Communication method and apparatus, communication chip, storage medium and computer program product

Abstract

This application provides a communication method, apparatus, communication chip, storage medium, and computer program product, belonging to the field of communication, to improve the accuracy of beam prediction by an AI model for access network devices used for communication with a terminal. The method includes: when the beam performance of a beam predicted by the terminal using a beam prediction model is less than or equal to a threshold, the terminal sends M beams with the top M beam performance out of N measured beams to the access network device, and sends their first positions to a model management function entity. This causes the access network device to send a second beam for communication with the terminal to the model management function entity based on the M beams, thereby enabling the model management function entity to update the beam prediction model based on the identification information of the first position and the second beam. This improves the accuracy of the transmission beam predicted by the updated beam prediction model for communication between the access network device and the terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of communications, specifically relating to a communication method, device, communication chip, storage medium, and computer program product. Background Technology

[0002] Beam management (BM) is a technology in 5G mobile communication technology's New Radio (NR) that dynamically selects the direction and frequency of communication beams based on channel quality. It aims to optimize signal transmission performance and communication quality by precisely controlling the signal transmission direction and strength. The beam management process mainly includes the following six steps: beam selection, beam measurement, beam reporting, beam switching, beam indication, and beam recovery. During beam measurement and beam reporting, the terminal can determine the transmission beam used by the access network device for communication with the terminal based on the measurement results of multiple beams corresponding to the access network device, and then send that transmission beam to the access network device.

[0003] Currently, artificial intelligence (AI) technology has been incorporated into beam management. For example, in AI-based spatial beam prediction methods, the AI ​​model can learn the transmission characteristics of different beams in the current environment to predict the probability that each transmission beam used by the access network equipment for communication is the optimal transmission beam for communicating with the terminal, based on the terminal's environment. As another example, in AI-based temporal prediction methods, the AI ​​model can analyze the terminal's beam measurement results at historical moments to predict the optimal beam information for the terminal at future moments, allowing the terminal to adjust its beam direction based on this information. In other words, during beam measurement, the AI ​​model can predict the transmission beam used by the access network equipment for communication with the terminal. However, this method may result in the predicted transmission beam not being the optimal one, thus reducing the communication quality between the terminal and the access network equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, the purpose of this application is to provide a communication method, device, communication chip, storage medium, and computer program product to improve the accuracy of the beam predicted by the AI ​​model for communication between the access network device and the terminal.

[0005] The embodiments of this application are implemented as follows:

[0006] Firstly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. This method can be executed by a terminal, or by components of the terminal, such as the terminal's processor, chip, chip system, or circuit, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal's functions. The following description uses the execution of this method by a terminal as an example. The method includes: acquiring the beam performance of a first beam; if the beam performance of the first beam is less than or equal to a threshold, sending a first beam indication message to an access network device and a first location indication message to a model management function entity; wherein, the first beam is a beam predicted by the beam prediction model based on the first location of the terminal, which is used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal; the first beam indication message is used to indicate information of M beams measured by the terminal, wherein the M beams are the beams with the highest beam performance among the N beams measured, wherein the N beams are all the beams used by the access network device for communication; the first location indication message is used to indicate the aforementioned first location; the model management function entity is used to update the beam prediction model based on the identification information of the first location and the second beam, wherein the second beam is the beam actually used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal among the M beams; N is a positive integer, and M is a positive integer less than or equal to N.

[0007] Based on the method described in the first aspect, the terminal can input its initial location into the beam prediction model to obtain the beam predicted by the model for communication between the access network device and the terminal. This means the terminal does not need to measure all the beams used for communication by the access network device and determine the specific beam based on the measurement results. This allows the terminal to acquire the beam used for communication more quickly. Furthermore, compared to models that predict beams based on other information (such as the terminal's environment or historical beam measurement results), models that predict beams based on terminal location have higher accuracy due to the strong correlation between location and beam direction. The solution is also simpler to implement, enabling the terminal to acquire the beam used for communication more promptly. For example, in traffic scenarios (such as autonomous driving scenarios), the rapid movement of vehicles requires beam selection to be completed within a very short time. Inputting the terminal's location into the model to predict the beam allows the vehicle to acquire the beam used for communication more quickly and promptly. Furthermore, to improve the accuracy of beam prediction model prediction, during the use of the beam prediction model, the terminal can compare the beam performance predicted by the beam prediction model with a threshold. When the beam performance is less than or equal to the threshold, indicating that the beam may have inaccurate prediction, the terminal sends the M beams with the top M beam performance out of the N measured beams to the access network device, and sends their first location to the model management function entity. This enables the access network device to send its second beam used for communication with the terminal to the model management function entity based on the M beams. This allows the model management function entity to update the beam prediction model based on the identification information of the first location and the second beam, such as associating the identification information of the first location and the second beam as a sample to update the beam prediction model. In this way, when the prediction results obtained by the beam prediction model at the terminal are inaccurate, a more accurate beam can be obtained by actually measuring the beam for communication between the access network equipment and the terminal. Furthermore, the model management entity can update the beam prediction model based on the more accurate beam and the terminal's initial location, thereby improving the accuracy of the transmission beam predicted by the updated beam prediction model for communication between the access network equipment and the terminal. In addition, in traffic scenarios (such as autonomous driving scenarios), this method allows the model management entity to continuously collect samples for updating the beam prediction model. This dynamic update mechanism ensures that the beam prediction model can adapt to environmental changes, maintaining high prediction accuracy. For example, in urban environments, building obstruction and multipath effects can cause significant fluctuations in signal strength. By dynamically updating the beam prediction model, beam selection can be adjusted in real time, ensuring communication stability and efficiency.

[0008] In one possible implementation, before sending the first beam indication message to the access network device, the method in the first aspect further includes: sending a configuration information request message to the access network device, the configuration information request message being used to request the access network device to send information for measuring all beams used by the access network device for communication; receiving a configuration information response message from the access network device, the configuration information response message being used to indicate information for measuring N beams; and measuring N beams based on the configuration information response message, and determining M beams. That is, in the application phase of the beam prediction model, the access network device does not need to periodically broadcast information for measuring N beams; instead, the terminal requests information for measuring N beams on demand. This reduces the power consumption of the access network device.

[0009] In one possible implementation, before acquiring the beam performance of the first beam, the method of the first aspect further includes: receiving model activation information from the access network device, and obtaining the first beam by inputting a first position into a beam prediction model based on the model activation information, wherein the model activation information is used to instruct the terminal to activate the beam prediction model. Thus, the switching between acquiring the beam through beam measurement and acquiring the beam through a beam prediction model can be achieved via the model activation message.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the model activation information is carried in the System Message Block (SIB) message. That is, existing message sending of model activation information can be reused. This improves resource utilization and reduces transmission latency.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the model enable information is indicated by the first value of a first preset reserved bit in the SIB message, where the first preset reserved bit is any one of multiple reserved bits in the SIB message. This allows the transmission of model enable information using the existing structure of SIB messages, thereby reducing the difficulty of sending model enable information via SIB messages.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the beam prediction model is obtained from a model management function entity, which manages the beam prediction models corresponding to different access network devices. That is, terminals within the coverage area of ​​different access network devices can request beam prediction models from the model management function entity. This facilitates unified management of multiple beam prediction models corresponding to different access network devices. Furthermore, the model management function entity can be used to generate beam prediction models corresponding to different access network devices. In this case, access network devices do not need to generate their own corresponding beam prediction models, eliminating the need to equip them with high-performance hardware resources, thus reducing costs; and it can generate beam prediction models corresponding to already deployed access network devices.

[0013] In one possible implementation, after obtaining the beam performance of the first beam, the method of the first aspect further includes: if the beam performance of the first beam is greater than a threshold, sending a second beam indication message to the access network device, the second beam indication message being used to indicate the first beam. That is, for a beam predicted by the beam prediction model, the access network device only uses the beam when the beam performance is greater than the threshold. In this way, the communication quality between the terminal and the access network device can be guaranteed when using the beam predicted by the beam prediction model.

[0014] In one possible implementation, after sending a second beam indication message to the access network device, the method of the first aspect further includes: receiving an updated model enable message from the access network device, the updated model enable message being used to instruct the terminal to enable an updated beam prediction model; in response to the updated model enable message, obtaining a third beam through the updated beam prediction model, the third beam being the output result of inputting the first position to the updated beam prediction model; and sending a third beam indication message to the access network device, the third beam indication message being used to indicate the third beam. Thus, the terminal can use the updated beam prediction model to predict the beam used by the access network device for communication with the terminal, and send the beam to the access network device, enabling the access network device to use the beam to communicate with the terminal, thereby improving the communication quality between the access network device and the terminal.

[0015] In one possible implementation, after sending a first beam indication message to the access network device, or after sending a second beam indication message to the access network device, the method in the first aspect further includes: receiving an update model enable message from the access network device, and obtaining an updated beam prediction model based on the update model enable message, wherein the update model enable message is used to instruct the terminal to enable the updated beam prediction model. After obtaining the updated beam prediction model, the terminal can use the updated beam prediction model when its location changes and its changed location is within the network coverage area of ​​the access network device. This improves the accuracy of the beam predicted by the terminal using the beam prediction model.

[0016] In one possible implementation, before acquiring the beam performance of the first beam, the method of the first aspect further includes: receiving beam measurement enable information from the access network device, responding to the beam measurement enable information, sending a fourth beam indication message to the access network device, and sending location measurement information to the location management function entity; wherein, the beam measurement enable information is used to instruct the terminal to send K beams to the access network device based on the measurement results of N beams, and to send information for acquiring the location of the terminal, the K beams being the beams with the highest beam performance among the N measured beams, the fourth beam indication message being used to indicate the information of the K beams measured by the terminal, the location measurement information being used to indicate the time difference or angle of the signal sent by the access network device arriving at the terminal, the time difference or angle being used to acquire the second location of the terminal, the identification information of the second location and the fourth beam being used to train a candidate beam prediction model, the fourth beam being the beam actually used for communication between the access network device and the terminal among the K beams, the candidate beam prediction model being a beam prediction model that has not been trained, and K being a positive integer less than or equal to N. In other words, during the training phase of the beam prediction model, the terminal can send K beams obtained through beam measurement to the access network device based on beam measurement activation information, and send location measurement information to the location management function entity. This allows the access network device to select one beam to communicate with the terminal based on these K beams, and send the identification information of that beam to the model management function entity for training the candidate beam prediction model. Furthermore, the location management function entity can calculate the terminal's second location based on the location measurement information and send this second location to the model management function entity for training the candidate beam prediction model. In this way, training samples corresponding to the terminal for training the candidate beam prediction model can be collected.

[0017] In one possible implementation, beam measurement enable information is carried within the SIB message. That is, existing messages can be reused to send beam measurement enable information. This improves resource utilization and reduces transmission latency.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the beam measurement enable information is indicated by a second value of a second preset reserved bit in the SIB message, where the second preset reserved bit is any one of a plurality of reserved bits in the SIB message. This allows the transmission of beam measurement enable information using the existing structure of SIB messages, thereby reducing the difficulty of transmitting beam measurement enable information via SIB messages.

[0019] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. This method can be executed by an access network device, or by a component of the access network device, such as the access network device's processor, chip, chip system, or circuit, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the access network device's functions. The following description uses the execution of this method by an access network device as an example. The method includes: receiving a first beam indication message from a terminal when the beam performance of a first beam is less than or equal to a threshold; and sending an updated beam indication message to a model management function entity in response to the first beam indication message; wherein the first beam is a beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal, predicted by the beam prediction model based on the first location of the terminal; the first beam indication message is used to indicate information of M beams measured by the terminal, the M beams being the top M beams in terms of beam performance among N beams measured, the N beams being all beams used by the access network device for communication; the updated beam indication message is used to indicate a second beam, the second beam being the beam actually used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal among the M beams; and the model management function entity is used to update the beam prediction model based on the second beam, where N is a positive integer and M is a positive integer less than or equal to N.

[0020] Based on the second aspect of the method, when the beam performance predicted by the terminal using the beam prediction model is less than or equal to a threshold, it indicates that the beam prediction may be inaccurate. In this case, the terminal sends the M beams with the highest beam performance out of the N measured beams to the access network device. The access network device then determines a second beam for communication with the terminal based on these M beams and sends this second beam to the model management function entity, allowing the model management function entity to update the beam prediction model based on this second beam. In this way, even when the prediction result obtained by the terminal using the beam prediction model is inaccurate, a more accurate beam can be obtained through actual beam measurement for communication between the access network device and the terminal. Furthermore, the model management function entity can update the beam prediction model based on this beam, thereby improving the accuracy of the transmitted beam predicted by the updated beam prediction model for communication between the access network device and the terminal.

[0021] In one possible implementation, before receiving the first beam indication information from the terminal, the method of the second aspect further includes: receiving a configuration information request message from the terminal, the configuration information request message being used to request the access network device to send information for measuring all beams used by the access network device for communication; and in response to the configuration information request message, sending a configuration information response message to the terminal, the configuration information response message being used to indicate information for measuring N beams.

[0022] In one possible implementation, before receiving the first beam indication information from the terminal, the method of the second aspect further includes: receiving first model status indication information from a model management function entity, the first model status indication information being used to indicate that the beam prediction model has completed training; and in response to the first model status indication information, broadcasting model activation information, the model activation information being used to instruct the terminal to activate the beam prediction model.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the model enable information is carried in the SIB message.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the model enable information is indicated by the first value of a first preset reserved bit in the SIB message, where the first preset reserved bit is any one of a plurality of reserved bits in the SIB message.

[0025] In one possible implementation, before receiving the first beam indication information from the terminal, the method of the second aspect further includes: receiving second model status indication information from a model management function entity, the second model status indication information indicating that the beam prediction model has been updated; and, in response to the second model status indication information, broadcasting an update model enable message, the update model enable message indicating that the terminal enables the updated beam prediction model. Thus, the model management function entity can trigger the access network device to instruct terminals within its network coverage area to enable the updated beam prediction model when the beam prediction model update is complete.

[0026] In one possible implementation, before receiving the first beam indication information from the terminal, the method of the second aspect further includes: receiving third model status indication information from a model management function entity, the third model status indication information indicating that the beam prediction model has not completed training; and, in response to the third model status indication information, broadcasting beam measurement enable information, the beam measurement enable information instructing the terminal to send K beams to the access network device based on the measurement results of N beams, and to send information for obtaining the location of the terminal, wherein the K beams are the K beams with the best beam performance among the N measured beams, and K is a positive integer less than or equal to N. Thus, the model management function entity can trigger the access network device to instruct terminals within its network coverage area to use beam measurement to obtain K beams when the beam prediction model has not completed training.

[0027] In one possible implementation, after broadcasting beam measurement enable information, the method of the second aspect further includes: receiving a fourth beam indication message from the terminal, the fourth beam indication message being used to indicate information of K beams measured by the terminal; and in response to the fourth beam indication message, sending a training beam indication message to a model management function entity, the training beam indication message being used to indicate a fourth beam, the fourth beam being the beam among the K beams actually used for communication between the access network device and the terminal, and the fourth beam being used to train a candidate beam prediction model, the candidate beam prediction model being a beam prediction model that has not been trained.

[0028] In one possible implementation, beam measurement enable information is carried in the SIB message.

[0029] In one possible implementation, beam measurement enable information is indicated by a second value of a second preset reserved bit in the SIB message, where the second preset reserved bit is any one of a plurality of reserved bits in the SIB message.

[0030] Furthermore, the technical effects of the method described in the second aspect can also refer to the technical effects of the method described in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0031] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. This method can be executed by a model management function entity, or by a component of the model management function entity, such as a processor, chip, chip system, or circuit of the model management function entity. It can also be implemented by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the model management function entity. The following description uses the execution of this method by a model management function entity as an example. The method includes: acquiring the state of a beam prediction model, and sending a first model state indication information, a second model state indication information, or a third model state indication information to an access network device based on the state of the beam prediction model; wherein the beam prediction model is used to predict the beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal based on the location of the terminal; the first model state indication information indicates that the beam prediction model has completed training; the second model state indication information indicates that the beam prediction model has completed updating; and the third model state indication information indicates that the beam prediction model has not completed training.

[0032] Based on the third aspect of the method, the model management function entity can trigger the access network device to instruct terminals within its network coverage area to acquire the beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal, based on the state of the beam prediction model. In this way, it is possible to switch the beam acquisition method used by the terminal at different stages of the beam prediction model (such as acquiring the beam through the beam prediction model or acquiring the beam through measurement beam).

[0033] In one possible implementation, after sending the first model status indication information to the access network device, the method of the third aspect further includes: receiving an updated beam indication message from the access network device, the updated beam indication message including the terminal's identification information and the identification information of a second beam, the second beam being the beam actually used for communication between the access network device and the terminal out of M beams, the M beams being the beams with the highest beam performance out of N measured beams, the N beams being all beams used for communication by the access network device, N being a positive integer and M being a positive integer less than or equal to N; receiving a first location indication message from the terminal, the first location indication message including the first location of the terminal and the terminal's identification information; and obtaining an update sample based on the updated beam indication message and the first location indication message, the update sample being used to update the beam prediction model, and the update sample including the identification information of the first location and the second beam. In this way, the model management function entity can accurately and quickly obtain the update sample.

[0034] In one possible implementation, after sending the third model status indication information to the access network device, the method of the third aspect further includes: receiving a training beam indication message from the access network device, the training beam indication message including the terminal's identification information and the identification information of a fourth beam, the fourth beam being the beam actually used for communication between the access network device and the terminal out of K beams, the K beams being the beams with the top K beam performance out of N measured beams, the N beams being all beams used for communication by the access network device, N being a positive integer, and K being a positive integer less than or equal to N; receiving a second location indication message from the location management function entity, the second location indication message including the terminal's identification information and the terminal's second location; and obtaining training samples based on the training beam indication message and the second location indication message, the training samples including the second location and the identification information of the fourth beam, and the training samples being used to train a candidate beam prediction model, the candidate beam prediction model being an incomplete beam prediction model. In this way, the model management function entity can accurately and quickly obtain training samples.

[0035] Fourthly, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: an access network device performing the method described in the second aspect, and a model management function entity performing the method described in the third aspect.

[0036] Fifthly, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes: a module for performing the method described in any one of the first to third aspects, such as a transceiver module and a processing module. For example, the transceiver module is used to instruct the transceiver function of the communication device, and the processing module is used to perform functions of the communication device other than the transceiver function.

[0037] Optionally, the transceiver module may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module implements the sending function of the communication device described in the fifth aspect, and the receiving module implements the receiving function of the communication device described in the fifth aspect.

[0038] Optionally, the communication device described in the fifth aspect may further include a storage module storing programs or instructions. When the processing module executes the program or instructions, the communication device can perform the method described in any one of the first to third aspects.

[0039] It is understood that the communication device described in the fifth aspect may be a terminal device or a network device, or it may be a chip (system) or other component or assembly that can be disposed in the terminal device or the network device, or it may be a device that includes the terminal device or the network device. This application does not limit it in this regard.

[0040] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication device described in the fifth aspect can be referred to the technical effects of the method described in any of the implementations of the first to third aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0041] A sixth aspect provides a communication device. The communication device includes a processor, which, when executing computer instructions, causes the communication device to perform the method described in any one of the possible implementations of the first to third aspects.

[0042] In one possible design, the communication device described in the sixth aspect may further include a transceiver. This transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device described in the sixth aspect and other communication devices.

[0043] In one possible design, the communication device described in the sixth aspect may further include a memory. This memory may be integrated with the processor or disposed separately. The memory may be used to store computer programs and / or data relating to the methods described in any of the first to third aspects.

[0044] In the embodiments of this application, the communication device described in the sixth aspect may be a terminal device or network device described in any one of the first to third aspects, or may be a chip (system) or other component or assembly disposed in the terminal device or network device, or may include the terminal device or network device.

[0045] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication device described in the sixth aspect can be referred to the technical effects of the method described in any of the implementations of the first to third aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0046] A seventh aspect provides a communication device. The communication device includes a processor coupled to a memory, the processor being configured to execute a computer program stored in the memory, such that the communication device performs the method described in any one of the possible implementations of the first to third aspects.

[0047] In one possible design, the communication device described in the seventh aspect may further include a transceiver. This transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device described in the seventh aspect and other communication devices.

[0048] In the embodiments of this application, the communication device described in the seventh aspect may be a terminal device or network device described in any one of the first to third aspects, or may be a chip (system) or other component or assembly disposed in the terminal device or network device, or may include the terminal device or network device.

[0049] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication device described in the seventh aspect can be referred to the technical effects of the method described in any of the implementations of the first to third aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0050] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store a computer program, which, when executed by the processor, causes the communication device to perform the method described in any one of the first to third aspects.

[0051] In one possible design, the communication device described in the eighth aspect may further include a transceiver. This transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device described in the eighth aspect and other communication devices.

[0052] In the embodiments of this application, the communication device described in the eighth aspect may be a terminal device or network device described in any one of the first to third aspects, or may be a chip (system) or other component or assembly disposed in the terminal device or network device, or may include the terminal device or network device.

[0053] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication device described in the eighth aspect can be referred to the technical effects of the method described in any of the implementations of the first to third aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0054] A ninth aspect provides a communication chip, comprising: a logic circuit and a communication interface, the logic circuit being used to execute computer instructions, and the communication interface being used for the communication chip to communicate with other devices or chips, wherein when the logic circuit executes the computer instructions, the method described in any one of the first to third aspects is implemented.

[0055] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising: an access network device for performing the method of the second aspect, and a model management function entity for performing the method of the third aspect.

[0056] Eleventh aspect: A computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising: a computer program or instructions; when the computer program or instructions are executed on a computer, the computer causes the computer to perform the method described in any one of the possible implementations of the first to third aspects.

[0057] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in any one of the possible implementations of the first to third aspects. Attached Figure Description

[0058] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0059] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the architecture of the 5GS fifth-generation mobile communication system provided in this application embodiment;

[0060] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the communication system architecture provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 1 ;

[0061] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the communication system architecture provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 2 ;

[0062] Figure 4 Flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 1 ;

[0063] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the beam prediction model provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0064] Figure 6 Flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 2 ;

[0065] Figure 7 Flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 3 ;

[0066] Figure 8Schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the application embodiments Figure 1 ;

[0067] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the application embodiments Figure 2 . Detailed Implementation

[0068] For ease of understanding, the technical terms involved in the embodiments of this application will be introduced below.

[0069] 1. 5G mobile communication system (5G system, 5GS)

[0070] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the 5GS architecture, as shown below. Figure 1 As shown, 5GS includes: access network (AN) and core network (CN), and may also include: terminals.

[0071] The aforementioned terminal can be a terminal with transceiver capabilities, or a chip or chip system that can be installed on the terminal. This terminal can also be referred to as terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, user station, mobile station (MS), mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user equipment. The terminals in the embodiments of this application may be mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, tablets, wireless data cards, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless modems, handsets, laptop computers, machine-type communication (MTC) terminals, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminals, augmented reality (AR) terminals, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, vehicle-mounted terminals, roadside units (RSUs) with terminal functions, mobile internet devices (MIDs), etc. The terminal in this application can also be an on-board module, on-board unit, on-board component, on-board chip, or on-board unit built into a vehicle as one or more components or units. The embodiments of this application do not limit the type or category of the terminal device.

[0072] The aforementioned Access Network (AN) is used to implement access-related functions. It can provide network access functionality for authorized users in a specific area and determine transmission links of different quality based on user level and service requirements to transmit user data. The AN forwards control signals and user data between the terminal and the Network Access Network (CN). The AN may include access network equipment, also known as radio access network (RAN) equipment. The CN is primarily responsible for maintaining the mobile network's subscription data and providing terminal equipment with functions such as session management, mobility management, policy management, and security authentication. The CN mainly includes the following: User plane function (UPF), Authentication server function (AUSF), Access and mobility management function (AMF), Session management function (SMF), Network slice selection function (NSSF), Network exposure function (NEF), Network repository function (NRF), Policy control function (PCF), Unified data management (UDM), Unified data repository (UDR), Application function (AF), and Location management function (LMF).

[0073] like Figure 1 As shown, the UE accesses the 5G network through the RAN equipment. The UE communicates with the AMF through the N1 interface (N1 for short); the RAN communicates with the AMF through the N2 interface (N2 for short); the RAN communicates with the UPF through the N3 interface (N3 for short); the SMF communicates with the UPF through the N4 interface (N4 for short); and the UPF accesses the data network (DN) through the N6 interface (N6 for short). Furthermore, Figure 1The control plane functions shown, such as AUSF, AMF, SMF, NSSF, NEF, NRF, PCF, UDM, UDR, and AF, interact using service-oriented interfaces. For example, the service-oriented interfaces provided by AUSF include Nausf; AMF includes Namf; SMF includes Nsmf; NSSF includes Nnssf; NEF includes Nnef; NRF includes Nnrf; PCF includes Npcf; UDM includes Nudm; UDR includes Nudr; AF includes Naf; and LMF includes Nlmf.

[0074] RAN equipment can be a device that provides access for terminal devices. For example, RAN equipment may include: access network equipment or base stations in a next-generation mobile communication system, or in a next-generation mobile communication system, the network equipment may have other naming conventions, all of which are covered within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application, and this application does not limit them in any way. Alternatively, RAN equipment may also include 5G, such as gNB in ​​an NR system, or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in 5G, or it may be a network node constituting a gNB, a transmission and reception point (TRP) or transmission point (TP) or transmission measurement function (TMF), such as a building base band unit (BBU), or a centralized unit (CU) or distributed unit (DU), an RSU with base station function, or a wired access gateway, or the core network of 5G. Alternatively, RAN equipment may also include access points (APs), wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small stations), relay stations, access points, wearable devices, vehicle-mounted equipment, etc. in wireless fidelity (WiFi) systems.

[0075] Location-based positioning (LMF) services are used to provide terminal positioning services. Its primary responsibilities include handling tasks related to location data acquisition, processing, storage, and distribution. By working in conjunction with various positioning systems (such as GPS, BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, and mobile communication base stations), LMF can accurately acquire location information from various devices (such as base stations and terminals). For details on AMF, SMF, NSSF, NEF, NRF, UDM, UDR, and AF, please refer to existing technical descriptions; further elaboration is not provided here.

[0076] It should be understood that the above naming is defined solely for the purpose of distinguishing different functions and should not constitute any limitation on this application. This application does not preclude the possibility of using other naming conventions in 5G networks and other future networks. For example, in future communication networks, some or all of the above-mentioned network elements may use the terminology from 5G, or they may use other names, etc.

[0077] To address the aforementioned issue that predicting the transmission beam used by access network equipment for communication with the terminal using an AI model during beam measurement may result in a non-optimal transmission beam, thus reducing the communication quality between the terminal and the access network equipment, this application proposes an AI model that can predict the beam used by the access network equipment for communication with the terminal based on the terminal's location. Specifically, the terminal can input its location into the AI ​​model to obtain the beam predicted by the beam prediction model. Furthermore, when the terminal determines that the predicted beam is inaccurate during the prediction process using the AI ​​model, it acquires at least one beam used by the access network equipment for communication with the terminal through beam measurement. This information, along with the terminal's location, is then sent to the model management function entity to update the AI ​​model, thereby improving the accuracy of the updated AI model's prediction of the beam used by the access network equipment for communication with the terminal.

[0078] The technical solutions of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. The following embodiments are provided as examples to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and should not be used to limit the scope of protection of this application. Those skilled in the art will understand that, without conflict, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0079] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication systems, such as long-term evolution (LET) systems, 5G mobile communication systems, such as NR systems, and future communication systems.

[0080] This application will focus on aspects, embodiments, or features relating to systems that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood that individual systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, combinations of these approaches are also possible.

[0081] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" and "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of the term "exemplary" is intended to present the concept in a concrete manner. Similar reference numerals and letters in the following figures indicate similar items, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures. At the same time, relational terms such as "first" and "second" in the description of this application are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0082] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "information," "signal," "message," "channel," and "singaling" may sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that, without emphasizing their distinction, their intended meanings are matched. Similarly, the terms "of," "corresponding (relevant)," and "corresponding" may sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that, without emphasizing their distinction, their intended meanings are matched.

[0083] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0084] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, firstly... Figure 2 Taking the communication system shown as an example, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application will be described in detail. For example, Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application is applicable.

[0085] like Figure 2 As shown, the communication system can apply the aforementioned 5GS, and the communication system mainly includes: a terminal, access network equipment, and a model management function entity.

[0086] There can be one or more terminals, such as a first terminal, a second terminal, and a third terminal. For details on the specific terminal, please refer to the relevant introduction in the aforementioned "1. 5GS" section; it will not be repeated here.

[0087] There can be one or more access network devices, such as a first access network device, a second access network device, and a third access network device. These access network devices can be the access network devices described in the aforementioned 5GS, such as RAN devices. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction in the "1.5GS" section above; it will not be repeated here.

[0088] The model management function entity can be used to perform at least one of the following operations: training an AI model, updating an AI model, storing an AI model, or managing an AI model. Furthermore, the model management function entity can provide AI model download services to terminals or access network devices. The model management function entity can also be referred to as a "model management server," "model server," "model cloud server," or other names. The model management function entity can be located in core network or access network devices. The model management function entity can be a standalone device, such as a server, cloud server, computer, personal computer (PC), or laptop; or, the model management function entity can be integrated with other devices, for example, when the model management function entity is located in the core network, it can be integrated with core network elements (such as UPF, PCF, or network data analytics function (NWDAF)).

[0089] Optionally, the aforementioned communication system also includes an LMF entity. The LMF entity can be referred to in the relevant description in "1. 5GS" above, and will not be repeated here.

[0090] For example, such as Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 The communication system shown includes multiple terminals, R access network devices, a model management function entity, and an LMF entity. That is, in this communication system, there are R cells, each cell includes one access network device and multiple terminals, which can be single-antenna terminals. The model management function entity is used to provide beam prediction model-related services to multiple terminals and R access network devices, and the LMF entity is used to provide positioning services to multiple terminals. R is a positive integer.

[0091] In the aforementioned communication system, the terminal can combine the prediction results of the beam prediction model with the actual communication effect of the beam. When the beam performance of the beam predicted by the beam prediction model based on its location is less than a threshold, the terminal sends M beams measured by the terminal to the access network device, and sends its location to the model management function entity. This allows the access network device to determine a beam for communication with the terminal based on the M beams, and indicate this beam to the model management function entity. This enables the model management function entity to update the beam prediction model based on the terminal's location and the beam, thereby improving the accuracy of the transmission beam predicted by the updated beam prediction model for communication between the access network device and the terminal.

[0092] It should be understood that the above description is an exemplary description of the embodiments of this application and is not intended to limit the embodiments of this application. For specific embodiments of this application, please refer to the following: Figures 4-7 The illustrated embodiments are described below.

[0093] To make it easier to understand, the training process of the beam prediction model will be introduced below.

[0094] Regarding the training process of the beam prediction model, the model management function entity can first acquire (or collect) samples for training candidate beam prediction models. After the number of samples reaches the sample threshold, all the acquired samples are used to train the candidate beam prediction model to obtain the beam prediction model.

[0095] For example, the model management function entity can obtain the location of each terminal and the beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal for each terminal within the network service range of the access network device, and use the location and the beam as a training sample to obtain multiple training samples. The following section combines... Figure 4 Taking the acquisition of the location and beam corresponding to a terminal as an example, this paper introduces the process of acquiring a training sample.

[0096] The above Figure 4Flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 1 This method can be used for communication between terminals, access network equipment, LMF entities, and model management function entities in the aforementioned communication systems.

[0097] like Figure 4 As shown, the above communication method includes:

[0098] S401, the model management function entity sends model status indication information to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the model status indication information from the model management function entity.

[0099] The model status indicator is used to indicate that the beam prediction model has not completed training. This model status indicator can be a pre-set or protocol-defined state variable, such as 0 or 1, and can be set according to the actual situation without restriction.

[0100] The beam prediction model is used to predict the beams used by access network devices to communicate with the terminal based on the terminal's location.

[0101] The fact that the beam prediction model has not been trained can be understood as: there is currently no beam prediction model corresponding to the access network device; or, in other words, terminals within the network coverage area of ​​the access network device need to measure the beam corresponding to the access network device to determine the beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal.

[0102] The model management function entity can send model status indication information to the access network device when the deployment of the access network device begins.

[0103] S402, in response to model status indication information, the access network device broadcasts beam measurement enable information.

[0104] The beam measurement enable information is used to instruct the terminal to send K beams to the access network device based on the measurement results of N beams, as well as to send information for obtaining the location of the terminal, where N is a positive integer and K is a positive integer less than or equal to N.

[0105] The N beams are all the beams used for communication by the access network equipment. These N beams can be predefined by the protocol or pre-configured by the access network equipment, without restriction.

[0106] The K beams are the K beams with the best beam performance among the N measured beams. The beam performance characterizes the communication quality of the access network device communicating with the terminal via that beam. This beam performance can be represented by the signal strength and / or signal quality of the signal transmitted on the beam as measured by the terminal. The signal strength can be the reference signal received power (RSRP). The signal quality can be the reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ) or the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). RSRP, RSRQ, and SINR can be found in existing technologies and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0107] Beam measurement enable information can be carried in system information blocks (SIB) messages. That is, access network devices can send beam measurement enable information via SIB messages. Furthermore, the beam measurement enable information can be indicated by the value of a preset reserved bit in the SIB message; this preset reserved bit can be any of the multiple reserved bits in the SIB message. For example, the value of the preset reserved bit in the SIB message can be set to 0 or 1 to indicate beam measurement enable information. Beam measurement enable information can also be carried in master information block (MIB) messages or newly defined messages; the specific settings can be flexibly configured according to actual needs without restriction.

[0108] Upon receiving model status indication information, the access network device can determine that its corresponding beam prediction model has not completed training. In this case, the access network device can instruct terminals within its network coverage area to acquire K beams using beam measurement and send information to obtain the terminal's location and the beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal. Furthermore, the access network device can periodically broadcast beam measurement enable information. The broadcast interval for periodically broadcasting beam measurement enable information can be flexibly set according to actual conditions and is not limited.

[0109] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the model management function entity may not send model status indication information to the access network device, i.e., the model management function entity does not trigger the access network device to broadcast beam measurement enable information. Instead, the access network device periodically broadcasts beam measurement enable information during deployment, either pre-set or pre-defined by the protocol.

[0110] S403, in response to the beam measurement enable information, the terminal acquires the measured K beams.

[0111] After receiving the beam measurement enable information, the terminal can measure each of the N beams and, based on the measurement results of the N beams, obtain the K beams to be sent to the access network equipment.

[0112] For example, the access network device periodically broadcasts beam measurement configuration information. This beam measurement configuration information may include relevant information about N beams (such as beam bandwidth, direction, center frequency, etc.) and relevant information about beam measurement (such as the period and duration of beam measurement). After receiving beam measurement enable information, the terminal can obtain the relevant information about the N beams and the relevant information about beam measurement based on the beam measurement configuration information, and perform measurements on each of the N beams based on this information. During beam measurement, the terminal can adjust the direction of the receiving beam to align it with each beam to be measured at the base station, receive the signal transmitted by that beam, and record the signal strength and / or signal quality. After measuring the signal strength and / or signal quality of each of the N beams, the terminal can determine K beams to be sent to the access network device based on the signal strength and / or signal quality of each beam, such as sorting the N beams from best to worst according to their corresponding signal strength and / or signal quality, and determining the top K beams after sorting. When the terminal measures the signal strength and signal quality of a beam, it can take a weighted average of the measured signal strength and signal quality of the beam, and then determine K beams based on the weighted average value corresponding to each beam.

[0113] In this embodiment, the access network device can send beam measurement configuration information to the terminal device via downlink control information (DCI), SIB messages, or radio resource control (RRC) signaling. Furthermore, the specific principles and implementation of the access network device sending beam measurement configuration information, and the terminal measuring the beam based on the beam measurement configuration information, can be found in existing technologies and will not be elaborated here.

[0114] S404, the terminal sends a beam indication message to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the beam indication message from the terminal.

[0115] The beam indication message is used to indicate information about K beams measured by the terminal. These K beams can be one or more beams. When the K beams are one or more beams, the information carried in the first beam indication message is different, which will be explained below.

[0116] When K is 1, the K beams can be the optimal beam with the best beam performance among the N beams. The beam indication message can include the terminal's identification information and the optimal beam's identification information. The terminal's identification information can be the terminal's ID, International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), or Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI). The optimal beam's identification information can be the optimal beam's index or identifier.

[0117] When K is a positive integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to N, the aforementioned beam indication message may include terminal identification information, identification information for K beams, and information indicating the beam performance of the K beams. The identification information for the K beams may be the index or identifier of each beam in the K beams, and the information indicating the beam performance of the K beams may be the signal strength and / or signal quality corresponding to each beam in the K beams. The beam identification information and the information indicating the beam performance are related; for example, the beam identification information and the information indicating the beam performance can be set in the same cell.

[0118] Once the terminal acquires the measured K beams, it can send information about these K beams to the access network device. Upon receiving the beam indication message, the access network device can determine the beam used for communication with the terminal from the K beams indicated in the message. For example, when K is 1, the access network device can determine that the beam indicated in the beam indication message is the beam used for communication with the terminal. Alternatively, when K is a positive integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to N, the access network device can determine one beam from the K beams for communication with the terminal based on the beam performance (signal strength and / or signal quality of each beam) and the actual situation of the access network device (such as network load, service requirements, etc.). After determining the beam for communication with the terminal from the K beams, the access network device uses this beam to communicate with the terminal and sends a training beam indication message to the model management function entity, so that the model management function entity uses this beam to update the candidate beam prediction model.

[0119] S405, in response to the beam indication message, the access network device sends a training beam indication message to the model management function entity. Correspondingly, the model management function entity receives the training beam indication message from the access network device.

[0120] The training beam indication message includes the terminal's identification information and the target beam's identification information.

[0121] The target beam is the beam among the K beams that is actually used for communication between the access network equipment and the terminal. Furthermore, the target beam is used to train the candidate beam prediction model, which is an incomplete beam prediction model.

[0122] S406, the terminal sends a positioning reference signal (PRS) request message to the LMF entity. Correspondingly, the LMF entity receives the PRS request message from the terminal.

[0123] A PRS request message is used to request PRS. This PRS request message may include at least one of the following: PRS configuration identifier, PRS configuration parameters, or PRS configuration information.

[0124] The PRS configuration identifier is a predefined set of PRS configuration parameters IDs. Terminals can determine the PRS configuration parameters corresponding to their current environment based on these predefined sets of PRS configuration parameters.

[0125] The PRS configuration parameters are at least one of the following parameters: period change, time offset, repetition count, bandwidth, comb pattern, and change in transmit power (or frequency). Wherein, period change is the amount of change in the PRS period; time offset is the offset of the PRS in the time domain; repetition count is the number of times the PRS is transmitted; bandwidth is the frequency domain range used for transmitting the PRS; comb pattern refers to the distribution pattern of the PRS in the frequency domain; and change in transmit power (or frequency) is the specific value by which the transmit power or frequency of the PRS changes compared to the initial configuration.

[0126] PRS configuration information can be used to indicate the current service type or positioning accuracy of the terminal, and the PRS configuration information can be the index corresponding to the current service type or positioning accuracy of the terminal.

[0127] The aforementioned PRS request message can be an LTE positioning protocol (LPP) message. This LPP message can be referenced from existing technologies, and will not be elaborated here.

[0128] After receiving the beam measurement enable information, the terminal can send a PRS request message to the LMF entity to obtain its location. Furthermore, after receiving the beam measurement enable information, the terminal can perform S403 and S406 simultaneously, or sequentially, such as performing S403 first and then S406, or vice versa; there are no restrictions.

[0129] S407, In response to the PRS request message, the LMF entity sends a PRS configuration update request message to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the PRS configuration update request message from the LMF entity.

[0130] The PRS configuration update request message is used to request an update to the PRS configuration and to send the PRS based on the updated PRS configuration. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the existing technology, which will not be repeated here.

[0131] In response to the PRS configuration request message (S408), the access network device sends a PRS to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the PRS from the access network device.

[0132] PRS is used for positioning calculations. For details, please refer to the relevant introductions in existing technologies. It will not be repeated here.

[0133] S409, the terminal obtains location measurement information based on the PRS.

[0134] Location measurement information is used to indicate the time difference of arrival (TDOA) or angle of arrival (AOA) of the PRS sent by the access network device to the terminal. This time difference or angle can be used to determine the location of the terminal.

[0135] In this embodiment of the application, the receiver on the terminal can capture the PRS from the access network device through the radio frequency front end and the digital signal processing unit; after the receiver captures the PRS, the terminal can start a measurement program to determine the TDOA of the PRS arriving at the terminal by calculating the time difference of the PRS arriving at the terminal, or to determine the AOA of the PRS arriving at the terminal by analyzing the phase difference of the PRS on different antenna elements.

[0136] S4010, the terminal sends location measurement information to the LMF entity. Correspondingly, the LMF entity receives the location measurement information from the terminal.

[0137] That is, after the terminal receives the TDOA or AOA from the PRS of the access network device, it can send the TDOA or AOA to the LMF entity.

[0138] S4011, the LMF entity calculates the terminal's location based on location measurement information.

[0139] LMF can calculate the terminal's location (denoted as location #1) based on the location of the access network device and the TDOA (or AOA) of the PRS reaching the terminal. The specific implementation principle can be found in existing technologies, which will not be elaborated here.

[0140] It is understood that the specific implementation of S406-S411 above can refer to existing technologies, and will not be elaborated here.

[0141] S4012, the LMF entity sends a location indication message to the model management function entity based on the location measurement results. Correspondingly, the model management function entity receives the location indication message from the LMF entity.

[0142] The location indication message may include the terminal's identification information and information indicating location #1. This information can be the latitude and longitude corresponding to location #1 or the location information of location #1 relative to the access network device; there are no restrictions.

[0143] After obtaining the location of the terminal based on location measurement information, the LMF entity can send the terminal's location to the model management function entity, so that the model management function entity can update the candidate beam prediction model based on the terminal's location.

[0144] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the terminal can also obtain its location through other means (such as GPS or satellite positioning) and send its location to the model management function entity. In this case, the terminal does not need to perform the above-described S406-S4012.

[0145] S4013, the model management function entity obtains training samples based on beam indication messages and position indication messages.

[0146] Upon receiving the beam indication message and the location indication message, the model management entity can associate (or match) the target beam identification information in the beam indication message and the information indicating location #1 in the location indication message, based on the terminal identification information in the beam indication message and the location indication message. In other words, the model management entity can use the target beam identification information and location #1 as a training sample. This training sample can be used to train the candidate beam prediction model, and location #1 in the training sample can be used as input data, while the target beam identification information can be used as a standard value; that is, this information can be considered as the label corresponding to location #1.

[0147] It can be understood that S401-S4013 above describes the process of obtaining one sample for a single terminal. For each terminal within the network coverage area of ​​the access network device, each terminal can obtain the training sample corresponding to that terminal through the above process.

[0148] When the number of samples obtained by the model management function entity is greater than the sample threshold, the model management function entity can divide the sample data into a training set and a test set according to a preset ratio (such as 7:3 or 8:2), and use the training set to train the candidate beam prediction model.

[0149] After the beam prediction model is trained, the model management function entity can test the trained beam prediction model using a test set. If the accuracy of the beam prediction model is greater than an accuracy threshold (e.g., 80%, 75%, or 70%), the beam prediction model is stored, and terminals within the network coverage area of ​​the access network device use the beam prediction model. If the accuracy of the beam prediction model is less than or equal to the accuracy threshold, training samples are obtained again using the above method, and the obtained training samples are used to continue training the beam prediction model. The training method for candidate beam prediction models in this application embodiment can reuse existing model training methods, and will not be described in detail here.

[0150] Furthermore, the beam prediction model in the embodiments of this application can be a neural network model. For example... Figure 5 As shown, the input data of the beam prediction model is the location of the terminal. The input data is processed by neurons in the neural network model to obtain the output data of the beam prediction model, which is the identification information of the beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal (such as the beam index or identifier).

[0151] After the beam prediction model corresponding to the access network device is trained, terminals within the network coverage area of ​​the access network device can use the beam prediction model to predict the transmission beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal. Furthermore, during the terminal's use of the beam prediction model, if the terminal determines that the beam predicted by the beam prediction model is inaccurate, it can obtain at least one beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal through beam measurement, and send this at least one beam and the terminal's location to the model management function entity to update the beam prediction model. The following section combines... Figure 6 Detailed introduction.

[0152] For example, Figure 6 Flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 2 This method can be used for communication between terminals, access network devices, and model management functional entities in the aforementioned communication system.

[0153] like Figure 6 As shown, the above communication method includes:

[0154] S601, the terminal obtains the beam performance of the first beam.

[0155] The first beam is the beam predicted by the beam prediction model based on the terminal's first location, which is used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal. That is, this first beam can be used by the access network device to send signals to the terminal.

[0156] A beam prediction model is used to predict the beam used by an access network device to communicate with a terminal based on the terminal's location. The input data to this beam prediction model can be the terminal's location, and the output data can be the identification information of the beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal. For example, if the terminal's location is location #a1, and location #a1 is input to the beam prediction model, and the model outputs identification #a1, then the beam predicted by the beam prediction model is the beam indicated by identification #a1. That is, the beam indicated by identification #a1 can be used by the access network device to send signals to the terminal.

[0157] Different access network devices correspond to different beam prediction models. In other words, terminals located within the network coverage area of ​​different access network devices can use different beam prediction models to predict beams. For example, a communication system includes three access network devices: access network device #b1, access network device #b2, and access network device #b3. Access network device #b1 corresponds to beam prediction model #b1, access network device #b2 corresponds to beam prediction model #b2, and access network device #b3 corresponds to beam prediction model #b3. Terminals within the network coverage area of ​​access network device #b1 can use beam prediction model #b1 to predict beams, terminals within the network coverage area of ​​access network device #b2 can use beam prediction model #b2, and terminals within the network coverage area of ​​access network device #b3 can use beam prediction model #b3.

[0158] Optionally, the beam prediction model is obtained from the model management function entity, which is used to manage the beam prediction models corresponding to different access network devices.

[0159] The model management function entity can store the correspondence between the network coverage areas of different access network devices and different beam prediction models. Furthermore, the model management function entity can determine the beam prediction model used by the terminal based on this correspondence and the terminal's location. For example, the model management function entity can determine the network coverage area of ​​the terminal based on its location; then, based on that network coverage area, it can determine the beam prediction model corresponding to that network coverage area, which is the beam prediction model used by the terminal. Continuing the example above, the network coverage area #b1 of access network device #b1 corresponds to the beam prediction model #b1, the network coverage area #b2 of access network device #b2 corresponds to the beam prediction model #b2, and the network coverage area #b3 of access network device #b3 corresponds to the beam prediction model #b3. Terminal #b is located at location #b, which is within the network coverage area #b2. When the model management function entity determines that location #b is within the network coverage area #b2, it determines that terminal #b uses the beam prediction model #b2 corresponding to the network coverage area #b2 to predict the beam used by access network device #b2 to communicate with terminal #b.

[0160] In this embodiment, the model management function entity manages the beam prediction models corresponding to different access network devices, facilitating unified management of multiple beam prediction models for different access network devices. Furthermore, the model management function entity can be used to generate beam prediction models corresponding to different access network devices. In this case, access network devices do not need to generate their own corresponding beam prediction models, eliminating the need to equip access network devices with high-performance hardware resources, thereby reducing costs; and it can generate beam prediction models corresponding to already deployed access network devices.

[0161] Before using the beam prediction model, the terminal can request the beam prediction model from the model management function entity based on its location. That is, before the terminal obtains the beam performance of the first beam (i.e., S601), the method may further include: the terminal sending a model request message to the model management function entity, and the model management function entity receiving the model request message from the terminal, wherein the model request message is used to request the beam prediction model corresponding to the first location where the terminal is located; in response to the model request message, the model management function entity sending a model response message to the terminal, and the terminal receiving the model response message from the model management function entity, wherein the model response message is used to indicate the beam prediction model.

[0162] The aforementioned model request message may include the terminal's identification information and information indicating the first location. The identification information may be the terminal's ID, IMSI, or SUPI; details can be found in existing technologies and will not be elaborated here. The information indicating the first location may be the latitude and longitude corresponding to that location.

[0163] The model response message may include information indicating the beam prediction model. This information may include the model's identifier or download link.

[0164] Upon receiving a model request message, the model management entity can determine the network coverage area of ​​the first location based on the information indicating that first location in the message. Then, based on that network coverage area, it can determine the beam prediction model corresponding to that coverage area; that is, the beam prediction model is the beam prediction model corresponding to the first location. Upon receiving a model response message, the terminal can obtain the beam prediction model based on the information indicating that beam prediction model in the response message. For example, it can download the beam prediction model corresponding to the identifier from the location where beam prediction models are stored, or it can download the beam prediction model via a download link.

[0165] After obtaining the beam prediction model through the model management function entity, the beam prediction model terminal can use it to predict the beam used by the access network device for communication with the terminal. Specifically, the terminal can input its initial location into the beam prediction model to obtain the first beam output by the model. The terminal must be within the network coverage area of ​​the access network device, or in other words, within the cell where the access network device is located. In this case, the terminal can establish a communication connection with the access network device and conduct communication.

[0166] The terminal's initial location is its position for subsequent communication with access network equipment, and this initial location can be the terminal's position when using a beam prediction model. There are several ways to obtain the initial location, such as through an LMF entity or through satellite positioning. The method of obtaining the initial location through an LMF entity is explained in detail below.

[0167] When a terminal obtains its location through an LMF entity, it can request a PRS from the LMF entity, which will then trigger the access network device to send the PRS to the terminal. Based on the PRS sent by the access network device, the terminal can measure the TDOA or AOA at which the PRS arrives at the terminal, and obtain the first location based on the TDOA or AOA.

[0168] For example, before the terminal acquires the beam performance of the first beam (i.e., S601), the method may further include: the terminal sending a PRS request message to the LMF entity, and correspondingly, the LMF entity receiving the PRS request message from the terminal, wherein the PRS request message is used to request PRS; in response to the PRS request message, the LMF entity sending a PRS configuration update request message to the access network device, and correspondingly, the access network device receiving the PRS configuration update request message from the LMF entity, wherein the PRS configuration update request message is used to request an update to the PRS configuration; in response to the PRS configuration update request message, the access network device receives the PRS configuration update request message from the LMF entity. The network access device sends a PRS to the terminal, and the terminal receives the PRS from the access network device. Based on the PRS, the terminal obtains location measurement information and sends the location measurement information to the LMF entity. The LMF entity receives the location measurement information from the terminal, wherein the location measurement information includes the TDOA or AOA of the PRS reaching the terminal. After receiving the location measurement information, the LMF entity calculates the terminal's location based on the TDOA or AOA and sends the location information to the terminal. The terminal receives the location information from the LMF entity, wherein the location information is used to indicate the terminal's first location.

[0169] It is understandable that the specific implementation of the terminal obtaining its location through the LMF entity is similar to the aforementioned... Figure 4 In the embodiment shown, the terminal sends location measurement information to the LMF entity. The specific implementation of the LMF entity calculating the location of the terminal based on the location measurement information is similar. For details, please refer to the aforementioned related introduction, which will not be repeated here.

[0170] In this embodiment of the application, the terminal requests a PRS from the LMF entity and obtains its location based on the PRS, which can provide the accuracy of the obtained location information, thereby improving the accuracy of the beam predicted using the beam prediction model.

[0171] The beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal can be understood as: the beam through which the access network device sends signals to the terminal. This beam is any one of all the transmission beams used by the access network device for communication.

[0172] The beam performance of the first beam characterizes the communication quality of access network equipment communicating with terminals via the first beam. This beam performance can be represented by the signal strength and / or signal quality of the signal transmitted on the first beam as measured by the terminal. The signal strength can be RSRP. The signal quality can be RSRQ or SINR. RSRP, RSRQ, and SINR can be found in existing technologies and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0173] In this embodiment, after acquiring the beam prediction model and the first position, the terminal can use the first position as input data for the beam prediction model to obtain the first beam. After obtaining the first beam using the first position and the beam prediction model, the terminal can measure the signal on the first beam to obtain its beam performance.

[0174] S602, if the beam performance of the first beam is less than or equal to a threshold, the terminal sends a first beam indication message to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the first beam indication information from the terminal.

[0175] The aforementioned thresholds can be set according to actual conditions. When characterizing the beam performance of a beam by the signal strength and signal quality of the signal transmitted through the beam, a threshold can be set based on the signal strength and signal quality. For example, the signal strength and signal quality can be normalized and weighted separately, and the threshold can be set based on the normalized signal strength, signal quality, and weights. Alternatively, a threshold can be set for both signal strength and signal quality. If the signal strength or signal quality is less than the threshold, it indicates that the beam performance is less than or equal to the threshold.

[0176] A beam performance of the first beam that is less than or equal to a threshold indicates poor communication quality when the access network device uses this beam to communicate with the terminal. This situation may be caused by inaccurate predictions from the beam prediction model.

[0177] The first beam indication message is used to indicate the information of M beams measured by the terminal. The M beams are the beams with the top M beam performance among the N beams measured. The N beams are all the beams used for communication by the access network device. M is an integer greater than 0 and less than or equal to N.

[0178] The M beams can be one or more beams. When the M beams are one or more beams, the information carried in the first beam indication message differs. These are explained below.

[0179] When M is 1, the M beams can be the optimal beam with the best beam performance among the N beams. The aforementioned first beam indication message can include the terminal's identification information, the optimal beam's identification information, and the measurement indication information. The optimal beam's identification information can be the index or identifier of the optimal beam, and the measurement indication information is used to indicate that the optimal beam was obtained through beam measurement.

[0180] When M is greater than 1 and less than or equal to N, the aforementioned first beam indication message may include the terminal's identification information, the identification information of M beams, and information for indicating the beam performance of the M beams; the identification information of the M beams may be the index or identifier of each beam in the M beams; and the identification information of the beams in the first beam indication message and the information for indicating the beam performance of the beams are related, such as setting the identification information of the beams and the information for indicating the beam performance of the beams in the same information cell.

[0181] If the beam performance of the first beam is less than or equal to the threshold, the terminal can measure each of the N beams and, based on the measurement results of these N beams, determine the beams with the top M beam performance among the N beams; after determining the M beams, the terminal can send first beam indication information to the access network device to indicate these M beams based on the M beams.

[0182] For example, an access network device has 8 beams, where N is 8, the 8 beams are beams #c1 to #c8, and M is 3. The beam predicted by the beam prediction model is beam #c3, and the signal strength of beam #c3 is less than or equal to a threshold. The 8 beams are sorted from largest to smallest signal strength, resulting in the following order: beam #c4, beam #5, beam #c6, beam #c3, beam #c2, beam #c1, beam #c7, and beam #c8. Based on this order, the top 3 performing beams are: beam #c4, beam #5, and beam #c6. In this case, the terminal sends the identification information of beam #c4, the signal strength of beam #c4, the identification information of beam #c5, the signal strength of beam #c5, the identification information of beam #c6, and the signal strength of beam #c6 to the access network device via a first beam indication message.

[0183] S603, in response to the first beam indication message, the access network device sends an update beam indication message to the model management function entity. Correspondingly, the model management function entity receives the update beam indication message from the access network device.

[0184] The model management function entity is used to update the beam prediction model based on the second beam (described below).

[0185] The updated beam indication message is used to indicate the second beam, and may include the terminal's identification information and the second beam's identification information. This second beam is the beam from the M beams actually used for communication between the access network device and the terminal. For example, when M is 1, the second beam is the optimal beam mentioned above; that is, in this case, the access network device can use the beam indicated by the first beam indication message to communicate with the terminal. When M is greater than 1 and less than or equal to N, the access network device can determine one beam from the M beams for communication between the access network device and the terminal, i.e., the second beam, based on the beam performance of the M beams and the actual situation of the access network device (such as network load, service requirements, etc.). The identification information of the second beam can be an index or identifier of the second beam.

[0186] After receiving the first beam indication information, the access network device can determine the second beam used for communication with the terminal based on the first beam indication information. When it is determined that the M beams are obtained by the terminal through beam measurement, the device sends the identification information of the second beam and the identification of the terminal to the model management function entity so that the model management function entity can update the beam prediction model based on the second beam.

[0187] Furthermore, when M is 1, the access network device can determine that the beam indicated by the first beam indication information is obtained through beam measurement based on the measurement indication information carried in the first beam indication information; when M is greater than 1 and less than or equal to N, the access network device can determine that the beam is obtained through beam measurement based on the fact that the number of beams indicated by the first beam indication information is multiple.

[0188] S604, the terminal sends a first location indication message to the model management function entity. Correspondingly, the model management function entity receives the first location indication message from the terminal.

[0189] The first location indication message is used to indicate a first location. This first location indication message may include the terminal's identification information and the terminal's first location, such as the latitude and longitude of the first location.

[0190] The model management function entity is used to update the beam prediction model based on the identification information of the first location and the second beam.

[0191] After receiving the update beam indication message and the first location indication message, the model management function entity can associate (or match) the identification information of the second beam in the update beam indication message with the first location in the first location indication message, based on the terminal identification information in the update beam indication message and the first location indication message. That is, the identification information of the first location and the second beam can be used as an update sample for updating the beam prediction model. In other words, the above method may further include: the model management function entity obtaining an update sample based on the update beam indication message and the first location indication message. This update sample is used to update the beam prediction model, and the update sample includes the identification information of the first location and the second beam (such as the index or identifier of the second beam).

[0192] In the above updated sample, the first position can be used as input data for updating the beam prediction model, and the identification information of the second beam can be used as a standard value, that is, the identification information can be regarded as the label corresponding to the first position.

[0193] The above S604 and S602 can be performed simultaneously or in a specific order, such as performing S602 first and then S604, or performing S604 first and then S602, without any restrictions.

[0194] In summary, in this embodiment, when the beam performance predicted by the beam prediction model is less than or equal to a threshold, the terminal sends the M beams with the top M beam performance out of the N measured beams to the access network device, and sends its first location to the model management function entity. This enables the access network device to send its second beam for communication with the terminal to the model management function entity based on the M beams. The model management function entity can then update the beam prediction model based on the first location and the second beam, such as by associating the identification information of the first location and the second beam as a sample to update the beam prediction model. Thus, when the prediction result obtained by the terminal using the beam prediction model is inaccurate, a more accurate beam can be obtained through actual beam measurement for communication between the access network device and the terminal. Furthermore, the model management function entity can update the beam prediction model based on the more accurate beam and the terminal's first location, thereby improving the accuracy of the transmitted beams predicted by the updated beam prediction model for communication between the access network device and the terminal.

[0195] Furthermore, during the use of the beam prediction model, each terminal within the network coverage area of ​​the access network device can use its location and the beam used by the access network device to communicate with that terminal as an update sample when the beam performance predicted by the beam prediction model is less than or equal to a threshold. When the number of update samples obtained by the model management function entity exceeds the update sample number threshold, the model management function entity can update the beam prediction model based on the collected update samples and store the updated beam prediction model, such as replacing the previous beam prediction model with the updated beam prediction model. The method by which the model management function entity updates the beam prediction model using update samples can reuse the existing method of updating the model through samples, without limitation.

[0196] Optionally, in conjunction with the above embodiments, before the terminal sends the first beam indication message to the access network device (i.e., S602), the method may further include: the terminal sending a configuration information request message to the access network device, and correspondingly, the access network device receiving the configuration information request message from the terminal, wherein the configuration information request message is used to request the access network device to send information for measuring all beams used by the access network device for communication; in response to the configuration information request message, the access network device sending a configuration information response message to the terminal, and correspondingly, the terminal receiving the configuration information response message from the access network device, wherein the configuration information response message is used to indicate information for measuring N beams; the terminal measuring N beams based on the configuration information response message and determining the aforementioned M beams.

[0197] The access network equipment uses the above N beams for all its communication purposes.

[0198] The information used to measure N beams can include information about the N beams themselves (such as beam bandwidth, direction, center frequency, etc.) and information related to beam measurement (such as the period and duration of the beam measurement). This information for measuring N beams is consistent with the aforementioned... Figure 4 The beam measurement configuration information in the illustrated embodiments is similar and can be used for mutual reference and understanding, so it will not be repeated here.

[0199] In this embodiment of the application, during the application phase of the beam prediction model, the access network device does not need to periodically broadcast information for measuring N beams (as described above). Figure 4 The illustrated embodiment includes beam measurement configuration information, enabling the terminal to request information for measuring N beams on demand. For example, if the beam performance of the first beam is less than or equal to a threshold, the terminal requests information from the access network device for measuring N beams. This reduces the power consumption of the access network device.

[0200] Furthermore, the configuration information request message may include the terminal's identification information and the beam performance (signal strength and / or signal quality) of the first beam. In this case, after receiving the configuration information request message, the access network device can determine that the beam performance of the first beam is less than or equal to a threshold, and based on this, determine to send a configuration information response message to the terminal. In other words, when the beam performance of the first beam is less than or equal to the threshold, the terminal can trigger the access network device to send information for measuring N beams by sending a configuration information request message to the access network device.

[0201] Furthermore, when M is 1, the aforementioned first beam indication message may not carry the aforementioned measurement indication information. That is, the terminal can instruct the access network device to send M beams to the access network device using beam measurement via a configuration request message. This reduces the terminal's communication overhead.

[0202] Optionally, in conjunction with the above embodiments, before the terminal obtains the beam performance of the first beam (i.e., S601), the method may further include: a model management function entity obtaining the state of a beam prediction model, which is used to predict the beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal based on the location of the terminal; the model management function entity sending first model state indication information to the access network device according to the state of the beam prediction model, and correspondingly, the access network device receiving the first model state indication information from the model management function entity, wherein the first model state indication information is used to indicate that the beam prediction model has completed training; in response to the first model state indication information, the access network device broadcasting model activation information, and correspondingly, the terminal receiving the model activation information from the access network device, wherein the model activation information is used to indicate that the terminal activates the beam prediction model; and the terminal obtaining the first beam by inputting the first location into the beam prediction model according to the model activation information.

[0203] The beam prediction model's status is "Beam prediction model has completed training." The model management function entity can obtain the status of the beam prediction model upon completion of training.

[0204] When the beam prediction model completes training, the model management entity can indicate to the access network device that the corresponding beam prediction model for that access network device has completed training. This allows the access network device to broadcast model activation information, instructing terminals within its network coverage area to use the beam prediction model. This enables switching between acquiring beams through beam measurement and acquiring beams through the beam prediction model.

[0205] Furthermore, the model activation information is carried in the System Message Block (SIB) message. That is, existing messages can be reused to send model activation information. This improves resource utilization and reduces transmission latency. Of course, the model activation information can also be sent through a new message; the specific settings can be configured according to actual needs and are not restricted.

[0206] Furthermore, the model enable information is indicated by the first value of the first preset reserved bit in the SIB message, where the first preset reserved bit is any one of the multiple reserved bits in the SIB message.

[0207] The first value can be 1 or 0. For example, when the value of the first preset reserved bit is 1, or when the first preset reserved bit is flag 1, it instructs the terminal to enable the beam prediction model. The first value can also be other values, which can be set according to the actual situation without restriction.

[0208] In this embodiment, any one of the reserved bits in the SIB message can be selected, and the value of the reserved bit can be used to instruct the terminal to enable the beam prediction model (i.e., model activation information). In this way, the existing structure of the SIB message can be used to send the model activation information, thereby reducing the difficulty of sending model activation information via SIB messages.

[0209] Optionally, in conjunction with the above embodiments, after the terminal obtains the beam performance of the first beam (i.e., S601), the above method may further include: if the beam performance of the first beam is greater than a threshold, the terminal sends a second beam indication message to the access network device, and correspondingly, the access network device receives the second beam indication message from the terminal, wherein the second beam indication message is used to indicate the first beam.

[0210] If the beam performance of the first beam is greater than the threshold, it indicates that the communication quality of the access network device using this beam to communicate with the terminal meets the requirements.

[0211] The second beam indication message is used to indicate that the first beam mentioned above can be understood as: the second beam indication message is used to indicate that the beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal is the first beam.

[0212] If the beam performance of the first beam exceeds a threshold, the terminal can send the first beam to the access network device for use. That is, after receiving the first beam, the access network device can use it to communicate with the terminal. In this way, the communication quality between the terminal and the access network device can be guaranteed when using the beam predicted by the beam prediction model.

[0213] After the terminal sends a second beam indication message to the access network device, if the beam prediction model is updated, the access network device can instruct the terminal to enable the updated beam prediction model to switch the beam used for communication between the access network device and the terminal based on the beam predicted by the updated beam prediction model. Alternatively, the terminal can download the updated beam prediction model and use it to predict the beam used by the access network device for communication after moving within the network coverage area of ​​the access network.

[0214] In one possible implementation, after the terminal sends a second beam indication message to the access network device, the method may further include: a model management function entity acquiring the state of a beam prediction model, which is used to predict the beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal based on the terminal's location; the model management function entity sending second model state indication information to the access network device according to the state of the beam prediction model, and correspondingly, the access network device receiving the second model state indication information from the model management function entity, wherein the second model state indication information is used to indicate that the beam prediction model has been updated; in response to the second model state indication information, the access network device broadcasting an update model enable message, and correspondingly, the terminal receiving the update model enable message from the access network device, wherein the update model enable message is used to indicate that the terminal enables the updated beam prediction model; in response to the update model enable message, the terminal acquiring a third beam through the updated beam prediction model, the third beam being the output result of inputting the first position into the updated beam prediction model; the terminal sending a third beam indication message to the access network device, and correspondingly, the access network device receiving a third beam indication message from the terminal, wherein the third beam indication message is used to indicate the third beam.

[0215] The beam prediction model status is "Beam prediction model update complete". The model management function entity can obtain the status "Beam prediction model update complete" when the beam prediction model has been updated.

[0216] Before using the updated beam prediction model, the terminal can request the updated beam prediction model from the model management function entity. For example, the terminal can send its location and identification information to the model management function entity to request the updated beam prediction model. It can be understood that the specific implementation of the terminal requesting the updated beam prediction model from the model management function entity is similar to the previous implementation, the difference being that the terminal obtains different models—one is the model before the update, and the other is the updated model. The specific implementation of the terminal requesting the updated beam prediction model from the model management function entity can be understood by referring to the relevant description in S601 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0217] The third beam can be the same as or different from the first beam.

[0218] When the beam prediction model is updated, the model management entity can indicate to the access network device that the beam prediction model corresponding to that access network device has been updated. This allows the access network device to broadcast an update model enable message, instructing terminals connected to the access network device to use the updated beam prediction model. Because the prediction accuracy of the updated beam prediction model is higher than that of the unupdated beam prediction model (i.e., the beam prediction model already used by the terminal), the terminal can use the updated beam prediction model to predict the beam used by the access network device for communication with the terminal and send that beam to the access network device, enabling the access network device to use that beam, thereby improving the communication quality between the access network device and the terminal.

[0219] Furthermore, before sending a third beam indication message to the access network device, the terminal can first determine whether the third beam and the first beam are the same. If the third beam and the first beam are different, then the terminal sends the third beam indication message to the access network device. Alternatively, after the access network device receives the third beam indication message from the terminal, it can directly switch the beam communicating with the terminal from the first beam to the third beam. The access network device can also first determine whether the third beam and the first beam are the same, and then switch the beam communicating with the terminal from the first beam to the third beam if they are different. The specific configuration can be flexibly set according to the actual situation and is not restricted.

[0220] In another possible implementation, after the terminal sends a second beam indication message to the access network device, the method may further include: a model management function entity acquiring the state of a beam prediction model, which is used to predict the beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal based on the terminal's location; the model management function entity sending second model state indication information to the access network device according to the state of the beam prediction model, and correspondingly, the access network device receiving the second model state indication information from the model management function entity, wherein the second model state indication information is used to indicate that the beam prediction model has been updated; in response to the second model state indication information, the access network device broadcasting an update model enable message, and correspondingly, the terminal receiving the update model enable message from the access network device, wherein the update model enable message is used to indicate that the terminal enables the updated beam prediction model; and the terminal acquiring the updated beam prediction model according to the update model enable message.

[0221] The specific implementation of the beam prediction model's state and the terminal's acquisition of the updated beam prediction model can be found in the above-mentioned introduction, and will not be repeated here.

[0222] When the beam prediction model is updated, the model management entity can indicate to the access network device that the beam prediction model corresponding to that access network device has been updated. This allows the access network device to broadcast an update model enable message, instructing terminals connected to the access network device to use the updated beam prediction model. After obtaining the updated beam prediction model, the terminal can use it after its location changes, provided that its new location is within the network coverage area of ​​the access network device (i.e., after moving within the network coverage area). This improves the accuracy of the beam predicted by the terminal using the beam prediction model. Furthermore, the process for the terminal to use the updated beam prediction model is similar to the process described above; please refer to the aforementioned related introduction for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0223] Optionally, in conjunction with the above embodiments, after the terminal sends the first beam indication message to the access network device (i.e., S602), the above method may further include: a model management function entity acquiring the state of a beam prediction model, which is used to predict the beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal based on the location of the terminal; the model management function entity sending second model state indication information to the access network device according to the state of the beam prediction model, and correspondingly, the access network device receiving the second model state indication information from the model management function entity, wherein the second model state indication information is used to indicate that the beam prediction model has been updated; in response to the second model state indication information, the access network device broadcasting an update model enable message, and correspondingly, the terminal receiving the update model enable message from the access network device, wherein the update model enable message is used to indicate that the terminal enables the updated beam prediction model; and the terminal acquiring the updated beam prediction model according to the update model enable message.

[0224] It is understandable that when the terminal completes the beam prediction model update, the specific implementation of obtaining the updated beam prediction model can be referred to the above-mentioned introduction, and will not be repeated here.

[0225] Optionally, in conjunction with the above embodiments, before the terminal acquires the beam performance of the first beam, and when the terminal is located at a second position within the network coverage area of ​​the access network device, training samples for training the candidate beam prediction model can be collected from the terminal. That is, the terminal can send its location to the model management function entity, acquire K beams used by the access network device for communication with the terminal through beam measurement, and send the information of the K beams to the access network device, so that the access network device can determine a beam for communication with the terminal from the K beams, and send the beam to the model management function entity for training the candidate beam prediction model.

[0226] For example, the above method may further include:

[0227] The model management function entity acquires the status of the beam prediction model, which is used to predict the beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal based on the terminal's location.

[0228] The model management function entity sends a third model status indication message to the access network device based on the status of the beam prediction model. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the third model status indication message from the model management function entity. The third model status indication message is used to indicate that the beam prediction model has not completed training.

[0229] In response to the third model status indication information, the access network device broadcasts beam measurement enable information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the beam measurement enable information from the access network device. The beam measurement enable information is used to instruct the terminal to send K beams to the access network device based on the measurement results of N beams, and to send information for obtaining the location of the terminal. The K beams are the beams with the top K beam performance among the N measured beams, and K is a positive integer less than or equal to N.

[0230] In response to the beam measurement enable information, the terminal sends a fourth beam indication message to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the fourth beam indication message from the terminal, wherein the fourth beam indication message is used to indicate the information of the K beams measured by the terminal.

[0231] In response to the fourth beam indication message, the access network device sends a training beam indication message to the model management function entity. Correspondingly, the model management function entity receives the training beam indication message from the access network device. The training beam indication message is used to indicate the fourth beam, and includes the terminal's identification information and the fourth beam's identification information. The fourth beam is the beam actually used for communication between the access network device and the terminal among the K beams. The fourth beam is used to train the candidate beam prediction model, which is a beam prediction model that has not completed training.

[0232] The terminal sends location measurement information to the LMF entity, and the LMF entity receives the location measurement information from the terminal. The location measurement information is used to indicate the time difference or angle of the signal sent by the access network device to the terminal. The time difference or angle is used to obtain the second position of the terminal. The second position and the fourth beam are used to train the candidate beam prediction model. The fourth beam is the beam actually used for communication between the access network device and the terminal among K beams. The candidate beam prediction model is the beam prediction model that has not been trained.

[0233] In response to the location measurement information, the LMF entity sends a second location indication message to the model management function entity. Correspondingly, the model management function entity receives the second location indication message from the location management function entity. The second location indication message includes the terminal's identification information and the terminal's second location.

[0234] The model management function entity obtains training samples based on the training beam indication message and the second position indication message. The training samples include the identification information of the second position and the fourth beam, and the training samples are used to train the candidate beam prediction model, which is a beam prediction model that has not been trained.

[0235] The aforementioned third model state indication information, second model state indication information, and first model state indication information can be represented by pre-set or pre-defined state variables. For example, state control variable 0 can indicate that the beam prediction model has not completed training (i.e., the third model state indication information), state variable 1 can indicate that the beam prediction model has completed training (i.e., the first model state indication information), and state variable 2 can indicate that the beam prediction model has not completed training (i.e., the second model state indication information).

[0236] During the training phase of the beam prediction model, the terminal can send K beams obtained through beam measurement to the access network device based on beam measurement activation information, and send location measurement information to the location management function entity. This allows the access network device to select one beam to communicate with the terminal based on the K beams, and send the identification information of that beam to the model management function entity for training the candidate beam prediction model. Furthermore, the location management function entity can calculate the terminal's second location based on the location measurement information and send this second location to the model management function entity for training the candidate beam prediction model. In this way, training samples corresponding to the terminal can be collected for training the candidate beam prediction model.

[0237] Furthermore, beam measurement enable information is carried within the SIB message. That is, existing messages can be reused to send beam measurement enable information. This improves resource utilization and reduces transmission latency. Of course, beam measurement enable information can also be sent via a new message; the specific configuration can be adjusted according to actual needs and is not restricted.

[0238] Furthermore, the beam measurement enable information is indicated by the second value of the second preset reserved bit in the SIB message, where the second preset reserved bit is any one of the multiple reserved bits in the SIB message.

[0239] The second value can be 1 or 0. For example, when the value of the second preset reserved bit is 0, or when the second preset reserved bit is flag 0, it indicates that the terminal should enable beam measurement. The second value can also be other values, which can be set according to the actual situation without restriction.

[0240] In this embodiment, any one of the reserved bits in the SIB message can be selected, and the value of the reserved bit can be used to indicate the method of enabling beam measurement (i.e., beam measurement enable information) to the terminal. This allows the transmission of beam measurement enable information using the existing structure of the SIB message, thereby reducing the difficulty of sending beam measurement enable information via SIB messages. Furthermore, the second preset reserved bit can be the same as the first preset reserved bit; that is, different values ​​of a reserved bit in the SIB message can indicate beam measurement enable information and model enable information. For example, a reserved bit value of 1 in the SIB message indicates that the terminal enables the beam prediction model (i.e., model enable information), while a reserved bit value of 0 indicates that the terminal enables the beam measurement method (i.e., beam measurement enable information). This saves reserved bits in the SIB message.

[0241] It is understood that the specific implementation of the training phase of the beam prediction model in the embodiments of this application can refer to the foregoing. Figure 4 The embodiments shown are explained in detail below, and the "third model state indication information", "fourth beam indication message", "fourth beam", "second position indication message" and "second position" in the embodiments of this application respectively correspond to Figure 4 The embodiments shown include “Model Status Indication Information”, “Beam Indication Message”, “Target Beam”, “Position Indication Message”, and “Position #1”.

[0242] Furthermore, the "AI model" mentioned in the above embodiments can also be replaced with a "machine learning (ML) model," that is, the beam prediction model in the above embodiments can also be an ML model, without limitation.

[0243] It is also understood that, in the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0244] The above, in conjunction with the method embodiments, provides an overall overview of the communication method provided in this application. For ease of understanding, the method will be described below using specific scenarios.

[0245] Figure 7 Flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 3 This method is applicable to Figure 2The communication system shown mainly involves the interaction between the terminal, the base station (the aforementioned access network equipment), the LMF entity, and the model management function entity. In this scenario, the terminal uses beam prediction model #1 to predict the beam #1 used by the base station to communicate with the terminal. When the beam performance of beam #1 is less than or equal to a threshold, the terminal obtains beam #2 through beam measurement and sends beam #2 to the base station so that the base station can use beam #2 to communicate with the terminal. The terminal also sends beam #2 to the model management function entity to update the beam prediction model #1. The terminal sends its location to the model management function entity through the LMF entity to update the beam prediction model #1. When the beam performance of beam #1 is greater than the threshold, the terminal sends beam #1 to the base station so that the base station can communicate with the terminal through beam #1.

[0246] like Figure 7 As shown, the above communication method includes:

[0247] S701, the model management function entity sends state variable 1 to the base station. Correspondingly, the base station receives state variable 1 from the model management function entity.

[0248] State variable 1 indicates that the beam prediction model #1 corresponding to the base station has completed training. State variable 1 and beam prediction model #1 correspond to the aforementioned... Figure 6 The first model state indication information and beam prediction model in the illustrated embodiment.

[0249] S702, the base station broadcasts an SIB message based on state variable 1.

[0250] The preset reserved bit in the SIB message is set to 1. This preset reserved bit value of 1 is used to instruct the terminal to enable the beam prediction model (i.e., the aforementioned...). Figure 6 Model enabling information in the illustrated embodiment).

[0251] In response to the SIB message, the terminal sends a PRS request message to the LMF entity. Correspondingly, the LMF entity receives the PRS request message from the terminal.

[0252] S704, In response to the PRS request message, the LMF entity sends a PRS configuration update request message to the base station. Correspondingly, the base station receives the PRS configuration update request message from the LMF entity.

[0253] In response to a PRS configuration update request message, the base station sends a PRS to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the PRS from the base station.

[0254] S706, the terminal obtains location measurement information based on the PRS.

[0255] S707, the terminal sends location measurement information to the LMF entity. Correspondingly, the LMF entity receives the location measurement information from the terminal.

[0256] S708, the LMF entity calculates the terminal's location based on location measurement information.

[0257] S709, the LMF entity sends location information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the location information from the LMF entity.

[0258] Location information is used to indicate the terminal's current location #1, which corresponds to the aforementioned Figure 6 The first position in the illustrated embodiment.

[0259] S7010, the terminal sends message #1 to the model management function entity. Correspondingly, the model management function entity receives message #1 from the terminal.

[0260] Message #1 is used to request the beam prediction model corresponding to the terminal's location #1. Message #1 includes the terminal ID and information indicating location #1. Message #1 corresponds to the aforementioned... Figure 6 The model request message in the illustrated embodiment.

[0261] S7011, the model management function entity sends message #2 to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives message #2 from the model management function entity.

[0262] Message #2 is used to indicate beam prediction model #1. This message #2 corresponds to the aforementioned Figure 6 The model response message in the illustrated embodiment.

[0263] S7012, the terminal inputs position #1 into beam prediction model #1 to obtain beam #1.

[0264] Beam #1 corresponds to the aforementioned Figure 6 The first beam in the illustrated embodiment.

[0265] S7013, the terminal measures the signal strength of the signal transmitted on beam #1.

[0266] After measuring the signal strength of the signal transmitted on beam #1, the terminal can determine the relationship between the signal strength and the threshold. If the signal strength is greater than the threshold, the terminal can send beam #1 to the base station so that the base station can use beam #1 to communicate with the terminal (i.e., case 1, S7014-S7015 below). If the signal strength is less than or equal to the threshold, the terminal can obtain the beam through beam measurement and send the beam to the base station, and send the terminal's location #1 to the model management function entity (i.e., case 2, S7016-S7023 below).

[0267] S7014, when the signal strength is greater than the threshold, the terminal sends message #3 to the base station. Correspondingly, the base station receives message #3 from the terminal.

[0268] Message #3 includes identification information for beam #1, such as the index or identifier of beam #1. Message #3 corresponds to the aforementioned... Figure 6 The second beam indication message in the illustrated embodiment.

[0269] S7015, the base station determines the transmission beam corresponding to location #1 as beam #1 based on message #3.

[0270] In other words, after receiving message #3, the base station can use beam #1 to communicate with the terminal.

[0271] S7016, when the signal strength is less than or equal to the threshold, the terminal sends message #4 to the base station. Correspondingly, the base station receives message #4 from the terminal.

[0272] Message #4 is used to request the base station to send information for measuring the beam corresponding to the base station, and message #4 includes signal strength. This message #4 corresponds to the aforementioned... Figure 6 The configuration information request message in the illustrated embodiment.

[0273] S7017, in response to message #4, the base station sends message #5 to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives message #5 from the base station.

[0274] Message #5 indicates the measurement information for N beams, which are all the beams used by the base station for communication. Message #5 corresponds to the aforementioned... Figure 6 The configuration information response message in the illustrated embodiment.

[0275] S7018, the terminal obtains beam #2 by measuring N beams according to message #5.

[0276] Measuring N beams can be understood as measuring the signal strength of the signal transmitted on each of the N beams.

[0277] Beam #2 is the beam with the highest signal strength among the N beams. This beam #2 corresponds to the aforementioned... Figure 6 The second beam in the illustrated embodiment.

[0278] S7019, the terminal sends message #6 to the base station. Correspondingly, the base station receives message #6 from the terminal.

[0279] Message #6 includes the terminal ID and the identification information for beam #2.

[0280] S7020, the base station determines the transmission beam corresponding to location #1 as beam #2 based on message #6.

[0281] Message #6 corresponds to the aforementioned Figure 6 The first beam indication message in the illustrated embodiment.

[0282] In other words, after receiving message #6, the base station can use beam #2 to communicate with the terminal. Furthermore, based on message #4, the base station can determine that beam #2 is the beam obtained by the terminal through beam measurement, and send the identification information of beam #2 and the terminal ID to the model management function entity.

[0283] S7021, the base station sends message #7 to the model management function entity. Correspondingly, the model management function entity receives message #7 from the base station.

[0284] Message #7 includes the terminal ID and beam #2 identification information. This message #7 corresponds to the aforementioned... Figure 6 The updated beam indication message in the illustrated embodiment.

[0285] S7022, the terminal sends message #8 to the model management function entity. Correspondingly, the model management function entity receives message #8 from the terminal.

[0286] Message #8 includes the terminal ID and location #1. This message #8 corresponds to the aforementioned... Figure 6 The first location indication message in the illustrated embodiment.

[0287] S7023, the model management function entity matches the information used to indicate beam #2 and the information used to indicate position #1 according to messages #7 and #8.

[0288] That is, the model management function entity can obtain the updated sample based on messages #7 and #8. The updated sample includes the identification information of position #1 and beam #2.

[0289] S7024, when the number of updated samples collected by the model management function entity is greater than the threshold for the number of updated samples, the beam prediction model #1 is updated based on the collected updated samples to obtain the updated beam prediction model #1.

[0290] S7025, Model Management Function Entity Stores Updated Beam Prediction Model #1.

[0291] S7026, the model management function entity sends state variable 2 to the base station. Correspondingly, the base station receives state variable 2 from the model management function entity.

[0292] State variable 2 is used to indicate that the beam prediction model corresponding to the base station has been updated. This state variable 2 corresponds to the aforementioned Figure 6 The second model status indication information in the illustrated embodiment.

[0293] S7027, the base station broadcasts message #9 based on state variable 2.

[0294] Message #9 instructs the terminal to enable the updated beam prediction model #1. Message #9 corresponds to the aforementioned... Figure 6 The updated model enable message in the illustrated embodiment.

[0295] S7028, in response to message #9, the terminal sends message #10 to the model management function entity. Correspondingly, the model management function entity receives message #10 from the terminal.

[0296] Message #10 is used to request the beam prediction model corresponding to the terminal's location #1. Message #10 includes the terminal ID and information indicating location #1. Message #10 can be referenced from the preceding text. Figure 6 The model request message in the illustrated embodiment.

[0297] S7029, the model management function entity sends message #11 to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives message #11 from the model management function entity.

[0298] Message #11 is used to indicate the updated beam prediction model #1. This message #11 can be referenced from the preceding text. Figure 6 The model response message in the illustrated embodiment.

[0299] S7030, the terminal inputs position #1 into the updated beam prediction model #1 to obtain beam #3.

[0300] Beam #3 corresponds to the aforementioned Figure 6 The third beam in the illustrated embodiment.

[0301] S7031, the terminal sends message #12 to the base station. Correspondingly, the base station receives message #12 from the terminal.

[0302] Message #12 is used to indicate the aforementioned beam #3. This message #12 corresponds to the aforementioned... Figure 6 The third beam indication message in the illustrated embodiment.

[0303] S7032, based on message #12, the base station determines that the transmission beam corresponding to location #1 is beam #3.

[0304] In other words, after receiving message #12, the base station can switch the beam for communicating with the terminal from beam #1 to beam #3, meaning the base station can use beam #3 to communicate with the terminal.

[0305] It is understood that the specific implementations of S701-S7032 mentioned above can refer to the foregoing. Figure 6The relevant descriptions of the embodiments shown will not be repeated here. S701-S7023 above are the operations in the application stage of beam prediction model #1, and S7024-S7032 above are the operations in the update stage of beam prediction model #1.

[0306] Furthermore, S701-S7032 described above can also be used in traffic scenarios. In such scenarios, the terminal can be installed on a vehicle. For example, the terminal can be an onboard module, onboard component, onboard chip, or onboard unit integrated into the vehicle as one or more components or units. The base station and LMF entity can be deployed in key areas such as urban roads, highways, and transportation hubs. In these traffic scenarios (such as autonomous driving scenarios), the rapid movement of vehicles requires beam selection to be completed within a very short time. By inputting the terminal's location into the model to predict the beam, the vehicle can obtain the beam used by the access network equipment for communication with the terminal more quickly and timely. Moreover, this method allows the model management function entity to continuously collect samples for updating the beam prediction model. This dynamic update mechanism ensures that the beam prediction model can adapt to environmental changes, maintaining high prediction accuracy. For example, in urban environments, building obstruction and multipath effects can cause significant fluctuations in signal strength. By dynamically updating the beam prediction model, beam selection can be adjusted in real time, ensuring communication stability and efficiency.

[0307] It can also be understood that S701-S7032 above is only an example. When the signal strength is less than or equal to the threshold, the terminal can also send the measured multiple beams to the access network device by measuring N beams, so that the access network device can determine the beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal from the multiple beams, and send the identification information of the beam to the model management function entity.

[0308] The above combination Figures 4-7 The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application is described in detail below. Figure 8 This document describes in detail the communication apparatus used to perform the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0309] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 For example, such as Figure 8 As shown, the communication device 800 includes a processing module 801 and a transceiver module 802. For ease of explanation, Figure 8 Only the main components of the communication device are shown.

[0310] The transceiver module 802 is used to perform the above. Figures 4-7 The sending and receiving functions of the method shown are executed by the processing module 801. Figures 4-7The method shown includes functions other than sending and receiving.

[0311] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 may include a transmitting module ( Figure 8 (not shown in the image) and receiving module ( Figure 8 (Not shown in the diagram). The transmitting module implements the transmitting function of the communication device 800, and the receiving module implements the receiving function of the communication device 800.

[0312] Optionally, the communication device 800 may also include a storage module ( Figure 8 (Not shown in the image), this storage module stores programs or instructions. When the processing module 801 executes the program or instructions, the communication device 800 can perform the aforementioned... Figures 4-7 The method shown describes the functions of the terminal or network device.

[0313] It is understood that the communication device 800 may be a terminal or network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly that can be set in the terminal or network device, or a device that includes the terminal or network device. This application does not limit this.

[0314] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device 800 can be referenced. Figures 4-7 The technical effects of the communication method shown will not be elaborated here.

[0315] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 2 For example, the communication device can be a terminal or network device (such as an access network device or a model management function entity), or it can be a chip (system) or other component or part that can be set in the terminal or network device. Figure 9 As shown, the communication device 900 may include a processor 901. Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a memory 902 and / or a transceiver 903. The processor 901 is coupled to the memory 902 and the transceiver 903, for example, they can be connected via a communication bus. It is understood that the communication device 900 in this embodiment and the aforementioned communication device 800 are two different embodiments of communication devices, that is, communication device 800 is... Figure 8 The communication device 900 in the illustrated embodiment is... Figure 9 The communication device in the illustrated embodiment.

[0316] The following is combined with Figure 9 A detailed description of each component of the communication device 900 is provided below:

[0317] The processor 901 is the control center of the communication device 900. It can be a single processor or a collective term for multiple processing elements. For example, the processor 901 can be one or more central processing units (CPUs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of this application, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Furthermore, when the communication device 900 is a terminal or access network device, the processor 901 can also be a communication chip.

[0318] Optionally, the processor 901 can execute various functions of the communication device 900, such as the methods described above, by running or executing software programs stored in the memory 902 and calling data stored in the memory 902. For example, when the communication device 900 is a terminal, the processor 901 can perform operations such as acquiring the beam performance of a first beam and determining the relationship between the beam performance of the first beam and a threshold; when the communication device 900 is an access network device, the processor 901 can perform operations such as determining a second beam from M beams; when the communication device 900 is a model management function entity, the processor 901 can perform operations such as acquiring update samples and acquiring training samples.

[0319] In a specific implementation, as one example, the processor 901 may include one or more CPUs, for example... Figure 9 CPU0 and CPU1 are shown in the diagram.

[0320] In a specific implementation, as one example, the communication device 900 may also include multiple processors, for example... Figure 9 The processor 901 and alternative processor 904 are shown. Each of these processors can be a single-core processor or a multi-core processor. Here, "processor" can refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores used to process data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0321] The memory 902 is used to store the software program that executes the solution of this application, and is controlled by the processor 901 to execute it. The specific implementation method can be referred to the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0322] Optionally, the memory 902 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but not limited thereto. The memory 902 may be integrated with the processor 901 or exist independently, and may be connected via the interface circuit of the communication device 900. Figure 9 (Not shown in the image) is coupled to the processor 901, but this embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0323] Transceiver 903 is used for communication with other communication devices. For example, when communication device 900 is a terminal, transceiver 903 can be used to communicate with access network equipment, LMF entity, or model management function entity; when communication device 900 is an access network equipment, transceiver 903 can be used to communicate with a terminal or model management function entity; when communication device 900 is a model management function entity, transceiver 903 can be used to communicate with access network equipment, LMF entity, or terminal.

[0324] Alternatively, transceiver 903 may include a receiver and a transmitter. Figure 9 (Not shown separately). The receiver is used to implement the receiving function, and the transmitter is used to implement the transmitting function.

[0325] Optionally, transceiver 903 may include a transmitter, a receiver, radio frequency circuitry, an antenna, and input / output devices. Figure 9 (Not shown separately). The transmitter is used to implement the transmission function; the receiver is used to implement the reception function; the radio frequency circuit is mainly used for the conversion between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and the processing of radio frequency signals; the antenna is mainly used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves; input / output devices may include touch screens, displays, or keyboards, etc.; input / output devices are mainly used to receive user input data and output data to the user. It should be noted that some types of terminal equipment may not have input / output devices.

[0326] When data needs to be transmitted, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs a baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit then processes the baseband signal and transmits it outwards as electromagnetic waves via an antenna. When data is sent to the terminal device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna. The RF circuit converts the RF signal back into a baseband signal and outputs it to the processor. The processor converts the baseband signal back into data and processes that data. In actual terminal device products, there may be one or more processors and one or more memories. Memory can also be called storage medium or storage device, etc. Memory can be independent of the processor or integrated with the processor; this application embodiment does not impose any limitations on this.

[0327] In this embodiment, the antenna and radio frequency circuit with transceiver function can be regarded as the transceiver module of the terminal device, and the processor with processing function can be regarded as the processing module of the terminal device.

[0328] Optionally, the transceiver 903 can be integrated with the processor 901, or it can exist independently and be connected via the interface circuit of the communication device 900. Figure 9 (Not shown in the image) is coupled to the processor 901, but this embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0329] When the communication device 900 is a communication chip, the transceiver 903 can be the chip's input and output interfaces. The input interface is used to implement the receiving function, and the output interface is used to implement the transmitting function. The processor can be a processing module integrated on the chip, a microprocessor, or an integrated circuit. In the above method embodiments, the transmitting operation of the network device or terminal device can be understood as the chip's output, and the receiving operation of the network device or terminal device in the above method embodiments can be understood as the chip's input.

[0330] Understandable Figure 9 The structure of the communication device 900 shown does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. Actual communication devices may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0331] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication device 900 can be referred to the technical effects of the method described in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0332] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application may also be other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0333] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can be ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), EEPROM, or flash memory. Volatile memory can be 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), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DRRAM).

[0334] The above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware (such as circuits), firmware, or any other combination thereof. When implemented using software, the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer programs are loaded or executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more sets of available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium. A semiconductor medium can be a solid-state drive.

[0335] This application also provides a communication chip, including: a logic circuit and a communication interface. The logic circuit is used to execute computer instructions, and the communication interface is used for the communication chip to communicate with other devices or chips. When the logic circuit executes the computer instructions, the above-mentioned method is implemented.

[0336] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, including: a computer program or instructions; when the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the computer performs the above-described method.

[0337] This application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the above-described method.

[0338] It should be noted that the various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0339] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can also be implemented in other ways. The apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of apparatus, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of this application. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code containing one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the blocks may occur in a different order than those marked in the drawings. For example, two consecutive blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in a block diagram and / or flowchart, and combinations of blocks in block diagrams and / or flowcharts, can be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or action, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0340] The above detailed description of the embodiments of this application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0341] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

[0342] In the description of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the term "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be a connection within two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0343] In addition, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated together to form an independent part, or each module can exist independently, or two or more modules can be integrated to form an independent part.

[0344] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Obtain the beam performance of the first beam, which is the beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal, predicted by the beam prediction model based on the first location of the terminal. If the beam performance of the first beam is less than or equal to a threshold, a first beam indication message is sent to the access network device. The first beam indication message is used to indicate the information of M beams measured by the terminal. The M beams are the beams with the top M beam performance among the N beams measured. The N beams are all the beams used by the access network device for communication. N is a positive integer and M is a positive integer less than or equal to N. A first location indication message is sent to the model management function entity. The first location indication message is used to indicate the first location. The model management function entity is used to update the beam prediction model based on the first location and the identification information of the second beam. The second beam is the beam among the M beams that is actually used for communication between the access network device and the terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before sending the first beam indication message to the access network device, the method further includes: Send a configuration information request message to the access network device, the configuration information request message being used to request the access network device to send information for measuring all the beams; Receive a configuration information response message from the access network device, the configuration information response message being used to indicate information for measuring the N beams; Based on the configuration information response message, the N beams are measured, and the M beams are determined.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before obtaining the beam performance of the first beam, the method further includes: Receive model activation information from the access network device, the model activation information being used to instruct the terminal to activate the beam prediction model; Based on the model activation information, the first beam is obtained by inputting the first position into the beam prediction model.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The model activation information is carried in the System Message Block (SIB) message.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The model enable information is indicated by the first value of the first preset reserved bit in the SIB message, where the first preset reserved bit is any one of the multiple reserved bits in the SIB message.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The beam prediction model is obtained from the model management function entity, which is used to manage the beam prediction models corresponding to different access network devices.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After obtaining the beam performance of the first beam, the method further includes: If the beam performance of the first beam is greater than the threshold, a second beam indication message is sent to the access network device, the second beam indication message being used to indicate the first beam.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, After sending the second beam indication message to the access network device, the method further includes: The terminal receives an update model enable message from the access network device, the update model enable message being used to instruct the terminal to enable the updated beam prediction model; In response to the updated model enable message, a third beam is obtained through the updated beam prediction model, wherein the third beam is the output result of inputting the first position into the updated beam prediction model; A third beam indication message is sent to the access network device, the third beam indication message being used to indicate the third beam.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, After sending the first beam indication message to the access network device, or after sending the second beam indication message to the access network device, the method further includes: The terminal receives an update model enable message from the access network device, the update model enable message being used to instruct the terminal to enable the updated beam prediction model; Based on the updated model activation message, obtain the updated beam prediction model.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, Before obtaining the beam performance of the first beam, the method further includes: The terminal receives beam measurement enable information from the access network device. The beam measurement enable information is used to instruct the terminal to send K beams to the access network device based on the measurement results of the N beams, and to send information for obtaining the location of the terminal. The K beams are the beams with the top K beam performance among the N beams measured, and K is a positive integer less than or equal to N. In response to the beam measurement enable information, a fourth beam indication message is sent to the access network device. The fourth beam indication message is used to indicate the information of the K beams measured by the terminal. Location measurement information is sent to the location management function entity. The location measurement information is used to indicate the time difference or angle at which the signal sent by the access network device arrives at the terminal. The time difference or angle is used to obtain the second location of the terminal. The identification information of the second location and the fourth beam is used to train the candidate beam prediction model. The fourth beam is the beam actually used for communication between the access network device and the terminal among the K beams. The candidate beam prediction model is the beam prediction model that has not been trained.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The beam measurement enable information is carried in the SIB message.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The beam measurement enable information is indicated by the second value of the second preset reserved bit in the SIB message, where the second preset reserved bit is any one of the multiple reserved bits in the SIB message.

13. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: If the beam performance of the first beam is less than or equal to a threshold, a first beam indication message is received from the terminal. The first beam is a beam predicted by the beam prediction model based on the first location of the terminal, which is used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal. The first beam indication message is used to indicate the information of M beams measured by the terminal. The M beams are the beams with the top M beam performance among the N beams measured. The N beams are all the beams used by the access network device for communication. N is a positive integer and M is a positive integer less than or equal to N. In response to the first beam indication message, an update beam indication message is sent to the model management function entity. The update beam indication message is used to indicate a second beam, which is the beam among the M beams that is actually used for communication between the access network device and the terminal. The model management function entity is used to update the beam prediction model based on the second beam.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, Before receiving the first beam indication information from the terminal, the method further includes: Receive a configuration information request message from the terminal, the configuration information request message being used to request the access network device to send information for measuring all the beams; In response to the configuration information request message, a configuration information response message is sent to the terminal, the configuration information response message being used to indicate information for measuring the N beams.

15. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, Before receiving the first beam indication information from the terminal, the method further includes: Receive first model status indication information from the model management function entity, the first model status indication information being used to indicate that the beam prediction model has completed training; In response to the first model status indication information, a model enable information is broadcast, which is used to instruct the terminal to enable the beam prediction model.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The model activation information is carried in the System Message Block (SIB) message.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The model enable information is indicated by the first value of the first preset reserved bit in the SIB message, where the first preset reserved bit is any one of the multiple reserved bits in the SIB message.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13-17, characterized in that, Before receiving the first beam indication information from the terminal, the method further includes: Receive second model status indication information from the model management function entity, the second model status indication information being used to indicate that the beam prediction model has been updated; In response to the second model status indication information, an update model enable message is broadcast, which instructs the terminal to enable the updated beam prediction model.

19. The method according to any one of claims 13-17, characterized in that, Before receiving the first beam indication information from the terminal, the method further includes: Receive third model status indication information from the model management function entity, the third model status indication information being used to indicate that the beam prediction model has not completed training; In response to the third model status indication information, beam measurement enable information is broadcast. The beam measurement enable information is used to instruct the terminal to send K beams to the access network device based on the measurement results of the N beams, and to send information for obtaining the location of the terminal. The K beams are the beams with the top K beam performance among the N measured beams, where K is a positive integer less than or equal to N.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, After the broadcast beam measurement enable information is received, the method further includes: Receive a fourth beam indication message from the terminal, the fourth beam indication message being used to indicate information about the K beams measured by the terminal; In response to the fourth beam indication message, a training beam indication message is sent to the model management function entity. The training beam indication message is used to indicate the fourth beam, which is the beam among the K beams that is actually used for communication between the access network device and the terminal. The fourth beam is used to train the candidate beam prediction model, which is the beam prediction model that has not been trained.

21. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The beam measurement enable information is carried in the SIB message.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The beam measurement enable information is indicated by the second value of the second preset reserved bit in the SIB message, where the second preset reserved bit is any one of the multiple reserved bits in the SIB message.

23. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: The state of the beam prediction model is obtained, which is used to predict the beam used by the access network device to communicate with the terminal based on the location of the terminal. Based on the state of the beam prediction model, a first model state indication message, a second model state indication message, or a third model state indication message is sent to the access network device. The first model state indication message is used to indicate that the beam prediction model has completed training, the second model state indication message is used to indicate that the beam prediction model has completed updating, and the third model state indication message is used to indicate that the beam prediction model has not completed training.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, After sending the first model status indication information to the access network device, the method further includes: The device receives an updated beam indication message from the access network device. The updated beam indication message includes the identification information of the terminal and the identification information of the second beam. The second beam is the beam actually used for communication between the access network device and the terminal out of M beams. The M beams are the beams with the top M beam performance out of N beams measured. The N beams are all the beams used for communication by the access network device. N is a positive integer and M is a positive integer less than or equal to N. Receive a first location indication message from the terminal, the first location indication message including the first location of the terminal and the identification information of the terminal; An update sample is obtained based on the updated beam indication message and the first position indication message. The update sample is used to update the beam prediction model. The update sample includes the identification information of the first position and the second beam.

25. The method according to claim 23 or 24, characterized in that, After sending the third model status indication information to the access network device, the method further includes: The system receives a training beam indication message from the access network device. The training beam indication message includes the identification information of the terminal and the identification information of the fourth beam. The fourth beam is the beam actually used for communication between the access network device and the terminal out of K beams. The K beams are the beams with the top K beam performance out of N beams measured. The N beams are all the beams used for communication by the access network device. N is a positive integer and K is a positive integer less than or equal to N. Receive a second location indication message from a location management function entity, the second location indication message including the terminal's identification information and the terminal's second location; Based on the training beam indication message and the second position indication message, training samples are obtained. The training samples include the identification information of the second position and the fourth beam. The training samples are used to train a candidate beam prediction model. The candidate beam prediction model is the beam prediction model that has not been trained.

26. A communication device, characterized in that, The apparatus includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-25.

27. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes: a processor; when the processor executes computer instructions, it causes the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-25.

28. A communication chip, characterized in that, The communication chip includes: a logic circuit and a communication interface. The logic circuit is used to execute computer instructions, and the communication interface is used for the communication chip to communicate with other devices or chips. When the logic circuit executes the computer instructions, the method as described in any one of claims 1-25 is implemented.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-25.

30. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a communication device, cause the method of any one of claims 1-25 to be performed.

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