Communication method and related device

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a communication method and related equipment, which relates to the technical field of wireless communication. The method comprises: determining, by a smart surface, a first panel pattern of the smart surface and weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern according to first indication information configured by a network device, wherein the first panel pattern represents a grouping manner of a plurality of electromagnetic elements, and an electromagnetic element group comprises at least one electromagnetic element; and controlling each electromagnetic element group based on the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern, so as to forward data from a sending end to a receiving end via the smart surface. The present disclosure can reduce independent control instructions for a large number of electromagnetic elements, reduce the complexity and transmission delay of a communication system, balance energy efficiency and performance, and achieve high throughput, low latency and high energy efficiency of the communication system.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of wireless communication, and in particular, to a communication method, a communication apparatus, a communication system, an electronic device, a computer readable storage medium, and a computer program product. BACKGROUND

[0002] An intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) or a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) is composed of a large number of low-cost electromagnetic units, and can control the reflection / transmission direction of the signal incident to the intelligent surface by adjusting the parameters (such as phase) of each electromagnetic unit, so as to reflect / transmit the signal to the desired direction. Due to the characteristics of low cost, low power consumption, and easy deployment, the RIS is expected to become a candidate technology for the sixth generation mobile communication standard (6th Generation Mobile Networks, 6G) wireless communication.

[0003] In the related art, a per-unit control manner is usually adopted. However, the number of electromagnetic units is large, and the above control manner is prone to cause a large signaling overhead, low management efficiency, and poor flexibility of the system.

[0004] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the above background section is only used to strengthen the understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and therefore can include information that does not constitute prior art known to those of ordinary skill in the art. SUMMARY

[0005] The present disclosure provides a communication method and related equipment, which at least partially solves the problems of large signaling overhead, low management efficiency, and poor flexibility of the communication manner based on the intelligent surface in the related art.

[0006] Other characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, or will be learned by practice of the present disclosure.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, applied to an intelligent surface having a plurality of electromagnetic units, and the method comprises: determining a first panel pattern of the intelligent surface and weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern according to first indication information configured by a network device, wherein the first panel pattern represents a grouping manner of the plurality of electromagnetic units, and the electromagnetic unit group comprises at least one electromagnetic unit; and controlling each electromagnetic unit group based on the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, so as to forward data from a sending end to a receiving end via the intelligent surface.

[0008] In an embodiment of the disclosure, in the first panel pattern, when the group of electromagnetic units includes at least two electromagnetic units, each electromagnetic unit in the group of electromagnetic units has the same weight value.

[0009] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the first panel pattern is obtained by grouping the plurality of electromagnetic units according to a target grouping manner.

[0010] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the target grouping manner includes a pre-defined grouping manner or a grouping manner indicated by the network device.

[0011] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the target grouping manner includes at least one of the following grouping manners: uniform grouping; non-uniform grouping; adaptive grouping based on communication demand; symmetric grouping based on intelligent surface panel structure; distributed grouping based on network topology.

[0012] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the method further includes: receiving second indication information configured by the network device, the second indication information including at least one of panel pattern indication information and weight value indication information; determining a second panel pattern of the intelligent surface and / or weight values of each group of electromagnetic units in the second panel pattern according to the second indication information; and controlling the each group of electromagnetic units based on the second panel pattern and / or the weight values of each group of electromagnetic units in the second panel pattern.

[0013] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the second indication information is next-level panel pattern indication information and corresponding weight value indication information configured by the network device when a preset adjustment condition is met.

[0014] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the preset adjustment condition includes at least one of the following: in a current communication system, a number of performance indicators less than a first threshold is greater than or equal to a first number threshold; in the current communication system, a number of differences between performance indicators and the first threshold greater than a second threshold is greater than or equal to a second number threshold; a position change of a user terminal; a dynamic resource allocation requirement of a network device; and a time when a minimum periodic change is reached.

[0015] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the configuration manner of the second panel pattern includes at least one of the following: adding a group of electromagnetic units; merging an existing group of electromagnetic units; adjusting the number of electromagnetic units in a group of electromagnetic units; and reallocating weight values of each group of electromagnetic units.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method applied to a network device is provided, the method comprising: sending first indication information to a smart surface having a plurality of electromagnetic units, so that the smart surface determines a first panel pattern of the smart surface and weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern according to the first indication information configured by the network device, wherein the first panel pattern represents a grouping manner of the plurality of electromagnetic units, and the electromagnetic unit group comprises at least one electromagnetic unit; and controlling the electromagnetic unit groups based on the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, so as to forward data from a sending end to a receiving end via the smart surface.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, in the first panel pattern, when the electromagnetic unit group comprises at least two electromagnetic units, each electromagnetic unit in the electromagnetic unit group has the same weight value.

[0018] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first panel pattern is obtained by grouping the plurality of electromagnetic units according to a target grouping manner.

[0019] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the target grouping manner comprises a pre-defined grouping manner or a grouping manner indicated by the network device.

[0020] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the target grouping manner comprises at least one of the following grouping manners: uniform grouping; non-uniform grouping; adaptive grouping based on communication demand; symmetric grouping based on smart surface panel structure; distributed grouping based on network topology.

[0021] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises: determining a user served by the smart surface according to information fed back by a user terminal; generating second indication information if a preset adjustment condition is met, the second indication information comprising at least one of panel pattern indication information and weight value indication information; sending the second indication information to the smart surface, so that the smart surface determines a second panel pattern of the smart surface and / or weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the second panel pattern according to the second indication information; and controlling the electromagnetic unit groups based on the second panel pattern and / or the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the second panel pattern.

[0022] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the preset adjustment condition includes at least one of the following: a quantity of performance indicators less than a first threshold in a current communication system is greater than or equal to a first quantity threshold; a quantity of performance indicators with a difference from the first threshold greater than a second threshold in the current communication system is greater than or equal to a second quantity threshold; a position change of a user terminal; a dynamic resource allocation requirement of a network device; and a time when a minimum periodic change is reached.

[0023] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the configuration of the second panel pattern includes at least one of the following: adding an electromagnetic element group; merging an existing electromagnetic element group; adjusting a quantity of electromagnetic elements in an electromagnetic element group; and reallocating a weight value of each electromagnetic element group.

[0024] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided, which is applied to a smart surface having a plurality of electromagnetic elements, and includes: a determination module configured to determine a first panel pattern of the smart surface and a weight value of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern according to first indication information configured by a network device, wherein the first panel pattern represents a grouping manner of the plurality of electromagnetic elements, and the electromagnetic element group includes at least one of the electromagnetic elements; and a control module configured to control each electromagnetic element group based on the first panel pattern and the weight value of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern, so as to forward data from a sending end to a receiving end via the smart surface.

[0025] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided, which is applied to a network device, and includes: a sending module configured to send first indication information to a smart surface having a plurality of electromagnetic elements, so that the smart surface determines a first panel pattern of the smart surface and a weight value of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern according to the first indication information configured by the network device, wherein the first panel pattern represents a grouping manner of the plurality of electromagnetic elements, and the electromagnetic element group includes at least one of the electromagnetic elements; and the control module is configured to control each electromagnetic element group based on the first panel pattern and the weight value of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern, so as to forward data from a sending end to a receiving end via the smart surface.

[0026] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, comprising a network device and a smart surface having a plurality of electromagnetic units, wherein: the network device is configured to send first indication information to the smart surface; the smart surface is configured to determine, according to the first indication information configured by the network device, a first panel pattern of the smart surface and weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, wherein the first panel pattern represents a grouping manner of the plurality of electromagnetic units, and each electromagnetic unit group comprises at least one electromagnetic unit; and each electromagnetic unit group is controlled based on the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, so as to forward data from a sending end to a receiving end via the smart surface.

[0027] According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, comprising: a processor; and a memory configured to store executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute any of the above communication methods via execution of the executable instructions.

[0028] According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, having stored thereon a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements any of the above communication methods.

[0029] According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements any of the above communication methods.

[0030] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the smart surface determines, according to the first indication information configured by the network device, a first panel pattern of the smart surface and weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, the first panel pattern representing a grouping manner of the plurality of electromagnetic units, each electromagnetic unit group comprising at least one electromagnetic unit, and each electromagnetic unit group is controlled based on the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, so as to realize communication between the network device and the user terminal via the smart surface. The present disclosure can simplify the unit-by-unit control into group control through the group control mechanism, thereby reducing the independent control instructions for a large number of electromagnetic units, reducing the complexity and transmission delay of the communication system, balancing the energy efficiency and performance, and realizing high throughput, low latency and high energy efficiency of the communication system.

[0031] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and are not limiting to the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0032] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. It is to be understood that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration to be used in conjunction with the description. It is to be understood that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and to aid in the understanding of the disclosure, and in no way limit its scope, as described in the detailed description.

[0033] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a communication system structure provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 2 A flow chart showing a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 3 A flow chart showing another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 4 A flow chart showing yet another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 5 A flow chart showing still another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 6 A flow chart showing an example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 7 A schematic diagram showing a communication apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 8 A schematic diagram showing another communication apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 9 A block diagram showing a structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] Example implementations will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example implementations may, however, be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein; rather, these implementations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of example implementations to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more implementations.

[0043] Further, the accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, the embodiments can be represented schematically in the drawings, and like reference numerals can represent like parts throughout the several views of the drawings, and repetitive descriptions can be omitted for clarity. Some of the block components shown in the drawings can be functional entities that do not necessarily have to correspond to physically or logically independent entities. These functional entities can be implemented in the form of software, or in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different network and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0044] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing an exemplary system architecture to which the communication method or the communication apparatus of the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied is shown.

[0045] As shown in Figure 1 , the system architecture 100 can include user terminals 101, 102, 103, a network 104, a smart surface 105, and a network device 106.

[0046] The network 104 is a medium for providing communication links between the user terminals 101, 102, 103 and the smart surface 105, the smart surface 105 and the network device 106, and can be a wireless network.

[0047] Optionally, the wireless network described above uses standard communication technologies and / or protocols. The network is typically the Internet, but can also be any network, including, but not limited to, any combination of Local Area Network (LAN), Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), mobile, wireless network, private network, or virtual private network. In some embodiments, technologies and / or formats including Hyper Text Mark-up Language (HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML), etc. are used to represent data exchanged over the network. In addition, all or some links can be encrypted using conventional encryption technologies such as Secure Socket Layer (SSL), Transport Layer Security (TLS), Virtual Private Network (VPN), Internet Protocol Security (IPsec), etc. In other embodiments, custom and / or proprietary data communication technologies can be used instead of or in addition to the above-mentioned data communication technologies.

[0048] The user terminals 101, 102, 103 can be various electronic devices, including but not limited to smart phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, desktop computers, wearable devices, augmented reality devices, virtual reality devices, and the like.

[0049] Optionally, the user terminals of the application programs installed in different user terminals 101, 102, 103 are the same, or the user terminals of the same type of application programs based on different operating systems. Based on the difference in terminal platforms, the specific forms of the user terminals of the application programs can also be different, for example, the application program client can be a mobile phone user terminal, a PC user terminal, and the like.

[0050] The intelligent surface 105 can be an intelligent reflecting surface (IRS), a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), an intelligent repeater, or an intelligent relay device, which can integrate a large number of low-cost electromagnetic elements on the panel of the intelligent surface 105 to reflect / transmit incident light, intelligently adjust the wireless propagation environment between the user terminals 101, 102, 103 and the network device 106, and thus significantly improve the performance of the wireless communication network.

[0051] The network device 106 can be an evolved node B (eNB), a 5G base station (gNB), or a base station of a later version, a radio network controller (RNC), a node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (for example, a home evolved node B, or a home node B, HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), a wireless fidelity (WIFI) access point (AP), a transmission and receiver point (TRP or transmission point, TP), or other words in the above fields, as long as the same technical effects are achieved, the network device is not limited to a specific technical term.

[0052] The network device 106 can be a 4G base station, or a 5G base station, or a base station of a higher version, or a base station in other communication systems, or a node B, an evolved node B, or a transmission reception point (TRP), or an access point (AP), or a WiFi device, or other words in the field as long as the same technical effects are achieved, and the network device is not limited to a specific technical term.

[0053] Those skilled in the art can know that, Figure 1 The number of user terminals, networks, intelligent surfaces and network devices in the above embodiments is only illustrative, and any number of user terminals, networks, intelligent surfaces and network devices can be provided according to actual needs. The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited in this regard.

[0054] The intelligent surface 105 has the characteristics of low cost, low power consumption and easy deployment, and the intelligent surface 105 can dynamically control the propagation characteristics of electromagnetic waves by deploying electromagnetic units with adjustable electromagnetic characteristics in a communication environment, so as to improve the performance of the communication system.

[0055] The intelligent surface 105 can be controlled by the network device 106, for example, controlled by the base station. The network device can forward data to the user terminal via the intelligent surface.

[0056] For example, the RIS can be composed of multiple electromagnetic units, and each electromagnetic unit can adjust the electromagnetic characteristics of the multiple electromagnetic units according to the configuration of the network device 106, which is a key means to enhance network coverage and improve energy efficiency.

[0057] In the related art, the control is usually performed by optimizing the phase of each electromagnetic unit one by one, for example, the base station directly controls the physical parameters of each electromagnetic unit, such as phase, amplitude, etc. However, the intelligent surface can contain thousands of magnetic units, and the control of each unit will cause a large signaling overhead, making it difficult to achieve efficient management, increasing the complexity of the communication system, causing transmission delay and resource waste.

[0058] To at least partially solve the above problems, the communication method provided by the present disclosure is as follows: a smart surface determines a first panel pattern of the smart surface and weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern according to first indication information configured by a network device, the first panel pattern represents a grouping manner of a plurality of electromagnetic elements, an electromagnetic element group includes at least one electromagnetic element, and each electromagnetic element group is controlled based on the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern to realize communication between the network device and a user terminal through the smart surface. The present disclosure can simplify the unit-by-unit control into group control through the group control mechanism, thereby reducing the independent control instructions for a large number of electromagnetic elements, reducing the complexity and transmission delay of the communication system, balancing the energy efficiency and performance, and realizing high throughput, low latency and high energy efficiency of the communication system.

[0059] The present example embodiment will be described in detail below in combination with the accompanying drawings and examples.

[0060] First, a communication method is provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, which can be executed by any electronic device with computing processing capability. For example, the method can be executed by a smart surface, can be executed by a network device, and can also be realized through interaction between the smart surface and the network device.

[0061] Figure 2 A flowchart of a communication method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 1. Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1, the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure is applied to a smart surface with a plurality of electromagnetic elements, and the method includes the following steps:

[0062] S202, determining a first panel pattern of the smart surface and weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern according to first indication information configured by a network device, wherein the first panel pattern represents a grouping manner of a plurality of electromagnetic elements, and an electromagnetic element group includes at least one electromagnetic element.

[0063] In one embodiment, the smart surface is a node for forwarding data transmitted by a network device, and the smart surface can be a smart reflecting surface, a reconfigurable smart surface, a smart repeater or a smart relay device. The smart surface can perform signal forwarding through beamforming.

[0064] The smart surface has a plurality of electromagnetic elements, and the plurality of electromagnetic elements can be arranged in an array manner. For example, a RIS panel includes 1024 electromagnetic elements arranged in a 32x32 array.

[0065] The first panel pattern is obtained by grouping the plurality of electromagnetic units according to a target grouping manner indicated in the first indication information. The first panel pattern can include a plurality of electromagnetic unit groups. For example, 1024 electromagnetic units of an RIS panel can be divided into 16 electromagnetic unit groups, and each electromagnetic unit group includes 64 electromagnetic units.

[0066] The first indication information can be information required by the network device to initialize the intelligent surface. The first indication information includes the first panel pattern and a weight value of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, wherein the first panel pattern can determine the grouping manner of the plurality of electromagnetic units, and the weight value of the electromagnetic unit group is used to generate a beamforming weight matrix.

[0067] In an embodiment, in the first panel pattern, when an electromagnetic unit group includes at least two electromagnetic units, each electromagnetic unit in the electromagnetic unit group has the same weight value, which is the weight value of the electromagnetic unit group, that is, the weight value of the electromagnetic unit group is used as the weight value of each electromagnetic unit in the electromagnetic unit group.

[0068] The weight values of different electromagnetic unit groups can be the same or different, which is determined according to actual needs, and the present disclosure does not make specific limitations.

[0069] The first panel pattern is obtained by grouping the plurality of electromagnetic units according to a target grouping manner, and the target grouping manner can be based on a predefined grouping manner or a grouping manner indicated by the network device.

[0070] In an embodiment, the target grouping manner can include at least one of the following grouping manners: uniform grouping, non-uniform grouping, adaptive grouping based on communication requirements, symmetric grouping based on the structure of the intelligent surface panel, and distributed grouping based on network topology. The uniform grouping refers to a grouping manner in which the plurality of electromagnetic units are evenly divided, and the number of electromagnetic units in each electromagnetic unit group is the same. For non-uniform grouping, the number of electromagnetic units in at least one electromagnetic unit group is different from the number of electromagnetic units in other electromagnetic unit groups, or the number of electromagnetic units in each electromagnetic unit group is different. The symmetric grouping based on the structure of the intelligent surface panel can be based on the symmetric distribution of the symmetric axis of the intelligent surface panel. The adaptive grouping based on communication requirements and the distributed grouping based on network topology are both grouping manners based on corresponding requirements.

[0071] The predefined grouping manner can be a grouping manner agreed upon in advance by the intelligent surface and the network device. For example, the uniform grouping can be used as the predefined grouping manner.

[0072] The grouping manner specified by the network device can be a grouping manner configured by the network device, for example, the grouping manner specified by the network device is non-uniform grouping.

[0073] The first indication information can carry indication information of a target grouping mode corresponding to the first panel pattern. For example, the indication information corresponding to uniform grouping is 00, the indication information corresponding to non-uniform grouping is 01, the indication information corresponding to adaptive grouping based on communication requirements is 10, the indication information corresponding to symmetric grouping based on the panel structure of the intelligent surface is 11, and the like.

[0074] The first indication information can also carry information such as the number of electromagnetic unit groups in the first panel pattern, the weight values of the electromagnetic unit groups, the number of electromagnetic units in each electromagnetic unit group, and the number of each electromagnetic unit group, so as to determine the grouping of the plurality of electromagnetic units according to the first indication information, to realize the grouping control of the electromagnetic units.

[0075] S204, control each electromagnetic unit group based on the first panel pattern and the weight value of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, to forward data from the sending end to the receiving end via the intelligent surface.

[0076] In an embodiment, when signal forwarding is performed by beamforming, a set of forwarding beam patterns can be generated based on the first panel pattern and the weight value of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, and the set of forwarding beam patterns includes at least one forwarding beam pattern. The forwarding beam pattern refers to the electromagnetic field intensity distribution of the forwarding beam in a specific beam weight matrix, which is the result of the beam weight matrix. For an electromagnetic unit group, the value of the element in the beam weight matrix is the weight value of the electromagnetic unit group.

[0077] For example, the forwarding beam pattern can be a certain electromagnetic wave pattern with a specific reflection pattern or transmission pattern formed by adjusting the electromagnetic units, or can be a reflection pattern or transmission pattern of electromagnetic waves pointing to a certain direction.

[0078] Beamforming is the change of spatial field intensity caused by the intensity distribution of electromagnetic waves, which enhances the signal in some areas and weakens the signal in other areas. Through specific design, a beam with enhanced signal in a certain direction can be obtained. In an embodiment, the intelligent surface can generate a desired forwarding beam pattern by controlling the beamforming weight matrix, and forward the corresponding data signal so that the data signal is enhanced in a certain direction.

[0079] In an embodiment, the beamforming weight matrix of each electromagnetic unit group can be determined based on the weight value of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, and then the required forwarding beam pattern is generated to forward the corresponding data signal, so as to forward the data from the sending end to the receiving end through the intelligent surface.

[0080] It should be noted that the specific implementation of beamforming is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0081] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the intelligent surface determines a first panel pattern of the intelligent surface and weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern according to first indication information configured by a network device, the first panel pattern represents a grouping manner of a plurality of electromagnetic elements, each electromagnetic element group includes at least one electromagnetic element, and each electromagnetic element group is controlled based on the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern to realize communication between the network device and the user terminal through the intelligent surface. The present disclosure can simplify the unit-by-unit control to group control through the group control mechanism, thereby reducing the independent control instructions for a large number of electromagnetic elements, reducing the complexity and transmission delay of the communication system, balancing the energy efficiency and performance, and realizing high throughput, low latency and high energy efficiency of the communication system.

[0082] Figure 3 Another flowchart of a communication method provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. As shown in the figure, in one embodiment, the communication method of the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes: Figure 3

[0083] S302, receiving second indication information configured by a network device, the second indication information including at least one of panel pattern indication information and weight value indication information;

[0084] S304, determining a second panel pattern of the intelligent surface and / or weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the second panel pattern according to the second indication information;

[0085] S306, controlling each electromagnetic element group based on the second panel pattern and / or the weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the second panel pattern.

[0086] In S302, the intelligent surface controls each electromagnetic element group based on the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern, generates a forwarding beam pattern through beamforming, and thereby forwards data from a sending end to a receiving end through the intelligent surface, for example, data sent by the network device is sent to the user terminal through the intelligent surface, or data sent by the user terminal is sent to the network device through the intelligent surface.

[0087] During data transmission, the network device monitors the communication situation of the current communication system to adaptively adjust the electromagnetic element groups of the intelligent surface according to the communication situation of the current communication system.

[0088] In one embodiment, the second indication information is next-level panel pattern indication information and corresponding weight value indication information configured by the network device when a preset adjustment condition is met. The second indication information can include only the panel pattern indication information, only the weight value indication information, or both the panel pattern indication information and the weight value indication information. The specific type is determined according to actual needs, and is not limited herein.​

[0089] In an embodiment, the preset adjustment condition is satisfied when at least one of the following conditions is met: a quantity of performance indicators less than a first threshold in the current communication system is greater than or equal to a first quantity threshold; a quantity of performance indicators greater than a second threshold in the current communication system is greater than or equal to a second quantity threshold; a position of the user terminal changes; a dynamic resource allocation requirement of the network device; a time of reaching a minimum periodic change.

[0090] The performance indicators include one or more of a rate, a user received reference signal received power, a spectral efficiency, and an energy efficiency.

[0091] The current communication system includes the intelligent surface and a sending end and a receiving end that communicate through the intelligent surface. When the intelligent surface forwards data according to the first panel pattern and the weight values of the respective electromagnetic element groups in the first panel pattern determined by the first indication information, the network device can evaluate the performance of the current communication system. When it is determined that the current grouping manner cannot meet the preset target, it is determined that the preset adjustment condition is met, and the network device triggers the configuration of the next level of panel pattern for the intelligent surface.

[0092] The performance evaluation of the network device on the current communication system includes, but is not limited to, the evaluation of the performance indicators of the current communication system, the position evaluation of the user terminal, the dynamic resource allocation requirement evaluation, the periodic change evaluation, and the like.

[0093] In an embodiment, the preset adjustment condition is satisfied when a quantity of performance indicators less than a first threshold in the current communication system is greater than or equal to a first quantity threshold. The value of the first quantity threshold can be indicated by the network device, for example, in the first indication information. The value of the first quantity threshold can also be a predefined value, which can be preconfigured in the intelligent surface. It should be noted that the value of the first threshold can be indicated by the network device or predefined, which is not specifically limited in the present disclosure.

[0094] In an embodiment, the preset adjustment condition is satisfied when a quantity of performance indicators greater than a second threshold in the current communication system is greater than or equal to a second quantity threshold. The value of the second quantity threshold can be indicated by the network side, for example, in the first indication information. The value of the second quantity threshold can also be a predefined value, which can be preconfigured in the intelligent surface. It should be noted that the value of the first threshold and the second threshold can be indicated by the network device or predefined, which is not specifically limited in the present disclosure.

[0095] In one embodiment, when the network device periodically configures the first indication information, the network device configures the next panel pattern and the corresponding weight value when the minimum periodic change time is reached.

[0096] The configuration mode of the second panel pattern includes at least one of the following: adding an electromagnetic unit group; merging an existing electromagnetic unit group; adjusting the number of electromagnetic units in the electromagnetic unit group; and reallocating the weight value of each electromagnetic unit group.

[0097] Adding an electromagnetic unit group means adding an electromagnetic unit group based on the grouping mode of the first panel pattern, that is, even if the added electromagnetic unit group is in an active state, it participates in the data forwarding process. Merging an existing electromagnetic unit group means merging part of the existing electromagnetic unit groups in the first panel pattern into a new electromagnetic unit group. Adjusting the number of electromagnetic units in the electromagnetic unit group means adjusting part of the electromagnetic units in one electromagnetic unit group to other electromagnetic unit groups.

[0098] Reallocating the weight value of the electromagnetic unit group can adjust the weight value of part of the electromagnetic unit groups, or can adjust the weight value of all the electromagnetic unit groups, which is not limited by the present disclosure.

[0099] In S304, the second panel pattern represents the grouping mode of the adjusted electromagnetic units, and the implementation mode of the second panel pattern and the weight value of each electromagnetic unit group in the second panel pattern is similar to that of the first panel pattern and the weight value of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern. Here, it is not repeated.

[0100] In S306, the intelligent surface can control the beamforming weight matrix based on the second panel pattern and / or the weight value of each electromagnetic unit group in the second panel pattern to generate a desired forwarding beam pattern, and forward data from the sending end to the receiving end through the intelligent surface based on the forwarding beam pattern.

[0101] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the intelligent surface adaptively adjusts the electromagnetic unit group according to the second indication information configured by the network device, thereby improving the signal coverage accuracy and further reducing the system complexity and transmission delay.

[0102] Figure 4 A flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. As shown in Figure 4 In one embodiment, the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure is applied to a network device, and the method mainly includes the following steps:

[0103] S402, send first indication information to the intelligent surface with multiple electromagnetic units, so that the intelligent surface determines a first panel pattern of the intelligent surface and weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern according to the first indication information configured by the network device, wherein the first panel pattern represents a grouping manner of the multiple electromagnetic units, and an electromagnetic unit group includes at least one electromagnetic unit; control each electromagnetic unit group based on the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, so as to forward data from a sending end to a receiving end via the intelligent surface.

[0104] In one embodiment, the network device can send the first indication information to the intelligent surface through an in-band air interface, the first indication information can be information required by the network device to configure the intelligent surface, and the first indication information includes the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, wherein the first panel pattern can determine the grouping manner of the multiple electromagnetic units, and the weight values of the electromagnetic unit groups are used to generate a beamforming weight matrix.

[0105] In one embodiment, in the first panel pattern, when an electromagnetic unit group includes at least two electromagnetic units, each electromagnetic unit in the electromagnetic unit group has the same weight value, which is the weight value of the electromagnetic unit group, that is, the weight value of the electromagnetic unit group is taken as the weight value of each electromagnetic unit in the electromagnetic unit group.

[0106] The weight values of different electromagnetic unit groups can be the same or different, which is determined according to actual requirements, and the present disclosure does not make specific limitations thereto.

[0107] The first panel pattern is obtained by grouping the multiple electromagnetic units according to a target grouping manner.

[0108] The target grouping manner includes a pre-defined grouping manner or a grouping manner indicated by the network device. The target grouping manner includes at least one of the following grouping manners: uniform grouping; non-uniform grouping; adaptive grouping based on communication requirements; symmetric grouping based on the panel structure of the intelligent surface; distributed grouping based on network topology.

[0109] It should be noted that the grouping control manner of the network device and the intelligent surface on the multiple electromagnetic units is similar, and the similarities will not be described here.

[0110] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the network device sends first indication information to the intelligent surface, so that the intelligent surface determines a first panel pattern of the intelligent surface and weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern according to the first indication information configured by the network device, the first panel pattern represents a grouping manner of a plurality of electromagnetic elements, each electromagnetic element group includes at least one electromagnetic element, and each electromagnetic element group is controlled based on the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern to realize communication between the network device and the user terminal through the intelligent surface. The present disclosure can simplify the unit-by-unit control to group control through the group control mechanism, thereby reducing the independent control instructions for a large number of electromagnetic elements, reducing the complexity and transmission delay of the communication system, balancing the energy efficiency and performance, and realizing high throughput, low latency and high energy efficiency of the communication system.

[0111] Figure 5 Another flowchart of a communication method provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. As shown in the figure, in one embodiment, the communication method of the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes: Figure 5

[0112] S502, confirming a user served by the intelligent surface according to the information fed back by the user terminal;

[0113] S504, if a preset adjustment condition is met, generating second indication information, the second indication information including at least one of panel pattern indication information and weight value indication information;

[0114] S506, sending the second indication information to the intelligent surface, so that the intelligent surface determines a second panel pattern of the intelligent surface and / or weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the second panel pattern according to the second indication information; and controlling each electromagnetic element group based on the second panel pattern and / or the weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the second panel pattern.

[0115] When the current communication system is communicating, the network device can perform performance evaluation on the current communication system. The network device receives information fed back by the user terminal, and the above information can include the value of the performance index, the position change of the user terminal, etc. The network device can monitor whether the dynamic resource allocation demand meets the preset target or whether the minimum periodic change time has been reached.

[0116] The preset adjustment condition in S504 includes at least one of the following: in the current communication system, the number of performance indexes less than the first threshold is greater than or equal to the first number threshold; in the current communication system, the number of differences between the performance indexes and the first threshold greater than the second threshold is greater than or equal to the second number threshold; the position change of the user terminal; the dynamic resource allocation demand of the network device; and the minimum periodic change time has been reached.

[0117] ​It should be noted that the values of the first threshold, the second threshold, the first quantity threshold, and the second quantity threshold are indicated by the network device or predefined.

[0118] In one embodiment, the second panel pattern is configured in at least one of the following manners: adding an electromagnetic unit group; merging an existing electromagnetic unit group; adjusting the number of electromagnetic units in an electromagnetic unit group; and reallocating weight values of respective electromagnetic unit groups.

[0119] In S506, the network device can send the second indication information to the smart surface through an in-band air interface.

[0120] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the traffic condition of the current communication system meets the preset adjustment condition, the network device generates the second indication information and sends it to the smart surface. The smart surface performs adaptive adjustment on the electromagnetic unit groups according to the second indication information configured by the network device, thereby improving the signal coverage accuracy and further reducing the system complexity and transmission delay.

[0121] To further understand the communication method of the present disclosure, the following describes the communication method of the present disclosure in combination with Figure 6 and two specific examples.

[0122] As shown in Figure 6 , the communication method of the present disclosure includes the following steps:

[0123] S601, the smart surface determines the first panel pattern and the weight values of respective electromagnetic unit groups in the first panel pattern according to the first indication information configured by the network device; the smart surface is initialized, and the smart surface controls respective electromagnetic unit groups according to the first panel pattern and the weight values of respective electromagnetic unit groups in the first panel pattern, thereby realizing communication between the network device and the user terminal through the smart surface;

[0124] S602, the network device confirms the users served by the smart surface according to the information fed back by the user terminal.

[0125] S603, it is judged whether the preset adjustment condition is met. If not, the process ends. If yes, S604 is executed.

[0126] S604, the smart surface determines the second panel pattern and the weight values of respective electromagnetic unit groups in the second panel pattern according to the second indication information configured by the network device, and controls respective electromagnetic unit groups according to the second panel pattern and the weight values of respective electromagnetic unit groups in the second panel pattern, thereby realizing communication between the network device and the user terminal through the smart surface.

[0127] Example 1:

[0128] In a 5G communication scenario of an indoor gymnasium, a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) is deployed to enhance signal coverage and improve user experience. The user distribution in the gymnasium dynamically changes (e.g., the audience gathers in different areas), and the communication demand is diversified (e.g., communication rate, etc.). The existing per-unit control scheme is difficult to efficiently cope with dynamic demand due to high signaling overhead and complexity.

[0129] The RIS panel includes 1024 electromagnetic units. The RIS is initialized according to the network side indication, adopts an equal uniform grouping manner, divides 16 groups, each group including 64 electromagnetic units, and allocates the same weight value to each electromagnetic unit group according to the network side indication, to realize uniform signal coverage. The network device detects that the users are concentratedly gathered in the coverage area of the RIS panel through the information fed back by the user equipment (UE), and instructs the RIS to dynamically adjust the grouping manner according to the user distribution. The RIS groups multiple electromagnetic units into smaller groups according to the network device indication, for example, into 64 electromagnetic unit groups, each electromagnetic unit group including 16 electromagnetic units, and the electromagnetic units in each electromagnetic unit group having the same weight value, to improve signal coverage accuracy.

[0130] Example II:

[0131] The RIS divides the RIS panel into 16 electromagnetic unit groups according to the network device indication, each electromagnetic unit group including 64 electromagnetic units, and the electromagnetic units in each electromagnetic unit group having the same weight value. The network device finds through performance evaluation that the current grouping manner cannot meet the preset target (e.g., the received RSRP of the UE in some positions is lower than a threshold value), and triggers the configuration of the next level pattern, including: adding 4 RIS electromagnetic unit groups in the area on the left side of the RIS panel where the signal is weak, each electromagnetic unit group including 32 electromagnetic units, and combining electromagnetic unit groups in the area where the signal is strong, combining each 2 electromagnetic unit groups into 1 group, each electromagnetic unit group including 128 electromagnetic units. The number of RIS electromagnetic unit groups is still 16 groups. The RIS controls the electromagnetic unit groups according to the new weight value configured by the network device for each electromagnetic unit group. At this time, the signal strength in the weak coverage area is improved, and the received RSRP of all users is higher than the threshold value.

[0132] Based on the same inventive concept, the disclosure embodiments also provide a communication device and a communication system, as described in the following embodiments. Since the principles of the device and system embodiments for solving the problem are similar to those of the above-mentioned method embodiments, the implementation of the device and system embodiments can be referred to the implementation of the above-mentioned method embodiments, and the repeated parts will not be described here.

[0133] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a communication device provided in the embodiments of the disclosure is shown as Figure 7As shown, in one embodiment, the communication device applied to a smart surface with a plurality of electromagnetic units, the device comprises: a determination module 710 and a control module 720.

[0134] The determination module 710 is configured to determine a first panel pattern of the smart surface and weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern according to first indication information configured by a network device, wherein the first panel pattern represents a grouping manner of the plurality of electromagnetic units, and each electromagnetic unit group comprises at least one electromagnetic unit.

[0135] The control module 720 is configured to control each electromagnetic unit group based on the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, so as to forward data from a sending end to a receiving end via the smart surface.

[0136] In the first panel pattern, when each electromagnetic unit group comprises at least two electromagnetic units, each electromagnetic unit in the electromagnetic unit group has the same weight value.

[0137] It should be noted that the first panel pattern is obtained by grouping the plurality of electromagnetic units according to a target grouping manner.

[0138] It should be noted that the target grouping manner comprises a pre-defined grouping manner or a grouping manner indicated by the network device.

[0139] It should be noted that the target grouping manner comprises at least one of the following grouping manners: uniform grouping, non-uniform grouping, adaptive grouping based on communication demand, symmetric grouping based on panel structure of the smart surface, and distributed grouping based on network topology.

[0140] In one embodiment, the device further comprises a first adjustment module not shown in the drawings, the first adjustment module is configured to receive second indication information configured by the network device, the second indication information comprises at least one of panel pattern indication information and weight value indication information; determine a second panel pattern of the smart surface and / or weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the second panel pattern according to the second indication information; and control each electromagnetic unit group based on the second panel pattern and / or the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the second panel pattern.

[0141] It should be noted that the second indication information is next-level panel pattern indication information and corresponding weight value indication information configured by the network device when a preset adjustment condition is met.

[0142] It should be noted that the preset adjustment condition includes at least one of the following: in the current communication system, the number of performance indicators less than the first threshold is greater than or equal to the first quantity threshold; in the current communication system, the number of performance indicators greater than the first threshold by the second threshold is greater than or equal to the second quantity threshold; the position of the user terminal changes; the dynamic resource allocation requirement of the network device; the time when the minimum periodic change is reached.

[0143] It should be noted that the configuration mode of the second panel pattern includes at least one of the following: adding an electromagnetic unit group; merging an existing electromagnetic unit group; adjusting the number of electromagnetic units in the electromagnetic unit group; and reallocating the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group.

[0144] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the present disclosure can simplify the unit-by-unit control to group control through the group control mechanism, thereby reducing the independent control instructions for a large number of electromagnetic units, reducing the complexity and transmission delay of the communication system, balancing the energy efficiency and performance, and achieving high throughput, low latency and high energy efficiency of the communication system; the intelligent surface performs adaptive adjustment on the electromagnetic unit group according to the second indication information configured by the network device, thereby improving the signal coverage accuracy and further reducing the system complexity and transmission delay.

[0145] Figure 8 Another schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. As shown in Figure 8 In one embodiment, the communication device is applied to a network device, and the device includes a sending module 810, which is configured to send first indication information to an intelligent surface having a plurality of electromagnetic units, so that the intelligent surface determines a first panel pattern of the intelligent surface and weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern according to the first indication information configured by the network device, wherein the first panel pattern represents a grouping mode of the plurality of electromagnetic units, and the electromagnetic unit group includes at least one electromagnetic unit; and controls each electromagnetic unit group based on the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, so as to forward data from a sending end to a receiving end via the intelligent surface.

[0146] It should be noted that in the first panel pattern, when the electromagnetic unit group includes at least two electromagnetic units, each electromagnetic unit in the electromagnetic unit group has the same weight value.

[0147] It should be noted that the first panel pattern is obtained by grouping the plurality of electromagnetic units according to a target grouping mode.

[0148] It should be noted that the target grouping mode includes a pre-defined grouping mode or a grouping mode indicated by the network device.

[0149] It should be noted that the target grouping mode includes at least one of the following grouping modes: uniform grouping; non-uniform grouping; adaptive grouping based on communication demand; symmetric grouping based on intelligent surface panel structure; distributed grouping based on network topology.

[0150] In an embodiment, the apparatus further includes a second adjustment module not shown in the drawings, the second adjustment module is configured to confirm a user served by the intelligent surface according to the information fed back by the user terminal; if a preset adjustment condition is met, generate second indication information, the second indication information includes at least one of panel pattern indication information and weight value indication information; send the second indication information to the intelligent surface, so that the intelligent surface determines a second panel pattern of the intelligent surface and / or a weight value of each electromagnetic unit group in the second panel pattern according to the second indication information; control each electromagnetic unit group based on the second panel pattern and / or the weight value of each electromagnetic unit group in the second panel pattern.

[0151] It should be noted that the preset adjustment condition includes at least one of the following: in the current communication system, the number of performance indicators less than the first threshold is greater than or equal to the first number threshold; in the current communication system, the number of performance indicators greater than the first threshold by a second threshold is greater than or equal to a second number threshold; a position change of the user terminal; a dynamic resource allocation requirement of the network device; a time when a minimum periodic change is reached.

[0152] It should be noted that the configuration mode of the second panel pattern includes at least one of the following: adding an electromagnetic unit group; merging an existing electromagnetic unit group; adjusting the number of electromagnetic units in the electromagnetic unit group; reallocating the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group.

[0153] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the present disclosure can simplify the unit-by-unit control to group control through the group control mechanism, thereby reducing the independent control instructions for a large number of electromagnetic units, reducing the complexity and transmission delay of the communication system, balancing the energy efficiency and performance, and achieving high throughput, low latency and high energy efficiency of the communication system; when the traffic condition of the current communication system meets the preset adjustment condition, the network device generates second indication information and sends it to the intelligent surface, and the intelligent surface adaptively adjusts the electromagnetic unit group according to the second indication information configured by the network device, thereby improving the signal coverage accuracy and further reducing the system complexity and transmission delay.

[0154] In combination Figure 1In one embodiment, the present disclosure further provides a communication system, comprising a network device 106 and a smart surface 105 having a plurality of electromagnetic units, wherein the network device 106 is configured to send first indication information to the smart surface 105; the smart surface 105 is configured to determine a first panel pattern of the smart surface 105 and weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern according to the first indication information configured by the network device 106, wherein the first panel pattern represents a grouping manner of the plurality of electromagnetic units, and each electromagnetic unit group comprises at least one electromagnetic unit; and control each electromagnetic unit group based on the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, so as to forward data from a sending end to a receiving end via the smart surface 105. In this way, in combination with the above-mentioned communication method, the reliability and flexibility of the communication system can be improved, the efficient management and optimization requirements can be realized, the throughput of the communication system can be improved, the time delay can be reduced, and the energy efficiency can be improved.

[0155] Those skilled in the art can understand that each aspect of the present disclosure can be implemented as a system, a method or a program product. Therefore, each aspect of the present disclosure can be embodied as a whole hardware embodiment, a whole software embodiment (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or an embodiment combining hardware and software aspects, which can be collectively referred to as "circuitry", "module" or "system" herein.

[0156] The electronic device 900 according to this embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figure 9 Figure 9 The electronic device 900 is merely an example and should not impose any limitation on the functions and use range of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0157] As shown in Figure 9 The electronic device 900 is in the form of a general computing device. The components of the electronic device 900 can include, but are not limited to, the above-mentioned at least one processing unit 910, the above-mentioned at least one storage unit 920, and a bus 930 connecting different system components (including the storage unit 920 and the processing unit 910).

[0158] The storage unit 920 stores program code, which can be executed by the processing unit 910, so that the processing unit 910 performs the steps according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure described in the above "Exemplary Method" section of the present specification.

[0159] ​For example, the processing unit 910 can perform the following steps of the above method embodiments: the smart surface with a plurality of electromagnetic units determines a first panel pattern of the smart surface and weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern according to first indication information configured by the network device, wherein the first panel pattern represents a grouping manner of the plurality of electromagnetic units, and an electromagnetic unit group includes at least one electromagnetic unit; and each electromagnetic unit group is controlled based on the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, so as to forward data from a sending end to a receiving end via the smart surface.

[0160] For example, the processing unit 910 can perform the following steps of the above method embodiments: the network device sends first indication information to a smart surface with a plurality of electromagnetic units, so that the smart surface determines a first panel pattern of the smart surface and weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern according to the first indication information configured by the network device, wherein the first panel pattern represents a grouping manner of the plurality of electromagnetic units, and an electromagnetic unit group includes at least one electromagnetic unit; and each electromagnetic unit group is controlled based on the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, so as to forward data from a sending end to a receiving end via the smart surface.

[0161] The storage unit 920 can include a readable medium in the form of a volatile storage unit, such as a random access memory (RAM) 9201 and / or a cache 9202, and can further include a read-only memory (ROM) 9203.

[0162] The storage unit 920 can further include programs / utilities 9204 having a set of (at least one) program modules 9205, such as an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data, and each of these examples, or some combination thereof, can include implementation of a network environment.

[0163] The bus 930 can represent one or more of several types of bus structures, including a storage unit bus or storage unit controller, a peripheral bus, a graphics acceleration port, a processing unit, or a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures.

[0164] The electronic device 900 can also communicate with one or more external devices 940 such as a keyboard or pointing device, a Bluetooth device, or a Figure 9 network adapter 960. As will be understood, however, data that is stored in the electronic device 900 can be encrypted to prevent unauthorized access. It is thus to be understood that the electronic device 900 can be a specially configured device, or can include a general purpose device that is programmed to perform the various methods and processes described herein.

[0165] From the foregoing description, it will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the example embodiments described herein can be implemented in software and / or through the use of hardware and software. As such, the technical solutions according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product. The software product can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (which can be a CD-ROM, a USB flash disk, a mobile hard disk, or the like) or a network, and includes a number of instructions for causing a computing device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a terminal device, or a network device, etc.) to perform the methods according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0166] In the example embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer readable storage medium is also provided, which can be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium stores a program product capable of implementing the methods of the present disclosure. In some possible embodiments, various aspects of the present disclosure can also be implemented in the form of a program product, which includes program codes for causing a user terminal to perform the steps according to various example embodiments of the present disclosure described in the above “Example Methods” section when the program product is run on the user terminal.

[0167] More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium in the present disclosure can include, but are not limited to, an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any appropriate combination of the foregoing.

[0168] In this disclosure, a computer readable storage medium can include a data signal transported over a carrier wave and can take the form of any appropriate medium including but not limited to phase or frequency modulation techniques, as well as other techniques. Still yet, a computer readable medium can include any medium that can store or transfer information for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system. Hereinafter, computer readable storage medium can also refer to as computer-readable non-transitory storage medium.

[0169] Optionally, program element included in computer readable storage medium can be transmitted by any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0170] In practice, the operations performed by the program code for implementing the present disclosure can be written as any combinations of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, C++, etc., and a conventional procedural programming languages such as "C" language or similar programming languages. The program code can be executed entirely on a user computing device, partially on a user device, as an independent software package, partially on a user computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In the case involving a remote computing device, the remote computing device can be connected to the user computing device through any kind of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or can be connected to an external computing device (for example, through the Internet by using an Internet service provider).

[0171] It should be noted that although several modules or units of the device for action execution are mentioned in the above detailed description, such division is not mandatory. In fact, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit. Conversely, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided into multiple modules or units for embodiment.

[0172] In addition, although the steps of the method in the present disclosure are described in a specific order in the accompanying drawings, this does not require or imply that the steps must be performed in this specific order, or that all the steps shown must be performed to achieve the desired result. Additionally or alternatively, some steps can be omitted, multiple steps can be combined into one step, one step can be divided into multiple steps, etc.

[0173] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can easily understand that the example embodiments described herein can be implemented by software, or by software in combination with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solutions according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (which can be a CD-ROM, a USB flash disk, a mobile hard disk, or the like) or a network, and includes a number of instructions to make a computing device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a mobile terminal, or a network device, etc.) execute the methods according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0174] Other embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the features disclosed herein. The present disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present disclosure following the general principles thereof and including such departures from the present disclosure that come within known use or custom in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. The specification and examples are to be regarded as illustrative only, and the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure are indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a smart surface with a plurality of electromagnetic units, and the method comprises the following steps: determining a first panel pattern of the smart surface and weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern according to first indication information configured by a network device, wherein the first indication information comprises the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, and further comprises at least one of indication information of a target grouping mode corresponding to the first panel pattern, the number of electromagnetic unit groups in the first panel pattern, and the number of electromagnetic units in each electromagnetic unit group; the first panel pattern represents a grouping mode of the plurality of electromagnetic units, and each electromagnetic unit group comprises at least one electromagnetic unit; controlling each electromagnetic unit group based on the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, so as to forward data from a sending end to a receiving end via the smart surface; receiving second indication information configured by the network device, wherein the second indication information comprises at least one of panel pattern indication information and weight value indication information; wherein the second indication information comprises next-level panel pattern indication information and corresponding weight value indication information configured by the network device when a preset adjustment condition is met, and the preset adjustment condition comprises at least one of the following: in a current communication system, the number of performance indicators less than a first threshold is greater than or equal to a first number threshold; in the current communication system, the number of differences between performance indicators and the first threshold greater than a second threshold is greater than or equal to a second number threshold; a position change of a user terminal; a dynamic resource allocation requirement of a network device; a time when a minimum periodic change is reached; the performance indicators comprise one or more of a rate, a user received reference signal received power, a spectral efficiency, and an energy efficiency; determining a second panel pattern of the smart surface and / or weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the second panel pattern according to the second indication information; controlling each electromagnetic unit group based on the second panel pattern and / or the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the second panel pattern.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, characterized by, In the first panel pattern, when each electromagnetic unit group comprises at least two electromagnetic units, each electromagnetic unit in the electromagnetic unit group has the same weight value.

3. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, The first panel pattern is obtained by grouping the plurality of electromagnetic units according to a target grouping mode.

4. The communication method according to claim 3, characterized by, The target grouping mode comprises at least one of the following grouping modes:

5. The communication method according to claim 3, wherein, uniform grouping; non-uniform grouping; adaptive grouping based on communication requirements; symmetric grouping based on a panel structure of a smart surface; distributed grouping based on a network topology. The configuration mode of the second panel pattern comprises at least one of the following:

6. The communication method of claim 1, wherein, adding an electromagnetic unit group; merging an existing electromagnetic unit group; adjusting the number of electromagnetic units in an electromagnetic unit group; reassigning weight values of each electromagnetic unit group. The method comprises:

7. A communication method applied to a network device, comprising: ​ sending first indication information to a smart surface having a plurality of electromagnetic units, so that the smart surface determines a first panel pattern of the smart surface and weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern according to the first indication information configured by a network device, wherein the first indication information comprises the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, and further comprises at least one of indication information of a target grouping manner corresponding to the first panel pattern, a number of electromagnetic unit groups in the first panel pattern, and a number of electromagnetic units in each electromagnetic unit group, the first panel pattern representing a grouping manner of the plurality of electromagnetic units, and the electromagnetic unit group comprising at least one electromagnetic unit; and controlling the electromagnetic unit groups based on the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, so as to forward data from a sending end to a receiving end via the smart surface; confirming a user served by the smart surface according to information fed back by a user terminal; generating second indication information if a preset adjustment condition is met, the second indication information comprising at least one of panel pattern indication information and weight value indication information; wherein the preset adjustment condition comprises at least one of the following: in a current communication system, a number of performance indicators less than a first threshold is greater than or equal to a first number threshold; in the current communication system, a number of differences between performance indicators and the first threshold greater than a second threshold is greater than or equal to a second number threshold; a position change of a user terminal; a dynamic resource allocation requirement of a network device; a time when a minimum periodic change has been reached; and the performance indicators comprising one or more of a rate, a user received reference signal received power, a spectral efficiency, and an energy efficiency; sending the second indication information to the smart surface, so that the smart surface determines a second panel pattern of the smart surface and / or weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the second panel pattern according to the second indication information; and controlling the electromagnetic unit groups based on the second panel pattern and / or the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the second panel pattern.

8. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein, In the first panel pattern, when the electromagnetic unit group comprises at least two electromagnetic units, each electromagnetic unit in the electromagnetic unit group has the same weight value.

9. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein, The first panel pattern is obtained by grouping the plurality of electromagnetic units according to a target grouping manner.

10. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein, The target grouping manner comprises a pre-defined grouping manner or a grouping manner indicated by the network device.

11. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein The target grouping manner comprises at least one of the following grouping manners: uniform grouping; non-uniform grouping; adaptive grouping based on communication requirements; symmetric grouping based on a panel structure of the smart surface; distributed grouping based on a network topology.

12. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein, The configuration manner of the second panel pattern comprises at least one of the following: adding an electromagnetic unit group; merging an existing electromagnetic unit group; adjusting a number of electromagnetic units in an electromagnetic unit group; re-distributing weight values of each electromagnetic unit group.

13. A communications device, characterized by The device is applied to a smart surface having a plurality of electromagnetic units, and the device comprises: determining a first panel pattern of the smart surface and weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern according to first indication information configured by a network device, wherein the first indication information comprises at least one of the first panel pattern, the weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern, indication information of a target grouping mode corresponding to the first panel pattern, a number of electromagnetic element groups in the first panel pattern, and a number of electromagnetic elements in each electromagnetic element group, the first panel pattern representing a grouping mode of the plurality of electromagnetic elements, and each electromagnetic element group comprising at least one electromagnetic element; controlling each electromagnetic element group based on the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern, to forward data from a sending end to a receiving end via the smart surface; receiving second indication information configured by the network device, the second indication information comprising at least one of panel pattern indication information and weight value indication information, wherein the second indication information comprises next-level panel pattern indication information and corresponding weight value indication information configured by the network device when a preset adjustment condition is met, and the preset adjustment condition comprises at least one of the following: in a current communication system, a number of performance indicators less than a first threshold is greater than or equal to a first number threshold; in the current communication system, a number of differences between performance indicators and the first threshold greater than a second threshold is greater than or equal to a second number threshold; a position change of a user terminal; a dynamic resource allocation requirement of a network device; a time when a minimum periodic change has been reached; the performance indicators comprise one or more of a rate, a user received reference signal received power, a spectral efficiency, and an energy efficiency; determining a second panel pattern of the smart surface and / or weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the second panel pattern according to the second indication information; and controlling each electromagnetic element group based on the second panel pattern and / or the weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the second panel pattern.

14. A communication apparatus applied to a network device, characterized in that, The apparatus comprises: The sending module is configured to send first indication information to the intelligent surface with a plurality of electromagnetic units, so that the intelligent surface determines a first panel pattern of the intelligent surface and weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern according to the first indication information configured by the network device, wherein the first indication information includes the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the first panel pattern, and further includes at least one of indication information of a target grouping mode corresponding to the first panel pattern, a number of electromagnetic unit groups in the first panel pattern, and a number of electromagnetic units in each electromagnetic unit group. The first panel pattern represents a grouping mode of the plurality of electromagnetic units, and the electromagnetic unit group includes at least one electromagnetic unit. The first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group are used to control the electromagnetic unit group, so as to forward data from a sending end to a receiving end via the intelligent surface. The second adjusting module is configured to confirm a user served by the intelligent surface according to information fed back by a user terminal. If a preset adjustment condition is met, second indication information is generated, the second indication information including at least one of panel pattern indication information and weight value indication information. The preset adjustment condition includes at least one of the following: in a current communication system, a number of performance indicators less than a first threshold is greater than or equal to a first number threshold; in the current communication system, a number of differences between performance indicators and the first threshold greater than a second threshold is greater than or equal to a second number threshold; a position change of the user terminal; a dynamic resource allocation requirement of the network device; a time when a minimum periodic change is reached; the performance indicators including one or more of a rate, a user received reference signal received power, a spectral efficiency, and an energy efficiency; and the second indication information is sent to the intelligent surface, so that the intelligent surface determines a second panel pattern of the intelligent surface and / or weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the second panel pattern according to the second indication information. The second panel pattern and / or the weight values of each electromagnetic unit group in the second panel pattern are used to control the electromagnetic unit group.

15. A communication system, characterized by The network device and the intelligent surface with a plurality of electromagnetic units are included. The network device is configured to send first indication information to the intelligent surface, the first indication information including a first panel pattern and weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern, and further including at least one of indication information of a target grouping mode corresponding to the first panel pattern, a number of electromagnetic element groups in the first panel pattern, and a number of electromagnetic elements in each electromagnetic element group; confirm a user served by the intelligent surface according to information fed back by a user terminal; if a preset adjustment condition is met, generate second indication information including at least one of panel pattern indication information and weight value indication information; and send the second indication information to the intelligent surface. The preset adjustment condition includes at least one of the following: in a current communication system, a number of performance indicators less than a first threshold is greater than or equal to a first number threshold; in the current communication system, a number of differences between performance indicators and the first threshold greater than a second threshold is greater than or equal to a second number threshold; a position change of a user terminal; a dynamic resource allocation requirement of a network device; a time when a minimum periodic change has been reached; the performance indicators include one or more of a rate, a user received reference signal received power, a spectral efficiency, and an energy efficiency; and determine a second panel pattern of the intelligent surface and / or weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the second panel pattern according to the second indication information. The intelligent surface is configured to determine a first panel pattern of the intelligent surface and weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern according to first indication information configured by a network device, wherein the first panel pattern represents a grouping mode of a plurality of electromagnetic elements, and the electromagnetic element group includes at least one electromagnetic element; control the electromagnetic element groups based on the first panel pattern and the weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the first panel pattern, to forward data from a sending end to a receiving end via the intelligent surface; receive second indication information configured by the network device; and control the electromagnetic element groups based on a second panel pattern and / or weight values of each electromagnetic element group in the second panel pattern.

16. An electronic device, comprising: It includes: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute the communication method of any one of claims 1-6 or the communication method of any one of claims 7-12 by executing the executable instructions.

17. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program, characterized in that, The computer program is executed by the processor to implement the communication method of any one of claims 1-6 or the communication method of any one of claims 7-12.

18. A computer program product, characterised in that, It includes a computer program, which is executed by the processor to implement the communication method of any one of claims 1-6 or the communication method of any one of claims 7-12.

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