Multi-user scheduling method, related equipment and storage medium

Abstract

Disclosed are a multi-user scheduling method, a related device and a storage medium, applied to a first network device, the method comprising: receiving first information, the first information indicating channel state information of at least one user equipment under the assistance of an intelligent reflector; obtaining second information based on the first information, the second information indicating a joint scheduling rate participating in multi-user scheduling; obtaining third information, wherein the third information indicates the user rate which does not participate in multi-user scheduling; and based on the second information and the third information, determining whether to use the intelligent reflecting surface to assist in multi-user scheduling.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to, but is not limited to, the field of wireless communication technologies, and particularly relates to a multi-user scheduling method, related devices, and storage media. Background Art

[0002] Multi-user scheduling refers to the base station sending data to two or more users on the same physical downlink shared channel resource to obtain spatial multiplexing gain, which can improve network throughput and spectrum utilization to a certain extent. In related technologies, if the base station is connected to multiple users, multi-user scheduling cannot be performed due to channel quality limitations. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a multi-user scheduling method, related devices, and storage media. Based on the second information and the third information, it can be determined whether to add intelligent reflecting surface assistance to achieve multi-user scheduling. When adding intelligent reflecting surface assistance, the joint scheduling rate of the user equipment with the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface is greater than the rate of a single user not participating in multi-user scheduling, realizing multi-user scheduling and achieving the purpose of capacity expansion; it solves the problem in related technologies that if the base station is connected to multiple users, multi-user scheduling cannot be performed due to channel quality limitations.

[0004] The technical solution of the embodiments of this application is implemented as follows:

[0005] A multi-user scheduling method, applied to a first network device, the method includes:

[0006] Receiving first information, where the first information indicates the channel state information of at least one user equipment under the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface;

[0007] Based on the first information, obtaining second information, where the second information indicates the joint scheduling rate for participating in multi-user scheduling;

[0008] Obtaining third information, where the third information indicates the rate of a user not participating in multi-user scheduling;

[0009] Based on the second information and the third information, determining whether to use the intelligent reflecting surface assistance for multi-user scheduling.

[0010] In the above solution, the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

[0011] In the above solution, before receiving the first information, the method further includes: receiving fourth information, where the fourth information indicates a specific beam of the intelligent reflecting surface corresponding to each of the user devices fed back by each of the user devices, and the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each of the user devices with the assistance of a specific beam of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

[0012] In the above solution, the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each of the user devices with the assistance of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0013] In the above solution, the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each of the user devices with the assistance of different beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0014] In the above solution, before receiving the first information, the method further includes: receiving fifth information, where the fifth information indicates specific beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces fed back by each of the user devices, and the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each of the user devices with the assistance of the specific beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0015] In the above solution, obtaining the third information includes: receiving sixth information, where the sixth information indicates the channel state information of at least one user device that has not participated in multi-user scheduling without the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface; and obtaining the third information based on the sixth information.

[0016] In the above solution, the channel state information includes one or more of the following: channel quality indication information; precoding matrix indication information; rank indication information.

[0017] In the above solution, determining whether to use the intelligent reflecting surface to assist in multi-user scheduling based on the second information and the third information includes: if the joint scheduling rate indicated by the second information is greater than the user rate indicated by the third information, using the intelligent reflecting surface to assist in multi-user scheduling.

[0018] In the above solution, the method further includes: if the joint scheduling rate indicated by the second information is less than the user rate indicated by the third information, not using the intelligent reflecting surface to assist in multi-user scheduling.

[0019] An embodiment of the present application further provides a multi-user scheduling method applied to a user device, and the method includes:

[0020] Sending first information to a first network device, where the first information indicates the channel state information of at least one user device with the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface.

[0021] In the above solution, the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment with the assistance of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

[0022] In the above solution, before sending the first information to the first network device, the method further includes: sending fourth information to the first network device, where the fourth information indicates the specific beam of the intelligent reflecting surface corresponding to each user equipment fed back by each user equipment, and the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment with the assistance of the specific beam of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

[0023] In the above solution, the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment with the assistance of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0024] In the above solution, the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment with the assistance of different beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0025] In the above solution, before sending the first information to the first network device, the method further includes: sending fifth information to the first network device, where the fifth information indicates the specific beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces fed back by each user equipment, and the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment with the assistance of the specific beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0026] In the above solution, the method further includes: sending sixth information to the first network device, where the sixth information indicates the channel state information of at least one user equipment that has not participated in multi-user scheduling without the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface.

[0027] An embodiment of this application further provides a first network device, including: a first communication interface and a first processor; wherein,

[0028] The first communication interface is configured to receive first information, where the first information indicates the channel state information of at least one user equipment with the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface;

[0029] The first processor is configured to obtain second information based on the first information, where the second information indicates the joint scheduling rate of users participating in multi-user scheduling; obtain third information, where the third information indicates the user rate of users who have not participated in multi-user scheduling; and determine whether to use the intelligent reflecting surface to assist in multi-user scheduling based on the second information and the third information.

[0030] An embodiment of this application further provides a user equipment, including: a second communication interface and a second processor; wherein,

[0031] The second communication interface is configured to send first information to a first network device, where the first information indicates channel state information of at least one user equipment with the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface.

[0032] An embodiment of this application further provides a communication device, including: a processor and a memory for storing a computer program that can run on the processor; where

[0033] When the processor runs the computer program, it is configured to execute the steps of any of the methods on the first network device side described above, or execute the steps of any of the methods on the user equipment side described above.

[0034] An embodiment of this application further provides a storage medium, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of any of the methods on the first network device side described above, or implements the steps of any of the methods on the user equipment side described above.

[0035] An embodiment of this application further provides a computer program product, including a computer program that can be executed by a processor of an electronic device to complete the steps of any of the foregoing methods.

[0036] A multi-user scheduling method, related devices, and a storage medium provided by an embodiment of this application. The method is applied to a first network device and includes: receiving first information, where the first information indicates channel state information of at least one user equipment with the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface; obtaining second information based on the first information, where the second information indicates a joint scheduling rate for participating in multi-user scheduling; obtaining third information, where the third information indicates a user rate of a user not participating in multi-user scheduling; determining whether to perform multi-user scheduling with the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface based on the second information and the third information; that is, this application can determine whether to add the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface to implement multi-user scheduling based on the second information and the third information. When the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface is added, the joint scheduling rate of the user equipment with the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface is greater than the single user rate of the user not participating in multi-user scheduling, realizing multi-user scheduling and achieving the purpose of capacity expansion; solving the problem in the related art that if a base station is connected to multiple users but cannot perform multi-user scheduling due to limited channel quality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of multi-user scheduling in the related art;

[0038] Figure 2 A schematic flowchart of measuring channel quality in the related art;

[0039] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of signal transmission based on an intelligent reflecting surface in the related art;

[0040] Figure 4 It is a schematic flowchart of a multi-user scheduling method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 5 It is a schematic flowchart of another multi-user scheduling method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of using intelligent reflecting surface assistance for multi-user scheduling in a scenario of the present application;

[0043] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of using intelligent reflecting surface assistance for multi-user scheduling in the second scenario of the present application;

[0044] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of using intelligent reflecting surface assistance for multi-user scheduling in the third scenario of the present application;

[0045] Figure 9 It is a schematic structural diagram of the first network device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 10 It is a schematic structural diagram of the user equipment according to an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0047] The present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0048] In the related art, multi-user scheduling is usually adopted to improve network throughput and spectrum utilization rate. When performing multi-user scheduling, a multi-user pairing process needs to be executed: when the multi-user switch is turned on or the multi-user function is enabled, channel quality measurement is performed to obtain the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) of unpaired users in the cell. If the user rate corresponding to the MCS of the unpaired user is greater than a certain threshold, multi-user pairing can be performed for users with lower correlation. Refer to Figure 1 As shown, the base station first sends channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS) to user equipment 1 and user equipment 2 respectively, denoted as CSI-RS1 and CSI-RS2, and user equipment 1 and user equipment 2 report channel quality indicators (CQI) to the base station, denoted as CQI1 and CQI2 respectively, for channel quality measurement. Specifically, refer to Figure 2As shown, the user measures the SINR based on the CSI-RS sent by the base station and reports the channel state information (CSI) under the control of the base station based on the SINR. The content of the CSI includes the channel quality indicator CQI, the precoding matrix indicator PMI, the rank indicator RI, etc., which reflects the downlink channel quality when the base station sends information to the terminal. The base station can select the MCS according to the CQI in the CSI reported by the user, and the MCS determines the transport block size (TBS), which ultimately determines the user rate. Therefore, the larger the CQI reported by the user to the base station, the larger the modulation order corresponding to the MCS adopted, the larger the corresponding transport block, and the higher the corresponding user rate, resulting in higher transmission efficiency. On the contrary, the smaller the CQI reported by the user to the base station, the lower the corresponding user rate, and at this time the difficulty of multi-user pairing will increase significantly. After measuring the channel quality, the base station calculates the SINR after pairing two users and the sum of the user rates of the two users according to the CQI and the signal interference noise ratio (SINR) reported by each user, and then compares the sum of the user rates with the user rate of user equipment 1 and the user rate of user equipment 2 respectively. If the sum of the user rates is greater than the user rate of a single user not participating in multi-user scheduling, multi-user pairing is performed on user equipment 1 and user equipment 2.

[0049] The reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), that is, the intelligent reflecting surface, as a new type of intelligent passive surface, uses metamaterials to control the electromagnetic parameters such as the phase, frequency, and amplitude of the reflected electromagnetic wave, realizes the control of the reflection angle of the incident electromagnetic wave, and forms reflected beams in different directions. The RIS can forward signals without complex radio frequency circuits and has the characteristics of low cost, low power consumption, and easy deployment. Refer to Figure 3As shown in the figure, since the RIS is composed of a large-scale device array and an array control module (RIS controller), the control module of the RIS can receive, decode, and execute control information sent by the base station, and can report the basic configuration of the RIS to the base station. The base station can send corresponding adjustment instructions based on the channel state information through the wireless control link between the base station and the RIS, so as to adjust the phase of the RIS. When the user equipment k sends an uplink signal indicating the channel state information to the base station, the base station can send a downlink signal to the RIS according to the channel state information of the user equipment to mobilize the RIS to assist the user equipment k. The control module of the RIS then adjusts the reflection parameters (phase or beam) of its own large-scale device array according to the RIS adjustment instructions sent by the base station, so as to reflect the signal of the base station to the user equipment k. In this way, even if there is an obstruction (such as a building, a plant, etc.) between the base station and the user, the signal sent by the base station can still achieve blind area coverage of the signal through the intelligent reflecting surface.

[0050] However, since multi-user pairing is affected by the channel quality condition, when the channel quality condition is poor, it seriously affects the user rate, resulting in a high failure rate of the base station to perform multi-user pairing and unable to effectively achieve multi-user scheduling.

[0051] Based on this, the embodiment of the present application designs to use an intelligent reflecting surface to achieve multi-user scheduling and achieve the purpose of capacity expansion. It should be noted that the present application takes the intelligent reflecting surface as an example, but is not limited to the intelligent reflecting surface, and the reference signal configuration method of other network nodes with similar functions is also within the protection scope.

[0052] The present application provides a multi-user scheduling method, which is applied to a first network device. Referring to Figure 4 As shown in the figure, the method includes the following steps:

[0053] Step 101: Receive the first information.

[0054] Among them, in actual application, the first information indicates the channel state information of at least one user equipment under the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface.

[0055] Among them, in one embodiment, the channel state information may include one or more of the following:

[0056] Channel quality indication information;

[0057] Precoding matrix indication information;

[0058] Rank indication information.

[0059] In actual application, a user equipment (UE) can also be referred to as a user or the user's device. The user equipment can include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a wearable device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a game terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a wearable terminal device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, etc. The first network-side device can include a base station (BS) / next generation node B (gNB), an access point (AP), a new radio (NR), etc., depending on the technology actually applied.

[0060] In actual application, the intelligent reflecting surface reflects the signal of the base station to the user equipment according to the adjustment instruction of the first network device. After the first network device sends CSI-RS to at least one user equipment, the first network device receives the channel state information assisted by the intelligent reflecting surface sent by at least one user equipment.

[0061] In actual application, the channel state information can include a channel quality indicator (CQI), a precoding matrix indicator (PMI), and a rank indicator (RI).

[0062] Step 102: Obtain second information based on the first information.

[0063] Wherein, the second information indicates the joint scheduling rate participating in multi-user scheduling.

[0064] In actual application, after the first network device receives the channel state information assisted by the intelligent reflecting surface sent by at least one user equipment, it calculates the joint scheduling rate of at least one user participating in multi-user scheduling.

[0065] In actual application, in one case, after the first network device receives CQI1 and CQI2 assisted by the intelligent reflecting surface sent by two user equipments, it selects the corresponding MCS1 and MCS2, and then corresponds to the user rates Rate 1 and Rate 2 assisted by the intelligent reflecting surface respectively, and calculates the sum of the rates of the two user equipments to obtain the joint scheduling rate when the two user equipments participate in multi-user scheduling assisted by the intelligent reflecting surface.

[0066] Step 103: Obtain third information.

[0067] Among them, the third piece of information indicates the user rate of users not participating in multi-user scheduling.

[0068] In one embodiment, obtaining the third piece of information in step 103 includes:

[0069] Receiving the sixth piece of information, which indicates the channel state information of at least one user equipment not participating in multi-user scheduling without the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface;

[0070] Based on the sixth piece of information, obtain the third piece of information.

[0071] In practical applications, a direct link without the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface is established between the first network device and the user equipment. At this time, when the first network device sends CSI-RS to at least one user equipment, the first network device receives the sixth piece of information sent by at least one user equipment. The sixth piece of information is the channel state information of the direct link, that is, this channel state information is the information without the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface, and the user equipment does not participate in multi-user scheduling.

[0072] In practical applications, after the first network device receives the channel state information of the direct link corresponding to the sixth piece of information sent by at least one user equipment, select the corresponding MCS according to the CQI in the channel state information, and then obtain the user rate of users not participating in multi-user scheduling corresponding to this MCS, so as to generate the third piece of information.

[0073] Step 104: Based on the second piece of information and the third piece of information, determine whether to use the intelligent reflecting surface to assist in multi-user scheduling.

[0074] In practical applications, after the first network device obtains the joint scheduling rate of users participating in multi-user scheduling with the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface and the user rate of users not participating in multi-user scheduling sent by at least one user equipment, compare the size of the joint scheduling rate of users participating in multi-user scheduling with the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface and the user rate of users not participating in multi-user scheduling, and determine whether to use the intelligent reflecting surface to assist in multi-user scheduling according to the comparison result.

[0075] A multi-user scheduling method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method is applied to a first network device and includes: receiving first information indicating channel state information of at least one user equipment assisted by an intelligent reflecting surface; obtaining second information indicating a joint scheduling rate participating in multi-user scheduling based on the first information; obtaining third information indicating the user rate of a user not participating in multi-user scheduling; determining whether to use the intelligent reflecting surface assistance for multi-user scheduling based on the second information and the third information; that is, based on the second information and the third information, the present application can determine whether to add the intelligent reflecting surface assistance to implement multi-user scheduling. When the intelligent reflecting surface assistance is added, the joint scheduling rate of the user equipment with the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface is greater than the single user rate of the user not participating in multi-user scheduling, realizing multi-user scheduling and achieving the purpose of capacity expansion; solving the problem in the related art that if the base station is already connected to multiple users, multi-user scheduling cannot be performed due to the limitation of channel quality.

[0076] In an embodiment, the channel state information of a user equipment assisted by an intelligent reflecting surface is received in step 101. The channel state information may include: the channel state information of each user equipment assisted by a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

[0077] In practical applications, when the served user of the intelligent reflecting surface is a selected user, each user equipment corresponds to a specific intelligent reflecting surface. It can be understood that RIS1 only fixedly serves user 1, and RIS2 only fixedly serves user 2. That is to say, RIS1 reflects the signal of the base station only for user 1 to use, and RIS2 reflects the signal of the base station only for user 2 to use.

[0078] In practical applications, when performing multi-user scheduling, the first network device receives the channel state information of each user equipment assisted by a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface. It can be understood that an intelligent reflecting surface reflects the signal of the base station to a specific user equipment selected by the intelligent reflecting surface according to the adjustment instruction of the first network device. After the first network device sends CSI-RS to the user equipment selected by the intelligent reflecting surface, the first network device receives the channel state information of the user equipment assisted by the corresponding intelligent reflecting surface sent by the user equipment. It can be understood that another intelligent reflecting surface reflects the signal of the base station to another specific user equipment selected by the intelligent reflecting surface according to the adjustment instruction of the first network device. After the first network device sends CSI-RS to the user equipment selected by the other intelligent reflecting surface, the first network device receives the channel state information of the user equipment assisted by the corresponding intelligent reflecting surface sent by the other user equipment. In this way, when the served user of the intelligent reflecting surface is a selected specific user, multi-user scheduling can be realized based on the channel state information of each user equipment assisted by a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

[0079] In one embodiment, before step 101 receives the first information, it includes:

[0080] Receiving fourth information, the fourth information indicating the specific beam of the intelligent reflecting surface corresponding to each user equipment fed back by each user equipment, and the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment with the assistance of the specific beam of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

[0081] In practical applications, the first network device receives the specific beam of the intelligent reflecting surface corresponding to each user equipment fed back by each user equipment. Based on this, the first network device can receive the channel state information of each user equipment sent with the assistance of the specific beam of an intelligent reflecting surface corresponding to the user equipment. It can be understood that when a user equipment uses the beam management function of CSI-RS (CSI-RS for L1-RSRP computation) to feed back that the beam of RIS1 corresponding to the user equipment is 1-1, the first network device receives the channel state information of the user equipment sent with the assistance of the reflection beam of 1-1 of the corresponding RIS1. Thus, when the service user of the intelligent reflecting surface is a selected specific user and each user equipment feeds back the specific beam of the intelligent reflecting surface corresponding to the user equipment, multi-user scheduling can be realized based on the channel state information of each user equipment with the assistance of the specific beam of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

[0082] Wherein, in one embodiment, in step 101, receiving the channel state information of a user equipment with the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface, the channel state information may further include: the channel state information of each user equipment with the assistance of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0083] In practical applications, when the service users of the intelligent reflecting surface are different users, each user equipment corresponds to a different intelligent reflecting surface. It can be understood that RIS1 can serve user 1 and also serve user 2; RIS2 can serve user 1 and also serve user 2. That is to say, user 1 can receive the reflected signal of the base station with the assistance of RIS1 or with the assistance of RIS2.

[0084] In actual application, when performing multi-user scheduling, the first network device receives the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of different intelligent reflecting surfaces. It can be understood that an intelligent reflecting surface reflects the signal of the base station to different user equipments according to the adjustment instruction of the first network device. After the first network device sends CSI-RS to different user equipments assisted by the one intelligent reflecting surface, the first network device receives the channel state information of different user equipments sent under the assistance of different intelligent reflecting surfaces. Thus, when the served users of the intelligent reflecting surface are different users, multi-user scheduling can be implemented based on the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0085] Among them, in one embodiment, in step 101, when receiving the channel state information of a user equipment under the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface, the channel state information may further include: the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of different beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0086] In actual application, the first network device receives different beams of each user equipment fed back under the assistance of different intelligent reflecting surfaces. Based on this, the first network device can receive the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of different beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces. Thus, when the served users of the intelligent reflecting surface are different users, multi-user scheduling can be implemented based on the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of different beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0087] Among them, in one embodiment, before step 101 receives the first information, the method further includes:

[0088] Receiving a fifth piece of information, where the fifth piece of information indicates the specific beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces fed back by each user equipment, and the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of the specific beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0089] In practical applications, the first network device receives the specific beams under different intelligent reflectors fed back by each user device. Based on this, the first network device can receive the channel state information under the specific beams of different intelligent reflectors sent by each user device. It can be understood that when a user device uses the beam management function of CSI-RS (CSI-RS for L1-RSRP computation) to feedback that the beam of an intelligent reflector such as RIS1 is 1-1 and the beam of another intelligent reflector such as RIS2 is 2-1, the first network device receives the channel state information of this user under the assistance of the reflected beam of 1-1 of RIS1 and the channel state information of this user under the assistance of the reflected beam of 2-1 of RIS2. Thus, when the served users of the intelligent reflectors are different users and each user device feeds back the specific beams of different intelligent reflectors, multi-user scheduling can be realized based on the channel state information of each user device under the specific beams of different intelligent reflectors.

[0090] In one embodiment, determining whether to use an intelligent reflector to assist in multi-user scheduling based on the second information and the third information in step 104 includes:

[0091] If the joint scheduling rate indicated by the second information is greater than the user rate indicated by the third information, use the intelligent reflector to assist in multi-user scheduling.

[0092] In practical applications, after the first network device obtains the joint scheduling rate of participating in multi-user scheduling under the assistance of the intelligent reflector and the user rate of not participating in multi-user scheduling sent by at least one user device, it compares the joint scheduling rate of participating in multi-user scheduling under the assistance of the intelligent reflector with the user rate of not participating in multi-user scheduling. If the comparison result shows that the joint scheduling rate of participating in multi-user scheduling under the assistance of the intelligent reflector is greater than the single user rate of not participating in multi-user scheduling, it indicates that using the intelligent reflector to assist in multi-user scheduling can significantly improve the user rate, improve the SINR of the user device, and meet the threshold requirement of the user rate for multi-user scheduling. At this time, multi-user scheduling based on the assistance of the intelligent reflector can be realized to obtain spatial multiplexing gain, and capacity expansion is achieved by using the intelligent reflector.

[0093] Among them, in one embodiment, determining whether to use an intelligent reflector to assist in multi-user scheduling based on the second information and the third information in step 104 further includes:

[0094] If the joint scheduling rate indicated by the second information is less than the user rate indicated by the third information, do not use the intelligent reflector to assist in multi-user scheduling.

[0095] In practical applications, after the first network device obtains the combined scheduling rate of participating in multi-user scheduling with the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface and the user rate of the user device that does not participate in multi-user scheduling sent by at least one user device, it compares the combined scheduling rate of participating in multi-user scheduling with the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface and the user rate of the user device that does not participate in multi-user scheduling. If the comparison result shows that the combined scheduling rate of participating in multi-user scheduling with the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface is less than the single-user rate of the user device that does not participate in multi-user scheduling, it indicates that the use of the intelligent reflecting surface assistance cannot improve the user rate, cannot improve the SINR of the user device, and cannot meet the threshold requirement of the user rate for multi-user scheduling. Then, the intelligent reflecting surface assistance is not used for multi-user scheduling.

[0096] Correspondingly, the embodiment of the present application also provides another multi-user scheduling method, which is applied to a user device. Refer to Figure 5 As shown, the method includes:

[0097] Step 201: Send the first information to the first network device.

[0098] Among them, in practical applications, the first information indicates the channel state information of at least one user device with the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface.

[0099] Among them, in one embodiment, the channel state information includes one or more of the following:

[0100] Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) information;

[0101] Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI) information;

[0102] Rank Indicator (RI) information.

[0103] In practical applications, a user equipment (UE) can also be referred to as a user or the user's device. The user equipment may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a wearable device, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a game terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a wearable terminal device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, etc. The first network-side device may include a Base Station (BS) / the next Generation Node B (gNB), an Access Point (AP), a New Radio (NR), etc., specifically depending on the technology of the actual application.

[0104] In practical applications, the intelligent reflecting surface reflects the signal of the base station to the user equipment according to the adjustment instruction of the first network device. When at least one user equipment receives the CSI-RS sent by the first network device, the at least one user equipment sends the channel state information under the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface to the first network device.

[0105] In practical applications, the channel state information may include a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), a Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI), and a Rank Indicator (RI).

[0106] A multi-user scheduling method provided by an embodiment of the present application, wherein the method is applied to a user equipment and includes: sending first information to a first network device, the first information indicating the channel state information of at least one user equipment under the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface. By adding the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface, based on the channel state information of the user equipment under the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface, the embodiment of the present application compares the joint scheduling rate of the multi-user scheduling participated under the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface with the user rate of the user who does not participate in the multi-user scheduling, and determines whether to use the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface for multi-user scheduling according to the comparison result, providing a solution for realizing multi-user scheduling by adding the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface; solving the problem in the related art that if the base station is connected to multiple users, multi-user scheduling cannot be performed due to the limitation of the channel quality.

[0107] In an embodiment, the channel state information sent to the first network device in step 201 may include: the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

[0108] In practical applications, when the service user of the intelligent reflecting surface is the selected user, each user equipment corresponds to a specific intelligent reflecting surface. It can be understood that RIS1 only fixedly serves user 1, and RIS2 only fixedly serves user 2. That is to say, RIS1 reflects the signal of the base station only for user 1 to use, and RIS2 reflects the signal of the base station only for user 2 to use.

[0109] In practical applications, when performing multi-user scheduling, channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface is sent to the first network device. It can be understood that an intelligent reflecting surface reflects the signal of the base station to a specific user equipment selected by the intelligent reflecting surface according to the adjustment instruction of the first network device. When a user equipment receives the CSI-RS sent by the first network device, it sends the channel state information under the assistance of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface to the first network device. It can be understood that another intelligent reflecting surface reflects the signal of the base station to another specific user equipment selected by the intelligent reflecting surface according to the adjustment instruction of the first network device. When another user equipment receives the CSI-RS sent by the first network device, it sends the channel state information under the assistance of another corresponding intelligent reflecting surface to the first network device. In this way, when the served user of the intelligent reflecting surface is the selected specific user, multi-user scheduling can be implemented based on the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

[0110] Wherein, in one embodiment, before sending the first information to the first network device in step 201, the method further includes:

[0111] Sending fourth information to the first network device, where the fourth information indicates the specific beam of the intelligent reflecting surface corresponding to each user equipment fed back by each user equipment, and the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of the specific beam of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

[0112] In practical applications, each user equipment feeds back the specific beam of the intelligent reflecting surface corresponding to each user equipment to the first network device. Based on this, each user equipment sends the channel state information under the assistance of the specific beam of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface to the first network device. It can be understood that when a user equipment uses the beam management function of CSI-RS (CSI-RS for L1-RSRP computation) to feed back that the beam of RIS1 corresponding to the user equipment is 1-1, it sends the channel state information under the assistance of the reflected beam of the corresponding RIS1 being 1-1 to the first network device. In this way, when the served user of the intelligent reflecting surface is the selected specific user and each user equipment feeds back the specific beam of the intelligent reflecting surface corresponding to the user equipment, multi-user scheduling can be implemented based on the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of the specific beam of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

[0113] In one embodiment, the channel state information sent to the first network device in step 201 may further include: the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0114] In practical applications, when the service users of the intelligent reflecting surface are different users, each user equipment corresponds to a different intelligent reflecting surface. It can be understood that RIS1 can serve user 1 or user 2; RIS2 can also serve user 1 or user 2. That is to say, user 1 can receive the reflected signal from the base station with the assistance of RIS1 or RIS2.

[0115] In practical applications, when performing multi-user scheduling, each user equipment sends the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of different intelligent reflecting surfaces to the first network device. It can be understood that an intelligent reflecting surface reflects the signal of the base station to different user equipments according to the adjustment instruction of the first network device. When different user equipments receive the CSI-RS sent by the first network device, they send the channel state information of different user equipments under the assistance of different intelligent reflecting surfaces to the first network device. In this way, when the service users of the intelligent reflecting surface are different users, multi-user scheduling can be realized based on the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0116] In one embodiment, the channel state information sent to the first network device in step 201 may further include: the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of different beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0117] In practical applications, different user equipments feedback different beams under the assistance of different intelligent reflecting surfaces to the first network device. Based on this, different user equipments send the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of different beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces to the first network device. In this way, when the service users of the intelligent reflecting surface are different users, multi-user scheduling can be realized based on the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of different beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0118] Wherein, in one embodiment, before sending the first information to the first network device in step 201, the method further includes:

[0119] Sending a fifth information to the first network device, the fifth information indicating the specific beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces fed back by each user equipment, and the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of the specific beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0120] In practical applications, different user devices feedback specific beams assisted by different intelligent reflecting surfaces to the first network device. Based on this, the channel state information of each user device assisted by specific beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces is sent to the first network device. It can be understood that when a user device uses the beam management function of CSI-RS (CSI-RS for L1-RSRP computation) to feedback that the beam with respect to one of the intelligent reflecting surfaces, such as RIS1, is 1-1, and the beam with respect to one of the intelligent reflecting surfaces, such as RIS2, is 2-1, the channel state information of this user assisted by the reflected beam of 1-1 at RIS1 and the channel state information of this user assisted by the reflected beam of 2-1 at RIS2 are sent to the first network device. In this way, when the served users of the intelligent reflecting surfaces are different users and each user device feedbacks specific beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces, multi-user scheduling can be implemented based on the channel state information of each user device assisted by specific beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0121] In one embodiment, the method further includes: sending sixth information to the first network device, where the sixth information indicates the channel state information of at least one user device that has not participated in multi-user scheduling without the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface.

[0122] In practical applications, when at least one user device that has not participated in multi-user scheduling receives the CSI-RS sent by the first network device, it sends sixth information to the first network device. The sixth information is the channel state information of the direct link, that is, this channel state information is the information without the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface and the user device has not participated in multi-user scheduling. So that after the first network device receives the sixth information sent by at least one user device, it can select the corresponding MCS based on the CQI in the sixth information, and then obtain the rate of the user device that has not participated in multi-user scheduling corresponding to this MCS.

[0123] In one embodiment, the user device sends channel state information to the first network device, and the channel state information includes one or more of the following: channel quality indication information; precoding matrix indication information; rank indication information.

[0124] The present application will be further described in detail below with reference to application examples.

[0125] First, set the preconditions: The base station is connected to the user, and the user is within the coverage range of the RIS.

[0126] Secondly, perform multi-user scheduling assisted by an intelligent reflecting surface, which specifically includes the following steps:

[0127] Step 601, the base station detects that the RIS has no served users and there are users who have not performed multi-user scheduling.

[0128] Step 602: Enable the RIS-assisted multi-user scheduling function.

[0129] Turn on the multi-user scheduling switch. The user measures the channel state information under RIS assistance and reports it to the base station. The base station calculates the joint scheduling rate Rate_combine based on the channel state information reported by the RIS-assisted users. Compare the joint scheduling rate Rate_combine with the user rate Rate of the users not participating in multi-user scheduling. If Rate_combine is greater than Rate of the users not participating in multi-user scheduling, perform multi-user scheduling with RIS assistance.

[0130] In an actual scenario, RIS only serves the selected users. Refer to Figure 6 As shown, the method for performing multi-user scheduling with the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface is specifically described as follows:

[0131] In the embodiment of the present application, RIS only serves the selected users. For example, RIS1 only fixedly serves user 1 (UE1), and RIS2 only fixedly serves user 2 (UE2).

[0132] The base station detects that RIS1 and RIS2 are not serving users, and user 1 and user 2 are not performing multi-user scheduling. At this time, without RIS assistance, user 1 and user 2 do not reach the threshold of the user rate for multi-user scheduling and can only perform single-user transmission, corresponding to modulation and coding strategies MCS1 and MCS2, and the corresponding user rates are Rate1 and Rate2 respectively.

[0133] After the multi-user switch is turned on, the base station (BS) first sends CSI-RS to user 1 and user 2. Then user 1 uses the beam management function of CSI-RS (CSI-RS for L1-RSRP computation) to feedback that the beam of RIS1 is 1-1, and user 2 uses the beam management function of CSI-RS to feedback that the beam of RIS2 is 2-0. Further, use RIS to reflect the signals of the base station to user 1 and user 2 respectively, corresponding to reflection beam 1-1 and reflection beam 2-0. User 1 and user 2 measure and report the channel state information to the base station using the channel state information function of CSI-RS (CSl-RS for CSI computation) under RIS assistance. The base station calculates the joint scheduling rate Rate_combine based on the channel state information reported by the RIS-assisted users. Compare the joint scheduling rate Rate_combine of user 1 and user 2 with RIS assistance, the user rate Rate1 of user 1 without RIS assistance and not participating in multi-user scheduling, and the user rate Rate2 of user 2 without RIS assistance and not participating in multi-user scheduling respectively, that is:

[0134] Compare the combined scheduling rate Rate_combine of using RIS1 to assist User 1 (reflection beam is 1-1) and using RIS2 to assist User 2 (reflection beam is 2-0) with Rate1 and Rate2 respectively.

[0135] In addition, the combined scheduling rate Rate_combine also includes:

[0136] (1) The combined scheduling rate Rate_combine of using RIS1 to assist the direct link between User 1 and User 2, where RIS2 does not assist User 2 at this time;

[0137] (2) The combined scheduling rate Rate_combine of the direct link of User 1 and using RIS2 to assist User 2, where RIS1 does not assist User 1 at this time.

[0138] Compare the rate Rate_combine of the combined scheduling with the user rates Rate1 and Rate2 of the users not participating in the multi-user scheduling. Analyze the comparison results. If the above Rate_combine are both greater than Rate1 and Rate2 of the users who do not use RIS assistance and do not participate in the multi-user scheduling, it indicates that the combined scheduling rate using RIS assistance meets the threshold of the user rates for multi-user scheduling, then use RIS assistance for multi-user scheduling.

[0139] If the above Rate_combine is less than Rate1 and Rate2 of the users who do not use RIS assistance and do not participate in the multi-user scheduling, it indicates that the combined scheduling rate using RIS assistance does not meet the threshold of the user rates for multi-user scheduling. At this time, do not use RIS assistance for multi-user scheduling.

[0140] In the second practical scenario, the RIS can serve different users. Refer to Figure 7 As shown, the method of using intelligent reflecting surface assistance for multi-user scheduling is specifically described as follows:

[0141] In this embodiment, RIS1 and RIS2 do not have selected served users, that is, RIS1 can serve User 1 (UE1) and can also serve User 2 (UE2).

[0142] The base station detects that RIS1 and RIS2 do not have served users, and User 1 and User 2 do not perform multi-user scheduling. At this time, without RIS assistance, User 1 and User 2 do not reach the threshold of the user rates for multi-user scheduling and can only perform single-user transmission, corresponding to modulation and coding strategies MCS1 and MCS2 respectively, and the corresponding user rates are Rate1 and Rate2 respectively.

[0143] After the multi-user switch is turned on, the base station (BS) first sends CSI-RS to User 1 and User 2. Then, User 1 uses the beam management function of CSI-RS (CSI-RS for L1-RSRP computation) to feedback different beams of RIS1 and RIS2 respectively, and User 2 uses the beam management function of CSI-RS to feedback different beams of RIS1 and RIS2 respectively. Further, User 1 and User 2 measure the channel state information (CSl-RS for CSI computation) assisted by different beams of RIS1 and RIS2 respectively and report the channel state information to the base station. The base station calculates the joint scheduling rate Rate_combine according to the channel state information reported by User 1 assisted by RIS1, User 1 assisted by RIS2, and User 2 assisted by RIS2. Among them, the joint scheduling rate Rate_combine in all cases is listed as follows:

[0144] (1) The joint scheduling rate Rate_combine of the direct link between User 1 assisted by RIS1 (reflection beam is 1-0) and User 2, where RIS2 does not assist User 2 at this time;

[0145] (2) The joint scheduling rate Rate_combine of User 1 assisted by RIS1 (reflection beam is 1-0) and User 2 assisted by RIS2 (reflection beam is 2-0);

[0146] (3) The joint scheduling rate Rate_combine of User 1 assisted by RIS1 (reflection beam is 1-0) and User 2 assisted by RIS2 (reflection beam is 2-1);

[0147] (4) The joint scheduling rate Rate_combine of the direct link between User 1 assisted by RIS1 (reflection beam is 1-1) and User 2, where RIS2 does not assist User 2 at this time;

[0148] (5) The joint scheduling rate Rate_combine of User 1 assisted by RIS1 (reflection beam is 1-1) and User 2 assisted by RIS2 (reflection beam is 2-0);

[0149] (6) The joint scheduling rate Rate_combine of User 1 assisted by RIS1 (reflection beam is 1-1) and User 2 assisted by RIS2 (reflection beam is 2-1);

[0150] (7) The joint scheduling rate Rate_combine of the direct link between User 1 assisted by RIS2 (reflection beam is 2-0) and User 2, where RIS1 does not assist User 2 at this time;

[0151] (8) The combined scheduling rate Rate_combine of using RIS2 to assist User 1 (reflection beam is 2-0) and RIS1 to assist User 2 (reflection beam is 1-0);

[0152] (9) The combined scheduling rate Rate_combine of using RIS2 to assist User 1 (reflection beam is 2-0) and RIS1 to assist User 2 (reflection beam is 1-1);

[0153] (10) The combined scheduling rate Rate_combine of using RIS2 to assist User 1 (reflection beam is 2-1) and the direct link of User 2. At this time, RIS1 does not assist User 2;

[0154] (11) The combined scheduling rate Rate_combine of using RIS2 to assist User 1 (reflection beam is 2-1) and RIS2 to assist User 1 (reflection beam is 1-0);

[0155] (12) The combined scheduling rate Rate_combine of using RIS2 to assist User 1 (reflection beam is 2-1) and RIS2 to assist User 1 (reflection beam is 1-1);

[0156] (13) The combined scheduling rate Rate_combine of the direct link of User 1 and using RIS1 to assist User 2 (reflection beam is 1-0). At this time, RIS2 does not assist User 1;

[0157] (14) The combined scheduling rate Rate_combine of the direct link of User 1 and using RIS1 to assist User 2 (reflection beam is 1-1). At this time, RIS2 does not assist User 1;

[0158] (15) The combined scheduling rate Rate_combine of the direct link of User 1 and using RIS2 to assist User 2 (reflection beam is 2-0). At this time, RIS1 does not assist User 1;

[0159] (16) The combined scheduling rate Rate_combine of the direct link of User 1 (without RIS1 assistance) and using RIS2 to assist User 2 (reflection beam is 2-1). At this time, RIS1 does not assist User 1.

[0160] Compare the combined scheduling rate Rate_combine with the user rates Rate1 and Rate2 of users not participating in multi-user scheduling. If all the above Rate_combine are greater than Rate1 and Rate2 of users not using RIS assistance and not participating in multi-user scheduling, it indicates that the combined scheduling rate using RIS assistance meets the threshold of the user rates for multi-user scheduling, then use RIS assistance for multi-user scheduling.

[0161] If the above Rate_combine is less than Rate1 and Rate2 of the users who do not utilize RIS assistance and are not involved in multi-user scheduling, it indicates that the combined scheduling rate using RIS assistance cannot meet the threshold of the user rates for multi-user scheduling. In this case, multi-user scheduling is not performed using RIS assistance. Thus, by listing all possible pairing schemes, the optimal scheme is selected as the multi-user pairing result.

[0162] In the third practical scenario, the RIS can serve different users under different beams. Referring to Figure 8 as shown, the method for multi-user scheduling using intelligent reflecting surface assistance is specifically described as follows:

[0163] In this embodiment, RIS1 and RIS2 do not have selected served users. That is, RIS1 can serve user 1 (UE1) and can also serve user 2 (UE2), but RIS1 and RIS2 serve different users based on the selected beams.

[0164] The base station (BS) detects that RIS1 and RIS2 do not have served users, and user 1 and user 2 are not in multi-user scheduling. At this time, without RIS assistance, user 1 and user 2 do not reach the threshold of the user rates for multi-user scheduling and can only perform single-user transmission, corresponding to modulation and coding strategies MCS1 and MCS2 respectively, and the corresponding user rates are Rate1 and Rate2.

[0165] After the multi-user switch is turned on, the base station sends CSI-RS to user 1. User 1 uses the beam management function of the reference signal CSI-RS (CSI-RS for L1-RSRP computation) to feedback that the beam of RIS1 is 1-1. That is, when using RIS1 to assist user 1, the selected beam is 1-1. Based on this, the user 2 to be paired is determined as the following cases:

[0166] (1) The direct link of user 2 participates in the pairing, and in this case, RIS1 or RIS2 is not used to assist user 2.

[0167] In this case, user 1 measures and reports the channel state information to the base station using the channel state information function of the reference signal (CSl-RS for CSI computation) under the reflection beam of 1-1 of RIS1, and user 2 reports the channel state information of its own direct link to the base station without RIS assistance. The base station calculates the combined scheduling rate Rate_combine according to the channel state information reported by user 1 and user 2 respectively.

[0168] (2) Use RIS2 to assist User 2, and the selected beam is 2-0. Among them, the method for determining the selected beam includes: the base station sends CSI-RS to User 2, and User 2 uses the beam management function of the reference signal CSI-RS (CSI-RS for L1-RSRPcomputation) to feedback that the beam of RIS2 is 2-0.

[0169] In this case, under the assistance of the reflected beam of RIS1 being 1-1, use the channel state information function of the reference signal (CSl-RS for CSI computation) to measure and report the channel state information to the base station. User 2 uses the channel state information function of the reference signal (CSl-RS for CSI computation) under the assistance of the reflected beam of RIS2 being 2-0 to measure and report the channel state information to the base station. The base station calculates the joint scheduling rate Rate_combine according to the channel state information reported by User 1 and User 2 respectively.

[0170] And so on. By continuously alternating measurements using the beam management function of CSI-RIS (CSI-RS for L1-RSRPcomputation) and the channel state information function (CSl-RS for CSI computation), list the joint scheduling rate Rate_combine when assisting different users under the selected beams of different RISs as follows:

[0171] (1) The joint scheduling rate Rate_combine of the direct link between User 1 assisted by RIS1 (reflected beam is 1-1) and User 2 (RIS2 does not assist);

[0172] (2) The joint scheduling rate Rate_combine of User 1 assisted by RIS1 (reflected beam is 1-1) and User 2 assisted by RIS2 (reflected beam is 2-0);

[0173] (3) The joint scheduling rate Rate_combine of the direct link between User 1 assisted by RIS2 (reflected beam is 2-1) and User 2 (RIS1 does not assist);

[0174] (4) The joint scheduling rate Rate_combine of User 1 assisted by RIS2 (reflected beam is 2-1) and User 2 assisted by RIS1 (reflected beam is 1-0);

[0175] (5) The joint scheduling rate Rate_combine of the direct link of User 1 (RIS2 does not assist) and User 2 assisted by RIS1 (reflected beam is 1-0);

[0176] (6) The direct link of User 1 (without the assistance of RIS1) and the combined scheduling rate Rate_combine of assisting User 2 with RIS2 (the reflection beam is 2-0).

[0177] Compare the combined scheduling rate Rate_combine with the user rates Rate1 and Rate2 of the users who do not participate in multi-user scheduling. Analyze the comparison results. If the above Rate_combine is greater than Rate1 and Rate2 of the users who do not use RIS assistance and do not participate in multi-user scheduling, it indicates that the combined scheduling rate using RIS assistance meets the threshold of the user rates for multi-user scheduling, then use RIS assistance for multi-user scheduling.

[0178] If the above Rate_combine is less than Rate1 and Rate2 of the users who do not use RIS assistance and do not participate in multi-user scheduling, it indicates that the combined scheduling rate using RIS assistance does not meet the threshold of the user rates for multi-user scheduling. At this time, do not use RIS assistance for multi-user scheduling.

[0179] In this way, by continuously alternating the measurement methods using the beam management function (CSI-RS for L1-RSRP computation) and the channel state information function (CSl-RS for CSI computation) of CSI-RIS, on the basis that different RISs serve different users, only list some pairing schemes according to the selected beams, which ensures the flexibility of RIS assistance while reducing the computational complexity.

[0180] In the embodiments of the present application, multi-user scheduling can be assisted by using an intelligent reflecting surface, or a network node with a similar function to the intelligent reflecting surface of the present application can be used for multi-user scheduling. Correspondingly, multi-user scheduling can be performed based on the reference signal configuration method of the network node, and it can be configured according to actual needs. The present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0181] To implement the method on the terminal side in the embodiments of the present application, the embodiments of the present application also provide a first network device. Refer to Figure 9 As shown, this first network device 900 includes: a first communication interface 901 and a first processor 902; wherein,

[0182] The first communication interface 901 can interact with network devices and / or other terminals for information.

[0183] The first processor 902 is connected to the first communication interface 901 to implement information interaction with network devices and / or other terminals. When running a computer program, it executes the methods provided by one or more of the above terminal-side technical solutions.

[0184] A first memory 903 stores a computer program that can run on a first processor 902.

[0185] A first communication interface 901 is configured to receive first information, where the first information indicates channel state information of at least one user equipment assisted by an intelligent reflecting surface.

[0186] A first processor 902 is configured to obtain second information based on the first information, where the second information indicates a joint scheduling rate participating in multi-user scheduling; obtain third information, where the third information indicates the user rate of users not participating in multi-user scheduling; and determine whether to perform multi-user scheduling with the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface based on the second information and the third information.

[0187] Wherein,

[0188] In one embodiment, the first communication interface 901 is specifically configured to: receive first information, where the first information indicates channel state information of at least one user equipment assisted by an intelligent reflecting surface, and the channel state information includes: channel state information of each user equipment assisted by a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

[0189] In one embodiment, the first processor 902 is specifically configured to: before receiving the first information, receive fourth information, where the fourth information indicates specific beams of the intelligent reflecting surface corresponding to each user equipment fed back by each user equipment, and the channel state information includes: channel state information of each user equipment assisted by a specific beam of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

[0190] In one embodiment, the first communication interface 901 is specifically configured to: receive first information, where the first information indicates channel state information of at least one user equipment assisted by an intelligent reflecting surface, and the channel state information includes: channel state information of each user equipment assisted by different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0191] In one embodiment, the first communication interface 901 is specifically configured to: receive first information, where the first information indicates channel state information of at least one user equipment assisted by an intelligent reflecting surface, and the channel state information includes: channel state information of each user equipment assisted by different beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0192] In one embodiment, the first processor 902 is specifically configured to: before receiving the first information, receive fifth information, where the fifth information indicates specific beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces fed back by each user equipment, and the channel state information includes: channel state information of each user equipment assisted by specific beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0193] In one embodiment, the first communication interface 901 is specifically configured to: receive sixth information, where the sixth information indicates the channel state information of at least one user equipment that does not participate in multi-user scheduling without the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface; and obtain third information based on the sixth information.

[0194] In one embodiment, the first communication interface 901 is specifically configured to: receive channel state information, where the channel state information includes one or more of the following: channel quality indication information; precoding matrix indication information; rank indication information.

[0195] In one embodiment, the first communication interface 901 is specifically configured to: if the joint scheduling rate indicated by the second information is greater than the user rate indicated by the third information, perform multi-user scheduling with the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface.

[0196] In one embodiment, the first communication interface 901 is specifically configured to: if the joint scheduling rate indicated by the second information is less than the user rate indicated by the third information, do not perform multi-user scheduling with the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface.

[0197] It should be noted that: the specific processing procedures of the first communication interface 901 and the first processor 902 can be understood with reference to the above method, and will not be elaborated here.

[0198] Of course, in actual application, each component in the first network device 900 is coupled together through the first bus system 904. It can be understood that the first bus system 904 is used to realize the connection and communication between these components. The first bus system 904 includes, in addition to the data bus, a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for the sake of clear description, in Figure 9 all kinds of buses are labeled as the first bus system 904.

[0199] The first memory 903 in the embodiment of the present application is used to store various types of data to support the operation of the first network device 900. Examples of these data include: any computer program for operating on the first network device 900.

[0200] The method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to or implemented by the first processor 902. The first processor 902 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, the steps of the above method can be completed by the integrated logic circuit in hardware or instructions in software form in the first processor 902. The above first processor 902 may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The first processor 902 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. Combining the steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed and completed by a hardware decoding processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module may be located in a storage medium, and this storage medium is located in the first memory 903. The first processor 902 reads the information in the first memory 903 and combines its hardware to complete the steps of the foregoing method.

[0201] In an exemplary embodiment, the first network device 900 can be implemented by one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), DSPs, programmable logic devices (PLDs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), general-purpose processors, controllers, microcontroller units (MCUs), microprocessors, or other electronic components, and is used to execute the foregoing method.

[0202] To implement the method on the terminal side in the embodiments of the present application, the embodiments of the present application also provide a user equipment. Referring to Figure 9 as shown, the user equipment 1000 includes: a second communication interface 1001 and a second processor 1002; wherein,

[0203] The second communication interface 1001 is capable of information interaction with a network device and / or other terminals;

[0204] A second processor 1002, connected to the second communication interface 1001 to enable information interaction with network devices and / or other terminals, and when running a computer program, executes the methods provided by one or more of the above terminal-side technical solutions;

[0205] A second memory 1003 stores a computer program that can run on the second processor 1002.

[0206] The second communication interface 1001 is used to send first information to a first network device, where the first information indicates the channel state information of at least one user equipment with the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface.

[0207] Among them,

[0208] In one embodiment, the second communication interface 1001 is specifically used for: sending the channel state information of at least one user equipment with the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface to the first network device, where the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment with the assistance of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

[0209] In one embodiment, the second processor 1002 is specifically used for: before sending the first information to the first network device, sending fourth information to the first network device, where the fourth information indicates the specific beam of the intelligent reflecting surface corresponding to each user equipment feedback by each user equipment, and the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment with the assistance of the specific beam of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

[0210] In one embodiment, the second communication interface 1001 is specifically used for: sending the first information to the first network device, where the first information indicates the channel state information of at least one user equipment with the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface, and the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment with the assistance of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0211] In one embodiment, the second communication interface 1001 is specifically used for: sending the first information to the first network device, where the first information indicates the channel state information of at least one user equipment with the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface, and the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment with the assistance of different beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0212] In one embodiment, the second processor 1002 is specifically used for: before sending the first information to the first network device, sending fifth information to the first network device, where the fifth information indicates the specific beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces feedback by each user equipment, and the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment with the assistance of the specific beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

[0213] In one embodiment, the second processor 1002 is specifically configured to: send sixth information to the first network device, where the sixth information indicates the channel state information of at least one user equipment that has not participated in multi-user scheduling without the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface.

[0214] In one embodiment, the second communication interface 1001 is specifically configured to: send channel state information to the first network device, where the channel state information includes one or more of the following: channel quality indication information; precoding matrix indication information; rank indication information.

[0215] It should be noted that: the specific processing procedures of the second communication interface 1001 and the second processor 1002 can be understood with reference to the above method, and will not be elaborated here.

[0216] Of course, in actual application, the various components in the user equipment 1000 are coupled together through the second bus system 1004. It can be understood that the second bus system 1004 is used to realize the connection and communication between these components. In addition to the data bus, the second bus system 1004 also includes a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for the sake of clear illustration, in Figure 10 all kinds of buses are labeled as the second bus system 1004.

[0217] The second memory 1003 in the embodiments of the present application is used to store various types of data to support the operation of the user equipment 1000. Examples of these data include: any computer program for operating on the user equipment 1000.

[0218] The method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application above can be applied to the second processor 1002 or implemented by the second processor 1002. The second processor 1002 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, the steps of the above method can be completed by the integrated logic circuit in the hardware of the second processor 1002 or the instructions in the form of software. The second processor 1002 may be a general-purpose processor, a DSP, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The second processor 1002 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. Combining the steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application, it can be directly embodied as being executed and completed by the hardware decoding processor, or by the combination of the hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module may be located in the storage medium, and this storage medium is located in the second memory 1003. The second processor 1002 reads the information in the second memory 1003 and combines its hardware to complete the steps of the foregoing method.

[0219] In an exemplary embodiment, the user equipment 1000 may be implemented by one or more ASICs, DSPs, PLDs, CPLDs, FPGAs, general-purpose processors, controllers, MCUs, microprocessors, or other electronic components for performing the foregoing method.

[0220] It can be understood that the memories (memory 903, memory 1003) in the embodiments of the present application can be volatile memories or non-volatile memories, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a ferromagnetic random access memory (FRAM), a flash memory, a magnetic surface memory, an optical disc, or a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM); the magnetic surface memory can be a disk memory or a tape memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), synchronous static random access memory (SSRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), sync link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), direct rambus random access memory (DRRAM).The memories described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0221] In an exemplary embodiment, the embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product, including a computer program, which can be executed by the processor 902 of the communication device 900 to complete the steps of the foregoing method on the first network device side; for another example, the computer program can be executed by the processor 1002 of the communication device 1000 to complete the steps of the foregoing method on the user equipment side.

[0222] In an exemplary embodiment, the embodiments of the present application further provide a storage medium, namely a computer storage medium, specifically a computer-readable storage medium. For example, it includes a memory 903 storing a computer program, and the computer program in the memory 903 can be executed by the processor 902 of the communication device 900 to complete the steps of the foregoing method on the first network device side. For another example, it includes a memory 1003 storing a computer program, and the computer program in the memory 1003 can be executed by the processor 1002 of the communication device 1000 to complete the steps of the foregoing method on the user equipment side. The computer-readable storage medium can be a memory such as FRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash Memory, magnetic surface memory, optical disc, or CD-ROM.

[0223] It should be noted that: "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish similar objects and do not necessarily need to be used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0224] In addition, the technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present application can be arbitrarily combined without conflict.

[0225] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not used to limit the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A multi-user scheduling method, characterized in that: Applied to a first network device, the method includes: Receiving first information, where the first information indicates channel state information of at least one user equipment with the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface; Based on the first information, obtaining second information, where the second information indicates a joint scheduling rate for participating in multi-user scheduling; Obtaining third information, where the third information indicates the user rate of user equipment not participating in multi-user scheduling; Based on the second information and the third information, determining whether to use the intelligent reflecting surface to assist in multi-user scheduling.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein Before receiving the first information, the method further includes: Receiving fourth information, where the fourth information indicates the specific beam of the intelligent reflecting surface corresponding to each user equipment fed back by each user equipment, and the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of the specific beam of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of different beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein Before receiving the first information, the method further includes: Receiving fifth information, where the fifth information indicates the specific beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces fed back by each user equipment, and the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of the specific beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The obtaining of the third information includes: Receiving sixth information, where the sixth information indicates the channel state information of at least one user equipment not participating in multi-user scheduling without the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface; Based on the sixth information, obtaining the third information.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The channel state information includes one or more of the following: Channel quality indication information; Precoding matrix indication information; Rank indication information.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The determining whether to use the intelligent reflecting surface to assist in multi-user scheduling based on the second information and the third information includes: If the joint scheduling rate indicated by the second information is greater than the user rate indicated by the third information, using the intelligent reflecting surface to assist in multi-user scheduling.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein The method further includes: If the joint scheduling rate indicated by the second information is less than the user rate indicated by the third information, not using the intelligent reflecting surface to assist in multi-user scheduling.

11. A multi-user scheduling method, characterized in that, Applied to a user equipment, the method includes: Sending first information to a first network device, where the first information indicates channel state information of at least one user equipment with the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment under the assistance of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that Before sending the first information to the first network device, the method further includes: Send fourth information to the first network device, where the fourth information indicates the specific beam of the intelligent reflecting surface corresponding to each user equipment fed back by each user equipment, and the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment with the assistance of the specific beam of a corresponding intelligent reflecting surface.

14. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment with the assistance of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment with the assistance of different beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, Before sending the first information to the first network device, the method further includes: Send fifth information to the first network device, where the fifth information indicates the specific beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces fed back by each user equipment, and the channel state information includes: the channel state information of each user equipment with the assistance of the specific beams of different intelligent reflecting surfaces.

17. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send sixth information to the first network device, where the sixth information indicates the channel state information of at least one user equipment that does not participate in multi-user scheduling without the assistance of the intelligent reflecting surface.

18. A first network device, characterized in that, Includes: A first communication interface and a first processor; wherein, The first communication interface is configured to receive first information, where the first information indicates the channel state information of at least one user equipment with the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface; The first processor is configured to obtain second information based on the first information, where the second information indicates the joint scheduling rate of the multi-user scheduling participants; Obtain third information, where the third information indicates the user rate of the users who do not participate in multi-user scheduling; and determine whether to use the intelligent reflecting surface assistance for multi-user scheduling based on the second information and the third information.

19. A user equipment, characterized in that, Includes: A second communication interface and a second processor; wherein, The second communication interface is configured to send first information to the first network device, where the first information indicates the channel state information of at least one user equipment with the assistance of an intelligent reflecting surface.

20. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes: A processor and a memory for storing a computer program that can run on the processor; wherein, When the processor runs the computer program, it executes the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or 11 to 17.

21. A storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or 11 to 17.

22. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or 11 to 17.

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