of the grouping scheme, and the first station may determine which grouping scheme to adopt based on the identifier of the grouping scheme, and perform beam measurement based on the grouping scheme.

[0197] The above is an exemplary description of the indication method of the first information #a, but it should be understood that the present application is not limited to this.

[0198] In some implementations, the first information may be sent on communication link #1. The frequency band of communication link #1 may be lower than a specific threshold, for example, communication link #1 may be referred to as a low-frequency communication link. Thus, the embodiment of the present application may utilize low-frequency technology (such as Wi-Fi low frequency) to assist high-frequency communication systems (such as IMW communication systems) in beam alignment, thereby improving the efficiency of beam alignment. This will not be described in detail below.

[0199] S602: The second station sends a first frame #1 corresponding to beam group #1 to the first station. Correspondingly, the first station measures the beam group #1.

[0200] When beam group #1 includes the transmitting beam of the second station, the second station sends L1 first frames #1 to the first station through L1 first beams #1. The first station can receive the L1 first frames #1 omnidirectionally or in a specific direction and measure the reception quality of the L1 first beams #1.

[0201] When beam group #1 includes the receiving beam of the first station, the second station can send L1 first frames #1 to the first station omnidirectionally or in a specific direction. The first station receives the L1 first frames #1 through the L1 first beams #1 and measures the reception quality of the L1 first beams #1.

[0202] In some implementations, the first frame #1 may include a field indicating the identifier of beam group #1. Thus, the first station may determine that the first beam #1 corresponding to the first frame #1 belongs to beam group #1 based on the identifier of beam group #1.

[0203] In some implementations, the first frame #1 may include an identifier indicating the first beam #1 corresponding to the first frame #1. Thus, the first station may determine through which first beam #1 the first frame #1 is transmitted based on the identifier of the first beam #1.

[0204] In some implementations, the first frame may be sent on communication link #2. The frequency band of communication link #2 may be higher than a certain threshold, for example, communication link #2 may be called a high frequency communication link, and the first beam may be an IMW beam. This will not be described in detail below.

[0205] S603: The first site obtains measurement result #1.

[0206] The first station may measure one or more of the following contents of the L1 first beams #1: received signal strength indication (RSSI), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The first station may save the measurement result #1 of the L1 first beams #1.

[0207] Measurement result #1 can be used to determine the reception quality of L1 first beams #1. Exemplarily, measurement result #1 can include RSSI values ​​of L1 first beams #1, and the higher the RSSI value, the higher the quality of the corresponding first beam #1. Again exemplarily, measurement result #1 can include SNR values ​​of L1 first beams #1, and the higher the SNR, the higher the quality of the corresponding first beam #1. Again exemplarily, measurement result #1 can include RSSI values ​​and SNR values ​​of L1 first beams #1, and the first site can process the RSSI values ​​and SNR values ​​based on specific rules to determine the quality of the L1 first beams #1. It can be understood that the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the measurement method, and the first site can also determine the quality of the L1 first beams #1 by measuring other indicators.

[0208] S604: The second station sends the first frame #2 corresponding to the beam group #2 to the first station. Accordingly, the first station measures the beam group #2.

[0209] For the description of step S604, reference may be made to the description of step S602 above, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0210] S605: The first site obtains measurement result #2.

[0211] The first station obtains measurement result #2, for example, obtains the reception quality of L2 first beams #2. Similarly, measurement result #2 can be used to determine the reception quality of L2 first beams #2 in a manner similar to the description of measurement result #1 in S603, which is not repeated here.

[0212] It is understandable that in the embodiment of the present application, measurement result #1 and measurement result #2 can be used to determine whether to determine the target beam and whether to stop beam measurement. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the order in which the first station obtains measurement result #1 and measurement result #2. In other words, the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the execution order of steps S602 to S605. Similarly, the embodiment of the present application Figure 7 The order in which the first station obtains measurement result #1 and measurement result #2 is not particularly limited and will not be described in detail below.

[0213] S606: The first site or the second site determines whether to determine the target beam based on measurement result #1 and measurement result #2, and determines whether to stop beam measurement.

[0214] In some implementations, in a case where the reception quality of all first beams #2 in beam group #2 is not higher than the reception quality of the highest quality first beam #1 in beam group #1, beam measurement is stopped, and a target beam is determined in beam group #1 and beam group #2. Exemplarily, the highest quality first beam #1 in beam group #1 is the target beam. In a case where the reception quality of the first beam #2 in beam group #2 is higher than the reception quality of the highest quality first beam #1 in beam group #1, beam measurement is not stopped, and the first site continues subsequent beam measurements until the target beam is determined or all L beam groups are measured. For a more detailed description of how to determine whether to stop beam measurement based on measurement results, please refer to the following. Figure 8 The description is not repeated here.

[0215] above Figure 6 An implementation method is introduced in which a first station obtains L groups of beam groups through first information before beam measurement. The first station and the second station can align the grouping method of the L groups of beam groups through less interaction, which can save beam training overhead. The embodiment of the present application also provides an implementation method, in which the second station can send a first message to the first station before sending the first frame corresponding to a beam group each time, to instruct the first station to start measuring the beam group. In this way, the first station can reliably group the measurement results and improve the reliability of beam measurement. The following will be combined with Figure 7 A method for implementing measurement of a beam group by a first station based on triggering is introduced.

[0216] Figure 7 It is a schematic flowchart of another method of sending first information provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0217] S701, the second site sends first information #1 to the first site. Correspondingly, the first site receives the first information #1 from the second site.

[0218] The first information #1 indicates that the first station starts measuring beam group #1. Exemplarily, the first information #1 may be a trigger frame, and the first station starts measuring beam group #1 based on the trigger.

[0219] In some implementations, the first information #1 may indicate an identifier of beam group #1, so that the first station may determine that the beam group #1 to be measured is to be measured based on the identifier of beam group #1.

[0220] In some implementations, the first information #1 may indicate the duration of beam group #1, so that the first station may perform measurement based on the duration of beam group #1 to obtain measurement result #1.

[0221] S702: The second station sends a first frame #1 corresponding to beam group #1 to the first station. Accordingly, the first station measures the beam group #1.

[0222] For the description of step S702, please refer to the above Figure 6 For the sake of brevity, the description of step S602 is not repeated here.

[0223] In some implementations, the first station may end the measurement of beam group #1 based on a trigger, that is, the first station and the second station may also perform the following step S703.

[0224] Optionally, S703, the second site sends end information #1 to the first site. Correspondingly, the first site receives end information #1 from the second site.

[0225] The end information #1 indicates that the first station ends the measurement of beam group #1. Exemplarily, the end information #1 may be a trigger frame, and the first station ends the measurement of beam group #1 based on the trigger.

[0226] In some implementations, the end information #1 may indicate the identifier of beam group #1, so that the first station may determine that the measurement ends for beam group #1 based on the identifier of beam group #1.

[0227] S704, the first site obtains measurement result #1.

[0228] For the description of step S704, please refer to the above Figure 6 For the sake of brevity, the description of step S603 is not repeated here.

[0229] S705: The second site sends the first information #2 to the first site. Correspondingly, the first site receives the first information #2 from the second site.

[0230] For the description of step S705, reference may be made to the description of step S701 above, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0231] In some implementations, the first information #2 may also instruct the first station to end the measurement of the previous set of beam groups (i.e., beam group #1). In other words, the first information sent subsequently may simultaneously trigger the first station to start the measurement of a new set of beam groups and end the measurement of the old set of beam groups.

[0232] S706: The second station sends the first frame #2 corresponding to the beam group #2 to the first station. Accordingly, the first station measures the beam group #2.

[0233] For the description of step S706, reference may be made to the description of step S702 above, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0234] In some implementations, the second station may also execute the following step S707 to trigger the first station to end the measurement.

[0235] Optionally, S707, the second site sends end information #2 to the first site. Correspondingly, the first site receives end information #2 from the second site.

[0236] For the description of step S707, reference may be made to the description of step S703 above, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0237] S708, the first site obtains measurement result #2.

[0238] For the description of step S708, reference may be made to the description of step S704 above, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0239] S709: The first site and / or the second site determines whether to determine the target beam based on measurement result #1 and measurement result #2, and determines whether to stop beam measurement.

[0240] For the description of step S709, please refer to the above Figure 6 For the sake of brevity, the description of step S606 is not repeated here.

[0241] The above is an exemplary description of the method of sending the first information.

[0242] In some implementations, the first information may also indicate whether the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario. For example, the first information may include a field indicating whether it is LOS. Thus, the first site may determine the grouping method based on the LOS field to determine the L group of beam groups.

[0243] In some implementations, the first information may also indicate whether the first station performs the measurement in a grouping manner. For example, the first information may include a grouping field. The first station determines whether to perform the beam measurement in a grouping manner based on the field.

[0244] In some implementations, the first information may further indicate whether the first station feeds back the measurement result. For example, the first information may include a field indicating whether to feed back. The first station may determine whether to feed back the measurement result to the second station based on the field.

[0245] In some implementations, the first information may indicate the type of measurement result fed back by the first site. For example, the first information may include a feedback measurement result type field, such as the feedback measurement result type field indicating that the first site feeds back the RSSI and corresponding beam ID of each first beam (such as a complete mapping table of RSSI and beam ID), or feeds back the RSSI and corresponding beam ID of the first beam with the highest RSSI in each beam group, or the first Q RSSIs with higher rankings in each beam group and the corresponding beam ID (such as a partial mapping table of RSSI and beam ID), or feeds back the beam ID for beam alignment determined by the first site, so that the first site can feed back the measurement result based on the indication of the feedback measurement result type field.

[0246] The following combination Figure 8 A detailed description is given of how the first site and / or the second site determines whether to determine the target beam based on measurement result #1 and measurement result #2, and determines whether to stop beam measurement.

[0247] Figure 8 It is a schematic flowchart of a method for determining whether to stop beam measurement provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0248] A first possible implementation manner includes the following steps S801a and 802a.

[0249] S801a, the first station determines whether to determine the target beam and whether to stop beam measurement based on measurement result #1 and measurement result #2.

[0250] Exemplarily, measurement result #1 includes the reception qualities of L1 first beams #1 in beam group #1, and measurement result #2 includes the reception qualities of L2 first beams #2 in beam group #2. In the case where the reception qualities of all first beams #2 in beam group #2 are not higher than the reception quality of the first beam #1 with the highest quality in beam group #1, the first station determines to stop beam measurement, and determines the target beam in beam group #1 and beam group #2, for example, the first station determines the first beam #1 with the highest quality in beam group #1 as the target beam. To simplify the description, the beam measurement will be stopped below, and the conditions satisfied by the two groups of measurement results are referred to as alignment conditions. In the case where the alignment condition is not satisfied, that is, in the case where the reception quality of the first beam #2 in beam group #2 is higher than the reception quality of the first beam #1 with the highest quality in beam group #1, the first station determines not to stop beam measurement. In some implementations, the first station may discard measurement result #1 of beam group #1. The first station continues to measure beam group #3 to obtain measurement result #3, and determines whether measurement result #2 and measurement result #3 meet the alignment condition. If the alignment condition is met, the first station determines to stop beam measurement and determines the target beam in beam group #2 and beam group #3. For example, the first station determines that the first beam #2 with the highest quality in beam group #2 is the target beam. If the alignment condition is not met, the first station continues to perform beam measurement, and so on, which will not be repeated.

[0251] S802a, the first site sends second information #1 to the second site. Correspondingly, the second site receives the second information #1 from the first site.

[0252] The second information #1 indicates that the beam measurement is stopped. Thus, the second station can stop sending the first frame based on the second information #1. Thus, the beam training overhead in the beam alignment process can be reduced.

[0253] In some implementations, the second information #1 may indicate a target beam, for example, if the target beam is a transmit beam of the second station, the second information #1 may indicate an identifier of the target beam, so that the second station may implement beam alignment based on the identifier of the target beam. It is understandable that if the target beam is a receive beam of the first station, the second information #1 may not indicate the identifier of the target beam, and the first station implements beam alignment based on the determined target beam.

[0254] In some implementations, the second information may be sent on communication link #1. The frequency band of communication link #1 may be lower than a specific threshold, for example, communication link #1 may be referred to as a low-frequency communication link. Thus, the embodiment of the present application may utilize low-frequency technology (such as Wi-Fi low frequency) to assist high-frequency communication systems (such as IMW communication systems) in beam alignment, thereby improving the efficiency of beam alignment. This will not be described in detail below.

[0255] The above describes an implementation manner in which the first station determines whether to stop beam measurement. The following second possible implementation manner describes an implementation manner in which the second station determines whether to stop beam measurement.

[0256] A second possible implementation includes the following steps S801b to S803b.

[0257] S801b, the first site sends third information to the second site. Correspondingly, the second site receives the third information from the first site.

[0258] The third information is generated based on measurement result #1 and measurement result #2. Exemplarily, the third information includes measurement result #1 and measurement result #2, for example, including the reception quality value of the first beam #1 in beam group #1 and the reception quality value of the first beam #2 in beam group #2. Again exemplarily, the third information may include the reception quality value of the first beam #1 with the highest reception quality in beam group #1, and the reception quality value of the first beam #2 with the highest reception quality in beam group #2. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0259] It is understandable that, in some implementations, the first station may start from obtaining measurement result #2, and send the third information to the second station once for each set of measurement results obtained. For example, the first station measures beam group #3, obtains measurement result #3, and may send the third information indicating measurement result #3 to the second station. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0260] In some implementations, the third information may be sent on communication link #1. The frequency band of communication link #1 may be lower than a specific threshold, for example, communication link #1 may be referred to as a low-frequency communication link. Thus, the embodiment of the present application may utilize low-frequency technology (such as Wi-Fi low frequency) to assist high-frequency communication systems (such as IMW communication systems) in beam alignment, thereby improving the efficiency of beam alignment. This will not be described in detail below.

[0261] S802b, the second site determines whether to determine the target beam and whether to stop beam measurement based on the third information.

[0262] The second site determines whether to stop beam measurement and determines the target beam in a manner similar to that described in step S801a above and will not be repeated here.

[0263] S803b, the second site sends second information #2 to the first site. Correspondingly, the first site receives the second information #2 from the second site.

[0264] The second information #2 indicates that the beam measurement is stopped. Thus, the first station can stop the measurement of the first beam based on the second information #2. Thus, the beam training overhead in the beam alignment process can be reduced.

[0265] In some implementations, the second information #2 may indicate a target beam, for example, the target beam is a receiving beam of the first station, and the second information #2 may indicate an identifier of the target beam, so that the first station may achieve beam alignment based on the identifier of the target beam.

[0266] The above describes a method for determining a target beam by performing beam measurement on the first site and the second site in a grouping manner. To facilitate understanding of the embodiment of the present application, the following describes a method for grouping N first beams into L beam groups.

[0267] It can be understood that the first site and / or the second site can divide the N first beams into L groups of beams. The following mainly uses the second site dividing the N first beams into L groups of beams as an example for explanation.

[0268] Fig. 9 is a schematic flowchart of a method for dividing N first beams into L groups of beam groups provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method comprises step S901 and step S902. If the N first beams are pre-configured, step S901 may not be performed.

[0269] Optionally, S901, the second site determines N first beams.

[0270] S902: The second site determines L groups of beam groups.

[0271] The second station may determine the N first beams in a variety of ways. First, step S901 is described below.

[0272] The first method to determine the N first beams is:

[0273] The N first beams are beams in the target space, and the second station can determine the N first beams by determining the target space. In this embodiment, the first station can measure the beams in the target space instead of measuring all beams in the entire coverage area, thereby reducing the beam training overhead caused by beam alignment.

[0274] The second site may determine the target space based on the location information of the second site and the location information of the first site.

[0275] The shape of the target space may be related to the way in which the location information is acquired. Exemplarily, if the location information contains 3-D location information, such as the relative azimuth and elevation between the second site and the first site, then the second site may determine a cone-shaped target space based on the relative azimuth and elevation. In the case where the target beam is the transmitting beam of the second site, the vertex of the cone is at the position of the second site. For simplicity, the embodiment of the present application refers to the direction from the vertex of the elliptical cone to the center of the bottom surface as the first direction, in which case the first direction is the direction from the second site to the first site. In the case where the target beam is the receiving beam of the first site, the vertex of the cone is at the position of the first site, and the first direction is the direction from the first site to the second site.

[0276] The present application does not impose any particular limitation on the manner in which the first site and the second site obtain location information, and the first site and the second site may obtain location information using a variety of positioning technologies. Exemplarily, the first site and the second site may obtain location information via GPS and sensors. Alternatively, the first site and the second site may obtain location information via channel state information (CSI), such as by measuring a reference signal to obtain the angle of arrival (AOA) or time of flight (TOF) of the signal to obtain location information of the first site and the second site. Alternatively, the first site and the second site may obtain location information using fine timing measurement (FTM) technology. For the sake of simplicity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0277] It is understandable that the second site can determine the vertex and the first direction of the cone based on the location information. The cone angle of the cone can be determined based on the accuracy of the location information. For example, the location information can be obtained using the following two positioning methods: CSI positioning method and GPS positioning method. Among them, the accuracy of the location information obtained based on the CSI positioning method is usually higher than the location information obtained based on the GPS method. Then when the location information is obtained based on the CSI positioning method, the cone angle of the target space can take a smaller value. When the location information is obtained based on the GPS positioning method, the cone angle of the target space can take a relatively large value. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0278] As another example, if the location information includes 2-D location information, such as the relative azimuth of the first site to the second site (excluding elevation information), then the second site can determine an elliptical cone-shaped target space based on the relative azimuth. In the case where the target beam is the transmitting beam of the second site, the vertex of the elliptical cone is at the position of the second site. For ease of description, the direction from the vertex of the elliptical cone to the center of the bottom surface is still referred to as the first direction. In this case, the first direction is the direction from the second site to the first site. In the case where the target beam is the receiving beam of the first site, the vertex of the elliptical cone is at the position of the first site, and the first direction is the direction from the first site to the second site.

[0279] It is understandable that the second site can determine the vertex and the first direction of the elliptical cone based on the location information. The opening angle of the elliptical cone in the horizontal direction can be determined based on the accuracy of the location information. The description of the determination method is similar to the method of describing the cone angle of the cone above. For simplicity, it is not repeated. The opening angle of the elliptical cone in the vertical direction can be determined based on a predetermined rule. For example, the opening angle in the vertical direction can be set to be greater than or equal to a specific threshold to cover the elevation angle that may occur in the communication scenario.

[0280] It should be noted that, for the above-mentioned cone-shaped or elliptical cone-shaped target space, the second station determines the first direction based on the location information of the second station and the location information of the first station. This method can be applicable to LOS scenarios where there are no obstacles between the second station and the first station. That is to say, the second station can use the first method to determine the target space when it is determined that there is a LOS scenario between the second station and the first station. In the case of an NLOS scenario with obstacles between the second station and the first station, the second and third determination methods described below can be used. For the determination method of LOS scenarios and NLOS scenarios, please refer to the following. Fig.12 The description is not repeated here.

[0281] The second method for determining N first beams is:

[0282] Before determining the target beam, the second station can obtain the measurement result of the second beam with a wider lobe width to determine the target space where the target beam is located. This method can reduce the number of times the first station measures the first beam, thereby reducing the beam training overhead in the beam alignment process. This process can be called a hierarchical scanning process. To facilitate understanding of this embodiment, the following is combined with Fig.10 The process of the hierarchical scanning is described exemplarily.

[0283] For example, Fig.10This is a schematic flow chart of a hierarchical scanning method for determining N first beams provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method may include steps S1001 to S1004.

[0284] S1001: A second station sends M second frames corresponding to M second beams to a first station. Correspondingly, the first station measures the M second beams.

[0285] The beam widths of the M second beams are greater than the beam width of the first beam, and M is a positive integer greater than 1. It can be understood that when the first beam is a transmit beam of the second station, the second beam is a transmit beam of the second station. When the first beam is a receive beam of the first station, the second beam is a receive beam of the first station.

[0286] Exemplarily, the second station may send the second frame through multiple second beams within the coverage range, or the first station may receive the second frame through multiple second beams within the coverage range. It can be understood that the lobe width of the second beam is greater than the lobe width of the first beam, and the number of second beams measured within the same coverage range is less than the number of first beams. Therefore, this implementation method can measure fewer second beams to reduce the number of first beams to be measured, and can reduce the beam training overhead in the beam alignment process.

[0287] S1002: The first site obtains a measurement result of the second beam.

[0288] The measurement result of the second beam may indicate the reception quality of the second beam. The first station may measure one or more of the following contents of the second beam: RSSI, SNR. For a description of the measurement method, please refer to the above Figure 6 The description of step S603 regarding measuring the first beam is not repeated here.

[0289] S1003: The first site sends fifth information to the second site. Correspondingly, the second site receives the fifth information from the first site.

[0290] The first site may generate fifth information based on the measurement results of the M second beams. Exemplarily, the fifth information includes the measurement results of the M second beams, for example, the reception quality values ​​of the M second beams and the corresponding beam identification information (ID). Again exemplarily, the fifth information may indicate the first S second beams with the highest reception quality among the M second beams, for example, the fifth information includes the identification information of the S second beams, and may optionally also include the reception quality values ​​of the S second beams. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0291] S1004: The second site determines the N first beams based on the fifth information.

[0292] The second site may determine the target space based on the fifth information, and the N first beams are beams within the target space. Exemplarily, the second site may obtain measurement results of the M second beams, determine the first S second beams with the highest reception quality among the M second beams, and the target space is determined based on the space to which the S second beams belong, and M and S are positive integers.

[0293] It is understandable that the shape of the target space determined by the second method can be a cone, an elliptical cone, or other shapes determined by the second beam, and the present application does not specifically limit this. For example, if the second station determines a cone-shaped or elliptical cone-shaped target space, the first direction can be the direction of the second beam with the highest reception quality among the S second beams. The opening angle of the cone or elliptical cone can be determined based on the angle between the direction of the second beam with the lowest reception quality among the S second beams and the direction of the second beam with the highest reception quality.

[0294] It can also be understood that, since the second method for determining the N first beams is based on the measurement result of the second beam, this method can be applicable to both LOS scenarios and NLOS scenarios.

[0295] The third method for determining N first beams is:

[0296] The second site can determine the target space based on one or more of the following information: historical communication data between the second site and the first site, historical beam alignment directions between the second site and the first site, the type of the second site, the type of the first site, or the communication environment between the second site and the first site. The second site can use various channels to obtain the above information, for example, the above information can be stored in the second site, and for example, the second site can obtain the above information in real time, and this application does not specifically limit this. For ease of description, the above information is collectively referred to as prior information below, and this name does not constitute any special limitation to this application.

[0297] Exemplarily, the second site can determine the reception quality of the beam within the estimated coverage range based on the prior information, and determine N first beams based on the estimated reception quality, for example, the beams with estimated reception quality higher than threshold #1 are the N first beams. The second site can estimate the reception quality of the beam based on the prior information in a variety of ways. For example, the second site can determine the direction from the first site to the second site based on the location information of the second site and the location information of the first site. The smaller the angle between the beam and the direction, the higher the estimated reception quality of the beam. For another example, the second site can analyze the historical communication data of the second site and the first site, such as the data link quality of historical communications, through tools such as AI, and estimate the reception quality of the beam within the coverage range. For another example, the second site obtains the historical beam alignment direction between the second site and the first site. The higher the frequency of the beam appearing in the historical communication, the higher the estimated reception quality of the beam. For another example, the second site determines the credibility of the estimated reception quality based on the type of the second site and the type of the first site. For example, if the second site and the first site are AP-type sites that do not move frequently, then the second site may consider that the higher the credibility of the estimated reception quality. For another example, the second site determines the estimated reception quality based on the communication environment between the second site and the first site. For example, if the communication environment between the second site and the first site belongs to the LOS situation, then the second site may estimate the reception quality in a manner similar to estimating the reception quality based on location information. For another example, the second site may obtain relatively complex communication environment information through a perception method (such as wireless perception), and determine the N first beams of the target space based on the communication environment information. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0298] It can be understood that, since the third method for determining the N first beams is based on prior information, this method can be applicable to both LOS scenarios and NLOS scenarios.

[0299] The above describes the method in which the second site determines N first beams. The following describes the method in which the second site determines L groups of beam groups.

[0300] The second station may determine L groups of beam groups based on the N first beams in various ways.

[0301] In a first possible implementation, the second station is N first beams determined by determining the target space, and the target space can be divided into L subspaces, and the L groups of beam groups respectively include beams within the L subspaces. For example, the target space is a cone, wherein L-1 conical surfaces divide the cone into L subspaces, the vertices of the L-1 conical surfaces are located at the vertices of the cone, the opening angles of the L-1 conical surfaces increase, and the first subspace in the L subspaces is a cone surrounded by the first conical surface in the L-1 conical surfaces, and the j-th subspace in the L subspaces is a space surrounded by the j-th conical surface and the j-1-th conical surface in the L-1 conical surfaces, and j≥2. It can be understood that the division method of the target space into an elliptical cone is similar to the division method of the cone described above, and will not be repeated here. In order to facilitate the understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following is combined with Fig.11 A method of dividing a cone is illustrated below.

[0302] For example, Fig.11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a division method of L groups of beam groups provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.11 , taking L equal to 3 as an example, Fig.11 (a) is a schematic diagram of the bottom surface of a cone. Fig.11 (b) is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the cone. The first beam corresponding to the first subspace is the first beam group, the first beam corresponding to the second subspace is the second beam group, and the first beam corresponding to the third subspace is the third beam group.

[0303] In a second possible implementation, the second station determines the N first beams by estimating the reception quality, and the second station may sort the N first beams in order from the highest to the lowest estimated reception quality, and divide them into L beam groups in order. For example, the first specific number of first beams with the highest estimated reception quality are the first beam group, followed by the second beam group in turn, until the division is completed.

[0304] In a third possible implementation, the second station determines L groups of beam groups based on the measurement results, and the kth group of beam groups in the L groups of beam groups is determined based on the measurement results of at least one group of beam groups in the first k-1 groups of beam groups in the L groups of beam groups. Exemplarily, the second station may determine the first group of beam groups based on prior information, send the first frame corresponding to the first group of beam groups to the first station, and the first station may return the measurement results of the first group of beam groups to the second station. The second station determines the second group of beam groups based on the measurement results of the first group of beam groups, and instructs the first station to start measuring the second group of beam groups, and so on, which will not be elaborated.

[0305] The above describes the way in which the second station divides N first beams into L groups of beam groups. It can be understood that in the example described above, the probability of the target beam appearing in the beam group arranged in front is higher than the probability of appearing in the beam group arranged in the back. That is to say, the probability of the target beam appearing in the first group of beam groups is the highest, and the probability of appearing in subsequent beam groups decreases successively. This is because, for the first division method (dividing the target space), the smaller the angle with the first direction, the higher the probability of containing the target beam. For the second division method (dividing based on the estimated reception quality), the beam with higher estimated reception quality is the target beam. The higher the probability. That is to say, the probability of L beam groups containing the target beam decreases successively. If the first station determines that the quality of all first beams #2 in beam group #2 is not higher than the quality of the first beam #1 with the highest quality in beam group #1, then beam group #2 does not contain the target beam, and it can be considered that the subsequent beam groups with lower probabilities will not contain the target beam. Thus, the first station can select the target beam in beam group #1.

[0306] It is worth noting that, in the above description of the method for determining the N first beams, the first method for determining the N first beams (determined based on location information) can be applicable to the LOS communication scenario. That is to say, in some implementations, the first site may not make a judgment on the LOS communication scenario and the NLOS communication scenario, and directly use the second or third method to determine the N first beams. In other implementations, the first site may use the first method to determine the N first beams when it is determined to be a LOS communication scenario, and use the second or third method to determine the N first beams when it is determined to be a NLOS communication scenario.

[0307] In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, Fig.12 This section introduces how to judge LOS and NLOS communication scenarios.

[0308] Fig.12 It is a schematic flowchart of a method for determining whether it is a LOS communication scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0309] It should be noted that, similarly, the first site can determine whether the first site and the second site belong to the LOS scenario or the NLOS scenario, and can also indicate the determination result to the second site. Alternatively, the second site can determine whether the first site and the second site belong to the LOS scenario or the NLOS scenario, and can also indicate the determination result to the first site. The present application does not specifically limit this. For the sake of simplicity of description, the following example is given by taking the first site as an example to determine whether the first site and the second site belong to the LOS scenario or the NLOS scenario. The first site can use at least the following two methods to determine whether the first site and the second site belong to the LOS scenario or the NLOS scenario.

[0310] A first implementation method may include steps S1201a to S1203a.

[0311] S1201a, the second site sends fourth information to the first site. Correspondingly, the first site receives the fourth information from the second site.

[0312] The fourth information is used to determine whether the first site and the second site belong to a LOS scenario.

[0313] The fourth information used to determine whether it is a LOS scenario can be any one or more pieces of information. That is, the first site and the second site can reuse any one or more pieces of information, such as information used for positioning, to determine whether the first site and the second site belong to a LOS scenario or a NLOS scenario. This can save a certain amount of transmission consumption.

[0314] In some implementations, the fourth information may be sent on communication link #1. The frequency band of communication link #1 may be lower than a specific threshold, for example, communication link #1 may be referred to as a low-frequency communication link. Thus, the embodiment of the present application may utilize low-frequency technology (such as Wi-Fi low frequency) to assist high-frequency communication systems (such as IMW communication systems) in beam alignment, thereby improving the efficiency of beam alignment. This will not be described in detail below.

[0315] S1202a: The first site determines whether a LOS scenario exists between the first site and the second site based on the fourth information.

[0316] The second station sends the fourth information to the first station, and the first station can process the received fourth information to obtain the shortest path signal component of the fourth information. For example, the first station can determine whether the first station and the second station belong to the LOS scenario or the NLOS scenario by comparing the shortest path signal component and other path components. For example, if the strength of the shortest path component is greater than or equal to the strength of other path components, then the first station can determine that the first station and the second station are in the LOS scenario. If the strength of the shortest path component is less than the strength of other path components, then the first station can determine that the first station and the second station are in the NLOS scenario.

[0317] Optionally, S1203a, the first site sends notification information to the second site. Correspondingly, the second site receives the notification information from the first site.

[0318] The notification information indicates whether the first site and the second site belong to a LOS scenario or a NLOS scenario.

[0319] In some implementations, the notification information may be sent on communication link #1. The frequency band of communication link #1 may be lower than a specific threshold, for example, communication link #1 may be referred to as a low-frequency communication link. Thus, the embodiment of the present application may utilize low-frequency technology (such as Wi-Fi low frequency) to assist high-frequency communication systems (such as IMW communication systems) in beam alignment, thereby improving the efficiency of beam alignment. This will not be described in detail below.

[0320] The above describes a method for determining whether a first station and a second station belong to a LOS scenario based on a path signal component of fourth information, and the fourth information can be sent via a low-frequency communication link. The following provides a method for determining whether a LOS scenario is based on beam measurement.

[0321] The second implementation method may include steps S1201b to S1204b.

[0322] S1201b: The second station sends a third frame corresponding to the third beam to the first station. Correspondingly, the first station measures the third beam.

[0323] The direction of the third beam is determined based on the location information of the first site and the second site. For example, the third beam is a transmitting beam of the second site, and the direction of the third beam is the direction from the second site to the first site; or the third beam is a receiving beam of the first site, and the direction of the third beam is the direction from the first site to the second site.

[0324] In some implementations, the third information may be sent on communication link #2. The frequency band of communication link #2 may be higher than a specific threshold, for example, communication link #1 may be called a high frequency communication link, and the third frame may be an IMW frame.

[0325] S1202b: The first site obtains the measurement result of the third beam.

[0326] The measurement result of the third beam may indicate the reception quality of the third beam. The first station may measure one or more of the following contents of the third beam: RSSI, SNR. For a description of the measurement method, refer to the above Figure 6 The description of step S603 regarding measuring the first beam is not repeated here.

[0327] S1203b: The first site determines whether a LOS scenario exists between the first site and the second site based on the measurement result of the third beam.

[0328] Exemplarily, the first site can determine the reception quality of the third beam based on the measurement result of the third beam. When the reception quality of the third beam is greater than or equal to a specific threshold, the first site determines that the first site and the second site belong to the LOS scenario. When the reception quality of the third beam is less than the specific threshold, the first site determines that the first site and the second site belong to the NLOS scenario.

[0329] Optionally, S1204b, the first site sends notification information to the second site. Correspondingly, the second site receives the notification information from the first site.

[0330] The notification information indicates whether the first site and the second site belong to a LOS scenario or a NLOS scenario.

[0331] It is understandable that, for the sake of simplicity, the above text uses the first site to determine whether it is LOS for example. This application does not specifically limit this. For example, in the first method above, the first site can also make a judgment based on any one or more information received. For example, in the second method above, the first site can make a judgment based on the measurement result of the third beam, or the first site can send a beam for measurement to the second site, and the second site makes a judgment based on the measurement result, which will not be repeated.

[0332] Based on the technical solution, during the beam alignment process, the first station does not perform exhaustive and indiscriminate beam measurement, but groups the beams to be measured, and determines the target beam and the stop of the beam measurement based on the measurement results of the beam groups. That is, since the beams to be measured are divided into multiple beam groups, the first station can determine whether the beam measurement can be stopped during the measurement process. If the first station determines that the beam measurement can be stopped during the measurement process, the first station does not need to continue measuring the remaining beams to be measured, thereby saving the beam training overhead during the beam alignment process.

[0333] It is understandable that the above Figures 4 to 12The various communication methods described include a method for generating and sending first information, a method for determining whether to stop beam measurement, a method for determining a target beam (a transmitting beam of the second station or a receiving beam of the first station), a method for determining N first beams, a method for grouping L groups of beams, and a method for determining whether it is a LOS scenario, any of which can be implemented alone, and any number of methods can be implemented in combination. For example, in addition to assisting in selecting a suitable beam alignment scheme, selecting a method for determining N first beams, and selecting a grouping method, determining whether it is LOS can also be applied to a variety of high-frequency or millimeter-wave communication scenarios, such as: searching for an AP with LOS between it and a STA in a multi-AP scenario, searching for a STA with LOS between it and an AP in a multi-user scenario, high-frequency or millimeter-wave Relay activation judgment, beam tracking, recovery, and rapid judgment of whether to maintain a beam during high-frequency or millimeter-wave communications, etc. In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following Fig.13 and Fig.14 Two combinations of these are implemented. Fig.13 and Fig.14 A detailed description of the relevant content can be found in the above introduction and will not be repeated here.

[0334] Fig.13 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.13 In the described method, the first station and the second station can perform two beam measurement processes to determine a pair of beams as target beams for communication. For example, beam group #1, beam group #2, etc. in the following text are divided by the transmission beam of the second station, and beam group #a, beam group #b, etc. are divided by the transmission beam of the first station.

[0335] S1301: The first site and / or the second site determines whether there is a LOS scenario between the first site and the second site.

[0336] For instructions on this step, refer to Fig.12 The description is not repeated here.

[0337] S1302: The first site and / or the second site obtains first information.

[0338] For instructions on this step, refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 as well as Figures 9 to 11 It is understood that this step is based on Figure 6 This step can also be replaced by Figure 7 The sending method shown is not particularly limited in this application.

[0339] S1303: The second station sends the first frame #1 corresponding to the beam group #1 to the first station. Accordingly, the first station measures the beam group #1.

[0340] In some implementations, beam group #1 includes the transmission beam of the second station, and the first station receives the L1 first frames #1 in a specific direction, and the specific direction can be: pre-configured; or it can be determined by the first station based on prior information, such as in a manner similar to the above determination of the first direction. In other words, the first station does not need to traverse multiple receiving directions to receive the L1 first frames #1, thereby further reducing the beam training overhead in the beam alignment process. The reception of the fourth frame below is similar to this and will not be described in detail.

[0341] S1304, the first site obtains measurement result #1.

[0342] S1305: The second station sends the first frame #2 corresponding to the beam group #2 to the first station. Accordingly, the first station measures the beam group #2.

[0343] S1306: The first site obtains measurement result #2.

[0344] S1307, the first site or the second site determines whether to determine the target beam based on measurement result #1 and measurement result #2, and determines whether to stop beam measurement.

[0345] For the description of steps S1303 to S1307, please refer to Figure 6 The description is not repeated here.

[0346] It can be understood that steps S1301 to S1307 are used to determine the transmit beam of the second site for beam alignment. The first site and the second site may also perform the following steps to determine the transmit beam of the first site for beam alignment, and the beam groups into which the beam is divided are marked as beam group #a, beam group #b, etc., the corresponding frames are marked as fourth frame #a, fourth frame #b, etc., the corresponding measurement results are marked as measurement result #a, measurement result #b, etc., and the determined beam is marked as target beam #a.

[0347] It can be understood that, in the following steps, the second station can use the target beam determined in step S1307 to receive the fourth frame.

[0348] S1308: The first station sends the fourth frame #a corresponding to the beam group #a to the second station. Correspondingly, the second station measures the beam group #a.

[0349] S1309: The second site obtains measurement result #a.

[0350] S1310: The first station sends a fourth frame #b corresponding to beam group #b to the second station. Correspondingly, the second station measures the beam group #b.

[0351] S1311, the second site obtains measurement result #b.

[0352] S1312, the first site or the second site determines whether to determine the target beam #a based on the measurement result #a and the measurement result #b, and determines whether to stop the beam measurement.

[0353] Based on the technical solution, during the beam alignment process, the first station does not perform exhaustive and indiscriminate beam measurement, but groups the beams to be measured, and determines the target beam and the stop of the beam measurement based on the measurement results of the beam groups. That is, since the beams to be measured are divided into multiple beam groups, the first station can determine whether the beam measurement can be stopped during the measurement process. If the first station determines that the beam measurement can be stopped during the measurement process, the first station does not need to continue measuring the remaining beams to be measured, thereby saving the beam training overhead during the beam alignment process.

[0354] Fig.14 is a schematic flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.14 In the described method, the first station and the second station can perform two beam measurement processes to determine a pair of beams as target beams for communication. For example, beam group #1, beam group #2, etc. in the following text are divided by the transmission beam of the second station, and beam group #A, beam group #B, etc. are divided by the reception beam of the first station.

[0355] S1401: The first site and / or the second site determines whether there is a LOS scenario between the first site and the second site.

[0356] For instructions on this step, refer to Fig.12 The description is not repeated here.

[0357] S1402: The first site and / or the second site obtains first information.

[0358] For instructions on this step, refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 as well as Figures 9 to 11 It is understood that this step is based on Figure 6 This step can also be replaced by Figure 7 The sending method shown is not particularly limited in this application.

[0359] S1403: The second station sends the first frame #1 corresponding to the beam group #1 to the first station. Accordingly, the first station measures the beam group #1.

[0360] S1404, the first site obtains measurement result #1.

[0361] S1405: The second station sends the first frame #2 corresponding to the beam group #2 to the first station. Accordingly, the first station measures the beam group #2.

[0362] S1406, the first site obtains measurement result #2.

[0363] S1407, the first site or the second site determines whether to determine the target beam based on measurement result #1 and measurement result #2, and determines whether to stop beam measurement.

[0364] For the description of steps S1403 to S1407, please refer to Figure 6 The description is not repeated here.

[0365] It can be understood that steps S1401 to S1407 are used to determine the transmit beam of the second site for beam alignment. The first site and the second site may also perform the following steps to determine the receive beam of the first site for beam alignment, and the beam groups into which the beam is divided are marked as beam group #A, beam group #B, etc., the corresponding frames are marked as fifth frame #A, fifth frame #B, etc., the corresponding measurement results are marked as measurement result #A, measurement result #B, etc., and the determined beam is marked as target beam #A.

[0366] S1408: The second station sends the fifth frame #A corresponding to the beam group #A to the first station. Accordingly, the first station measures the beam group #A.

[0367] It can be understood that, in this step, the second site can send the fifth frame #A using the target beam determined in step S1407.

[0368] S1409, the first site obtains measurement result #A.

[0369] S1410: The second station sends the fifth frame #B corresponding to the beam group #B to the first station. Accordingly, the second station measures the beam group #B.

[0370] S1411, the first site obtains measurement result #B.

[0371] S1412, the first site or the second site determines whether to determine the target beam #A based on the measurement result #A and the measurement result #B, and determines whether to stop the beam measurement.

[0372] In some implementations, if the first site makes a decision based on the measurement results, if the alignment conditions are met, the beam measurement can be stopped directly, local beam alignment can be performed directly according to the determined beam, and the second site can be notified that the beam alignment is completed and the fifth frame is stopped.

[0373] Based on the technical solution, during the beam alignment process, the first station does not perform exhaustive and indiscriminate beam measurement, but groups the beams to be measured, and determines the target beam and the stop of the beam measurement based on the measurement results of the beam groups. That is, since the beams to be measured are divided into multiple beam groups, the first station can determine whether the beam measurement can be stopped during the measurement process. If the first station determines that the beam measurement can be stopped during the measurement process, the first station does not need to continue measuring the remaining beams to be measured, thereby saving the beam training overhead during the beam alignment process.

[0374] It should also be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their internal logical relationships.

[0375] It should also be understood that in some of the above embodiments, the devices in the existing network architecture are mainly used as examples for exemplary description, and it should be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific form of the devices. For example, devices that can achieve the same function in the future are applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0376] It can be understood that in the above-mentioned various method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by the device (such as the first site and the second site) can also be implemented by components that can be used in the device (such as chips or circuits).

[0377] It can also be understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application may not depend on other features in some scenarios, or may be combined with other features in some scenarios, without limitation.

[0378] Above, combined Figures 4 to 14 The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail. The above communication method is mainly introduced from the perspective of the first site and the second site. It can be understood that in order to realize the above functions, the first site and the second site include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function.

[0379] Those skilled in the art should be aware that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel 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.

[0380] The following, combined Figures 15 to 17 The communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment, so the contents not described in detail can be referred to the method embodiment above, and some contents will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0381] The embodiment of the present application can divide the functional modules of the transmitting end device or the receiving end device according to the above method example. For example, each functional module can be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. The following is an example of dividing each functional module corresponding to each function.

[0382] Fig.15 1 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 10 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 10 includes a transceiver module 11 and a processing module 12. The transceiver module 11 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 12 is used to perform data processing, or in other words, the transceiver module 11 is used to perform operations related to receiving and sending, and the processing module 12 is used to perform other operations besides receiving and sending. The transceiver module 11 can also be called a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0383] Optionally, the device 10 may further include a storage module 13, which may be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing module 12 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the device implements the actions of the devices in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0384] In one design, the device 10 may correspond to the first site in the above method embodiment, or may be a component (such as a chip) of the first site.

[0385] The device 10 can implement the steps or processes executed by the first station in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver module 11 can be used to perform the transceiver-related operations of the first station in the above method embodiment, and the processing module 12 can be used to perform the processing-related operations of the first station in the above method embodiment.

[0386] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0387] In another design, the device 10 may correspond to the second site in the above method embodiment, or be a component (such as a chip) of the second site.

[0388] The device 10 can implement steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the second site in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver module 11 can be used to perform transceiver-related operations of the second site in the above method embodiment, and the processing module 12 can be used to perform processing-related operations of the second site in the above method embodiment.

[0389] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0390] It should also be understood that the device 10 here is embodied in the form of a functional module. The term "module" here may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (such as a shared processor, a dedicated 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 may understand that the device 10 may be specifically a mobile management network element in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the mobile management network element in the above-mentioned method embodiments; or, the device 10 may be specifically a terminal device in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiments. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0391] The apparatus 10 of each of the above schemes has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the device (such as the first station) in the above method. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing the corresponding software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions; for example, the transceiver module can be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the sending unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as the processing module, can be replaced by a processor to respectively perform the transceiver operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0392] In addition, the transceiver module 11 may also be a transceiver circuit (for example, may include a receiving circuit and a sending circuit), and the processing module may be a processing circuit.

[0393] Fig.16 2 is a schematic diagram of another communication device 20 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 20 includes a processor 21, and the processor 21 is used to execute a computer program or instruction stored in a memory 22, or read data / signaling stored in the memory 22 to execute the method in each method embodiment above. Optionally, there are one or more processors 21.

[0394] Alternatively, if Fig.16 As shown, the device 20 also includes a memory 22, which is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The memory 22 can be integrated with the processor 21, or can also be separately set. Optionally, the memory 22 is one or more.

[0395] Alternatively, if Fig.16 As shown, the device 20 further includes a transceiver 23, and the transceiver 23 is used for receiving and / or sending signals. For example, the processor 21 is used to control the transceiver 23 to receive and / or send signals.

[0396] As a solution, the device 20 is used to implement the operations performed by the first site or the second site in each of the above method embodiments.

[0397] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or 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. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0398] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM includes the following forms: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0399] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0400] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0401] Fig.17 Schematic diagram of a chip system 30 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The chip system 30 (or also referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 31 and an input / output interface 32.

[0402] Among them, the logic circuit 31 can be a processing circuit in the chip system 30. The logic circuit 31 can be coupled to the storage unit and call the instructions in the storage unit so that the chip system 30 can implement the methods and functions of each embodiment of the present application. The input / output interface 32 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system 30, outputting information processed by the chip system 30, or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 30 for processing.

[0403] As a solution, the chip system 30 is used to implement the operations performed by the first site or the second site in the above various method embodiments.

[0404] For example, the logic circuit 31 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the first site or the second site in the above method embodiment; the input / output interface 32 is used to implement the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0405] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium on which computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by the device in the above-mentioned method embodiments are stored.

[0406] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the method performed by the first site or the second site in each embodiment of the above method.

[0407] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, implement the method performed by the first site or the second site in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0408] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, including the aforementioned first site and second site.

[0409] The explanation of the relevant contents and beneficial effects of any of the above-mentioned devices can be referred to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, which will not be repeated here.

[0410] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed 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 through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0411] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. For example, the computer can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that contains one or more available media integrations. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid state disk (SSD)). For example, the aforementioned available medium includes, but is not limited to, various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0412] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A beam alignment method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a first site, and comprises: Acquire first information, where the first information indicates a first beam group and a second beam group; A first measurement result of the first beam group and a second measurement result of the second beam group are acquired based on the first information, wherein the first measurement result and the second measurement result are used to determine a target beam for beam alignment and to determine the stop of beam measurement.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first measurement result indicates a reception quality of a first beam in the first beam group, and the second measurement result indicates a reception quality of the first beam in the second beam group, When the reception quality of all the first beams in the second beam group is not higher than the reception quality of the highest quality first beam in the first beam group, the beam measurement is stopped, wherein the first beam group and the second beam group include the target beam.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: Second information is sent, wherein the second information indicates that the beam measurement is stopped.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Based on the first measurement result and the second measurement result, third information is sent, where the third information is used to determine a target beam for beam alignment and to determine stopping of beam measurement.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The first beam group and the second beam group are divided based on one or more of the following information: location information of the first site, location information of the second site, historical communication data of the first site and the second site, historical beam alignment directions of the first site and the second site, the type of the first site, the type of the second site, or the communication environment between the first site and the second site, wherein the target beam is used for beam alignment between the first site and the second site.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first beam group and the second beam group are beam groups in L beam groups, and the L beam groups are obtained by dividing N first beams.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first information indicates one or more of the following: a manner in which the N first beams are divided into L beam groups, an identifier of the L beam group, an identifier of the N first beams, a mapping relationship between the identifier of the L beam group and the identifier of the N first beams, a value of L, a measurement duration of the L beam group, a measurement duration of the last beam group in the L beam groups, a measurement start time of the L beam groups, whether the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario, whether the N first beams are divided into the L beam groups, whether the measurement results of the L beam groups are fed back, the type of measurement results of the L beam groups fed back, and whether to start transmission of the first communication link, wherein the L beam groups are transmitted on the first communication link, and a frequency band at which the first communication link operates is higher than or equal to a first threshold.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first information instructs the first station to start measurement of the first beam group and measurement of the second beam group.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that The N first beams are beams in a target space, the target space is divided into L subspaces, and the L groups of beam groups respectively include beams in the L subspaces.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The target space is in the shape of a cone. When the N first beams are the transmission beams of the second station, the vertex of the cone is located at the second station. When the N first beams are the reception beams of the first station, the vertex of the cone is located at the first station. L-1 conical surfaces divide the cone into the L subspaces, the vertices of the L-1 conical surfaces are located at the vertices of the cone, the opening angles of the L-1 conical surfaces increase, the first subspace among the L subspaces is the cone surrounded by the first conical surface among the L-1 conical surfaces, the j-th subspace among the L subspaces is the space surrounded by the j-th conical surface and the j-1-th conical surface among the L-1 conical surfaces, and j≥2.

11. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that The kth beam group among the L beam groups is determined based on a measurement result of at least one beam group among the first k-1 beam groups among the L beam groups, where k≥2.

12. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 11, characterized in that The N first beams are determined based on one or more of the following information: location information of the first site, location information of the second site, historical communication data of the first site and the second site, historical beam alignment directions of the first site and the second site, the type of the first site, the types of the two sites, or the communication environment between the first site and the second site.

13. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 12, characterized in that The N first beams are beams in a target space, and the target space is a cone or an elliptical cone. In the case where the N first beams are transmission beams of the second site, the vertex of the target space is located at the second site, and the direction from the vertex of the target space to the center of the bottom surface is the direction from the position of the second site to the position of the first site, In the case where the N first beams are the receiving beams of the first site, the vertex of the target space is located at the first site, and the direction from the vertex of the target space to the center of the bottom surface is the direction from the position of the first site to the position of the second site.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first site and the second site are in a line-of-sight (LOS) scenario.

15. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: Obtain a third measurement result of the M second beams, wherein the third measurement result indicates the first S second beams with the highest reception quality among the M second beams, the N first beams are beams within a target space, and the target space is determined based on the space to which the first S second beams belong, wherein a lobe width of the second beam is greater than a lobe width of the first beam.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive fourth information, and determine whether the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight (LOS) scenario based on the shortest path signal component of the fourth information.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: Obtain a fourth measurement result of the third beam, and the fourth measurement result is used to determine whether the first site and the second site belong to a LOS scenario, wherein the third beam is transmitted through a second communication link, the operating frequency band of the second communication link is higher than or equal to a second threshold, and the direction of the third beam is from the first site to the second site, or the direction of the third beam is from the second site to the first site.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that In the case where the beam of the first beam group is a transmission beam of the second station, the frame corresponding to the beam of the first beam group is directionally received by the first station, In a case where the beam of the first beam group is the receiving beam of the first station, the frame corresponding to the beam of the first beam group is directionally sent by the second station.

19. A beam alignment method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a second site, and the method includes: Acquire first information, where the first information indicates a first beam group and a second beam group; Based on the first information, a first frame corresponding to the first beam group and a first frame corresponding to the second beam group are sent, and a first measurement result of the first beam group and a second measurement result of the second beam group are used to determine a target beam for beam alignment and to determine the stop of beam measurement.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein: The method further comprises: Second information is received, wherein the second information indicates that beam measurement is stopped.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein: The method further comprises: receiving third information, where the third information is generated based on the first measurement result and the second measurement result; The target beam is determined based on the third information, and stopping of beam measurement is also determined.

22. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 21, characterized in that The method further comprises: A second frame corresponding to M second beams is sent, and a third measurement result of the M second beams indicates first S second beams with the highest reception quality among the M second beams, and a target space is determined based on the space to which the first S second beams belong, wherein a beam width of the second beam is greater than a beam width of the first beam, and the first beam group and the second beam group are beam groups in L beam groups, and the L beam groups are obtained by dividing N first beams, and the N first beams are beams within the target space.

23. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 22, characterized in that The method further comprises: The fourth information is sent, and the shortest path signal component of the fourth information is received to determine whether the first site and the second site belong to a line-of-sight LOS scenario.

24. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 22, characterized in that The method further comprises: A third frame corresponding to a third beam is sent, and a fourth measurement result of the third beam is used to determine whether the first site and the second site belong to a LOS scenario, wherein the third beam is transmitted through a second communication link, the operating frequency band of the second communication link is higher than or equal to a second threshold, and the direction of the third beam is from the first site to the second site, or the direction of the third beam is from the second site to the first site.

25. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, or comprising a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 19 to 24.

26. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, configured to execute a computer program stored in a memory, so that the apparatus performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, or so that the apparatus performs the method according to any one of claims 19 to 24.

27. The device according to claim 26, characterized in that The apparatus also includes the memory.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

29. A communication system, characterized in that: include: A first site and a second site, wherein the first site is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, and the second site is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 19 to 24.

Images