Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and device, relates to the technical field of wireless communication, and is used for a network control relay device to accurately forward downlink data from a network device to a terminal device. In the application, a network control relay device sends first indication information to a network device, and the first indication information is used for indicating attitude information of an antenna panel corresponding to an access link of the network control relay device; and the network control relay equipment receives second indication information from the network equipment, the second indication information is used for indicating the beam direction of downlink data sent by the network control relay equipment to the terminal equipment, and the second indication information is associated with the first indication information. According to the invention, the network equipment can accurately determine the beam direction of the downlink data forwarded by the network control relay equipment to the terminal equipment according to the attitude information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay equipment; therefore, the network control relay device can forward the downlink data from the network device to the terminal device in the correct beam direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technologies, and in particular, to a communication method and apparatus. Background Art

[0002] To expand coverage, relays can be used for data relaying to thereby expand the coverage area of a base station. Traditional relay nodes only have the function of amplifying and forwarding. To further enhance the functions of relay nodes, a network-controlled relay device (which can also be referred to as a network-controlled repeater (NCR)) is introduced. The network side provides control information to the network-controlled relay device to instruct the network-controlled relay device to perform data forwarding. Compared with traditional relay nodes, the network-controlled relay device allows the network side to perform control and can bring advantages such as better spatial directivity for reception.

[0003] The network-controlled relay device can receive control information sent by the network side through a control link and forward data from the network side to a terminal device through an access link. The control information may include a beam direction indication. Based on the beam direction indication, the network-controlled relay device can forward data in the correct beam direction. However, if the antenna panel of the network-controlled relay device (such as the antenna panel of the access link) changes (for example, the attitude of the antenna panel of a satellite-based network-controlled relay device continuously changes during movement), it will cause the network side to be unable to send an accurate beam direction indication to the network-controlled relay device, and thus the network-controlled relay device cannot forward data in the correct beam direction. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and apparatus for enabling a network-controlled relay device to accurately forward downlink data from a network device to a terminal device.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a communication method. This method can be executed by a network-controlled relay device or a module (such as a chip) applied in the network-controlled relay device. Taking the network-controlled relay device as an example of executing this method, the method includes: The network-controlled relay device sends first indication information to the network device, where the first indication information is used to indicate the attitude information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network-controlled relay device; The network-controlled relay device receives second indication information from the network device, where the second indication information is used to indicate the beam direction for the network-controlled relay device to send downlink data to the terminal device, and the second indication information is associated with the first indication information.

[0006] Through the above method, the network control relay device can report the attitude information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link to the network device. The network device can obtain the attitude information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device. The network device can accurately determine the beam direction for the network control relay device to forward the downlink data to the terminal device according to the attitude information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device. Thus, the network control relay device can forward the downlink data from the network device to the terminal device in the correct beam direction.

[0007] In a possible design, the first indication information includes the direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction of the antenna panel.

[0008] Through the above design, the direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction of the antenna panel is included in the first indication information reported by the network control relay device to the network device. The attitude of the antenna panel can be accurately characterized by the direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction of the antenna panel.

[0009] In a possible design, at least one reference direction includes the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located.

[0010] Through the above design, the attitude of the antenna panel can be characterized by the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located.

[0011] In a possible design, when the first indication information includes the direction information corresponding to multiple reference directions of the antenna panel, the multiple reference directions include the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located and the direction where at least one edge of the antenna panel is located.

[0012] Through the above design, the attitude of the antenna panel can be accurately characterized by the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located and the direction where at least one edge of the antenna panel is located.

[0013] In a possible design, the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes the angles of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the space coordinate system.

[0014] Through the above design, the direction information corresponding to the reference direction can be accurately represented by the angles of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the space coordinate system.

[0015] In a possible design, the angles of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the space coordinate system include: the included angle of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis of the space coordinate system, and the angle of the projection of the reference direction in the target coordinate plane onto the target direction of the second coordinate axis; wherein, the plane of the target coordinate is perpendicular to the first coordinate axis.

[0016] Through the above design, the direction information corresponding to the reference direction can be accurately represented by the angle between the reference direction and the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system, and the angle between the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane and the target direction of the second coordinate axis.

[0017] In a possible design, the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes the angular change amounts of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system, and the angular change amount is the change amount between the angle of the reference direction with respect to the coordinate axis and the corresponding initial angle.

[0018] Through the above design, the network control relay device can accurately characterize the direction information corresponding to the reference direction by the change amount of the angle of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system relative to the initial angle.

[0019] In a possible design, the angular change amounts of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system include: the angular change amount of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system, and the angular change amount of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis; wherein, the angular change amount is the change amount between the angle of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis and the initial angle of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis; the angular change amount is the change amount between the angle of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis and the initial angle of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis.

[0020] Through the above design, the network control relay device can report to the terminal device the angular change amount of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system and the angular change amount of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis; the network device determines the angle of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system according to the angular change amount of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system and the initial angle, and determines the angle of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis according to the angular change amount of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis and the initial angle, so that the network device can accurately determine the attitude of the antenna panel.

[0021] In a possible design, the network control relay device periodically sends first indication information to the network device according to the first resource configured by the network device through an RRC message; or, the network control relay device receives third indication information sent by the network device through a MAC CE and sends the first indication information to the network device on the second resource configured by the network device through an RRC message; the third indication information is used to indicate reporting the first indication information to the network device; or the network control relay device sends the first indication information to the network device on the third resource indicated by the network device through DCI.

[0022] Through the above design, the network control relay device can flexibly report the first indication information to the network device in a variety of different ways.

[0023] In a possible design, the network control relay device is a non-terrestrial relay device in the NTN system, and the network device is a terrestrial network device in the NTN system.

[0024] Through the above design, the non-terrestrial network control relay device can report the first indication information characterizing the attitude information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link to the terrestrial network device. When the attitude of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link changes during the movement of the non-terrestrial network control relay device, the attitude information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link can be reported to the terrestrial network device in real time, which is convenient for the terrestrial network device to accurately indicate the beam direction for the non-terrestrial network control relay device to send downlink data.

[0025] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a network device or a module (such as a chip) applied in the network device. Taking the network device executing this method as an example, the method includes: the network device receives first indication information from the network control relay device, and the first indication information is used to indicate the attitude information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device; the network device sends second indication information to the network control relay device, and the second indication information is used to indicate the beam direction for the network control relay device to send downlink data to the terminal device, and the second indication information is associated with the first indication information.

[0026] In a possible design, the network device determines the beam direction for the network control relay device to send downlink data to the terminal device according to the attitude information of the antenna panel indicated by the first indication information.

[0027] In a possible design, the first indication information includes direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction of the antenna panel.

[0028] In a possible design, at least one reference direction includes the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located.

[0029] In a possible design, when the first indication information includes the direction information corresponding to multiple reference directions of the antenna panel, the multiple reference directions include the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located and the directions of at least one side of the antenna panel.

[0030] In a possible design, the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes the angles of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system.

[0031] In a possible design, the angles of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system include: the included angle of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system, and the angle of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis; wherein, the plane of the target coordinate is perpendicular to the first coordinate axis.

[0032] In a possible design, the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes the angle change amounts of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system, and the angle change amount is the change amount between the angle of the reference direction with respect to the coordinate axis and the corresponding initial angle.

[0033] In a possible design, the angle change amounts of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system include: the included angle change amount of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system, and the angle change amount of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis; wherein, the included angle change amount is the change amount between the included angle of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis and the initial included angle of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis; the angle change amount is the change amount between the angle of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis and the initial angle of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis.

[0034] In a possible design, the network device periodically receives the first indication information on the first resource configured for the network control relay device through the RRC message; or, the network device sends the third indication information to the network control relay device through the MAC CE, and receives the first indication information on the second resource configured for the network control relay device through the RRC message; the third indication information is used to indicate the reporting of the first indication information; or, the network device indicates the third resource to the network control relay device through the DCI and receives the first indication information on the third resource.

[0035] In a possible design, the network control relay device is a non-terrestrial relay device in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system, and the network device is a terrestrial network device in the NTN system.

[0036] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, which can be the aforementioned network control relay device or network device. The communication device may include a communication module and a processing module to perform the above first aspect or second aspect, or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect and the second aspect. The communication module is used to perform transceiver operations, such as functions related to sending and receiving; the communication module may be referred to as a transceiver unit; optionally, the communication module includes a receiving module and a sending module. The processing module is used to perform processing operations.

[0037] In one design, the communication device is a communication chip, the processing module may be one or more processors or processor cores, and the communication module may be the input / output circuit, input / output interface or antenna port of the communication chip.

[0038] In another design, the communication module may be a transmitter and a receiver, or the communication module is a transmitter and a receiver.

[0039] Optionally, the communication device further includes various modules that can be used to perform the above first aspect or second aspect, or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0040] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, which can be the aforementioned network control relay device or network device. The communication device may include a processor and a memory to perform the above first aspect or second aspect, or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect and the second aspect. Optionally, a transceiver is further included. The memory is used to store computer programs or instructions, and the processor is used to call and run the computer programs or instructions from the memory. When the processor executes the computer programs or instructions in the memory, the communication device performs the above first aspect or second aspect, or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0041] Optionally, there is one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0042] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory is separately provided from the processor.

[0043] Optionally, the transceiver may include a transmitter (emitter) and a receiver (receiver).

[0044] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, which can be the aforementioned network control relay device or network device. The communication device may include a processor to perform the above first aspect or second aspect, or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect and the second aspect. The processor is coupled to a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0045] In one implementation, when the communication device is a network control relay device or a network device, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0046] In another implementation, when the communication device is a chip or a chip system, the communication interface can be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or a related circuit, etc. on the chip or the chip system. The processor can also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0047] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed by a processor, the above-mentioned first aspect or second aspect, or any possible implementation manner thereof is implemented.

[0048] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product storing instructions is provided. When the instructions are run by a processor, the above-mentioned first aspect or second aspect, or any possible implementation manner thereof is implemented.

[0049] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes a processor and may further include a storage medium. The storage medium stores instructions. When the instructions are executed by the processor, they are used to implement the above-mentioned first aspect or second aspect, or any possible implementation manner thereof. The communication device can be a chip system. The chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0050] In a ninth aspect, a communication system is further provided. The communication system includes the network control relay device described in the first aspect and the network device described in the second aspect.

[0051] In a tenth aspect, the present application further provides a chip, including a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and is used to read and execute program instructions stored in the memory so that the chip implements the above-mentioned first aspect or second aspect, or any possible implementation manner thereof.

[0052] For the technical effects that can be achieved by each of the above-mentioned second aspect to tenth aspect and each aspect, please refer to the description of the technical effects that can be achieved by the first aspect or various possible solutions in each aspect above, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a network control relay device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the architecture of a satellite mobile communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] Figure 4 Flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of an antenna panel provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of an antenna panel provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of an antenna panel provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of an antenna panel provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of a reference direction provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of a data transmission process provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Figure 12 Schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0065] In order to more clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following will, with reference to the accompanying drawings, describe in detail the communication method and device provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0066] In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one (item) of the following" or its similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of a single item or plural items. For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b, and c, where each of a, b, and c itself can be an element or a set containing one or more elements.

[0067] In the present application, expressions such as "exemplary", "in some embodiments", and "in other embodiments" are used to give examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" in the present application should not be construed as being more preferred or having more advantages than other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the term "exemplary" is intended to present concepts in a specific manner.

[0068] In the present application, the words "of", "corresponding", and "corresponding" can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that when the difference is not emphasized, the meanings they convey are the same. In the embodiments of the present application, communication and transmission can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that when the difference is not emphasized, the meanings they convey are the same. For example, transmission can include sending and / or receiving, and can be a noun or a verb.

[0069] In the present application, "indicate" can include direct indication, indirect indication, display indication, and implicit indication. When it is described that a certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0070] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. involved in the embodiments of the present application are only used for the purpose of distinguishing descriptions, and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, nor as indicating or implying an order.

[0071] The technology provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various terrestrial network (TN) systems, such as the 5th generation (5G) communication system (e.g., the new radio (NR) system), the 6th generation (6G) communication system, the next-generation mobile communication system, the long term evolution (LTE) system, or other similar communication systems (such as those including vehicle to everything (V2X), internet of things (IoT) systems, narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) systems, etc.). Alternatively, the technology provided by the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems such as satellite communication systems, high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles; for example, integrated communication and navigation (IcaN) systems, global navigation satellite system (GNSS), and ultra-dense low-earth orbit satellite communication systems, etc. Alternatively, the technology provided by the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to a communication system that integrates NTN systems and TN systems.

[0072] A network element in a communication system can send a signal to another network element or receive a signal from another network element. The signal can include information, signaling, data, etc. Herein, the network element can also be replaced with an entity, a network entity, a device, a communication device, a communication module, a node, a communication node, etc. In the embodiments of the present application, the network element is used as an example for description.

[0073] Figure 1 shows the architecture of a communication system. The communication system can include at least one terminal device (such as Figure 1 terminal device 10a and terminal device 10b in), a network control relay device 20 (which can also be referred to as an NCR), and a network device 30. Among them, terminal device 10a can be within the coverage area of network device 30 and access network device 30; terminal device 10b can access network device 30 through network control relay device 20. For example, if terminal device 10b is not within the coverage area of network device 30 or is at the edge of the coverage area of network device 30, terminal device 10b can access network device 30 through network control relay device 20. It should be understood that Figure 1The numbers of the terminal device, network control relay device, and network device shown are merely illustrative.

[0074] As Figure 1 In the figure, the terminal device 10a can send uplink data to the network device 30. Correspondingly, the network device 30 can send downlink data to the terminal device 10a. When the network device 30 has downlink data to send to the terminal device 10b, the network device 30 can forward it to the terminal device 10b through the network control relay device 20.

[0075] As Figure 2 As shown in the communication schematic diagram, the network control relay device 20 of the embodiment of the present application includes a mobile termination (MT) module and a forwarding module. The MT module is connected to the network device 30 through a control link. Exemplarily, the MT module can receive control information sent by the network device 30 through the control link, where the control information includes but is not limited to: beam information indication, indication information for controlling the opening or closing of the forwarding module, time division duplexing (TDD) uplink and downlink configuration, timing information, and power control information. The forwarding module is connected to the network device 30 through a backhaul link. Exemplarily, the network device 30 can send downlink data to be forwarded to the terminal device 10b to the forwarding module through the backhaul link. The forwarding module is connected to the terminal device 10b through an access link. Exemplarily, the forwarding module forwards the downlink data from the network device 30 to the terminal device 10b through the access link.

[0076] The network device in the embodiments of this application is a node in a radio access network (RAN), also referred to as a base station, and can also be called a RAN node (or device). Currently, some examples of access network devices 101 are: evolved node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP), or transmission reception point (TRP), satellite, drone, etc. The network device can also be a base station (next generation NodeB, gNB) or TRP or TP in a 5G system, or one or a group (including multiple antenna panels) of antenna panels of a base station in a 5G system. In addition, the network device can also be a network node that constitutes a gNB or TP, such as a BBU, or a distributed unit (DU), etc. Alternatively, the network device can also be a device that undertakes network-side functions in a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication system, the Internet of Things (IoT), a vehicle-to-everything communication system, or other communication systems. The network device can also be a next-generation base station in a sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication system or a base station in a future mobile communication system. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by the network device.

[0077] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes cooperate to assist a terminal in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement partial functions of a base station. For example, the RAN nodes can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately provided, or can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as included in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0078] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), the DU, or the RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, the CU can also be called an open centralized unit (O-CU) or an open CU, the DU can also be called an open distributed unit (O-DU), the CU-CP can also be called an open centralized unit control plane (O-CU-CP), the CU-UP can also be called an open centralized unit user plane (O-CU-UP), and the RU can also be called an open radio unit (O-RU). For ease of description, in this application, the CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU are used as examples for description. Any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0079] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile phone, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device, etc. It is a device that provides voice or data connectivity to users and can also be an Internet of Things device. For example, terminal devices include handheld devices with wireless communication functions, in-vehicle devices, etc. Currently, terminal devices can be: mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, palmtop computers, mobile Internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices (such as smart watches, smart bracelets, pedometers, etc.), in-vehicle devices (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed rails, etc.), virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, smart home devices (such as refrigerators, TVs, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), intelligent robots, workshop devices, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grid, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart city, or wireless terminals in smart home, flying devices (such as intelligent robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes), etc. The terminal device can also be other devices with terminal functions. For example, the terminal device can also be a device that serves as a terminal function in D2D communication.

[0080] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the terminal device can also be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) in the terminal device, or by devices that include the functions of the terminal device.

[0081] The following takes the technology provided in the embodiments of the present application applied to the NTN system as an example for illustration. NTN includes nodes such as satellite networks, high-altitude platforms, and drones, and has significant advantages such as global coverage, long-distance transmission, flexible networking, convenient deployment, and being unrestricted by geographical conditions. It has been widely applied in many fields such as maritime communication, positioning and navigation, disaster relief, scientific experiments, video broadcasting, and earth observation. The ground 5G network and satellite network are integrated with each other, complementing each other's advantages, and jointly constituting a seamless global coverage integrated communication network of sea, land, air, space, and ground to meet the diverse service needs of users everywhere. In the embodiments of the present application, the NTN system takes satellite communication as an example, or rather, the NTN system takes the satellite system as an example. Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a satellite mobile communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application. As Figure 3 shown, the satellite mobile communication system includes: terminal devices (which can be abbreviated as terminals), satellite base stations, network control relay devices in the form of satellites, ground stations, and core networks. Among them, between the satellite base station and the terminal device, and between the network control relay device and the terminal device, communication can be carried out through the 5G new air interface. Between satellite base stations, communication can be carried out through the Xn interface, or between the satellite base station and the network control relay device, communication can be carried out through the Xn interface. Between the satellite base station and the ground station, and between the network control relay device and the ground station, they can be connected through the NG interface. The ground station is connected to the core network through the NG interface, and this NG interface can be in a wired form or a wireless form. Satellites usually form multiple beams, and each beam is similar to a cell / sector in a ground mobile communication system (such as LTE / NR).

[0082] Satellite base station: mainly used to provide wireless access services, schedule wireless resources to the accessed terminal devices, provide reliable wireless transmission protocols and data encryption protocols, etc.

[0083] Core network: mainly used to provide functions such as user access control, mobility management, session management, user security authentication, and charging. The core network consists of multiple functional units and can be divided into a control plane functional unit and a user plane processing unit. Among them, the functional units (or network elements) of the control plane include the access and mobility management function (AMF) and the session management function network element (SMF). AMF is responsible for user access management, security authentication, and mobility management. SMF is responsible for session management of terminal devices (including session establishment, modification, and release), selection and reselection of user plane functional network elements, allocation of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for terminal devices, quality of service (QoS) control, and selection of UPF network elements that provide packet forwarding functions, etc.

[0084] The user plane processing unit (or network element) includes: the user plane function (UPF) unit, and UPF is used to manage functions such as the transmission of user plane data and traffic statistics.

[0085] Ground station: can be used to forward signaling and service data between the satellite base station and the core network; or interact with the network control relay device and forward downlink data to the terminal device through the network control relay device. Exemplarily, the ground station can be a network device deployed on the ground, and the introduction of the network device can be referred to in the above text. For example, the ground station is a ground base station.

[0086] Network control relay device: can be a non-ground relay device. Exemplarily, in the satellite mobile communication system as shown in Figure 3 the network control relay device can be an NCR in the form of a satellite. It can be used to forward data and / or signaling between the ground station and the terminal device.

[0087] 5G new air interface: represents the wireless link between the terminal device and the base station.

[0088] Xn interface: represents the interface between 5G satellite base stations, mainly used for signaling interaction such as handover.

[0089] NG interface: represents the interface between the 5G base station and the 5G core network, or the interface between the ground station and the core network, or the interface between the satellite base station and the ground station (in this case, the interface is a wireless link), mainly interacting with signaling such as the non-access stratum (NAS) of the core network, as well as the service data of users.

[0090] To facilitate the understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the application scenarios of the present application will be introduced next. The application scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art know that with the emergence of new scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0091] In the following introduction, the technical application provided by the embodiments of the present application is taken as an example in the NTN system for illustration.

[0092] With the development of information technology, more urgent requirements are put forward for the efficiency, mobility, diversity, etc. of communication. Currently, a key development area in the wireless communication field is global mobile communication, and an important component of global mobile communication is satellite communication. In some important fields, such as space communication, aviation communication, maritime communication, etc., satellite communication plays an irreplaceable role. Satellite communication has the characteristics of long communication distance, large coverage area, flexible networking, etc., and it can provide services for both fixed terminals and various mobile terminals.

[0093] In the NTN system, a network control relay device in the form of a satellite can be deployed (such as Figure 3 the network control relay device shown in ). The network control relay device in the form of a satellite can act as a relay to forward the data of the ground station to the terminal. Compared with the network control relay device deployed on the ground, the network control relay device in the form of a satellite is a high-speed moving node, and the attitude of the antenna panel of the network control relay device in the form of a satellite will continuously change during the movement; for example, usually the solar panel is located on the back of the antenna panel, and during the flight of the satellite, the attitude of the antenna panel is adjusted so that the back of the antenna panel faces the sun to absorb more solar energy; another example is that in some scenarios, the network control relay device adjusts the attitude of the antenna panel to avoid interfering with high-priority satellites. When the ground station has downlink data to send to the terminal device, the ground station will send a beam direction indication to the network control relay device, so that the network control relay device can forward the downlink data through the antenna panel corresponding to the access link in the correct beam direction. However, when the network control relay device changes the antenna panel corresponding to the access link during the movement, if the ground station does not obtain the current attitude of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device, it cannot accurately send a beam direction indication to the network control relay device, resulting in the network control relay device being unable to forward the data in the correct beam direction.

[0094] Based on this, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method. The network control relay device reports the attitude information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device to the network device, and the network control relay device is used to forward the downlink data from the network device to the terminal device; the network device sends a beam direction indication to the network control relay device according to the attitude information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link, and the beam direction corresponding to the beam direction indication is the beam direction for the network control relay device to send downlink data to the terminal device. In the embodiment of the present application, the network control relay device can report the attitude information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device can obtain the attitude information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device. The network device can accurately determine the beam direction for the network control relay device to forward downlink data to the terminal device according to the attitude information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device. Thus, the network control relay device can forward the downlink data from the network device to the terminal device in the correct beam direction.

[0095] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, as Figure 4 shown, the method may include the following steps:

[0096] Step 400: The network control relay device sends first indication information to the network device.

[0097] Correspondingly, the network device receives the first indication information from the network control relay device.

[0098] Wherein, the first indication information is used to indicate the attitude information of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device.

[0099] Exemplarily, in the NTN system, the network device in the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application may be a ground network device (such as the Figure 3 ground station in), and the network control relay device may be a non-ground relay device (such as an NCR in the form of a satellite).

[0100] Step 401: The network device sends second indication information to the network control relay device.

[0101] Correspondingly, the network control relay device receives the second indication information from the network device.

[0102] Wherein, the second indication information is used to indicate the beam direction for the network control relay device to send downlink data to the terminal device, and the second indication information is associated with the first indication information.

[0103] In the embodiments of the present application, after the network device receives the first indication information, it may determine the beam direction for the network control relay device to send downlink data to the terminal device according to the attitude information of the antenna panel indicated by the first indication information.

[0104] The network device may generate second indication information according to the determined beam direction for the network control relay device to send downlink data to the terminal device.

[0105] Based on the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the network device can accurately determine the beam direction for the network control relay device to send downlink data to the terminal device according to the attitude information of the antenna panel indicated by the first indication information, so that the network control relay device can accurately forward the downlink data from the network device to the terminal device.

[0106] First, the content of the first indication information will be introduced below.

[0107] Optionally, the first indication information may include the direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction of the antenna panel.

[0108] It should be noted that the antenna panel in the following introduction is the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device, and the access link is the link for the network control relay device to forward the data from the network device to the terminal device.

[0109] In the embodiments of the present application, at least one reference direction includes the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located.

[0110] Regarding the attitude information of the antenna panel, the attitude of the antenna panel can be characterized by the direction information corresponding to the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located.

[0111] The normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located is perpendicular to the plane where the antenna panel is located. The network control relay device and the network device may agree that the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located is the normal direction from the back panel to the front panel of the antenna panel, or agree that the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located is the normal direction from the front panel to the back panel of the antenna panel; where the front panel is the panel of the antenna panel that emits antenna signals outward or receives antenna signals.

[0112] Exemplarily, when the antenna panel is a centrally symmetric panel, the attitude of the antenna panel can be characterized by the direction information corresponding to the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located. As Figure 5 shown in the schematic diagram of the antenna panel, the antenna panel is circularly designed, then the attitude of the circular antenna panel can be characterized by the direction information corresponding to the normal direction of the antenna panel as shown in Figure 5 the antenna panel shown.

[0113] When the first indication information includes the direction information corresponding to multiple reference directions of the antenna panel, the multiple reference directions may include the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located and the direction where at least one side of the antenna panel is located.

[0114] Exemplarily, when the antenna panel is of a rectangular design, the multiple reference directions may include the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located and the direction of the long side of the antenna panel; as Figure 6 shown in the schematic diagram of the antenna panel, the attitude of the rectangular antenna panel can be characterized by the direction information corresponding to direction 1 (the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located) as shown in Figure 6 and the direction information corresponding to direction 2 (the direction of the long side of the antenna panel). Or, when the antenna panel is of a rectangular design, the multiple reference directions may include the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located and the direction of the short side of the antenna panel; as Figure 7 shown in the schematic diagram of the antenna panel, the attitude of the rectangular antenna panel can be characterized by the direction information corresponding to direction 1 (the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located) as shown in Figure 7 and the direction information corresponding to direction 3 (the direction of the short side of the antenna panel). Or, when the antenna panel is of a rectangular design, the multiple reference directions may include the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located, the direction of the long side of the antenna panel, and the direction of the short side of the antenna panel; as Figure 8 shown in the schematic diagram of the antenna panel, the attitude of the rectangular antenna panel can be characterized by the direction information corresponding to direction 1 (the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located), the direction information corresponding to direction 2 (the direction of the long side of the antenna panel), and the direction information corresponding to direction 3 (the direction of the short side of the antenna panel) as shown in Figure 8 the figure.

[0115] In the embodiments of the present application, the first indication information sent by the network control relay device to the network device may include the direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction; wherein, the direction information corresponding to each reference direction in the first indication information may have multiple different representation methods, which will be described separately below.

[0116] Direction information representation method 1: The direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes the angles of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the space coordinate system.

[0117] Optionally, the space coordinate system in the embodiments of the present application may be a coordinate system agreed upon by the network control relay device and the network device, or the space coordinate system in the embodiments of the present application may be a standard space coordinate system. Exemplarily, the standard space coordinate system may be an earth-centered earth-fixed (ECEF) coordinate system or an earth-centered inertial (ECI) coordinate system.

[0118] In the direction information representation method 1, the angles of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system may include: the included angle between the reference direction and the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system, and the angle between the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane and the target direction of the second coordinate axis; wherein, the target coordinate plane is perpendicular to the first coordinate axis.

[0119] It should be understood that the angle between the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane and the target direction of the second coordinate axis may be the rotation angle when the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane rotates in the counterclockwise direction to reach the target direction of the second coordinate axis.

[0120] Exemplarily, the first coordinate axis may be the z-axis of the coordinate system, then the target coordinate plane is the plane where the x-axis and the y-axis are located. The second coordinate axis may be the x-axis or the y-axis, and the target direction may be the positive or negative direction of the coordinate axis. Then the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes: the included angle between the reference direction and the z-axis, and the angle between the projection of the reference direction on the xy-plane and the positive half-axis of the x-axis. As Figure 9 For the reference direction shown in, the included angle between the reference direction and the z-axis is shown as angle A, and the angle between the projection of the reference direction on the xy-plane and the positive half-axis of the x-axis is shown as angle B. Taking the antenna panel as a rectangular design as an example, the first indication information includes the direction information corresponding to two reference directions. The two reference directions include the first reference direction (the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located) and the second reference direction (the direction where the long side of the antenna panel is located). For example, the direction information corresponding to the first reference direction may be shown in Table 1. The direction information corresponding to the first reference direction includes the included angle theta_1 between the first reference direction and the z-axis, and the angle phi_1 between the projection of the first reference direction on the xy-plane and the positive half-axis of the x-axis; the direction information corresponding to the second reference direction includes the included angle theta_2 between the second reference direction and the z-axis, and the angle phi_2 between the projection of the second reference direction on the xy-plane and the positive half-axis of the x-axis.

[0121] Table 1

[0122]

[0123]

[0124] Exemplarily, the first coordinate axis can be the x-axis of the coordinate system, and the target coordinate plane is the plane where the y-axis and the z-axis are located. The second coordinate axis can be the y-axis or the z-axis, and the target direction can be the positive or negative direction of the coordinate axis. Then the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes: the angle between the reference direction and the x-axis, and the angle from the projection of the reference direction on the yz-plane to the positive semi-axis of the y-axis. Taking the antenna panel as a rectangular design as an example, the first indication information includes the direction information corresponding to two reference directions, and the two reference directions include the first reference direction (the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located) and the second reference direction (the direction where the short side of the antenna panel is located). For example, the direction information corresponding to the first reference direction can be as shown in Table 2. The direction information corresponding to the first reference direction includes the angle theta_3 between the first reference direction and the x-axis, and the angle phi_3 from the projection of the first reference direction on the yz-plane to the positive semi-axis of the y-axis; the direction information corresponding to the second reference direction includes the angle theta_4 between the second reference direction and the x-axis, and the angle phi_4 from the projection of the second reference direction on the yz-plane to the positive semi-axis of the y-axis.

[0125] Table 2

[0126] The angle between the reference direction and the x-axis The angle from the projection of the reference direction in the yz-plane to the positive semi-axis of the x-axis The first reference direction theta_3 phi_3 The second reference direction theta_4 phi_4

[0127] Exemplarily, the first coordinate axis can be the y-axis of the coordinate system, and the target coordinate plane is the plane where the x-axis and the z-axis are located. The second coordinate axis can be the x-axis or the z-axis, and the target direction can be the positive or negative direction of the coordinate axis. Then the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes: the angle between the reference direction and the y-axis, and the angle from the projection of the reference direction on the xz-plane to the positive semi-axis of the z-axis. Taking the antenna panel as a circular design as an example, the first indication information includes the direction information corresponding to one reference direction, and one reference direction includes the first reference direction (the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located). For example, the direction information corresponding to the first reference direction can be as shown in Table 3. The direction information corresponding to the first reference direction includes the angle theta_5 between the first reference direction and the y-axis, and the angle phi_5 from the projection of the first reference direction on the xz-plane to the positive semi-axis of the z-axis.

[0128] Table 3

[0129] The angle between the reference direction and the y-axis The angle from the projection of the reference direction in the xz-plane to the positive semi-axis of the z-axis The first reference direction theta_5 phi_5

[0130] It should be noted that the network control relay device and the network device can agree on the coordinate axis corresponding to the first coordinate axis, the coordinate axis corresponding to the second coordinate axis, and the direction corresponding to the target direction; or, the network control relay device indicates to the network device the coordinate axis corresponding to the first coordinate axis, the coordinate axis corresponding to the second coordinate axis, and the direction corresponding to the target direction.

[0131] In the embodiments of the present application, the angular range of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system may be [0, 90] degrees (for example, the angular ranges of theta_1, theta_2, theta_3, theta_4, and theta_5 in the above table are [0, 90] degrees), and the angle between the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis may be [0, 360] degrees (for example, the angular ranges of phi_1, phi_2, phi_3, phi_4, and phi_5 in the above table are [0, 360] degrees).

[0132] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the number of bits occupied by the above-mentioned included angle or angle is related to the number of antennas included in the antenna panel. For example, when the number of antennas included in the antenna panel is small, the number of bits occupied by the included angle or angle is large. Or it can be understood that the quantization granularity of the included angle or angle is related to the number of antennas included in the antenna panel. For example, when the number of antennas included in the antenna panel is small, the quantization granularity of the included angle or angle is large. Or, when the access link of the network control relay device corresponds to multiple antenna panels, the number of bits occupied by the above-mentioned included angle or angle is related to the total number of antennas included in the multiple antenna panels. For example, when the total number of antennas included in the multiple antenna panels is small, the number of bits occupied by the included angle or angle is large. Or it can be understood that the quantization granularity of the included angle or angle is related to the total number of antennas included in the multiple antenna panels. For example, when the total number of antennas included in the multiple antenna panels is small, the quantization granularity of the included angle or angle is large.

[0133] In the above description of the direction information representation method 1, the introduction of the angular content of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system is only an example of the embodiments of the present application. In the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application, the angles of the reference direction representing the direction information with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system can also be represented by other angles than those in the above text. For example, the angles of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system include: the included angles of the reference direction with respect to the three coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system.

[0134] Direction information representation method 2: The direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes the angular change amount of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system.

[0135] Wherein, the angular change amount is the change amount between the angle of the reference direction with respect to the coordinate axis and the corresponding initial angle.

[0136] Optionally, the spatial coordinate system in the embodiments of the present application may be a coordinate system agreed upon by the network control relay device and the network device, or the spatial coordinate system in the embodiments of the present application may be a standard spatial coordinate system. Exemplarily, the standard spatial coordinate system may be an ECEF coordinate system or an ECI coordinate system.

[0137] In an embodiment of the present application, the network control relay device and the first network device may agree on the initial attitude information of the antenna panel of the network control relay device, or the network control relay device may indicate to the first network device the initial attitude information of the antenna panel of the network control relay device. The initial attitude information of the antenna panel may be represented by the direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction. Exemplarily, the initial attitude information of the antenna panel includes at least two initial angles of at least one reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the space coordinate system.

[0138] In the second direction information representation method, the angle change amount of at least one reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the space coordinate system may include: the included angle change amount of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis of the space coordinate system, and the angle change amount of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis. Wherein, the target coordinate plane is perpendicular to the first coordinate axis.

[0139] The initial attitude information of the antenna panel may include the initial included angle of each reference direction in at least one reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis of the space coordinate system, and the initial angle of the projection of each reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis.

[0140] Wherein: the included angle change amount of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis of the space coordinate system is the change amount between the included angle of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis and the initial angle of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis.

[0141] The angle change amount of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis is the change amount between the angle of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis and the initial angle of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis.

[0142] It should be understood that the angle of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane to the target direction of the second coordinate axis may be the rotation angle of the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane rotating counterclockwise to reach the target direction of the second coordinate axis.

[0143] Exemplarily, the first coordinate axis can be the z-axis of the coordinate system, and the target coordinate plane is the plane where the x-axis and the y-axis are located. The second coordinate axis can be the x-axis or the y-axis, and the target direction can be the positive or negative direction of the coordinate axis. The initial attitude information of the antenna panel includes the initial direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction. The initial direction information corresponding to each reference direction includes: the initial angle between the reference direction and the z-axis, and the initial angle of the projection of the reference direction in the xy-plane onto the positive half-axis of the x-axis; the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes: the angle change amount between the angle between the reference direction and the z-axis and the initial angle (the initial angle between the reference direction and the z-axis), and the angle change amount between the angle of the projection of the reference direction in the xy-plane onto the positive half-axis of the x-axis and the initial angle (the initial angle of the projection of the reference direction in the xy-plane onto the positive half-axis of the x-axis).

[0144] Taking the rectangular design of the antenna panel as an example, the initial attitude information of the antenna panel includes the initial direction information corresponding to two reference directions. The two initial direction information includes the first reference direction (the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located) and the second reference direction (the direction where the long side of the antenna panel is located); the initial direction information corresponding to the first reference direction includes the initial angle theta_1_init between the first reference direction and the z-axis, and the initial angle phi_1_init of the projection of the first reference direction in the xy-plane to the positive half-axis of the x-axis; the initial direction information corresponding to the second reference direction includes the initial angle theta_2_init between the second reference direction and the z-axis, and the initial angle phi_2_init of the projection of the second reference direction in the xy-plane to the positive half-axis of the x-axis. The first indication information includes the direction information corresponding to the two reference directions. The two reference directions include the first reference direction (the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located) and the second reference direction (the direction where the long side of the antenna panel is located). For example, the direction information corresponding to the first reference direction can be as shown in Table 4. The direction information corresponding to the first reference direction includes the change amount of the angle between the first reference direction and the z-axis (that is, the change amount delta_theta_1 between the current angle between the first reference direction and the z-axis and the initial angle theta_1_init), and the change amount of the angle of the projection of the first reference direction in the xy-plane to the positive half-axis of the x-axis (that is, the change amount delta_phi_1 between the current angle of the projection of the first reference direction in the xy-plane to the positive half-axis of the x-axis and the initial angle phi_1_init); the direction information corresponding to the second reference direction includes the change amount of the angle between the second reference direction and the z-axis (that is, the change amount delta_theta_2 between the current angle between the second reference direction and the z-axis and the initial angle theta_2_init), and the change amount of the angle of the projection of the second reference direction in the xy-plane to the positive half-axis of the x-axis (that is, the change amount delta_phi_2 between the current angle of the projection of the second reference direction in the xy-plane to the positive half-axis of the x-axis and the initial angle phi_2_init).

[0145] Table 4

[0146]

[0147] Exemplarily, the first coordinate axis may be the x-axis of the coordinate system, and the target coordinate plane is the plane where the y-axis and the z-axis are located. The second coordinate axis may be the y-axis or the z-axis, and the target direction may be the positive or negative direction of the coordinate axis. The initial attitude information of the antenna panel includes the initial direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction. The initial direction information corresponding to each reference direction includes: the initial angle between the reference direction and the x-axis, and the initial angle of the projection of the reference direction on the yz-plane to the positive semi-axis of the y-axis; the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes: the angle change amount between the angle between the reference direction and the x-axis and the initial angle (the initial angle between the reference direction and the x-axis), and the angle change amount between the angle of the projection of the reference direction on the yz-plane to the positive semi-axis of the y-axis and the initial angle (the initial angle of the projection of the reference direction on the yz-plane to the positive semi-axis of the y-axis).

[0148] Taking the rectangular design of the antenna panel as an example, the initial attitude information of the antenna panel includes the initial direction information corresponding to two reference directions. The two initial direction information includes the first reference direction (the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located) and the second reference direction (the direction where the short side of the antenna panel is located). The initial direction information corresponding to the first reference direction includes the initial angle theta_3_init between the first reference direction and the x-axis, and the initial angle phi_3_init of the projection of the first reference direction on the yz-plane to the positive half-axis of the y-axis. The initial direction information corresponding to the second reference direction includes the initial angle theta_4_init between the second reference direction and the x-axis, and the initial angle phi_4_init of the projection of the second reference direction on the yz-plane to the positive half-axis of the y-axis. The first indication information includes the direction information corresponding to the two reference directions. The two reference directions include the first reference direction (the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located) and the second reference direction (the direction where the short side of the antenna panel is located). For example, the direction information corresponding to the first reference direction can be as shown in Table 5. The direction information corresponding to the first reference direction includes the change amount of the angle between the first reference direction and the x-axis (i.e., the change amount delta_theta_3 between the current angle between the first reference direction and the x-axis and the initial angle theta_3_init), and the change amount of the angle of the projection of the first reference direction on the yz-plane to the positive half-axis of the y-axis (i.e., the change amount delta_phi_3 between the current angle of the projection of the first reference direction on the yz-plane to the positive half-axis of the y-axis and the initial angle phi_3_init). The direction information corresponding to the second reference direction includes the change amount of the angle between the second reference direction and the x-axis (i.e., the change amount delta_theta_4 between the current angle between the second reference direction and the x-axis and the initial angle theta_4_init), and the change amount of the angle of the projection of the second reference direction on the yz-plane to the positive half-axis of the y-axis (i.e., the change amount delta_phi_4 between the current angle of the projection of the second reference direction on the yz-plane to the positive half-axis of the y-axis and the initial angle phi_4_init).

[0149] Table 5

[0150]

[0151] Exemplarily, the first coordinate axis can be the y-axis of the coordinate system, and the target coordinate plane is the plane where the x-axis and the z-axis are located. The second coordinate axis can be the x-axis or the z-axis, and the target direction can be the positive or negative direction of the coordinate axis. The initial attitude information of the antenna panel includes the initial direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction, and the initial direction information corresponding to each reference direction includes: the initial angle between the reference direction and the y-axis, and the initial angle of the projection of the reference direction in the xz-plane onto the positive semi-axis of the z-axis; the direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes: the angle change amount between the angle between the reference direction and the y-axis and the initial angle (the initial angle between the reference direction and the y-axis), and the angle change amount between the angle of the projection of the reference direction in the xz-plane onto the positive semi-axis of the z-axis and the initial angle (the initial angle of the projection of the reference direction in the xz-plane onto the positive semi-axis of the z-axis).

[0152] Taking the design of the antenna panel as a square as an example, the initial attitude information of the antenna panel includes the initial direction information corresponding to one reference direction, and one initial direction information includes the first reference direction (the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located); the initial direction information corresponding to the first reference direction includes the initial angle theta_5_init between the first reference direction and the y-axis, and the initial angle phi_5_init of the projection of the first reference direction in the xz-plane onto the positive semi-axis of the z-axis. The first indication information includes the direction information corresponding to one reference direction, and one reference direction includes the first reference direction (the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located). For example, the direction information corresponding to the first reference direction can be as shown in Table 6, and the direction information corresponding to the first reference direction includes the angle change amount between the angle between the first reference direction and the y-axis (that is, the change amount delta_theta_5 between the current angle between the first reference direction and the y-axis and the initial angle theta_5_init), and the angle change amount between the angle of the projection of the first reference direction in the xz-plane onto the positive semi-axis of the z-axis (that is, the change amount delta_phi_5 between the current angle of the projection of the first reference direction in the xz-plane onto the positive semi-axis of the z-axis and the initial angle phi_5_init).

[0153] Table 6

[0154]

[0155] It should be noted that when the first indication information includes the direction information corresponding to multiple reference directions, the direction information corresponding to each reference direction can be determined by any of the direction information representation methods introduced above.

[0156] In the embodiments of the present application, the value range of the change amount of the included angle between the reference direction and the first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system can be [-180, 180] degrees (for example, the value ranges of delta_theta_1, delta_theta_2, delta_theta_3, delta_theta_4, and delta_theta_5 in the above table are [-180, 180] degrees), and the value range of the change amount of the angle between the projection of the reference direction on the target coordinate plane and the target direction of the second coordinate axis can be [-180, 180] degrees (for example, the value ranges of delta_phi_1, delta_phi_2, delta_phi_3, delta_phi_4, and delta_phi_5 in the above table are [-180, 180] degrees).

[0157] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the number of bits occupied by the above-mentioned included angle or angle is related to the number of antennas included in the antenna panel. For example, when the number of antennas included in the antenna panel is small, the number of bits occupied by the included angle or angle is large. Or it can be understood that the quantization granularity of the included angle or angle is related to the number of antennas included in the antenna panel. For example, when the number of antennas included in the antenna panel is small, the quantization granularity of the included angle or angle is large. Or, when the access link of the network control relay device corresponds to multiple antenna panels, the number of bits occupied by the above-mentioned included angle or angle is related to the total number of antennas included in the multiple antenna panels. For example, when the total number of antennas included in the multiple antenna panels is small, the number of bits occupied by the included angle or angle is large. Or it can be understood that the quantization granularity of the included angle or angle is related to the total number of antennas included in the multiple antenna panels. For example, when the total number of antennas included in the multiple antenna panels is small, the quantization granularity of the included angle or angle is large.

[0158] The network control relay device can generate the first indication information based on the content of the first indication information introduced above. After receiving the first indication information, the network device can determine the attitude of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device according to the first indication information. For example, according to the first indication information, the network device can determine the orientation of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device.

[0159] It should be noted that, taking the network device determining the orientation of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link of the network control relay device according to the first indication information as an example, when the network device determines the direction information corresponding to the reference direction of the antenna panel according to the content included in the first indication information, if multiple direction information corresponding to the reference direction can be determined only according to the content included in the first indication information, the network device can screen out the accurate direction information from the multiple direction information corresponding to the reference direction according to the structure of the antenna panel. Exemplarily, if the reference direction is the normal direction of the plane where the antenna panel is located, and it is agreed that the normal direction is from the back panel of the antenna panel to the front panel, and according to the first indication information, it is determined that the direction information corresponding to the normal direction is from the front panel to the back panel, then the direction information corresponding to the normal direction can be ignored, and the direction information from the back panel to the front panel is determined as the direction information corresponding to the normal direction.

[0160] In the embodiments of the present application, the network control relay device can send the first indication information to the network device in a variety of different ways, which are introduced separately below.

[0161] Sending method 1: Periodic reporting.

[0162] Optionally, the network control relay device periodically sends the first indication information to the network device according to the first resource configured by the network device through a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0163] The network device can configure the reporting period and the first resource for the network control relay device through the RRC message. The first resource can be the reporting resource reserved for the network device. Among them, the first resource can include multiple resource positions, and the multiple resource positions are periodic resources. The network control relay device can send the first indication information to the network device periodically through the first resource of the network device.

[0164] Correspondingly, the network device periodically receives the first indication information on the first resource configured for the network control relay device through the RRC message.

[0165] Sending method 2: Reporting through a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0166] Optionally, the network control relay device receives the third indication information sent by the network device through the MAC CE, and sends the first indication information to the network device on the second resource configured by the network device through the RRC message. Among them, the third indication information is used to indicate reporting the first indication information to the network device.

[0167] Correspondingly, the network device sends third indication information to the network control relay device via MAC CE, and receives first indication information on a second resource configured for the network control relay device via an RRC message.

[0168] In this transmission mode 2, the network device can configure a reporting period and a second resource for the network control relay device via an RRC message. The second resource can include at least one resource location. The network device can send third indication information to the network control relay device via MAC CE. The third indication information is used to trigger the network control relay device to report first indication information. After receiving the third indication information, the network control relay device sends the first indication information on the second resource configured by the network device.

[0169] Transmission mode 3: Report via downlink control information (DCI).

[0170] Optionally, the network control relay device sends the first indication information to the network device on a third resource indicated by the network device via DCI.

[0171] Correspondingly, the network device indicates the third resource to the network control relay device via DCI, and receives the first indication information on the third resource.

[0172] In this transmission mode 3, the network device can send DCI to the network control relay device. The DCI is used to trigger the network control relay device to report first indication information. The reporting resource (third resource) can be carried in the DCI. The network control relay device sends the first indication information to the network device on the third resource indicated by the DCI.

[0173] After receiving the first indication information, when the network device sends downlink data to the terminal device, it determines the beam direction for the network control relay device to send downlink data to the terminal device according to the attitude information of the antenna panel indicated by the first indication information. The network device sends second indication information to the network control relay device. The second indication information is used to indicate the beam direction for the network control relay device to send downlink data to the terminal device.

[0174] Optionally, the second indication information can include beam indication information, which indicates the beam direction for the network control relay device to send downlink data to the terminal device. The second indication information can also include other control information for the network control relay device, such as indication information for turning on or off the forwarding module, TDD uplink and downlink configuration, timing information, and power control information.

[0175] Such as Figure 10In the data transmission process shown, network device 1001 generates downlink data to be sent to terminal device 1002; network device 1001 forwards the downlink data to terminal device 1002 through network control relay device 1003. During the movement of network control relay device 1003, the attitude of the antenna panel corresponding to the access link will change. For example, Figure 10 As shown, the antenna panel is in attitude 1 at time t0, in attitude 2 at time t1, and in attitude 3 at time t2. At time t0, network device 1001 receives the first indication information sent by network control relay device 1003, and the first indication information is used to indicate the attitude 1 of the antenna panel. Network device 1001 determines that network control relay device 1003 sends downlink data to terminal device 1002 through beam a according to the location of terminal device 1002 and the attitude 1 of the antenna panel at time t0. At time t1, network device 1001 receives the first indication information sent by network control relay device 1003, and the first indication information is used to indicate the attitude 2 of the antenna panel. Network device 1001 determines that network control relay device 1003 sends downlink data to terminal device 1002 through beam b according to the location of terminal device 1002 and the attitude 2 of the antenna panel at time t1. At time t2, network device 1001 receives the first indication information sent by network control relay device 1003, and the first indication information is used to indicate the attitude 3 of the antenna panel. Network device 1001 determines that network control relay device 1003 sends downlink data to terminal device 1002 through beam c according to the location of terminal device 1002 and the attitude 3 of the antenna panel at time t2.

[0176] Based on the same concept, referring to Figure 11 , an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device 1100, which includes a processing module 1101 and a communication module 1102. The communication device 1100 can be a network control relay device, or can be applied to a network control relay device or used in combination with a network control relay device, and can implement a communication method executed on the network control relay device side; or, the communication device 1100 can be a network device, or can be applied to a network device or used in combination with a network device, and can implement a communication method executed on the network device side.

[0177] Among them, the communication module can also be referred to as a transceiver module, transceiver, transceiver, or transceiver device, etc. The processing module can also be referred to as a processor, processing board, processing unit, or processing device, etc. Optionally, the communication module is used to execute the sending operation and receiving operation of the terminal device or the first network device in the above method. The device for implementing the receiving function in the communication module can be regarded as a receiving unit, and the device for implementing the sending function in the communication module can be regarded as a sending unit, that is, the communication module includes a receiving unit and a sending unit.

[0178] When the communication device 1100 is applied to a network control relay device, the processing module 1101 can be used to implement Figure 4 the processing function of the network control relay device described in the illustrated embodiment, and the communication module 1102 can be used to implement Figure 4 the transceiver function of the network control relay device described in the illustrated embodiment.

[0179] When the communication device 1100 is applied to a network device, the processing module 1101 can be used to implement Figure 4 the processing function of the network device described in the illustrated embodiment, and the communication module 1102 can be used to implement Figure 4 the transceiver function of the network device described in the illustrated embodiment.

[0180] In addition, it should be noted that the foregoing communication module and / or processing module can be implemented by a virtual module. For example, the processing module can be implemented by a software functional unit or a virtual device, and the communication module can be implemented by a software function or a virtual device. Alternatively, the processing module or the communication module can also be implemented by a physical device. For example, if the communication device is implemented by a chip / chip circuit, the communication module can be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface, which performs input operations (corresponding to the foregoing receiving operations) and output operations (corresponding to the foregoing sending operations); the processing module is an integrated processor or a microprocessor or an integrated circuit.

[0181] The division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. In addition, in each embodiment of the embodiments of the present application, the various functional modules can be integrated in one processor, can also exist physically alone, or two or more modules can be integrated in one module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules.

[0182] Based on the same technical concept, the embodiments of the present application also provide a communication device 1200. For example, the communication device 1200 can be a chip or a chip system. Optionally, in the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0183] The communication device 1200 can be used to implement the functions of the network control relay device or the network device described in the foregoing embodiments. The communication device 1200 may include at least one processor 1210, which is coupled to a memory. Optionally, the memory may be located within the communication device, and the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be located outside the communication device. For example, the communication device 1200 may further include at least one memory 1220. The memory 1220 stores the necessary computer programs, computer programs or instructions and / or data in any of the above embodiments; the processor 1210 may execute the computer programs stored in the memory 1220 to complete the methods in any of the above embodiments.

[0184] The communication device 1200 may further include a communication interface 1230, and the communication device 1200 can interact with other devices through the communication interface 1230. Exemplarily, the communication interface 1230 may be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, a pin, or other types of communication interfaces. When the communication device 1200 is a chip-like device or a circuit, the communication interface 1230 in the communication device 1200 may also be an input / output circuit, which can input information (or receive information) and output information (or send information). The processor is an integrated processor, a microprocessor, an integrated circuit, or a logic circuit, and the processor can determine the output information according to the input information.

[0185] The coupling in the embodiments of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, and is used for information interaction between devices, units, or modules. The processor 1210 may cooperate with the memory 1220 and the communication interface 1230. In the embodiments of the present application, the specific connection medium between the processor 1210, the memory 1220, and the communication interface 1230 is not limited.

[0186] Optionally, referring to Figure 12 , the processor 1210, the memory 1220, and the communication interface 1230 are interconnected with each other through a bus 1240. The bus 1240 may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus, an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For the sake of convenience of representation, Figure 12 only a thick line is used to represent it in

[0187] In the embodiments of the present application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, and can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0188] In the embodiments of the present application, the memory may be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), etc., or may also be a volatile memory, such as a random-access memory (RAM). The memory is any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiments of the present application may also be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing a storage function, for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0189] Wherein: The communication device 1200 may be applied to a network control relay device. Specifically, the communication device 1200 may be a network control relay device, or may be a device capable of supporting the network control relay device to implement the functions of the network control relay device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The memory 1220 stores a computer program (or instructions) and / or data for implementing the functions of the network control relay device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The processor 1210 may execute the computer program stored in the memory 1220 to complete the method executed by the network control relay device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. When applied to a terminal device, the communication interface in the communication device 1200 may be used to interact with other communication devices (such as network devices, terminal devices), send information to other communication devices, or receive information from other communication devices.

[0190] Among them: The communication device 1200 can be applied to a first network device. Specifically, the communication device 1200 can be a network device or a device capable of supporting the network device to implement the functions of the network device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The memory 1220 stores computer programs (or instructions) and / or data for implementing the functions of the network device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The processor 1210 can execute the computer programs stored in the memory 1220 to complete the methods executed by the network device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. When applied to a network device, the communication interface in the communication device 1200 can be used to interact with other communication devices (such as network control relay devices), send information to other communication devices, or receive information from other communication devices.

[0191] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application 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 processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a terminal device, an access network device, or other programmable devices. 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 one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by wire (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wirelessly (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that the computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more integrated available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (such as a floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (such as a digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium, etc.

[0192] In the embodiments of the present application, on the premise of no logical contradiction, the embodiments can refer to each other. For example, the methods and / or terms between method embodiments can refer to each other. For example, the functions and / or terms between device embodiments can refer to each other. For example, the functions and / or terms between device embodiments and method embodiments can refer to each other.

[0193] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the embodiments of the present application without departing from the scope of the embodiments of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the embodiments of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the embodiments of the present application and their equivalent technologies, the embodiments of the present application are also intended to include these changes and modifications.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a network control relay device, the method includes: Sending first indication information to a network device, where the first indication information is used to indicate attitude information of an antenna panel corresponding to an access link of the network control relay device; Receiving second indication information from the network device, where the second indication information is used to indicate a beam direction for the network control relay device to send downlink data to a terminal device, and the second indication information is associated with the first indication information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first indication information includes direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction of the antenna panel.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The at least one reference direction includes a normal direction of a plane where the antenna panel is located.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein When the first indication information includes direction information corresponding to multiple reference directions of the antenna panel, the multiple reference directions include a normal direction of a plane where the antenna panel is located and directions where at least one side of the antenna panel is located.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that The direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes angles of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of a spatial coordinate system.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The angles of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system include: an included angle of the reference direction with respect to a first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system, and an angle of a projection of the reference direction in a target coordinate plane onto a target direction of a second coordinate axis; wherein, the plane of the target coordinate is perpendicular to the first coordinate axis.

7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that The direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes an angle change amount of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of a spatial coordinate system, and the angle change amount is a change amount between an angle of the reference direction with respect to the coordinate axis and a corresponding initial angle.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The angle change amount of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the spatial coordinate system includes: An included angle change amount of the reference direction with respect to a first coordinate axis of the spatial coordinate system, and an angle change amount of a projection of the reference direction in a target coordinate plane onto a target direction of a second coordinate axis; wherein, the included angle change amount is a change amount between an included angle of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis and an initial angle of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis; the angle change amount is a change amount between an angle of a projection of the reference direction in a target coordinate plane onto a target direction of a second coordinate axis and an initial angle of a projection of the reference direction in a target coordinate plane onto a target direction of a second coordinate axis.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The sending the first indication information to the network device includes: Periodically sending the first indication information to the network device according to a first resource configured by the network device through a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message; or Receiving third indication information sent by the network device through a Medium Access Control Control Element (MAC CE), and sending the first indication information to the network device on a second resource configured by the network device through an RRC message; the third indication information is used to indicate reporting the first indication information to the network device; or Sending the first indication information to the network device on a third resource indicated by the network device through Downlink Control Information (DCI).

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The network control relay device is a non-terrestrial relay device in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system, and the network device is a terrestrial network device in the NTN system.

11. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a network device, the method includes: Receiving first indication information from a network control relay device, where the first indication information is used to indicate attitude information of an antenna panel corresponding to an access link of the network control relay device; Sending second indication information to the network control relay device, where the second indication information is used to indicate a beam direction for the network control relay device to send downlink data to a terminal device, and the second indication information is associated with the first indication information.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The method further includes: Determining a beam direction for the network control relay device to send downlink data to the terminal device according to the attitude information of the antenna panel indicated by the first indication information.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The first indication information includes direction information corresponding to at least one reference direction of the antenna panel.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The at least one reference direction includes a normal direction of a plane where the antenna panel is located.

15. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that When the first indication information includes direction information corresponding to multiple reference directions of the antenna panel, the multiple reference directions include a normal direction of a plane where the antenna panel is located and directions where at least one edge of the antenna panel is located.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that The direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes angles of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of a space coordinate system.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The angles of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the space coordinate system include: an included angle of the reference direction with respect to a first coordinate axis of the space coordinate system, and an angle of a projection of the reference direction in a target coordinate plane onto a second coordinate axis in a target direction; wherein, the plane of the target coordinate is perpendicular to the first coordinate axis.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that The direction information corresponding to the reference direction includes an angle change amount of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of a space coordinate system, and the angle change amount is a change amount between an angle of the reference direction with respect to the coordinate axis and a corresponding initial angle.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein The angle change amount of the reference direction with respect to at least two coordinate axes of the space coordinate system includes: An included angle change amount of the reference direction with respect to a first coordinate axis of the space coordinate system, and an angle change amount of a projection of the reference direction in a target coordinate plane onto a second coordinate axis in a target direction; wherein, the included angle change amount is a change amount between an included angle of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis and an initial angle of the reference direction with respect to the first coordinate axis; the angle change amount is a change amount between an angle of a projection of the reference direction in a target coordinate plane onto a second coordinate axis in a target direction and an initial angle of a projection of the reference direction in a target coordinate plane onto a second coordinate axis in a target direction.

20. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 19, characterized in that The receiving the first indication information from the network control relay device includes: Periodically receiving the first indication information on a first resource configured for the network control relay device through an RRC message; or The third indication information sent to the network control relay device via the MAC CE, and receive the first indication information on a second resource configured for the network control relay device via an RRC message; the third indication information is used to indicate reporting the first indication information; or Indicate a third resource to the network control relay device via DCI, and receive the first indication information on the third resource.

21. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 20, characterized in that The network control relay device is a non-terrestrial relay device in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system, and the network device is a terrestrial network device in the NTN system.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 11 to 21.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes: A processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store computer programs or instructions, and the processor is used to execute the computer programs or instructions to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or to implement the method according to any one of claims 11 to 21.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes an interface circuit and a logic circuit; The interface circuit is used to communicate with modules outside the communication device; The logic circuit is used to execute a computer program to enable the communication device to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or to execute the method according to any one of claims 11 to 21.

25. A communication system, characterized in that, Includes a terminal device for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, and a first network device for executing the method according to any one of claims 11 to 21.

26. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer program or instruction is stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and when the instruction runs on a computer, it implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or implements the method according to any one of claims 11 to 21.

27. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program, when the computer program is executed by a communication device, it implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or when the computer program is executed by a communication device, it implements the method according to any one of claims 11 to 21.

28. A chip system, characterized in that, Includes: A processor, the processor is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or to execute the method according to any one of claims 11 to 21.

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